We are 3 weeks into the season, and I didn't get a chance to update after the first two sims. The Chiefs had a tough beginning to the season--going into St. Louis for the first 3 games and--after being outplayed in all aspects--losing all 3. After St. Louis, the Chiefs came home and took 2 of 3 from New York. And after losing to New York on Sunday, April 25th, the Chiefs took off on a 13-game winning streak, before losing to Philadelphia (3-0) yesterday. Since that 0-3 start, the Chiefs are 15-2. The winning stretch included a three game sweep of Pittsburgh this past week. This week we have the final 2 games of the Philadelphia series, 2 games with Washington, and then 3 with Detroit to wrap up a 15-game home stand.
Top Performances:
- Bennie Griffith: .308/.379/.538, 3 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 R
- Jim Hampton: .391/.400/.565, 2 3B, 1 RBI, 2 R
- Pete Layton: .273/.385/.591, 1 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R
- Al Miller: 2-0, 18 IP, 2.00 ERA
Tom Bird and
Pete Layton are both looking primed to have terrific seasons. While
Jim Hampton, Cliff Moss, and
Bob Martin have gotten off to slow starts.
We just finalized a deal to bring in outfielder
Tom Taylor. Taylor had been on waivers in the CA and to secure him, we sent Brooklyn a 7th round draft pick. Taylor, of course, burst onto the scene as a 23-year-old in 1928, hitting 44 home runs for the Philadelphia Sailors and winning both the 1928 CA Whitney Award and the 1928 world championship series. He followed that up in 1929 with 38 home runs and another Whitney Award. He struggled with some injuries in 1930 but still won the world championship series with Philadelphia. In that off-season, he was traded to the Chicago Cougars. In 1931 he was part of another championship club with the Cougars. Overall he had 4 good seasons in Chicago (including leading the CA in home runs in 1934 with 34) and was dealt to the New York Gothams during the 1935 season. After winning another championship with the Gothams in 1935, he got off to a very slow start start in 1936. He was hitting just .167 in 30 games when he was released in July. He was signed by his original club--the Philadelphia Sailors--and he looked good during a 16-game stint last September. The Sailors, though, put him on waivers this spring and he was claimed by Brooklyn. After refusing a minor league assignment with the Kings, we were able to work out a deal.
Overall in his career, the 32-year-old Taylor has 1476 hits and 227 home runs. He's expected to fill the right handed platoon role in right field along side Moss.
The 1937 Chiefs will live and die by its pitching, and after a very rough first week of the season, the staff is looking more like the staff we expected. It may take some time for new manager Joe Ward (and by extension new pitching coach George Burger) to get in sync with the hurlers.
Tom Taylor