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EL 1979 Opening Day
Offseason WAR changes show all but four clubs losing ground over the break.
Obviously some huge names on the lam this offseason - let's see where they all landed.
Bullet Rogan and A-Rod have respectively ended up at the Monarchs and Black Yankees on minor-league option deals.
If the boffins are to be believed, there'll be quite the shifting of the power structure this season. Top-rated players are as follows, with Cristobal Torriente the big mover among position players: This year's prospects list is stacked, headed by Pythias Russ - who is almost guaranteed to be the focus of an OotS feature sometime soon: Club finances: And finally, a look at the injured list as at OD, with Juan Marichal the big name on there - though, thankfully, not for too long: Always such an exciting time and, once I've got the Janus Report out of the way, we'll be off and running on what promises to be another fascinating Eclipse League journey. |
1979 Janus Report: FC American
Atlantic City Bacharach Giants Brooklyn Royal Giants Newark Dodgers New York Black Yankees Pittsburgh Crawfords |
1979 Janus Report: FC National
Birmingham Black Barons Cuban Stars West Kansas City Monarchs Memphis Red Sox St. Louis Giants |
1979 Janus Report: WC American
Baltimore Elite Giants Hilldale Athletic Club Homestead Grays New York Lincoln Giants Philadelphia Liberty Stars |
1979 Janus Report: WC National
Chicago American Giants Cleveland Buckeyes Cuban Stars East Detroit Motown Stars Indianapolis ABCs |
El Clásico, 1979
Nice to have El Clásico early for once, while everything is still on the line, although what I really want is for it to be of vital importance with both teams contending toward the end of the season. Not sure that is ever going to happen.
The West dominate proceedings early with Hector Lopez leading the way, but a nice 3-hit shutout from Rube Curry in the final game gets the East off the sweep. That stretches the West's overall series lead out to 8-4. |
Stat Check: IP
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Going Insano
Will this be the year in which, after knocking on the door the past two seasons, Miguel Sano finally makes it to 30 HR? This effort will certainly help his cause no end.
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J-Rammed
A massive loss for the BBs with their number one guy effectively done for the year. he might... might... be back if they make the playoffs.
And, in other news, Pops Stargell is released by the Monarchs. Not much left in this version of him, it seems - even though he's only 33. Still some thunder in that POW rating, so perhaps he gets picked up as a PH type later in the year. |
CC Stays Put
It looks as if ace and all-time Wins leader CC Sabathia will now be a Black Yankee for life after he signs a massive contract that will see him thru his age-36 season in 1984. It's a risky deal, given he posted his highest career ERA last year and has started the 1979 season poorly as well, but I love to see this sort of thing and hope it works out for all concerned.
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Stat Check: K
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April 1979 Recap
Eclipse League A nice competitive start to 1979 for the EL, with only the Giants and Elite Giants (who have been better of late) particularly slow out of the gates. Monthly Award Winners
Points of Interest
Transit League Louisville has had a blistering start to the season. Monthly Award Winners
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Out of the Shadows: Edgar Wesley
Born 1891 in Waco, TX and prominent throughout the post-WW1 period, Edgar Wesley is one of the many Negro League players who just seems like he would have done well in the MLB had he been afforded the chance. While he's not generally regarded in the absolute top echelon of NeLers, he's not far off them either, as his slash of 319/385/526 with (all as per SH) a 141 OPS+ and 92 homers attests.
After beginning his pro career in his home state with a spell at Hot Springs, AR, Eddie Wes (as I call him) made his NeL debut in 1918 for the Chicago American Giants after they lost starting 1B Leroy Grant to a military call-up. The following season saw him move to the Detroit Stars, the club with which he is most closely associated, after Rube Foster purchased it and sent a bunch of AG players there including Jose Mendez, Frank Duncan and Pete Hill, who would be the Manager as well. Edgar would spend the next five seasons at Detroit and, after a season with Oscar Charleston and others at the Harrisburg Giants in 1924, return to Motown to play out the remainder of his career, which ended in 1927 after he was traded to Cleveland for Ed Rile by new skipper Bingo DeMoss. This, of course, coincides with the creation of the NNL, now regarded as the first of the "major" Negro leagues, and the Stars were competitive throughout without ever winning a Championship. Still, they generally finished in the first division during this period. There is some suggestion Edgar might have at this point gone to South America and / or the Caribbean to play, but there is no documentation to back this up. He reportedly made his last appearance in 1931 for the Bacharach Giants, by this time an independent club. Again, no stats are available. He died, aged 75, back in his home state in 1966. Edgar's impact in the EL has been immediate after he was Drafted 8th overall by the Crawfords in 1977. He went straight to the parent club, and won 2 monthly rookie awards en route to a 1.2 bWAR debut season. He has continued to improve, and just a month into the 1979 campaign looks set to become one of the EL's biggest names - with his line currently sitting at 319/361/582 with a 156 OPS+, 6 HR and 15 RBI. As always, we'll track his progress in the years to come. For a detailed look at Edgar's life and career, head HERE. |
Four Score
-Who is that four-HR hitting firebrand, Smithers?
