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Immaculate Concepcion
Plenty going on in a hectic start to the 1970 EL season including this big game for Onix, as he belts 2 dingers and knocks in all of his side's runs. He's a sneakily handy type, with 14 HR in each of his first two seasons, along with more than 100 RBI all up and nearly 10 career WAR.
https://i.imgur.com/so8yZaH.png?1 |
The EL's Next Two-Way Superstar?
The win was fairly routine for CC, but the game will be forever memorable for him doing his best Bartolo Colon impersonation and cracking the first jack of his career...
https://i.imgur.com/elgJKwU.png?1 |
Massive Blow for the BGs...
... as they lose last season's Pitcher of the Year Ruben Quevedo for the remainder of this one.
https://i.imgur.com/WAvabK9.png?1 |
EL Featured Game #1, 1970
Friday 24th September, 1970 – Indianapolis ABCs (9-9) @ Birmingham Black Barons (8-10)
8.05pm ET, Regions Field, Birmingham AL A bit of a twofer here with two NeL rookies going head-to-head. So I thought I'd take advantage and shed some light on each of them before we get started. Jim Jeffries https://i.imgur.com/Z2RfWtH.png?1 Somewhat ironically, the IRL Jim Jeffries played almost his entire career for the ABCs in the 1910s and '20s, with Seamheads placing his record at 63-60 with a 3.54 ERA. He also played some OF (early in his career alongside Oscar Charleston and George Shively in what was viewed as one of the fastest outfield groups of all time) but wasn't much of a hitter, with a lifetime 209 BA. His final season, 1928, was spent with the Black Barons, who in the EL drafted him with their 2nd Round pick (27th overall). He has done OK so far, splitting 4 decisions with a 130 ERA+ and 88 FIP-, and looks ready-made for this level. He is currently ranked the #13 prospect. A handy type indeed. Jim Missouri https://i.imgur.com/fWG8exg.png?1 Despite the surname, his fellow southpaw opponent tonight was actually born in Bishopville, SC. Jim Riley gives him just the one paragraph so I don't have a hack of a lot of info on Mr Missouri, other than to tell you he played for the Detroit Stars for 4 seasons in the '40s and left the game aged just 23. He appears to have been used as a swing man, starting roughly half of the 57 games he appeared in, and fashioned an 11-14 record with a rather ungainly 5.74 ERA. Still, he made it onto EC's MLEs group, and has actually been treated pretty well, projected to a slightly more respectable 4.45 ERA (which calculates a smidge below league average at 96 ERA+). He, too, has begun his EL career well, sitting at 1-1 with a tidy 1.67 ERA over 32 IP, and actually sits ahead of Jim J at #9 on the prospects list. With both of these clubs looking for better seasons than they've managed to put together so far, this should be a good early test of how they shape up. Given how closely the two moundsmen match up, it should also be a tight contest (no idea why I've never thought of including this screenshot before...). PLenty of talented bats on display as well, so the two rooks will need to be at the top of their game. https://i.imgur.com/Fy2f4SP.png?1 The lineups for tonight's game are as follows: https://i.imgur.com/rscmekS.png?1 Let's get down to business. The visitors take the early lead when boom rookie Ozzie Albies drills a two-out double to bring one home, and Missouri starts confidently with 3 hitless innings. Jeffries himself only gives up 2 hits over the first 4, but unfortunately the second of those is a 2-run monster jam by Tony Scott to make it 3-0. The BBs finally get on the board in the 5th when Andre Robertson doubles and scores on a single by Jeffries, and they get a second on a silly throwing error by ABCs CF Eddie Milner. Jeffries helps his own cause further in the 6th, as he gives the hosts a 4-3 lead on a 2-run single after they load the bases. https://i.imgur.com/AquvKHB.png?1 Missouri is lifted for a PH in the 7th, with Rhiner Cruz taking over on the hill. He proceeds to give up a leadoff home run to Willson Contreras as the BBs pad their lead. Jeffries is super impressive, giving up just those two early hits over his 8 IP before coming out, and Onix Concepcion gives the closer an extra run to work with as he belts his 5th jack of the season. It isn't needed, however, as Rene Arocha sends them down in order to give Birmingham a win that shows plenty of promise and I'm sure sends most of the nearly 14000 fans in attendance home with smiles on their dials. |
The Yin and Yang of it
Baseball can be cruel, as Coco Laboy finds out the hard way.
https://i.imgur.com/2vBzFrG.png?1 But, as is the case here for Big Z, it can also be sweet and kind. His Cuban Stars East side has flown out of the gates at 15-6. https://i.imgur.com/WFLYvqd.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/yYmeRNQ.png?1 |
Beware the Angry Giant
A sluggish start to 1970 for the AGs and one of their main offensive weapons and first-ever player tries to snap them out of their torpor with a big game.
https://i.imgur.com/cBOKYgl.png?1 |
1970 April Recap
I am all too familiar with the dangers involved with drawing too many conclusions from these early recaps with only a handful of games having been played, merely a drop in the ocean that is a 162-game season.
