OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - The W.P. Kinsella League random update thread

BirdWatcher · 04-17-2022, 02:04 PM

Final voting totals for MGL All-Star game:

Name: Screenshot 2022-04-17 104121.jpg
Views: 1367
Size: 64.9 KB

Name: Screenshot 2022-04-17 104141.jpg
Views: 1371
Size: 62.3 KB

Name: Screenshot 2022-04-17 104155.png
Views: 1422
Size: 316.6 KB

And the roster:

Name: Screenshot 2022-04-17 104211.jpg
Views: 1382
Size: 98.1 KB

Name: Screenshot 2022-04-17 104226.png
Views: 1439
Size: 360.1 KB

Team-by-team:

---the San Francisco Velocity (7):
The Moonlight Graham League is much more top-heavy than the Shoeless Joe League in terms of representation by teams.
And leading the way is the San Francisco Velocity with their 7 All-Stars.
Starting pitcher and 2-time Harris/Lee award winner Jon Harrington heads to his 6th All-Star game. The 32-year old iron man righty is on pace for a 24-7 season and contention for another Harris/Lee to add to his trophy case.
A pair of relievers will also be representing the Velocity: veteran journeyman iron man righty (and former Denver Brewer) Raul Melendrez and 28-year old rookie righty Eric Lusk. It is Melendrez 2nd All-Star game and of course Lusk's first. They are both having fine season, but this seems like a bit of stretch.
Ryan Olney, 25-year old first baseman, is also headed to his first All-Star game. This is Olney's first year as a full-time starter and he is on pace for 5.2 WAR so this is well-deserved.
Veteran third baseman Mike Shervey was voted in as the starter but won't be available to play as he is dealing with a strained PCL. It is hard to believe that this only the 2nd All-Star selection for the former San Antonio Key's slugger who has lead the league in RBI the past three seasons. This is his first season in the MGL.
Left fielder Ryan Frommeyer was also voted in as a starter in his first All-Star appearance. Frommeyer is currently leading the MGL in batting average in his rookie season (he had a cup of coffee- 33 PA's- last season).
Cameron Olsen is now a 6-time All-Star. The gifted but highly disruptive and disliked veteran left fielder is on pace for a 5 WAR season.

---the Denver Brewers (6):
Not surprisingly, in a season dominated by the top teams in the MLG West, the Velocity and Brewers have an inordinate number of players headed to L.A. for the All-Star game.
Denver sends starting pitcher Eric Maisch for his 2nd All-Star game.
Designated hitter/first baseman and rookie basher, Gene "Basher" Brasher, is an All-Star for the first time. This one surprised me as I didn't vote for him. But he is among the league leaders in several offensive categories, particularly those that measure power hitting.
Veteran second baseman Justin Banks was named the starter at his position and is now a 3-time All-Star.
Fellow veteran infielder, third baseman Ryan Campbell, is an All-Star for the second time. (Another surprise to me- I wouldn't have included him.)
Willie Romero is voted in as the starting shortstop and deservedly so if you ask this reporter. Romero's bat is just mostly average (though he has hit 12 homers) but his glove is still elite (12.7 ZR).
And rookie right fielder Jerry Lillie is also named a starter in his first All-Star appearance. Well deserved!

---the St. Louis Redbirds (4):
The Redbirds are staying over the .500 mark thus far thanks to both some great performances by veteran stars and the rise of a few young stars.
It is the veterans who earned the All-Star berths, led by oft-injured but incredibly talented third baseman Steve Whitehead getting named to his 7th All-Star squad.
When the Redbirds added veteran catcher Andrew Litteral as a free agency signing in the offseason even they probably didn't expect this kind of production out of the 32-year old backstop: .353/.389/.459 slash line in addition to his normally great defensive and pitching-staff handling abilities. Litteral is also now a 7-time All-Star.
Left handed sinkerball starting pitcher Dan Clark is already a 5-year veteran at age 27 and now a 2-time All-Star.
For Gus Reyna, 26-year old first baseman who has been in a backup role the past 2 seasons, it is not only his first year as a starter on the Redbirds but also his first All-Star selection. The smart and hard-working (and uncharacteristically, for his position, speedy) player deserves this honor.