-Harry Simpson, sir. -Simpson, hey? Sign him up then! The aforementioned firebrand joins Eric Davis and Chito Martinez as the only players with a 4-homer game to this point in the EL. That, in a relatively moderate HR environment over barely a decade seems like a high number, but I like it. FYI, his haul from this single game is one more than he has thru 80-odd games in 1959 of my Bucs save, albeit in a part-time role. If he played like this he wouldn't be part-time! |
Happy Valentín's Day
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Stat Check: SLG
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Hank Robber
The MoStars are still struggling to unleash anything near their full potential, currently sitting at a disappointing 18-18. This development will not help their cause one jot.
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May 1979 Recap
Eclipse League No real moves just yet with the two sides of the draw each other's mirror image at the top end - one club a half-game ahead and another, 3 1/2. Monthly Award Winners
Points of Interest
Transit League Things tighten up considerably in the CAC National as the White Sox follow their 19-3 April with a 9-19 May, meaning all four groups are very much in play. Jacksonville rookie Nyjer Morgan achieves the rare feat of B2B 5-hit games. Monthly Award Winners
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Out of the Shadows: Earl Gurley
Even for the porous history of the Negro Leagues, Earl Gurley is an outlier on the enigmatic spectrum. Not one of my sources mentions him, other than Seamheads / BBRef (and, very briefly, Wikipedia) - not even Jim Riley, who threw out the widest net. As frustrating as this is, it has also opened up a portal for the EL in which a guy who slashed 288/350/428 with a 110 OPS+ - relatively unimpressive numbers in the 1920s NeL context in which they were achieved - and pitched occasionally, usually with poor results has been transformed into an out-and-out superstar with both bat and ball.
Because EC had no MLE for him, Earl came into this save unmessed with by yours truly. Part of my import process is to go through the incoming non-MLE players just to make sure none enter the game outrageously juiced. I remember seeing Earl, doing some background checks, discovering little. I looked at his ratings, thought them a little high but not outrageously so, liked the idea of another decent enough 2WP entering the league, and let him be. TCR seems to have done the rest. By the time of the Draft last year, he had blossomed into a beast, and was picked 14th overall by the Crawfords. What an astute pick that is turning out to be. At the time of writing, Earl's 18 homers are second only to Don Baylor's 20 (putting both on pace for a new EL record), and his 55 ribbies lead both leagues. He has also - despite a middling STAM rating - chimed in on the mound with a 3-2 / 2.84 mark, giving his club 4 QS in the 6 games he has appeared in. Combined, that's good for 3.1 WAR, which projects to nearly 10 for a full season - nearly twice his career mark as per his in-game Real Stats. His presence is obviously a big factor in the Crawfs leading the FCA at this point in time. With this being a dev-only save, that paucity of stats will have a far more abstract effect on his performance than were recalc being applied. Which could well mean Earl becomes a real force in the league for years to come. As always, we'll follow along and report on his progress in this regard. |
Stat Check: pWAR
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Happy Place
Another prime example of why I love this save so much - two NeL greats facing a bunch of legendary names - Alomar, Carew, Cool Papa Bell, Dihigo, Wesley - in what proves a tight tussle indeed.
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Philly Power Surge
Big homer games from a couple unlikely sources as the LibStars give the Athletics a good old-fashioned shellacking.
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June 1979 Recap
Eclipse League Other than the Grays making a little move, little is changed entering July with plenty of chances around the league. Monthly Award Winners
Points of Interest
Top 20s - overall Top 20s - NeLers The Wolves have made a decisive move, the White Sox also once again look strong. Three games separate top from bottom in the CAC American. Monthly Award Winners
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EL Top 100 Prospects
A-Rod leads the pack in the midseason prospects list ahead of Luis Marquez.