Still, I can't help but be pleased with what I'm seeing after the first month of the 1970 Eclipse League season. Perennial easybeats like the Monarchs, Black Barons, Red Sox, Lincoln Giants and Motown Stars have each begun the year in a much more competitive fashion than previously. Further improvement in the performance of many NeL players and the overall quality of the league is evident. Tight races abound. Let's hope this continues. https://i.imgur.com/lA1puUv.png?1 The following players won the monthly awards for April:
And here are the Top 20s, news and leaders. https://i.imgur.com/N8EWPix.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/cMlskN9.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/1YpqAC3.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/SUTLetl.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/rBL8LTp.png?1https://i.imgur.com/WTmhdIO.png?1 |
Hit Parade
A couple nice performances at the plate today from two of the league's premier shortstops.
https://i.imgur.com/3RBwxLG.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/KhPZ0OU.png?1 |
The Landed Gentry
I took a close look at Gentry Jessup early on in the EL's existence and am happy to report he has really blossomed into a fine pitcher. He went 18-16 with a smidge over 3 WAR last year for the disappointing Elite Giants and, as this outing shows, has taken another step forward again.
https://i.imgur.com/GHjFXv8.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/05INdcK.png?1 |
No Stopping CC and Friends
The big guy is on fire so far this season and is all but untouchable in this gem against the MeSox, leaving him at a tasty 7-0 / 2.31.
https://i.imgur.com/YTLpevR.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/whQpdMp.png?1 Another who has impressed early is Detroit rookie Luis Padron, who gives up just 2 hits and an unearned run in a cruisy win over the defending champs. I'm sure he'll be the subject of an OotS feature sometime soon. https://i.imgur.com/J1bno1m.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/CXmNPxI.png?1 And finally, not such a great first month or so for Newark ace Hilton Smith, but perhaps this lovely outing against the West will spark him into action. The Eagles have started stringing some wins together after a horror start and look much more competitive again. https://i.imgur.com/3YR9jE4.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/tanwqVI.png?1 |
El Caballo Riding High
Maybe I'm imagining it but there seems to be a predominance of multi-HR games so far this season. Carlos joins in on the fun here with a trio against the AGs in a 12-0 romp. No sophomore slump for him, it seems, after a solid rookie campaign.
https://i.imgur.com/9TUf1qo.png?1 |
No Catching this Cat
What a dream start to his EL career for Grays rookie Mudcat Grant, who moves to a fancy 5-2 / 1.95 after this beaut against the MeSox.
https://i.imgur.com/xArnvSC.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/n7iCDeC.png?1 |
Cruz Control
Todd doesn't hit for much average (230 lifetime), but he has been a great contributor for the West so far with 36 career HR, 155 RBI and nearly 12 WAR, not to mention his elite defence. Tonight he lets his bat do the talking.
https://i.imgur.com/kxTmZuh.png?1 |
Aye up, Eddie
Edwin Jackson has been one of the EL's more consistent pitchers so far, logging around 300 IP at just under average ERA (career ERA+ of 97) and averaging around 4.5 WAR. He's putting together another solid season along similar lines and this is a strong outing for him.
https://i.imgur.com/mh951xv.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/RT0Q84y.png?1 |
Nkotb
If last year was the season of ShoTime, this year there's no doubt Ozzie Albies is the hot new kid on the block. He has taken the EL by storm, slashing 380/449/639 with 5 HR, 40 RBI, a 194 OPS+ and nearly 3 WAR. His ABCs are obviously enjoying having him onboard, sitting at 24-19 after this extra-inning victory over the MoStars - their 9th win in their last 10 - in which Ozzie struts his stuff in a big way. Jim Missouri has been another excellent addition and, with their longer-term prospects such as Rube Curry, Rod Carew and Richard Hidalgo each now coming into their own with 2+ seasons' experience under the belt, this might be the start of something beautiful for the boys from Indy.
https://i.imgur.com/NpDwcUe.png?1 |
Walking in Memphis
A disappointing start to the 1970 season for the MeSox, and 1969 First Round pick (2nd overall) Eddie Rosario hasn't been doing nearly enough for someone of his obvious talent. This game is much more like what I'm sure they'd be expecting from him, even if the result didn't end up going their way.
https://i.imgur.com/cWRIGdT.png?1 |
1970 May Recap
No doubt whatsoever that the story of the season so far is the Birmingham Black Barons. Not that they've been dreadful the first two seasons (3rd and 4th, combined 159-165 record), but they certainly seemed some way off from competing.
Not so, apparently, as they are currently 29-21 and on top of the WC National by 3 games. That margin was actually 6 until they lost 3 straight to another surprise packet and their closest rival in the Kansas City Monarchs. With the Black Yankees finally showing the sort of form we've been expecting from them (an EL-best 36-15 record), and the ABCs, Motown Stars and Lincoln Giants all greatly improved to this point, it is looming as a really exciting 1970 campaign, especially if teams like the Bacharach Giants, Buckeyes and Eagles - each of whom have started poorly - find form and move up the standings. https://i.imgur.com/58SU7YE.png?1 May awards:
Top 20s (overall) https://i.imgur.com/FTfgHLB.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/AvoFS8f.png?1 And just the NeLers https://i.imgur.com/W7hAfmn.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/1XaidlQ.png?1 News and leaders https://i.imgur.com/lpq4Gth.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/goUeG81.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/JmlQMQM.png?1https://i.imgur.com/8ckXOwG.png?1 |
The Road Less Taken
Fair to say it has been a bit of a struggle for the Royal Giants since their exemplary 1968 campaign that saw them win 90 games and get within one win of the EL World Series. A 4th-placed losing season last year was perhaps a sign that they'd simply caught the other clubs on the hop in the league's inaugural year and fluked that title tilt, and their barely .500 form so far this year is no strong rebuttal of that line of thought.
