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Old 10-22-2022, 04:21 AM   #761
reds1
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Notes on 1955-56 All-Braeland Team

Starting Pitcher

The 1955-56 season saw several outstanding pitching performances, especially in the Eastern League. As a result of that, this pick became rather academic. Stratford’s 27-year old LHP Robin Wadsworth won his first EL Satchel Paige Award in a close two-way race between him and Queensland’s 30-year old RHP Logan Belsey, who earned his first selection to the Team last season. Wadsworth has steadily improved over his five-year major league career, but the former 16th overall pick from 1948-49 was absolutely dominate this season.

Here are the 4 pitchers that I felt were the worthiest of consideration this season:

• LHP Robin Wadsworth – 20-9, 1.96 ERA, 34 GS, 257.0 IP, 156 K, 1.10 WHIP, 0.7 HR/9, 3.0 BB/9, 5.5 K/9, .232 BABIP, 3.14 FIP, 199 ERA+, 6.2 WAR.
• Sherburn’s 32-year old RHP Jesús Chapa – 18-5, 2.49 ERA, 35 GS, 278.2 IP, 144 K, 1.30 WHIP, 0.4 HR/9, 2.8 BB/9, 4.7 K/9, .282 BABIP, 2.92 FIP, 159 ERA+, 7.8 WAR.
• RHP Logan Belsey21-6, 2.63 ERA, 33 GS, 267.1 IP, 219 K, 1.19 WHIP, 0.7 HR/9, 2.7 BB/9, 7.4 K/9, .282 BABIP, 2.55 FIP, 147 ERA+, 8.8 WAR.
• Queensland’s 28-year old RHP Stiofan Micklethwait21-5, 2.42 ERA, 33 GS, 267.2 IP, 145 K, 1.03 WHIP, 0.5 HR/9, 2.5 BB/9, 4.9 K/9, .230 BABIP, 2.77 FIP, 160 ERA+, 7.8 WAR.

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Catcher

Choosing the top catcher in the United Leagues based on performance was anything but academic. It was one of two selections that I ended up changing my mind at the last minute. This year it came down to two players for me: Brunswick’s 27-year old Robert Kersey and Pulberry’s 25-year old Paul England. Kersey has been rated the top catcher for 3 of the past 4 seasons, including this year. But England pole-vaulted into the No. 2 spot this season and enjoyed a career year (doubling his WAR from 3.4 to 6.8 from the previous season for example). It’s a toss-up and I initially went with Kersey. But out of curiosity, I compared their respective totals in the Babe Ruth Award voting. England received more votes (131 to 105) with the caveat that the players play in different Leagues. But with that very unscientific analysis, I switched to England. But there wasn’t a lot to separate them.

Here are the three catchers that were under consideration:

Paul England – .317/.402/.523, 151 H, 22-2B, 24 HR, 94 RBI, 66 BB, .925 OPS, 152 OPS+, 165 wRC+, 6.8 WAR, .976 EFF.
Robert Kersey – .308/.408/.557, 132 H, 21-2B, 28 HR, 103 RBI, 75 BB, .965 OPS, 156 OPS+, 169 wRC+, 6.6 WAR, 1.041 EFF.
• Kingston’s 29-year old Carlos Camasura - .293/.424/.376, 138 H, 19-2B, 6 HR, 48 RBI, 107 BB, .799 OPS, 116 OPS+, 130 wRC+, 5.2 WAR, 1.071 EFF.

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First Base

Pulberry’s 30-year old Gerard Koerner came into his own this season and emerged as one of the best first basemen in the United Leagues. In fact, he is currently ranked just behind Cambria’s 29-year old Carlos Corea. Both were the leading contenders for the Team, but I gave the nod to Koerner this time around. Overall, I feel that he had the better season. Voters for the WL Babe Ruth Award felt the same way, as Koerner picked up 103 votes compared to Corea’s 34.