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Transit League All-Stars, 1979
It's back-to-back HR Derby wins for Atlanta's Bobby Marshall, while Mike Cameron of Pittsburgh is named MVP in a losing cause as the Francis Conference emerges victorious by 10 to 6. |
1979 EL All-Star / Prospects Squads and Games
The stars of today:
And tomorrow: HR Derby winner John Beckwith (Buckeyes) def Earl Gurley (Crawfords) ASG result Fleet 6, Weldy 5 ASG MVP Fernando Tatis jr (Monarchs) Prospects Game result Weldy 3, Fleet 1 Prospects Game MVP Alex Rodriguez (Hornets) |
Out of the Shadows: Frank Wickware
Born a year later and raised in the same Kansas town, it seems fitting that Frank Wickware would often be referred to as the "Black Walter Johnson" throughout his career, even if the comparison is perhaps a little generous on the basis of ability. That said, when the two faced each other in an exhibition game, Wickware won 1-0 and they reportedly split two other such matches during the same period.
Frank made a huge splash upon diving into the NeL waters, going 8-0 for the then Leland Giants of Chicago in his rookie 1910 season. Other than his 10-3 stint for Cuban club Fe, however, this was to prove his only dominant campaign and SH has his career mark at 76-61 with a basically league average ERA of 2.90. Frank's best game came on August 26, 1914. Pitching for Chicago (now the American Giants) against the Indianapolis ABCs, he walked the leadoff batter, who was caught stealing, then retired 26 in a row. Frank's popularity meant he was constantly in demand, while his fondness for the bottle meant he oftentimes wore his welcome out quickly and was forced to move on. As a result, he played for no fewer than 15 clubs over his 12-year career (with stops at Chicago in 9 of them), which ended in 1921. He was reportedly with Dave Brown the night in 1925 he shot and killed a man in a bar fight, and lived out his post-baseball days in Schenectady, NY, where he died in 1967. The EL version of Frank Ellis "The Red Ant" Wickware has also come in with guns blazing. Drafted 6th overall by the Crawfords (one of the few clubs he didn't play for IRL) in 1975, he was put straight to work and has so far gone 47-53 with a 105 ERA+. He finished runner-up in the FC Fowler Medal (RoY) for 1976 and named as an All-Star this year. He has at least 3 pWAR in each of his three completed seasons to this point and looks headed to keep that streak alive in 1979, which is in fact shaping up as his best one yet as Pittsburgh makes a concerted run toward the post-season. We wish him, and them, all the best in this endeavour and will check back in as his career progresses. |
XI Madness
We are getting down to the pointy end of what is proving another incredibly tight EL season, making wins and losses even more important than usual and games like this one for the Buckeyes potential catalysts for movements in the right or wrong direction. Poor old Ric Hidalgo - 3 homers in a losing cause would be particularly hard to take.
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July 1979 Recap
Eclipse League An ongoing 7-game win streak for the Athletic Club has reined in the Grays and means all four races sit within three games as we enter August. That said, each is close to being a race in two. Monthly Award Winners
Points of Interest
https://i.imgur.com/CDOlt6a.png https://i.imgur.com/i7BhNej.png https://i.imgur.com/A4E5oTC.png https://i.imgur.com/HPbtoZS.png https://i.imgur.com/PmC7IVG.png https://i.imgur.com/iQrHav2.png Transit League The two National Conferences look done, while there's life aplenty in the two Americans. Columbus OF Dwayne Murphy currently sits on 39 homers and looks set to make a run at Frank Blattner's TL record of 51. Promotion is perhaps his biggest hurdle in this endeavour. Monthly Award Winners
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Stat Check: WPA
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August 1979 Recap
Eclipse League Other than having chewed up some more games, August brings us no closer to - and perhaps leaves us even further from - a resolution, with all four conference races set to go down to the wire. That said, there has been no shortage of jockeying for position these past 31 days. A stunning collapse by the Black Yankees looks to put them out of contention in the FCA, but they recover late and the Crawfords fail to take full advantage, leaving the two of them - and arguably the Dodgers, just 6 GB - to fight it out. A 12-14 sectional puts paid to the last vestiges of hope this year for the plucky BGs. The MeSox and Mons have been inseparable, changing places throughout the past few months, and I expect nothing different for the remainder. The A's have shown their usual spunk and refused to let Homestead run away with the WCA. As a result, they are set for a grandstand finish, with their series in mid-September looming large on the horizon. A stirring 20-6 month has not just revived Detroit's season but actually put them in the box seat in the WCN entering September. Mookie Betts is finally having the sort of season MoStars fans have been waiting for and Joe Williams' addition to the squad has started paying dividends as well. Each wins the monthly award for their efforts. Monthly Award Winners
Points of Interest
Top 20s - overall Detroit is home, Louisville looks close enough to, the others are wide open. By dint of a sensational August, Atlanta's Bobby Marshall has closed the gap on Dwayne Murphy and both can now make one final tilt at the all-time seasonal HR record - Murphy needs 5 in 12 games, Marshall 10. Monthly Award Winners
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Two Sides to Every Story
With both teams engaged in ultra-tight pennant races, the importance of a game like this can feel like it greatly exceeds the simple won-lost binary.