They certainly have the offensive talent to do damage with a lineup that pretty much bats top to bottom, but their pitching is thin to put it kindly, so performances like this Carlos Moore gem - against the league's hottest team, no less - have been the exception rather than the rule. They'll need to address this problem in order to have any chance of returning to the playoffs. https://i.imgur.com/RwWjLwR.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/66qA6ND.png?1 Just two days later, they get another fine outing from Marshall Bridges, only to waste it as Pat Scantlebury continues his fine season with a 1-hit masterpiece in a 1-0 win for the BYs. https://i.imgur.com/Pw2PEwa.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/w21ZZjy.png?1 |
EL Featured Game #2, 1970
Thursday 11th June, 1970 – Kansas City Monarchs (29-30) @ New York Black Yankees (40-19)
7.05pm ET, Hinchcliffe Stadium, New York NY Despite their respective teams' somewhat lopsided records to this point, I think this might turn out to be a close game between two strong hurlers. Patricio (Pat) Scantlebury https://i.imgur.com/e2Ylab1.png?1 Southpaw Patricio Scantlebury played in the NeL during the 1940s, almost entirely for the New York Cubans (he himself is actually Panamanian, sharing the hometown of Gatun with Rod Carew), before spending the late 40s and early 50s playing in the Caribbean. Then, as part of an agreement with the Havana Sugar Kings, he was sent to play in the bigs for Cincy in 1956. Pat had lied about his age, scraping 8 years off his real age of 38, and ended up going 0-1 with a 6.63 ERA and 0-for-2 at the plate. While this was his only season in the majors, he kept playing in various leagues into the 1960s. In the EL, after a strong rookie season as a reliever (2.17 ERA in 37 IP), Pat went 9-10 in what was a disappointing 1969 campaign for player and club. This year, however, he has found his groove and on that basis his prospects in this league look very bright indeed. German Marquez https://i.imgur.com/1qPn6Fn.png?1 Most of you I'm sure are familiar with German, who is an active player currently on the Rockies roster, where he has spent his entire 6-year career. His 115 ERA+ shows just how talented he is, as this has been achieved in the league's most hitter-friendly confines. As you can see from his stats above, German's time in the EL hasn't been so great. This is partly the function of playing for a struggling club, but only partly. His poor 82 ERA+ has done him no favours. Still, I think he has plenty of upside from where he is at the moment, especially if he stops trying to groove so many pitches. He has already given up 12 longballs this season in just 91 innings. That'll kill any pitcher. Here's how they compare H2H: https://i.imgur.com/2lIMuPu.png?1 And here's who'll be lining up behind them: https://i.imgur.com/PWEc3Xn.png?1 It's taken them a while, but this year's BYs look the real deal, with their 40-19 record the EL's best. No coincidence that their improvement has gone hand in hand with the emergence of Hank Thompson as one of the league's stars. Slashing 314/447/575 with 14 HR and 3.5 WAR, Hank has announced his early candidacy for Walker Award honours in just his age-22 season. I've mentioned German's propensity for handing out taters, and with Hank, Don Baylor and Sam Jethroe to deal with he'll be needing some extra work from the trainer on his neck and shoulders after the game if he doesn't keep his pitches down. The Mons don't quite have those big power bats, but in players such as Lourdes Gurriel jr, Cleon Jones (career BA .309, .364 so far in 1970), Hal King and Dilson Herrera they can slap a bunch on you good and quick if you let them. All right, let's get things underway. The visitors draw first blood, scoring one in the 3rd on a two-out hit by Ricky Jordan and then extend their lead in the next via a run-scoring double by Lemmie Miller. New York comes alive in the bottom of that frame, with a straight-up flub by Monarchs 2B Dilson Herrera helping them put 3 on the board to take the lead. In the 5th, Baylor gets on base despite striking out when a WP eludes catcher Rod Barajas, and that seems to get to Marquez, who falls into his old bad habits by serving up a juicy hanger to Hank Thompson, who plonks it about 30 rows back in the RF stand to make it 5-2. That earns German an early shower, with lefty Carlos Pulido taking over. https://i.imgur.com/iu8wUDq.png?1 Scantlebury bears down and gives the Mons very little over the next three innings, but then a mistake pitch to Lourdes Gurriel jr with two out and a man on brings the game to life as he takes him downtown to the opposite field to get the Mons back within a run. Two more hits and a Riles error ratchet up the pressure on the home side but Scantlebury gets out of the jam by getting Mike Edwards to fly out harmlessly to Walt Williams in LF. Joe Black takes the mound for the Mons in the home 8th and does his bit with a scoreless inning, and the BYs call for closer Jose Alvarado to get them home. He obliges with a 1-2-3 inning and the home side takes a hard-fought 5-4 victory. Plenty for both sides to take away from this contest, but in the end New York did just enough to get the win, moving Scantlebury to 8-3 on the year. |
The Sho Must Go On
There was little chance of ShoTime even going close to repeating that out-of-the-box rookie season he put together last year, but even he would admit his start to this season has been quieter than he'd have expected.