Here are the four players I ultimately considered:

Gerard Koerner – .330/.391/.500, 187 H, 22-2B, 22 HR, 83 RBI, 57 BB, .891 OPS, 143 OPS+, 156 wRC+, 5.8 WAR, 1.028 EFF.
Carlos Corea – .318/.367/.543, 169 H, 30-2B, 26 HR, 101 RBI, 34 BB, .910 OPS, 145 OPS+, 157 wRC+, 4.6 WAR, .957 EFF.
• Braeland City’s 32-year old Dean Witherden – .302/.384/.499, 170 H, 24-2B, 27 HR, 82 RBI, 72 BB, .884 OPS, 134 OPS+, 152 wRC+, 4.6 WAR, .986 EFF.
• Hespeler’s 28-year old John McMurray – .308/.367/.491, 180 H, 19-2B, 22 HR, 91 RBI, 47 BB, .859 OPS, 126 OPS+, 137 wRC+, 4.5 WAR, 1.028 EFF.

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Second Base

Braeland City’s 30-year old Patrick Lidgate has had a stranglehold at the second base spot on the All-Braeland Team over the previous three seasons and that didn’t change this year either. The same three players from last season were contenders once again, but Lidgate’s all-round performance guaranteed his 5th selection.

Here were the Top 3 choices:

Patrick Lidgate – .276/.383/.503, 148 H, 23-2B, 23 HR, 73 RBI, 83 BB, .886 OPS, 134 OPS+, 149 wRC+, 6.9 WAR, 1.003 EFF.
• Stratford’s 27-year old Matthew Channing – .286/.338/.461, 167 H, 34-2B, 18 HR, 86 RBI, 42 BB, 11 SB, .799 OPS, 114 OPS+, 125 wRC+, 4.8 WAR, 1.034 EFF.
• Downie’s 30-year old Dominic Dudding – .287/.333/.470, 155 H, 12-2B, 23 HR, 80 RBI, 39 BB, .803 OPS, 119 OPS+, 127 wRC+, 4.4 WAR, .980 EFF.

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Third Base

Although the hot corner saw some fine performances this year, this selection was a no-doubter. Embro’s 27-year old Moromao Nakagawa was way ahead of his nearest competition and was the East’s Babe Ruth Award winner for the second straight season. He has just entered his prime and it would be no surprise if his name is emblazoned on a few more Teams before his career winds down.

Here are the four that stood out for me this year:

Moromao Nakagawa – .331/.413/.592, 30-2B, 36 HR, 123 RBI, 81 BB, 1.005 OPS, 168 OPS+, 178 wRC+, 8.3 WAR, .986 EFF.
• Cobourg’s 34-year old Alexander Tolmie – .307/.400/.487, 146 H, 25-2B, 19 HR, 100 RBI, 75 BB, 887 OPS, 137 OPS+, 152 wRC+, 4.8 WAR, .976 EFF.
• Sherburn’s 26-year old Adrian Flynn – .312/.376/.486, 162 H, 38-2B, 16 HR, 90 RBI, 53 BB, .862 OPS, 128 OPS+, 141 wRC+, 4.5 WAR, .983 EFF.
• Pulberry’s 30-year old Francis Jones – .304/.376/.496, 120 H, 20-2B, 16 HR, 60 RBI, 48 BB, 8 SB, .872 OPS, 138 OPS+, 148 wRC+, 4.3 WAR, 1.040 EFF.

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Shortstop

This was an agonizing choice to make and one that I am not completely happy about. Cambria’s 36-year old César Ruíz was clearly the best offensive shortstop in the Leagues this season but was utterly woeful defensively. Meanwhile, Sherburn’s 26-year old Dwayne Vick and Balmoral's 26-year old Hayden Gunton were outstanding defensively, with Gunton picking up his first Ball Hawk Award. Both were fine offensively as well. But I ultimately went with Ruíz solely on the fact that he far outpaced the other two in the WL Babe Ruth Award voting. But I still wonder if I made the right choice. If this exact scenario came up again next year, I would probably lean toward defense more at this particular position. But I’ll leave it for now.

Here are the three shortstops that were considered this year:

César Ruíz – .319/.409/.563, 137 H, 17-2B, 28 HR, 88 RBI, 62 BB, .972 OPS, 163 OPS+, 177 wRC+, 4.9 WAR, .887 EFF.
Dwayne Vick – .320/.361/.423, 190 H, 32-2B, 3 HR, 59 RBI, 36 BB, .784 OPS, 108 OPS+, 124 wRC+, 5.8 WAR, 1.059 EFF.
Hayden Gunton – .284/.362/.386, 159 H, 18-2B, 9 HR, 44 RBI, 69 BB, .749 OPS, 103 OPS+, 116 wRC+, 6.2 WAR, 1.091 EFF.