---the Phoenix Speed Devils (4):
And, of course, the other strong MGL West contender, Phoenix, also has several All-Stars.
Starting pitcher Jonathan Reichman, who won 16 games last season, is one of the most promising young hurlers in the game at age 25, in spite of playing his home games in a hitter's haven. This is his first All-Star honor, but probably won't be his last.
Closer Steve Hensgens also head to his first All-Star game in spite of leading the MGL in saves with an impressive 47 last season. The smart and stuff-first 23 year old is on pace for 38 saves this season and has an impressive 1.70 ERA.
John Sposato, the Speed Devils gold glove winning catcher who turned 26 today, is a first-time All-Star. He doesn't have much of a hit tool at all but is probably the best defensive catcher in the game now and it is great to see him get some recognition.
And what to say about rookie center fielder Hyeong-uk Chun? All Chun is doing is threatening numerous WPK single-season records (he is on pace to absolutely shatter the single season homer mark with 69!) in his true rookie campaign (not even a cup of coffee before now). The 24-year old out of South Korea looks to be running away not just with the Rookie of the Year award but also the MGL MVP provided he doesn't fall off a cliff (or get hurt) in the second half of the season. This is probably the most remarkable start to a WPK career yet.

---the Baltimore Lords (3):
Another first time All-Star at the catcher position is Baltimore's 28-year old Rafael Negrete. Negrete is having a good, not great, season and this one looks like it might be a bit of a stretch. He also has a reputation as a pretty jerky dude.
Veteran first baseman Mike Lovett (formerly a Brewer) at one time was considered a future league MVP. That never quite materialized for him but at age 34 he is now a 4-time All-Star and is in the midst of what might his best season since 1979 when he led the league in RBI (139) while playing for Philadelphia in the SJL and put up 6.6 WAR.
Noel McMillan is also now a 4-time All-Star. McMillan was the 1982 MGL Rookie of the Year and while he has had a bit of an inconsistent career thus far (1.2 WAR last season in 154 games played, 5.6 WAR the season prior), he does have good all-around skills and is having season worthy of AS inclusion, even if not more than that.

---the Portland Wild Things (2):
Portland starting pitcher Kyle Gilbert is the mid-season frontrunner to win this year's Harris/Lee award. At age 24 this is his first All-Star game but almost surely there will be many, many more ahead for the talented kid with good leadership skills.
His rotation mate, Dave Seem, will be coming with him to L.A.. Seem profiles as injury prone and the lack of movement on his pitches can be a concern but he does have tremendous stuff with three elite-level pitches (slider, changeup, fastball). This is the 26-year old southpaw's first All-Star game but if he can stay healthy it shouldn't be his last.

---the Brooklyn Aces (2):
Brooklyn closer Michael Tucker has a strong case for best closer of his generation. At age 26 he already is now a 5-time All-Star and 3-time Reliever of the Year. He is also a fan favorite. Will he eventually be a Hall of Famer? I wouldn't bet against him.
Andy Raley has quietly now earned his 2nd All-Star selection at age 30. Raley is another fan favorite and a solid, though far from spectacular, player. But he's a good guy and it's hard to begrudge him this honor.

---the Charlotte Sting (2):
At age 23 young Sting second baseman Alex Bock is just starting to unlock his potential and the ceiling is very high for this kid. In 686 big league plate appearances thus far he has a slash line of .336/.413/.478. He's a decent fielder but almost surely won't win any Gold Gloves in his career. But the speedy, hard working kid has a line drive approach with the kind of contact hitting tool that could lead to multiple batting titles and even a decent amount of power. First of many All-Star appearances likely.
Veteran right fielder (and another former Brewer) Eric Hammock was the MGL MVP last season and is having another strong year, though not quite MVP contention caliber. He is very injury prone but when healthy remains a fine player and this is his 4th All-Star game.

---the Detroit Falcons (1):
Rick Ernst, the Falcons 25-year old righty starting pitcher, is already in his sixth season in the big leagues and has a career record of 47-50 (also 24 saves from his first two seasons as a reliever) but that is largely about the quality of the team behind him. He is 5-8 this year but has a fine 3.24 ERA, a decent 1.27 WHIP, and after leading the league in K/9 last year at 8.0, his K/9 this season is 8.2. The Falcons lone All-Star deserves the honor.

---the Oklahoma City Diamond Kings (1):
Probably the most disappointing team in the WPK this season, the Diamond Kings send only starting pitcher Matt Greene, the reigning Harris/Lee award winner, to L.A. Greene is having another strong season, a fact that is somewhat obscured by his 7-6 record due to the ineptitude of the team around him.

---the Montreal Royals (1):
Someone has to represent the pitiful Royals in L.A.
That honor has gone to 25-year old rookie left fielder John Grant. He seems like a decent guy, a humble sort. He is on pace to hit 22 homers, which is pretty good. His slash line is .267/.341/.495, which is, well, not horrible exactly. Have fun kid. Can't say you really earned this, but you might as well enjoy it as there is no guarantee you will ever have this opportunity again.

---the Los Angeles Spinners (1):
And finally, your hosts, the L.A. Spinners. And just one guy for the hometown fans to scream for. That's pretty sad.
Granted, the L.A. representative is a fan favorite: 37-year old reliever Kazurhiro Miyamoto. This is Kaz's second All-Star game. Did I mention he is a fan favorite? Yeah, that's pretty much all I got.