Until now... Just a lazy 5-hitter with 10 strikeouts... oh, and a pair of solo shots as well. |
Keeping Up with the Joneses
One player who doesn't seem to have the faintest idea about down years is the Cuban Stars East's Ruppert Jones. In his 2+ EL seasons so far he is slashing 291/399/543 with 81 HR (3rd all-time), 269 RBI (1st) and nearly 25 WAR (1st).
As this outstanding performance shows, he's on track for another huge year and the East are going for the ride with him, already 6 1/2 games clear in the WC National at 40-24. https://i.imgur.com/BtDbuVa.png?1 |
Quite the Day Out for Chito
5 hits. 4 of them homers (an EL first). 8 RBI (tied for most with Rob Ducey).
I guess you could say Chito earns his paycheck in this one... And his BGs, after a dreadful start to the year, are showing signs of coming around. But even at this earlyish stage I think they are too far gone to catch the BYs, who currently sit 17 games in front of them. https://i.imgur.com/IJssDUn.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/BEStbz0.png?1 |
Same A's it Ever Was
While nowhere near as dominant as they were last season, defending EL Champs Hilldale are looking strong again and this is a consummate performance with both bat and ball against the struggling Buckeyes.
They follow it up with another beauty the next day as Adrian Hernandez - recently reinstalled as a starter at Dave Brown's expense - joins the one-hitter brigade. |
1970 June Recap
No real changes in the standings as the Black Yankees, Black Barons, Athletics and East all maintain their lead, with the BYs' 8 1/2-game margin the widest. The fact that their +76 run diff is also the greatest shows just how even this league is right now.
https://i.imgur.com/1ZT7Mec.png?1 With Tony Armas (24), Jose Abreu (23), Andre Thornton (22) and Gregory Polanco (20) all sitting at 20 or above as we near the halway point, Ruben Mateo's single-season HR record of 38 set last year definitely looks under threat. With James Loney of the Crawfords currently sitting on 79 RBI, his 134 all-time record in that category also looks likely to be bested. Loney, having just a fantastic year, is also hitting 361, as is Cleon Jones, while Pops Stargell is at 377. The season best BA so far is Bernie Williams' 334, also from 1969. Award winners for June are as follows:
Top 20s: https://i.imgur.com/ylyvdEc.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/Mcndycy.png?1 News and leaders https://i.imgur.com/krtiAkx.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/6ykJr47.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/BvLxPjt.png?1https://i.imgur.com/scUlPEQ.png?1 |
Magic on the Mound
Pittsburgh's Leroy Matlock is putting together some season, now 12-2 / 2.96 after this gem. Sadly it looks as if it won't count for much with the Black Yankees dominating the WC American this year, but the Crawfords will nevertheless be pleased with the way their group is progressing.
https://i.imgur.com/wD730OI.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/Uz3C4nx.png?1 Meanwhile the Monarchs recover from losing starter Bill Lindsay to injury in the 1st as the BP allows just one hit over the remainder in an easy win over Birmingham. https://i.imgur.com/J9eWNY8.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/EzIJex8.png?1 |
Tomorrow's Stars...
The updated Top 100 Prospects list is out, with a fairly familiar name on top...
https://i.imgur.com/Ft1unYG.png?1 Sandy Alomar jr https://i.imgur.com/SpS5ogg.png?1 Quack Davis, who was in this position a year ago, hasn't seen much game-time, going 2-for-10 with the ABCs, who are fairly stacked with outfielders right now. |
... and today's
Pops Stargell tops the voting for the second year running.
https://i.imgur.com/G60rIfJ.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/jASYl6s.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/Pp8TyZm.png?1 Ruppert Jones wins the HR Challenge https://i.imgur.com/qBhO6RD.png?1 And, led by 2 homers from MVP George Bell, the Weldy Conference wins the main event to move to 2-1 in the head-to-head. https://i.imgur.com/ZsW895r.png?1 |
Shutdowns and Beatdowns
An ugly day for the MeSox as Connie Marrero and his Cuban Stars West teammates embarrass them 17-0, with Andy Porter unable to get out of the 1st inning.
Meanwhile Edsall Walker hurls a gem against the Black Barons. |
Some trade and injury news...
Still not much going on in the trade market with virtually all players still under team control for a couple more years, so this is a veritable flurry in EL terms.
https://i.imgur.com/91MtDLU.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/iEgdY7a.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/SpIpeSt.png?1 Interesting to see Lloyd McLendon has hit exactly 221 every season so far. And the A's lose one of their key relievers for the rest of this year and a good portion of next. https://i.imgur.com/phNLnqv.png?1 |
1970 EL Mid-Season Report Card
Ahead of the big influx of players via the super-sized 1970/71 Draft and inaugural season of the AAA Transit League, here's a really quick look at where things are at in each Conference.
