FEBRUARY 24, 1941
UPDATED OSA PLAYER RANKINGS
It is not difficult to see why the Toronto Wolves and Pittsburgh Miners won pennants last season. Just a quick glance at the top of the latest OSA top player reports will set things straight. In George Garrison and Joe Hancock the World Champion Wolves have two of the three best pitchers in the game according to OSA and you can add Bernie Johnson, who sits 10th, to that list. On the offensive side of the game Fred McCormick is second only to Pittsburgh catcher George Cleaves while rising young shortstop talent Charlie Artuso comes in at tenth among hitters. For the Miners the story is much the same as Pablo Reyes (#4) and George's brother Jack Cleaves (#17) crack the hitters list with Lefty Allen settling in between the Toronto pitching duo at #2 among throwers. It is also mild surprise to see newly acquired George Phillips, the ex-New York Star, crack the top twenty pitchers list for Pittsburgh as well.
We all knew Pittsburgh will be in for a battle to continue their reign atop the Federal Association but the rankings reaffirm that as both Detroit and the Philadelphia Keystones count 3 pitchers among the top twenty overall with Detroit also adding first baseman Red Johnson, outfielder Sal Pestilli and veteran third sacker Frank Vance to the list giving the Dynamos a total of 6 players, tops in either association.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Jiggs McGee takes a look around FABL with a quick comment or two on each of the 16 clubs. Here is a quick list of players representing each club on the top twenty pitcher/hitters lists:
BOSTON- 2: John Edwards (P-14), SS Lew McLendon (H-19)
BROOKLYN- 2: Art White (P-8), OF Rats McGonigle (H-20)
CHIEFS- 4: Al Miller (P-6), Rabbit Day (p-17), 3B HanK Barnett (H-6), C Tom Bird (H-8)
COUGARS- 3: Pete Papenfus (P-12), Jim Lonardo (P-20), 3B John Lawson (H-9)
CINCINNATI- 2: C Adam Mullins (H-11), OF Fred Galloway (H-12)
CLEVELAND- 0
DETROIT- 6: Frank Crawford (P-4), Sergio Gonzales (P-5), Charlie Wheeler (p-9), 1B Red Johnson (H-3), OF Sal Pestilli (H-13), 3B Frank Vance (H-14)
MONTREAL- 1: OF Red Bond (H-16)
NY STARS- 3: Billy Riley (P-15), OF Chink Stickels (H-15), OF Bill Barrett (H-18)
NY GOTHAMS- 0
KEYSTONES- 4: Lloyd Stevens (P-7), Herman Patterson (P-16), Jim Whiteley (P-19), 2B Billy Woytek (H-5)
SAILORS- 0
PITTSBURGH- 5: Lefty Allen (P-2), George Phillips (P-18), C George Cleaves (H-1), OF Pablo Reyes (H-4), 2B Jack Cleaves (H-17)
ST LOUIS- 3: David Abalo (P-11), Buddy Long (P-13), C Heinie Zimmer (H-7)
TORONTO- 5: George Garrison (P-1), Joe Hancock (P-3), Bernie Johnson (P-10), 1B Fred McCormick (H-2), SS Charlie Artuso (H-10)
WASHINGTON- 0
1- There are a lot of General Manager's panicking of late after the news that Dixie Lee of the New York Stars has been drafted into military service. When minor leaguer James Slocum became the first pro ballplayer to enlist it caused merely a whisper among the baseball man as he was a longshot prospect to ever play in the bigs. However, seeing Dixie Lee - hardly a star but certainly a decent big league pitcher - taken away from the Stars with barely a month's notice has hit home just how real the loss of big league talent could be should North America be drawn into the European war, and I don't think there is a man alive who does not feel that is going to happen and it is clearly only a question of when and not if.
2- Is there a better young team right now than the Philadelphia Keystones? Pittsburgh and Detroit will be tough to beat but you have to love the Keystones tremendous collection of youth with a veteran like Bobby Barrell to lead them on the field and popular 38 year old catcher Carl Ames to provide guidance in the clubhouse. I would not be surprised at all if the Keystones win their first Federal Association pennant since 1933.
3- Speaking of Barrell's it will be very interesting to watch Tom and Bobby square off for the first time in a big league game. The brothers have never faced each other in an professional game with the exception of the 1934 all-star contest. Records have vanished from that game but if memory serves correct Tom retired Bobby the only time they faced each other in that exhibition. Tom's performance this season may well decide the fate of the Federal Association pennant race but seeing him face Bobby hopefully sometime in the first two weeks of April when the Keystones and Miners play each other 6 times will be fun.