For Memphis, to implode like this undermines your late-inning confidence to close out games; for Homestead such an amazing comeback makes you think you can win from any position. Neither posits are essentially true, of course, but the closer you get to the end of the season, the more blurred the line between perception and reality becomes. |
Notes from the Transit Lounge: end of 1979 regular season
It almost seems traditional by now for their to be intrigue at the death in both levels of the EL and the TL boys don't let us down this time around.
With the other three conferences each safely stashed away, all eyes turn to the FC American. Needing a win to clinch cleanly, Akron instead loses a heartbreaker 4-3 in 12 to House of David and watches Washington blank Baltimore 9-0 on an Albie Lopez 3-hitter to force a tiebreaker. The very next day, the Grays make amends with a 4-run 7th securing them a 6-4 win and a spot in the playoffs. That leaves the final standings looking like this: And leaders / Top 20s: https://i.imgur.com/BLdBFkk.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/LoicIan.png https://i.imgur.com/OLZyoMn.png https://i.imgur.com/eEMDgdO.png Dwayne Murphy makes it to 50 with a few games to spare but just can't get that one he needs to tie Frank Blattner. Bobby Marshall, who hit 48 last season, belts 49 in this one. Nyjer Morgan sets a new TL mark with 92 steals. A first playoff run for the Blue Birds - the rest have been here more than once previously, with the Wolves of course winning it all thrice. |
Stat Check: $
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Notes from the Transit Lounge - 1979 Conference Championship Series
A straightforward sweep win for the heavily favoured Wolves, while Louisville keeps its hot run going by knocking out Columbus in 4.
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Stat Check: pWAR
https://i.imgur.com/ugG7M4T.png
ShoTime also has a little over 35 career bWAR at the time of posting. |
Notes from the Transit Lounge: Louis, Louis
The Louisville White Sox go a crazy 17-2 over the end of the regular season and the playoffs to nail down their first TL Championship.
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Torrid Torriente on Song
Talk about a timely return. A day after being activated from a short IL stint and with his team hitting the wall in a furious WC National dogfight with Cleveland, young gun Cristobal Torriente runs amok in a DH between the two clubs, belting 4 homers and driving in 10 as the MoStars take both games and get their noses back in front for now.
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EL September 1979 Awards
Full recap at the end of the regular season with a bunch of stuff going on including a run at the single-season HR mark and one club clinching despite a 22-0 loss!
In the meantime, here are the EL's award-winners for September.
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Out of the Shadows: Branch Russell
Virginia-born Branch Russell played almost his entire career for the St. Louis Stars throughout the 1920s and into the early 1930s, including the NNL Championship years of 1928, 1930 and 1931. Highly-regarded both on and off the diamond, he served a stint as the Stars' Captain and also briefly as the club's Manager in 1926.
A right-fielder with an arm few dared challenge, Branch was more a contact- than power-hitter, with SH allotting him a career slash line of 307/391/461. That said, he did mash 57 career taters and ended up with a 115 OPS+, so he must have had some pop as well. EC gives him 11 career WAR in his MLEs. Prior to his pro ball career, which didn't start until he was 26, Branch served for 8 years in the 25th Infantry. Post his retirement, he worked for the St. Louis Parks and Rec department. He died in St. Louis in 1959, aged 63. Branch's EL incarnation was drafted 9th overall in 1977 by Birmingham, where he remains at the time of posting. He got as high as #9 on the Prospects list and spent only the briefest time at the Black Barons' TL club Jacksonville before getting the call-up. In the near two seasons since, Branch has shown plenty of promise, this current season in particular in which he has slashed 293/365/427 and gone yard 5 times, driving in 53 and accumulating nearly 3 bWAR. No doubt the BBs will be looking for further improvement from him as they try to make their way to the playoffs over oncoming years. Hopefully he'll get plenty more time to keep evolving that sweet 'tache as well. As with the final OotS feature each season, here is how those who have been featured previously and remain active are faring. Three of them have called time on the game this year: Patricio Scantlebury, Donald "Soup" Reeves and Oscar Estrada. |
Acosta Living
Talk about saving your best for last, Jose Acosta twirls a no-no for the ABCs in their penultimate game of a disappointing season. The nearly 40000 in attendance at Comiskey sure got their money's worth.