Fleet American Association https://i.imgur.com/6XhYpYj.png?1 The Black Yankees have finally come good and hold a handy lead. Handy, but far from insurmountable. Sabathia and Reynaldo Lopez - both 15-3 - have been superb, with Walker and Scantlebury playing excellent support roles, leaving their Starter ERA at a WC-low 3.50. Hank Thompson has come of age, powering their offence with 19 HR, while Don Baylor (305/356/507 with 14 HR and a team high 71 RBI) has been fantastic as well. The Crawfords are certainly headed in the right direction, and loom as the only real threat here. 1B James Loney will be right in the mix for MVP honours, while Rich Coggins has been his usual productive self. With Jose Rijo in the wings and plenty of improvement in Oms, Dihigo and Whitaker, it's a matter of when rather than if for the Pittsburgh club. As for the rest, well both Atlantic City and Newark have really fallen off the cliff and have some serious soul-searching ahead of them. Brooklyn have recovered somewhat from a similar fate but are still some way off the pace and in need of a couple more pitchers before they'll be ready to compete again. Fleet National Association https://i.imgur.com/nbbQpoL.png?1 Full of surprises here, with both the Black Barons and Monarchs really pulling it together this year. Both, however, have run out of steam a bit and the East is lurking ominously, just 2 back of Birmingham now. It's almost impossible to see how the BBs are where they are. Certainly their metrics give no indication, with them hitting just 235 as a team (10th) and in the bottom half for most categories. HR is one exception and they must be getting them just at the right time, although the fact that Tony Armas has an EL-high 27 dingers but only 56 ribbies puts the lie to this theory. The West are a classy outfit and I don't see them being in second for long. Don't be surprised to see them end up running away with this. The Giants are an interesting one. After a bit of a ragged start they have worked their way into contention just 6 GB and if anyone is going to challenge Los Cubanos I suspect it will be them. Wherever the Monarchs finish the season, I'm pretty sure the club's management will have had their confidence reinforced that they are on the right track. They have arguably the best pitching staff in the whole of the EL, now they just need a few bats to give them some more run support and win more games. If they do that, I see this club as a perennial contender for the rest of the decade. Their financial strength, canny management team and fervidly loyal fanbase will all keep them in good stead. The Red Sox looked good early but have lost their way of late. Their long-view approach will be tested if that 36-51 record widens too much from here, and you may well see them use the resultant high pick on a more game-ready player this time around. Weldy American Association https://i.imgur.com/lBQriHI.png?1 My ardour for the Athletics is well-known, but they haven't quite kicked on as I'd expected this season. The offence - led by Pops Stargell and pals - continues to shine, but the rotation apart from Adrian Hernandez has really laboured. The pen has had to cover a lot of ground and the loss of Mel Rojas is a bigger one than it may at first seem. If losing his starter spot helps Dave Brown turn things around then Rojas won't be missed as much, but if he continues to flounder then there's a huge hole in innings 7 and 8 that the Grays may just stroll straight through. Homestead aren't exactly setting the league on fire, however, hampered in particular by their apparent allergy to scoring runs (352, 9th in the WC). Their rotation might be devoid of obvious stars, but all four have been excellent this year and are really the sole reason the Grays are within reach. If they can fix this and creep closer to the A's then anything is possible. Hard to get a bead on Baltimore, who look set for their third straight season within a game or two of 500. I think they have the makings of a really strong club, and will probably pick up another handy player or two at season's end to keep the momentum going. But you can also see why they aren't making huge strides, with the offence they have. So let's hope that's where they focus their attention. While they'll both finish in the second division again, both the Liberty Stars and Lincoln Giants will like what they've done this season. I think I'd rather be the LGs as far as prospects go, but both will need to keep improving as they are still a fair way off the pace, even if the standings don't show it right now. Weldy National Association https://i.imgur.com/cTVVOhI.png?1 Something tells me this is where a good portion of the action is going to be over the next 70-odd games. It sure didn't look that way a wee while back as the East threatened to run away with it, but a 17-18 stretch has suddenly given all but the Buckeyes a real sniff. To do a bit of anachronistic time-travelling, the WC National is the EL's AL East. Sadly for them, in this comparison the East club is Baltimore, pitted against the financial might of two of the league's powerhouses in Chicago and Detroit. Which means their window is a narrow one - once free-agency kicks in they'll struggle to keep pace, and struggle to keep players like Jones and Zambrano. So this year is a real opportunity for them to perhaps sneak a title before it closes. The American Giants are taking their good sweet time heating up this year. That said, with the talent at their disposal them doing so is almost a foregone conclusion. Everything is working OK for them, but they just haven't quite clicked. Look out of / when they do. Not that I think either will figure in the finish this time around, it's great to see the ABCs and Motown Stars make tracks in the right direction. Carew, Albies and Hidalgo are a great 3-4-5 for Indy, but their pitching has let them down so far. Andre Thornton continues to carry the MoStars on his back and I hope he gets the recognition due him before too long, as he has been one of the EL's best position players from the start. Xavier Scruggs has played out of his skin but after that there's still too may holes for them to mix it with the big boys just yet. Rookie Luis Padron has been a great add and Octavio Dotel has been almost a lock in the closer role. And what of the Buckeyes? So much promise shown in 1969 but now it's clear that was nothing but a false dawn. ShoTime continues to amaze, even if at a slightly lower level than that one for the ages rookie season he had, but his pitching has dropped off markedly. John Nunnally has also regressed heavily and I think it's time Bobby Abreu got the everyday job in LF. Their pitching has been a headache all year, with the rotation's 4.60 ERA simply not cutting it. The continued development of strong pitching prospects Hop Bartlett and Johnny Goodgame will be key to the Buckeyes' chances over the next couple of seasons. |
The Catskill Wildman on Some Run
Amazingly, in his first start after the one-hitter I posted about before the ASB, Edsall Walker repeats the feat against the Bacharach Giants.