04-17-2022, 02:04 PM	#273
BirdWatcher Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 4,263	MGL All-Star final voting and roster Final voting totals for MGL All-Star game: And the roster: Team-by-team: ---the San Francisco Velocity (7): The Moonlight Graham League is much more top-heavy than the Shoeless Joe League in terms of representation by teams. And leading the way is the San Francisco Velocity with their 7 All-Stars. Starting pitcher and 2-time Harris/Lee award winner Jon Harrington heads to his 6th All-Star game. The 32-year old iron man righty is on pace for a 24-7 season and contention for another Harris/Lee to add to his trophy case. A pair of relievers will also be representing the Velocity: veteran journeyman iron man righty (and former Denver Brewer) Raul Melendrez and 28-year old rookie righty Eric Lusk. It is Melendrez 2nd All-Star game and of course Lusk's first. They are both having fine season, but this seems like a bit of stretch. Ryan Olney, 25-year old first baseman, is also headed to his first All-Star game. This is Olney's first year as a full-time starter and he is on pace for 5.2 WAR so this is well-deserved. Veteran third baseman Mike Shervey was voted in as the starter but won't be available to play as he is dealing with a strained PCL. It is hard to believe that this only the 2nd All-Star selection for the former San Antonio Key's slugger who has lead the league in RBI the past three seasons. This is his first season in the MGL. Left fielder Ryan Frommeyer was also voted in as a starter in his first All-Star appearance. Frommeyer is currently leading the MGL in batting average in his rookie season (he had a cup of coffee- 33 PA's- last season). Cameron Olsen is now a 6-time All-Star. The gifted but highly disruptive and disliked veteran left fielder is on pace for a 5 WAR season. ---the Denver Brewers (6): Not surprisingly, in a season dominated by the top teams in the MLG West, the Velocity and Brewers have an inordinate number of players headed to L.A. for the All-Star game. Denver sends starting pitcher Eric Maisch for his 2nd All-Star game. Designated hitter/first baseman and rookie basher, Gene "Basher" Brasher, is an All-Star for the first time. This one surprised me as I didn't vote for him. But he is among the league leaders in several offensive categories, particularly those that measure power hitting. Veteran second baseman Justin Banks was named the starter at his position and is now a 3-time All-Star. Fellow veteran infielder, third baseman Ryan Campbell, is an All-Star for the second time. (Another surprise to me- I wouldn't have included him.) Willie Romero is voted in as the starting shortstop and deservedly so if you ask this reporter. Romero's bat is just mostly average (though he has hit 12 homers) but his glove is still elite (12.7 ZR). And rookie right fielder Jerry Lillie is also named a starter in his first All-Star appearance. Well deserved! ---the St. Louis Redbirds (4): The Redbirds are staying over the .500 mark thus far thanks to both some great performances by veteran stars and the rise of a few young stars. It is the veterans who earned the All-Star berths, led by oft-injured but incredibly talented third baseman Steve Whitehead getting named to his 7th All-Star squad. When the Redbirds added veteran catcher Andrew Litteral as a free agency signing in the offseason even they probably didn't expect this kind of production out of the 32-year old backstop: .353/.389/.459 slash line in addition to his normally great defensive and pitching-staff handling abilities. Litteral is also now a 7-time All-Star. Left handed sinkerball starting pitcher Dan Clark is already a 5-year veteran at age 27 and now a 2-time All-Star. For Gus Reyna, 26-year old first baseman who has been in a backup role the past 2 seasons, it is not only his first year as a starter on the Redbirds but also his first All-Star selection. The smart and hard-working (and uncharacteristically, for his position, speedy) player deserves this honor. ---the Phoenix Speed Devils (4): And, of course, the other strong MGL West contender, Phoenix, also has several All-Stars. Starting pitcher Jonathan Reichman, who won 16 games last season, is one of the most promising young hurlers in the game at age 25, in spite of playing his home games in a hitter's haven. This is his first All-Star honor, but probably won't be his last. Closer Steve Hensgens also head to his first All-Star game in spite of leading the MGL in saves with an impressive 47 last season. The smart and stuff-first 23 year old is on pace for 38 saves this season and has an impressive 1.70 ERA. John Sposato, the Speed Devils gold glove winning catcher who turned 26 today, is a first-time All-Star. He doesn't have much of a hit tool at all but is probably the best defensive catcher in the game now and it is great to see him get some recognition. And what to say about rookie center fielder Hyeong-uk Chun? All Chun is doing is threatening numerous WPK single-season records (he is on pace to absolutely shatter the single season homer mark with 69!) in his true rookie campaign (not even a cup of coffee before now). The 24-year old out of South Korea looks to be running away not just with the Rookie of the Year award