The EL goes OK with no-nos - in just its 13th season, this is the 19th that has been thrown, including Darrell Jackson's perfecto in '75. Santiago Guzman and Bill Lindsay have each done it twice. |
1979 EL Regular Season Summary
I was utterly convinced we were set for some late drama, but it doesn't pan out that way - although the WC National, as usual, goes close. The Motown Stars finally lock down their maiden playoff appearance by clinching in the second-last game and in the end get home by the bare minimum. Give it to the Buckeyes, who got that close despite losing both Fred Long and Al Smith.
The other three races fizzle out early, with the Crawfords clinching with a 22-0 whipping, with them the zero in that scoreline and Birmingham the 22! Another extremely even EL season. Aside from the 105-loss Giants, no other club goes near to losing 100 and none win that number either, with Homestead's 96 the most of any. A 5th batting title to Rod Carew in the FC, while Detroit's Cristobal Torriente wins his first. Barry Bonds gets to 44 HR with five games to spare, then goes homerless for the remainder and will have to be satisfied with a share of the record for now. He repeats his 40-40 feat with 51 SB, although this is well behind league leader Alfredo Griffin's 76. Albert Pujols leads both leagues with 122 RBI. A bunch of (five) guys win 20 games on the button, with Nate Moreland's 2.75 the low ERA. Gene Collins is the King of K with 298 and Ramon Ramirez leads the EL with 41 saves. Both Shohei Ohtani and Yovani Gallardo register their 200th career win. Final Top 20s Hitters - Overall Hitters - NeLers Pitchers - Overall Pitchers - NeLers Final Leaders https://i.imgur.com/XaKNXvF.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/JyYWptX.png |
1979 Transit League Major Awards
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER PITCHER OF THE YEAR RELIEVER OF THE YEAR https://i.imgur.com/UdTRGUv.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/DbEtMYe.png |
1979 EL Conference Championship Series
Fleet Conference Pittsburgh Crawfords (93-69) v Kansas City Monarchs (92-70) Best of seven, Crawfords with home-field advantage. It just goes to show how much truth there is in the old adage You gotta lose one to win one, as the Mons' draw on the experience of last year's disappointment to put away the Crawfords in six ferociously-played games. The bats rule for the most part, with the winning score in four of the games being in double-digits. KC talisman Fernando Tatis jr hits 409 / 2 HR / 8 RBI to take MVP honours. https://i.imgur.com/yn7HrMQ.png Weldy Conference Homestead Grays (96-66) v Detroit Motown Stars (89-73) Best of seven, Grays with home-field advantage. Despite their abundance of talent, a straight-up lack of poise and polish does the MoStars in here as the Grays see them off in six. Game 5 is an instant classic (see below), as Homestead wins late three of the four times. It does cost the Grays, though, with OF Richard Hidalgo gone for the season after suffering an oblique strain. Al Bumbry is named MVP. https://i.imgur.com/3ZE3By1.png https://i.imgur.com/lnERfsb.png https://i.imgur.com/7dwNBxI.png |
1979 Eclipse League World Series
Homestead Grays v Kansas City Monarchs Best of seven, Grays with home-field advantage. No doubt the Grays have a clear talent edge here, with names such as Cabrera, Eric Davis, Danny Tartabull, Bob Watson and Carlos Zambrano on their books. But this Monarchs group seems to have gelled really well and look to be hitting top gear just when you need to. They also have the added incentive of not having won a title yet. Still, I just think Homestead will have too much firepower here and win it fairly comfortably in five. https://i.imgur.com/KW41OzZ.png https://i.imgur.com/Q5ioGMs.png That's pretty much how it plays out as the Mons try their hardest but the Grays are just too strong and take just five games to win their second EL title in three years. It really should have been a sweep, as KC scores 8 in the top 9th to win the opener 8-2. Homestead rookie shortstop Adam Jones is named series MVP. Game 1 https://i.imgur.com/6IvYI4e.png https://i.imgur.com/Qr4lJFE.png Game 2 https://i.imgur.com/LCVFwj1.png https://i.imgur.com/4xVHgNH.png Game 3 https://i.imgur.com/kx3y6AV.png https://i.imgur.com/WBmR2EC.png Game 4 https://i.imgur.com/hLg87FG.png https://i.imgur.com/JfIaBTs.png Game 5 https://i.imgur.com/wMcUZr0.png https://i.imgur.com/W07nfvD.png https://i.imgur.com/bdh33Q2.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/lfFA21h.png https://i.imgur.com/fJeSmSw.png |