https://i.imgur.com/tzedYA2.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/z2OBP6c.png?1 Not all good news for the BYs, however, as Hank Thompson is hurt running the bases, the diagnosis for which I'm sure they'll be sweating on profusely. |
Man Down!
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More Swaps
The Black Barons shore up their infield for the stretch run with a big move.
https://i.imgur.com/62TsN97.png?1 |
EL Featured Game #3, 1970
Friday 24th September, 1970 – Homestead Grays (46-49) @ Detroit Motown Stars (49-46)
8.05pm ET, Mack Park, Detroit MI Our first time seeing the MoStars and I think we are doing so at the perfect time as they seem headed in the right direction after a trying start to their EL existence. Luis Padron https://i.imgur.com/rMXn9FA.png?1 Plenty of mystery surrounds "El Mulo", to the extent that he has become an enigmatic favourite of mine among the NeL ranks. For starters, I am convinced that Jim Riley has somehow conflated him with Juan Padron, as his entry for Luis refers to him as Juan Luis and there is no entry at all for the actual Juan Padron, who played a half-generation later. BBRef cites this confusion among "several sources" without naming them specifically, but I think I'm on the right track here. Then, while Seamheads list him primarily as a pitcher, he is included in EC's MLEs among the batters. He did both relatively well, nevertheless it is odd to see such inconsistency among my trusted reference-points. Whatever the case, Cuban-born Luis played at the start of the 20th century, first in his homeland and then in the US. He made his way through the minors in various leagues until he was given a tryout at the MLB level with the White Sox. This, and his later signing by the Boston Braves (along with Dolf Luque, among others), never led to him playing in the majors, but reports are he went pretty close before the usual bigotry of the day won out. While his stats don't stand out (51-40, 2.50 on the mound and 247/315/330 with 21 HR and 282 RBI at the plate), his impact on the game was such in Cuba that he was elected to the country's HOF in 1943. He certainly has started his EL career in a positive fashion, entering this game with a 14-7 record and 3.65 ERA being used exclusively as a pitcher to this point, and his presence is part of the reason for the MoStars' marked improvement this season. Masahiro Tanaka https://i.imgur.com/UES2jvm.png?2 Tanaka-san I am sure you're all familiar with in his current role at the Yankees, and perhaps also from when he featured in just the second EL game I covered a couple years back. He was, you may remember, the 3rd overall pick in the EL's inaugural Draft in 1968 and won the Pompez Medal in the WC that year, collecting nearly 12 WAR. His form hasn't quite reached those lofty heights since, but still his career record is a healthy 42-34 with a 2.95 ERA (123 ERA+) and just under 22 WAR. This season, however, has seen quite some slippage in form, with his ERA blowing out to a league average 4.14 and his FIP 150 points up from that fantastic rookie campaign. The Grays will be hoping this is merely a blip and that he rediscovers that early form ASAP. Here's how they compare: https://i.imgur.com/b6zfjQC.png?1 Plenty on the line for both sides tonight, with each still well within reach of the lead in their respective Association, so I expect a fierce contest indeed from two evenly-matched ballclubs. Here's who'll be taking the field for the first pitch: https://i.imgur.com/lX8CulF.png?1 Let's get things underway! The ideal start for the visitors when Aledmys Diaz takes Padron deep with a man on in the 1st to give the Grays the lead. It's a messy inning all-round as an error sandwiched between two more hits gets Homestead a third run. The contrast between the two hurlers couldn't be more stark, with Tanaka breezing through and every inning a bit of an ordeal for El Mulo. Still, it's the hosts who score next as Tanaka just loses his shape a bit and Bill Bruton doubles and scores on a Carlos Sanchez single in the 4th. They add another run the following inning via a Tim Anderson single and then the dreaded longball problems that have plagued Tanaka all season do so again when Detroit catcher Junior Ortiz bombs one out with two aboard to make it 5-3. A two-out single by Sanchez ends Tanaka's night as Albert Davis comes in from the pen. Padron has settled right down after those early wobbles and allows only a handful of runners thru 7 before he starts to struggle in the 8th, giving up back-to-back singles to Ozzie Smith and Milt Thompson to put the tying runs aboard with none out. Another hit to Willis Otanez scores the Wiz but a timely GIDP ends the inning and keeps it at that. Padron is hit for in the bottom 8th, with closer Octavio Dotel charged with locking down the win. Which he does with a minimum of fuss, sending the Grays down in order for a 5-4 final score. Disappointment for Homestead in this one, but they acquitted themselves well and can take heart from that. Tanaka's form, however, remains a real concern moving forward. The MoStars are certainly on the up with a nice balanced squad and a couple of absolute guns in Thornton and Anderson. 20000+ in attendance tonight, and the club's future looks very rosy indeed. |
The Ortiz and Ramirez Show
Big Papi is fast making a name for himself in the EL thanks to performances like this one. His career slash is a most impressive 295/390/489 with 59 homers, 221 ribbies and just under 11 WAR, along with 2 All-Star appearances.