4- Readers of this column know I have long been a fan of Pete Papenfus. It seems OSA is catching on now as well as they have Peter The Heater featured prominently in their latest player rankings. The 22 year old pride of West Plains, Missouri High School is now ranked the 12th best pitcher in the game according OSA's most recent list. He led the CA in strikeouts last season and is 26-26 over 3 years with the Chicago Cougars but walks have always been his kryptonite. If he can learn to harness his control I could see him being an all-star in the future.
5- FABL has not had a 300 game winner since Big George Johnson reached that milestone in 1925 and you also have to go back to 1925 for the last time a pitcher won his 275th game. That was Ike Wetzel, who notched his 275th win with Cleveland in 1925 and finished his career with 277 victories. While 300 is still likely three seasons away it is a pretty solid bet that Rabbit Day gets win #275 at some point this season. The 36 year old three-time Allan Award winner won 15 a year ago for the Chicago Chiefs and enters this season 11 shy of 275 victories. His 264-163 career mark has Day sitting 21st all-time in wins by a pitcher and first among active players. Next on the list for Day to pass will be Jim Cathey and Bob Johnston, each of whom won 267 in their FABL careers.
6- Only Charlie Stedman (218), Jim Lonardo (216) and Dick Lyons (201) are active with at least 200 career pitching wins but they may be joined this season by William Jones (187-137), who has found new life in Cincinnati. The 36 year old did win 20 games for the Sailors in 1937 but won just 14 contests the next two seasons combined. Last year he bounced back with a 15-12 season and is expected to be near the top of the rotation for the Cannons again this season.
7- It is a long shot but Milt Fritz (178-141) could conceivably get to the 200 plateau as well this season. Next year is more likely for the 31 year old but Fritz did lead the CA in ERA last season and won 18 games for the Cougars. He won an Allan Award with Brooklyn as a 21 year old and had 57 career FABL wins prior to his 22nd birthday but after some rough years in Montreal and with the New York Gothams it seemed like 150 wins might be out of the question for 'The Big Cat' but Fritz found new life back in Chicago, where his career started so many years ago. Only this time it is with the CA Cougars not the Fed Chiefs. Pitching for a Chicago based club he is 108-79. For anyone else he is 70-62 and that is including his 23 win season as a King in 1931.
8- Very few people would likely mention Boyd Harper when you ask about the pitchers who have appeared in the most FABL games but the 36 year old New York Stars lefthander is closing in on 700 career FABL appearances. At 657 Harper is a long way from Allan Allen's record 914 and no one will ever confuse the two but Harper presently is 8th all-time in games pitched and closing in on becoming just the 6th pitcher to appear in 700 games. Three of those in Allen, Jack Long and Charlie Sis did it the standard way by starting games and pitching a lot of innings but Harper is part of the other group. He has never started a FABL game. Stan Waters is second all-time in games pitched but like Harper never started a game in his 14 year career with the Keystones, Montreal and Stars. Carl Braggs is third and of his 779 appearances only one was in a starting role. That was as a rookie in 1917 with Boston. Harper is also closing in on Waters save record of 164. Harper had 9 last season to boost his total to 138, and passed Hal Galvan and Bill Mendine late last seaon, both of whom finished with 137.
9- The 2,500 hit club appears poised to welcome at least two new members this season, which would swell it's ranks to 25 players. Jim Hampton of the Chiefs needs 49 more while 42 year old Dave Trowbridge of the Stars is 57 hits shy. We could quite possibly see 4 players join the 2,500 club this season as former long-time teammates Frank Vance and Al Wheeler are also closing in. Vance, who is back with Detroit after leaving for Brooklyn with Wheeler a number of seasons ago, needs 121 more hits while Wheeler is 138 away. Wheeler is also just 26 homeruns shy of joining Max Morris and Rankin Kellogg as the only players to hit 400 big league roundtrippers. The 33 year old Wheeler hit 20 a year ago.
10- Three Philadelphia based players are closing in quickly on 2,000 hits. Doug Lightbody, the long-time Brooklyn King, is the closest at 1,982 entering the season but also has the highest chance of falling short as there is no guarantee he will make the Keystones final roster. Teammate Bobby Barrell is at 1,972 and at just 30 years old stands a decent shot at one day reaching 3,000 while across town 34 year old Dick Walker of the Sailors enters the season needed 24 hits to reach 2,000 for his impressive career.