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Left Field

OK, back to easy selections. Pulberry’s 27-year old Aidan Thirkettle is ranked as the United Leagues best position player, he won his third straight Babe Ruth Award (picking up all first place votes to boot), won the Triple Crown and was named this past season’s United Cup’s MVP. He led the entire United Leagues in 10 offensive categories. Queensland’s 30-year old Rod Dennis and Wellington’s 28-year old Matthew Floyd are both sensational players in their own right who both represent the cornerstone of their respective team’s lineup. But Thirkettle belongs in a higher league. Just the fact that he makes this an automatic choice despite the competition is astounding.

Aidan Thirkettle.334/.434/.628, 27-2B, 40 HR, 113 RBI, 88 BB, 9 SB, 1.062 OPS, 188 OPS+, 198 wRC+, 9.1 WAR, 1.014 EFF.
Rod Dennis.343/.415/.596, 29-2B, 33 HR, 100 RBI, 69 BB, 1.011 OPS, 173 OPS+, 185 wRC+, 6.1 WAR, .937 EFF.
Matthew Floyd – .318/.436/.543, 142 H, 23-2B, 21 HR, 89 RBI, 90 BB, 16 SB, .978 OPS, 167 OPS+, 172 wRC+, 6.6 WAR, 1.004 EFF.

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Center Field

Over the past few seasons, centerfield excellence has been the domain of three players: Cobourg’s 30-year old Raymond Williams, Pulberry’s 29-year old Cooper Tyson and Stratford’s 30-year old Alfonso León. That hasn’t changed, but a new face has joined them: Sherburn’s 25-year old Ross Shewman. The Canadian sophomore was sensational in all facets of the game and finished second in the WL Babe Ruth Award voting. But this year, I went with Williams who I felt was just slightly better. But only just. It will be interesting to see what the young Shewman does for an encore next year.

Raymond Williams – .301/.402/.547, 158 H, 28-2B, 29 HR, 88 RBI, 86 BB, 14 SB, .949 OPS, 152 OPS+, 161 wRC+, 7.3 WAR, .988 EFF.
Ross Shewman - .286/.396/.530, 143 H, 22-2B, 26 HR, 110 RBI, 92 BB, .926 OPS, 145 OPS+, 162 wRC+, 7.0 WAR, 1.006 EFF.
Cooper Tyson – .307/.392/.477, 149 H, 27-2B, 16 HR, 76 RBI, 69 BB, 10 SB, .869 OPS, 138 OPS+, 148 wRC+, 6.6 WAR, 1.042 EFF.
Alfonso León - .277/.355/.461, 153 H, 20-2B, 24 HR, 64 RBI, 64 BB, 10 SB, .816 OPS, 122 OPS+, 133 wRC+, 5.6 WAR, 1.053 EFF.

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Right Field

This was another selection that I changed my mind more than once. Selecting the top three left fielders in the game was easy. But which one to choose over the others was not. At first, I zeroed in on Cambria’s 26-year old Sam Tite, whose all around play was impressive. But then I remembered that he missed a good chunk of time (+7 weeks) this year to injuries and so I soured on him a little, rightly or wrongly. I then settled on Sherburn’s 26-year old Albert Sulley, who was terrific as well and won a Ball Hawk Award for his outstanding defense. But then there’s Wellington’s 30-year old Jim Mars, who was a bit more productive at the plate than Sulley and while he didn’t win a Ball Hawk Award, he was solid. Thus, at the last minute, I have switched to Mars who wins his first selection to the team. But all three players would have made solid choices in my view.

Jim Mars – .317/.380/.462, 176 H, 29-2B, 12 HR, 86 RBI, 58 BB, .842 OPS, 130 OPS+, 140 wRC+, 4.8 WAR, .988 EFF.
Albert Sulley – .287/.391/.395, 157 H, 20-2B, 7 HR, 72 RBI, 97 BB, 17 SB, .786 OPS, 110 OPS+, 127 wRC, 5.9 WAR, 1.057 EFF.
Sam Tite – .273/.394/.541, 103 H, 14-2B, 25 HR, 70 RBI, 75 BB, .935 OPS, 153 OPS+, 162 wRC+, 4.6 WAR, 1.014 EFF.
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United Leagues of Braeland

Last edited by reds1; 10-22-2022 at 04:39 AM.
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