https://i.imgur.com/vVqgj9I.png?1 Meanwhile underrated Pittsburgh southpaw Horacio Ramirez pitches a one-hit gem in a 3-0 win for the Crawfords at Brooklyn. https://i.imgur.com/6dYAm7D.png https://i.imgur.com/YKGJsmX.png |
Spot the Difference
Another solid season so far for the NeL legend offering plenty of spark in the leadoff spot (sorry) while leading the team in a number of offensive stat cats. With the A's collapsing his Lib Stars aren't without hope of a surprise playoff run, now just 5 1/2 back with plenty to play.
https://i.imgur.com/K1xpEKc.png?1 |
Late Trade Winds a-Blowin'
A swap between the West and Lincoln Giants as the deadline comes and goes.
https://i.imgur.com/jugIRjQ.png?1 |
1970 July Recap
Usually I'd have little to report so close on the heels of the mid-season rundown, but the 1970 EL season is looking like a close-run affair and there has been one major development over the past fortnight with the Athletics in a tailspin, losing their last 8 games. This brings all five clubs in the WC American right back into it, now separated top-to-bottom by just 7 games, with the A's just a single game clear of the Elite Giants, who are currently riding a 4-game win string.
The two National Association races remain super tight, while the Black Yankees are still in control of the FC American. https://i.imgur.com/1g5pSyk.png?1 Chicago's Yovani Gallardo is currently top 3 in each of the Triple Crown pitching categories, as is Detroit's Andre Thornton on the hitting side of things. This month's award-winners:
Overall Top 20s: https://i.imgur.com/tQ61s7r.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/bDAC4yJ.png?1 And for the NeLers: https://i.imgur.com/cV3lMEn.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/ul2KK3m.png?1 All the latest news and current leaders: https://i.imgur.com/VhyqVrV.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/k6r5Rvm.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/BYHCQqH.png?1https://i.imgur.com/TgdpnTP.png?1 |
Eave No Stone Unturned
The A's keep losing - 9 on the trot now and the LibStars keep playing out of their skins, now still in 4th place but just 3 1/2 GB.
Larry Milbourne goes 3-for-4 with a jack and 6 RBI to pinch game MVP honours. https://i.imgur.com/7eZBSQk.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/Q5icbQY.png?1 |
Carsten Charles on Song
The big guy is putting together a fantastic season and in this one is just a measly 5th-inning home run away from a no-no. That's 5 straight losses for the A's as the WC American starts to bunch right up.
https://i.imgur.com/6OVbSwl.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/ROahMWz.png?1 |
This is a really interesting use of the Negro League Players. I would like to eventually play a Negro League save, but one thing that blocks me is that, as with playing a Pacific Coast League save, the existence of real major leagues means you have to figure out what to do with the majors taking players etc. And I am not good at including individual players on a large scale in a draft pool, despite many people here having explained it a zillion times. So did you set up a fictional league and then include only individual African American MLB players and Negro League players, rather than use the Historical Minor Leagues fuction? Anyway, fascinating. When you have a chance, it would be cool to see some career stats from this league.
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Quote:
Yeah, this is a real labour of love. Loads of work but totally worth it to see these guys in action together in the old NeL unis. I did set it up as a fictional starting in 1968. Dev only, no recalc. I hand-picked all white players and deleted them from the master csv (after thorough vetting of the entire thing to cull rogue errata IE white guys being designated other, and vice-versa), then broke the remaining eligible players from the MLB down into three groupings according to their talent level on a career WAR basis so as to get a good spread. These are imported on a pro-rata basis each year for that season's Draft. Someone had kindly given me an NeL DB with import data etc and these players are all hand-curated, then classified and imported again as per the above methodology. I keep track of it all on a simple spreadsheet and it's all kind of planned out years in advance because there's only roughly 6000 players at my disposal, roughly 50 seasons' worth, so I have to squeeze out every last drop. I'll be introducing a minor league and having a 400-player Draft at the end of this season, which is exciting but tough to ensure I have sufficient players at each position, especially the battery, for 40 clubs plus reserves. Some big names are coming in so that should be fun to watch. With regard to bulk import, I too was floundering with how to get it done until I solved it with a really simple process. Just get the players you want to import - just the Lahman ID and year of import running down in two adjacent columns with ID first then year - into an Excel spreadsheet. Save it as an .xslx so you have a backup, then save it as a normal csv file. Once you've done that, go into your directory and simply change the .csv suffix to .txt Voila, you just go into the import function, select that file and they'll all go in at once. Re the stats, I'll post the latest at the end of this 1970 season. Cheers G |
Up in Arm(a)s
Birmingham's Tony Armas becomes the first EL player to reach the 100 career HR mark. Not bad for a guy who was Drafted 205th overall...