GOTHAMS ADD ANOTHER OUTFIELDER
The New York Gothams took another step to upgrade their outfield with news that the club has acquired 27 year old Mel Alvarez from the Boston Minutemen in exchange for a couple of prospects and a pair of draft picks. Alvarez made no secret of his desire to get out of Boston after being reduced to a backup role last season. It was still a successful year batting average-wise for the former 5th round pick out of St. John's University of California as Alvarez hit .344 but he only had 40 plate appearances all season. This after he started 133 games and hit .293 in 1939. The Gothams also added Hub Parks from the New York Stars recently so there should be some competition in their outfield.
The prize for Boston in the deal was a 22 year old catcher by the name of Cliff Smith, a 1936 second round who spent last season in AA ball. OSA feels he has the potential to become an above average catcher one day but his path was clearly blocked in New York with Pete Casstevens having that position sewn up for many years to come. In addition to Smith the Minutemen also received minor league third baseman Joe Pelletier and the Gothams 5th and 6th round pick in the June portion of the draft.
JIGGS MCGEE'S TAKE- A good move for all involved especially Alvarez as he will get a chance to start in New York, something that clearly would not happen in Boston. A starting role is not guaranteed as the Gothams have upgraded their talent the past couple of weeks. Assuming Bud Jameson can do the job at first base, Walt Messer will be a fixture in left field which leaves Alvarez, recently acquired Hub Parks and holdovers Ernst Glass and Leon Drake to battle it out for the other two spots. Alvarez was out of options and quite likely to be exposed on the waiver wire so the Minutemen get a decent prospect at a position (catcher) they lack depth in the minors. Smith, the catcher, does have talent and was a second round pick five years ago, but he brings a lot of baggage as well, with a terrible work ethic and a questionable attitude.
QUICK HITS
- Is there a bigger surprise than St Louis' Buddy Long making OSA's top twenty pitchers list? Not that I don't think Long is a good pitcher, but he went 8-21 a year ago with a 91 ERA+. Perhaps bodes well for the Pioneers that it was just one of those years you can't prepare for and just have to accept as with Long, Abalo and Zimmer there is no shortage of elite talent to headline their roster.
- Apparently "Something" was enough for New York Gothams owner Leland Winthrop, who pleaded with his management team late last season to just "Do Something." Recent reports from the New York World Telegram indicate that the ballclub's owner is satisfied with the offseason moves. After slashing the team's budget at the end of the 1940 season in anger at the team's dismal finish a number of moves around the edges seem to have calmed the team's owner. Winthrop has restored the Gothams operating budget to near 1940 levels. Perhaps it was the recent acquisition of Hub Parks from the Stars that made the difference. With Parks playing in town it's possible Winthrop is more aware of his abilities and sees this as a legitimate improvement for the lineup. Other deals to bring in pitchers, Marcus Mangum, Harry Frenette and Roy Lee Williams are see as adding depth to the system. Perhaps the early indications that season ticket sales are on the rise also factored into Winthrop's decision. As usual the Gotham's head man was non-committal with regards to team finances.
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 2/23/1941
- After spending time in London, former Presidential candidate Wendell Wilkie urged that the United States provide Britain with 5 to 10 destroyers a month. Wilkie was appearing as the administrations 'cleanup witness" before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee finalizes a decision on unlimited aid to Great Britain. The Committee would approve the aid bill days later.
- Nazi forces, well over 400,000 are reported to be streaming into Rumania and Bulgaria to reinforce Hitler's Balkan command.
- British parachutists have been dropped in southern Italy in Great Britain's first attempt to carry the war to the Italian mainland. South African troops have captured a key base in Italian Somaliland and are poised to drive the Italians out of that country.
- Any Americans remain in the Far East are being urgently advised to return home in the interest of their own safety after the Japanese battle fleet masses off Indo China. President Roosevelt told the Japanese Ambassador that "there are developments in the relations between the United States and Japan which cause concern."
- Japan claims it is Britain that is kindling the crisis in the east because of how the British have been strengthening their Singapore base with thousands of Australian troops and a great number of bombers and fighting planes. The United States also begins to rush planes to it's Pacific Fleet.
- Another statement that the US entering the war is just a matter of time. This one from the Secretary of Commerce who told the House Currency and Banking Committee that the United States is "in the war, or at least nearly in the war," and is "preparing for it."