1979 Housekeeping
Managerial Culls Brooklyn Royal Giants OUT: Alan Senese (Manager) IN: Leonys Martin Newark Dodgers OUT: John Glenn (Manager) IN: Sam Gilbert Indianapolis ABCs OUT: Donovan Stahl (Manager) IN: John Payne St. Louis Giants OUT: Kevin Allen (Manager) IN: Justin Jellison Roster News Key Extensions: 1B Jose Abreu (American Giants) 2/1260; 2B Keston Hiura (Black Barons) 4/2434; P Frank Wickware (Crawfords) 3/1816; OF Carl Everett (American Giants) 5/3968; P Joe Williams (Motown Stars) 5/3496. Opt-Outs: P Juan Marichal (Buckeyes); OF Irvin Brooks (ABCs); SS Mookie Betts (Motown Stars); 1B Erubiel Durazo (Motown Stars); 2B Danny Tartabull (Grays); C Carlos Delgado (Athletics); 3B Jose Ramirez (Black Barons); OF Oddibe McDowell (Red Sox); P Jose Rijo (Red Sox); 3B Willie Greene (Crawfords); SS Elvis Andrus (Dodgers); 1B Adrian Gonzalez (Black Yankees). The Red Sox void the contract of OF Gerry Davis. A huge swap sees the American Giants flip OF Leon Durham to the Crawfords for P Agustin Acosta and OF Willie McGee. Prospect Pipeline https://i.imgur.com/lAO9GRL.png |
1979 Retirees
Pops Stargell is going to be a fascinating study in voter trends - absolutely dominant in his first four seasons (without winning any major awards), barely replacement value for the rest and a fairly early retirement. Only he and Patricio Scantlebury even have a look-in for the HoF and I doubt either make it.
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1979 Awards
GRANT MEDAL (MOST VALUABLE PLAYER) STOVEY MEDAL (PITCHER OF THE YEAR) WHITE PLATE (RELIEVER OF THE YEAR) https://i.imgur.com/j4lvGko.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/4xgw56w.png FOWLER MEDAL (ROOKIE OF THE YEAR) https://i.imgur.com/37Kg7pS.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/273qkk0.png GARRETT BUTTON (MANAGER OF THE YEAR) FC: Aaron Baker, Crawfords WC: Hisanori Takahashi, Grays KINDLING AWARD (SILVER SLUGGER) FC / WC https://i.imgur.com/CDS8meL.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/JdxBk1k.png SLICK AWARD (GOLD GLOVE) FC / WC https://i.imgur.com/58Qqn27.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/swUNQ2F.png ShoTime's trophy cabinet overfloweth: https://i.imgur.com/ChQWzPC.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/9iiYMsN.png |
1979 EL Free-Agent Class / Rookie Draft
Plenty more quality entering the EL ranks via both the Free-Agent market and Rookie Draft.
The Category A NeLers this time around are draftees Carlos Moran and Sam "Toothpick" Jones, along with FA Wild Bill Wright, whom Homestead has already snapped up. From the MLB ranks, we get Pedro Martinez as one of the higher-profile draftees, along with David Price, Tony Gwynn, Gleyber Torres, and FAs Bob Gibson, Ronald Acuna, Kenley Jansen and Luis Aparicio. The Giants have first dibs this time around and use it on Petey, with the East opting for OF Ellis Burks. Ed Rile down at #17 is a nice pickup for the MoStars. Rounds 1 & 2 in toto: Off into the new decade we go! |
Hilldale for Life!
Arguably my favourite of all NeLers, Charlie Smith, looks set to be a one-club player after re-upping with the Athletics thru 1985 on $1.24m per.
Love seeing this on so many levels - not least of all to get some indication of what a "normal" career arc would have looked like for Postalita, who tragically IRL had anything but. Charlie's OotS Feature can be revisited HERE. I have since amended his name to Charlie not for PC purposes, but rather to align with how the official sources list him. |
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