https://i.imgur.com/WsiO3RN.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/rVATB76.png?1 |
That's Almora
This absolute mashing of the Lincoln Giants, led by Albert's excellent game, puts the Elite Giants, Grays and Athletics into a three-way tie at the top of the WC American.
https://i.imgur.com/jBwePd8.png?1 |
The Sho Must Go On
A fair regression on the mound for ShoTime this season, but his offensive output has done just the opposite. After a sensational game against the AGs, in which he powers the Bucks to a 9-3 win with a 7 RBI performance, his stats look like this.
https://i.imgur.com/SoarEFC.png?1 |
Ze Germanz
Señor Marquez hasn't exactly set the EL alight since entering it in the Inaugural Draft - career he's 32-48 / 4.37 with a nasty 82 ERA+. Still, that has collected him nearly 12 WAR - not too shabby at all, and he seems to have blue sky potential from here. This game shows what he is capable of at his very best, which I'm sure will please the Mons no end. It's the first no-no this season and just the 5th in EL history.
Shout-out to Felipe Paulino, who pitched a heck of a game in a losing cause. |
Stat Check: ERA
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Out of the Shadows: Joe Black
Just last night, I finished reading Roger Kahn's The Boys of Summer for the first time. A great read, even if good portions of it haven't aged all that well. One of the titular boys is, of course, Joe Black, who comes across as having been a fine gentleman indeed both on and off the diamond.
I certainly can't sum up Joe's career any better than this sublime passage from TBoS: "Irony ringed Joe Black's life in baseball. He appeared without acclaim, determined and fearless, and quickly became the strongest pitcher on the team. Then, with success, came dread. These afternoons as hero might vanish as suddenly as they had come. He had longed to succeed. Now nightmares warned of a sudden end. All of Joe Black's dreams came true, the good ones and the bad. Five years after his brilliant Dodger season, he was dropped by the Washington Senators, a last-place ball club. His baseball skill was spent. At thirty-three, he would have to make a new life and find another dream." A lot of the cause for this precipitous decline from such an incandescent start to his major league career - which began in 1952 after five WW2-interrupted seasons almost exclusively with the Elite Giants in the Negro National League, followed by a couple of seasons that I'm confused about, namely 1949 and 1950, which BBRef Bullpen makes reference to and yet for neither of which any stats are provided by either that site or SH - comes down to meddling. Dodgers manager Charlie Dressen, convinced Joe needed a third pitch to survive in the bigs, forced upon him the responsibility of learning a change-up. This completely messed up both Joe's mechanics and confidence, and he was never the same pitcher again, fading out as per Kahn's description above. Nevertheless, a superb and history-making 1952 season can never be taken away from Joe. In an epic matchup against the nemesis Yankees, Joe Black became the first black pitcher to ever win a World Series game, and he went on to be named the NL's RoY. After baseball, Joe - a highly intelligent and well-educated man - gained his masters degree at Seton Hall and then, after a short stint as a teacher, went on to a long and successful career as an executive with the Greyhound Corporation. He passed away in 2002 at the age of 78. As was his main role throughout his MLB career, Joe is operating from the BP for the Monarchs, who chose him with their 8th pick (159th overall) in that 1968 Draft. After a couple rough early seasons, he has improved mightily in '70 to currently be 6-4 / 3.03 (134 ERA+) with 1 save. https://i.imgur.com/b3bs4sh.png?1 The game has him having a third pitch, so he will most likely see some future action in a rotation, either KC's or elsewhere. I'm going to leave that as is, given he started 44 of his 71 NeL games. As with all these featured players, I'll keep tabs on Joe over the course of his EL career. |
August 1970 Recap
The Black Yankees haven't extended their lead in the FC American, but nor have they let it shrink and now - still 11 1/2 games up with less than 40 to play - look home. Across in the WC National, the East put their foot down with an 18-10 month and now lead by a far more comfortable margin. Not quite done, but I don't see them capitulating.
The other two races look set for big finishes. In the FC National, the West have hit the front as expected, but the Black Barons are hanging in there, riding a current win streak of 7 to be just a game and a half behind. The Giants' gradual improvement after a slow start continues with a 16-11 sectional that leaves them, too, well within reach at just 4 GB. Doesn't anybody want to win the WC American? One could certainly think this to be the case as things currently stand. The Grays' 64-63 record is the only won above 500 as we enter the stretch, and their 17-10 August mark pitches them as the form team. Hilldale (11-15 for the month, lost their last 5) and Baltimore (9-18, lost 8 in a row and counting) are both firmly headed in the wrong direction. The Lincoln Giants are just 5 back and the last-placed Liberty Stars a further half-game behind them. So every club is still in this up to their eyeballs. https://i.imgur.com/R5IY5pf.png?1 Awards for August went to the following players:
Top 20s: https://i.imgur.com/51AlGbg.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/Zn4GOvt.png?1 News and leaders: https://i.imgur.com/XdoN6ll.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/OPXE6OK.png?1 https://i.imgur.com/eYl1Ybw.png?1https://i.imgur.com/nvvN6Y3.png?1 |
Armas Sets New HR Mark
Now the question is how far he can extend it. Roughly 40 games left gives him a real chance at 50 I'd say.
https://i.imgur.com/c628cpb.png?1 |
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