but also the MGL MVP provided he doesn't fall off a cliff (or get hurt) in the second half of the season. This is probably the most remarkable start to a WPK career yet. ---the Baltimore Lords (3): Another first time All-Star at the catcher position is Baltimore's 28-year old Rafael Negrete. Negrete is having a good, not great, season and this one looks like it might be a bit of a stretch. He also has a reputation as a pretty jerky dude. Veteran first baseman Mike Lovett (formerly a Brewer) at one time was considered a future league MVP. That never quite materialized for him but at age 34 he is now a 4-time All-Star and is in the midst of what might his best season since 1979 when he led the league in RBI (139) while playing for Philadelphia in the SJL and put up 6.6 WAR. Noel McMillan is also now a 4-time All-Star. McMillan was the 1982 MGL Rookie of the Year and while he has had a bit of an inconsistent career thus far (1.2 WAR last season in 154 games played, 5.6 WAR the season prior), he does have good all-around skills and is having season worthy of AS inclusion, even if not more than that. ---the Portland Wild Things (2): Portland starting pitcher Kyle Gilbert is the mid-season frontrunner to win this year's Harris/Lee award. At age 24 this is his first All-Star game but almost surely there will be many, many more ahead for the talented kid with good leadership skills. His rotation mate, Dave Seem, will be coming with him to L.A.. Seem profiles as injury prone and the lack of movement on his pitches can be a concern but he does have tremendous stuff with three elite-level pitches (slider, changeup, fastball). This is the 26-year old southpaw's first All-Star game but if he can stay healthy it shouldn't be his last. ---the Brooklyn Aces (2): Brooklyn closer Michael Tucker has a strong case for best closer of his generation. At age 26 he already is now a 5-time All-Star and 3-time Reliever of the Year. He is also a fan favorite. Will he eventually be a Hall of Famer? I wouldn't bet against him. Andy Raley has quietly now earned his 2nd All-Star selection at age 30. Raley is another fan favorite and a solid, though far from spectacular, player. But he's a good guy and it's hard to begrudge him this honor. ---the Charlotte Sting (2): At age 23 young Sting second baseman Alex Bock is just starting to unlock his potential and the ceiling is very high for this kid. In 686 big league plate appearances thus far he has a slash line of .336/.413/.478. He's a decent fielder but almost surely won't win any Gold Gloves in his career. But the speedy, hard working kid has a line drive approach with the kind of contact hitting tool that could lead to multiple batting titles and even a decent amount of power. First of many All-Star appearances likely. Veteran right fielder (and another former Brewer) Eric Hammock was the MGL MVP last season and is having another strong year, though not quite MVP contention caliber. He is very injury prone but when healthy remains a fine player and this is his 4th All-Star game. ---the Detroit Falcons (1): Rick Ernst, the Falcons 25-year old righty starting pitcher, is already in his sixth season in the big leagues and has a career record of 47-50 (also 24 saves from his first two seasons as a reliever) but that is largely about the quality of the team behind him. He is 5-8 this year but has a fine 3.24 ERA, a decent 1.27 WHIP, and after leading the league in K/9 last year at 8.0, his K/9 this season is 8.2. The Falcons lone All-Star deserves the honor. ---the Oklahoma City Diamond Kings (1): Probably the most disappointing team in the WPK this season, the Diamond Kings send only starting pitcher Matt Greene, the reigning Harris/Lee award winner, to L.A. Greene is having another strong season, a fact that is somewhat obscured by his 7-6 record due to the ineptitude of the team around him. ---the Montreal Royals (1): Someone has to represent the pitiful Royals in L.A. That honor has gone to 25-year old rookie left fielder John Grant. He seems like a decent guy, a humble sort. He is on pace to hit 22 homers, which is pretty good. His slash line is .267/.341/.495, which is, well, not horrible exactly. Have fun kid. Can't say you really earned this, but you might as well enjoy it as there is no guarantee you will ever have this opportunity again. ---the Los Angeles Spinners (1): And finally, your hosts, the L.A. Spinners. And just one guy for the hometown fans to scream for. That's pretty sad. Granted, the L.A. representative is a fan favorite: 37-year old reliever Kazurhiro Miyamoto. This is Kaz's second All-Star game. Did I mention he is a fan favorite? Yeah, that's pretty much all I got. __________________ The Denver Brewers of the W.P. Kinsella League-- The fun starts here(1965-1971: https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=289570 And continues here (1972-1976): https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=300500 On we go (1977- 1979): https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=314601 For ongoing and more random updates on the WPK:https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=325147, https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=330717 Last edited by BirdWatcher; 04-17-2022 at 03:57 PM.