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Makonnen · 10-21-2025, 01:03 PM

September 2nd

Full TWIBL here.

#August Awards

Brooklyn's emerging stud Fernando Valenzuela went 5- 1 in August, earning the NL Rookie of the Month for August; in the AL, San Francsico's rookie superstar Turkey Stearnes hit .389 with 10 homers and 24 RBI's during the month, taking home the AL Award.
Valenzuela was eclipsed by Indianapolis' Luis Padrón for the overall monthly award. Padrón went 5-0 in the month with a 3.09 ERA as he solidified his status as the best hurler in the WBL this season, winning the NL Pitcher of the Month for August. The AL Pitcher of the Month went to Andy Pettitte of the New York Black Yankees, who rode a 5-1 record to the Award.

Ernie Banks of the House of David had a torrid August, slugging 14--FOURTEEN--homeruns and hitting .370 as he was named the Batter of the Month in the AL. Over in the NL, the Batter of the Month Award went to Detroit's Ty Cobb, who hit .452 in August, reclaiming a shot at a .400 average for the season.

#Weekly Awards

Stearnes hit .435 with 4 homers over the final week of August, earning the rookie CF the AL Player of the Week while Brooklyn's 3B Ron Cey hit .455 with 5 homers, earning him the NL Player of the Week Award.

Playoff Watch

Here is where we are.
In the American League, The San Francisco Sea Lions are going to win the Cum Posey Division, and either the Cleveland Spiders or New York Black Yankees are going to win the Bill James Division (right now, the Spiders hold a 1.5 game edge). Whoever loses the Bill James will take one Wild Card spot, and either Detroit (8 gams back in the Bill James) or Miami (1.5 games behind Detroit) will take the other.

TEAM SPOTLIGHT

Full overview of the Wandering House of David here.

While theoretically based in Chicago, the House of David travel the backroads of the country with a portable stadium used for their home games. It's a life.

On the field, it's an example of how important upper end performance is to a team, and how painful it can be when it falls off.

While they are still within 2 games of the final NL Wild Card spot, it's been a disappointing year for the House of David. The offense has been decent enough--and there are some clear positive indications for next year--but the pitching has been a struggle. Overall, a lot can be placed at the feet of Pete Browning and Jack Taylor, superstars last year who have failed to deliver this season.

THE OFFENSE

It's a good offense. The BA and OBP are perhaps a little low, but there's enough power to compensate, and ultimately, this ain't the issue with the team.

#What's Going Right

Ernie Banks has exploded into superstardom, with a 1.031 OPS and 117 RBI's heading into September. Banks is 3rd in the league in homers with 54, and is clearly the dominant cog in the House of David offense, and perhaps the dominant offensive SS in the league.

Richie Hebner, not projected as a starter, also has an OPS over 1.000, and has edged into an everyday role, slashing 296/387/636 in just under 300 PAs.

The House of David as found 2 standout 1Bs this year in Anthony Rizzo and Mark McGwire. McGwire has played in just under 40 games, but is managing to maintain an OPS around .950 with a BA barely over .200: that's a lot of walks and a lot of homeruns (17 of each in 140 PAs). Rizzo is slashing 276/389/581.

Ryne Sandberg continues to deliver at 2B, with 35 homers and a .930 OPS.

Ron Santo, has been mired in a slump recently, but still has an OPS around .850.

George Stone, George Gore, and Jim Edmonds all cluster around an .800 OPS in the OF, with Gore the most effective of the 3, taking most of the CF time from Edmonds.

Sammy Sosa has 37 homers, 2nd on the team.

#What's Not Going Right

Pete Browning has been hurt, limiting his availability to about 75 games. More importantly, when healthy, last year's superstar has struggled, with an OPS under .750.

Sammy Sosa's 37 homeruns are part of a .750 OPS as the immensely talented OF struggles constantly to put good wood on the ball.

Combine this with the above and the OF picture is just horribly confused. Gore, Stone, Edmonds, Sosa, and Browning (and the supernova debut of Tony Conigliaro) all result in none of the OF spots having a clear claimant.

Elrod Hendricks has been ... not terrible, but not at all good. 22 homeruns is nice from a catcher, but a sub .700 OPS is not.

Frank Chance--given every, um, chance, to supplant Hendricks--has an even lower OPS, although he has shown a decent ability to get on base.

THE PITCHING

The House of David entered the season concerned about how they would fill out the rotation behind Jack Taylor. Now they're worried about all of the staff, including Taylor. It's not pretty.

#What's Going Right

Bob Rush, who leads the team in wins with 10, has been quite solid, and CC Sabathia has pitched far better than his 5-11 record would indicate.

Youngster Kyle Peterson has been a revelation, with a 3.51 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over 11 starts.

Veteran lefty Jimmy Key has done well out of the pen. But well in this context is an ERA just over 5.00 and a WHIP hovering in the 1.20 range. So ... not great.

Having traded away or demoted all of their closers, Karl Spooner has quite unexpectedly stepped into the spotlight and pitched quite well at the end of games.

#What's Not Going Right

Taylor has been awful for much of the year, with an ERA well over 6.00 most of the season. Now, it must be said, he's pitched significantly better of late, winning his last 5 decisions and dropping his ERA by roughly a run.

They've run a lot of arms through the rotation, with Frank Sullivan, Kerry Wood, Ferguson Jenkins, and Rick Reuschel all getting at least 5 starts. Of those, only Reuschel has been passable.

PREVIEWING THE GOLD GLOVES

An early look at the leading fielders is up here.

We have twice as many as last year, due to the creation of the National League. All the deets are at that link. The best bets for potential repeat winners are Baltimore's Paul Blair in CF, Brooklyn's Roy White in LF, and Jack Taylor of the House of David on the mound.

TWIWBL Notes for Each Division

More detail than anyone else could care about:

Bill James Division
Cum Posey Division
Effa Manley Division
Marvin Miller Division

10-21-2025, 01:03 PM	#569
Makonnen All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 925	TWIWBL 80! WBL Year 2, Week 23 September 2nd Full TWIBL here. #August Awards Brooklyn's emerging stud Fernando Valenzuela went 5- 1 in August, earning the NL Rookie of the Month for August; in the AL, San Francsico's rookie superstar Turkey Stearnes hit .389 with 10 homers and 24 RBI's during the month, taking home the AL Award. Valenzuela was eclipsed by Indianapolis' Luis Padrón for the overall monthly award. Padrón went 5-0 in the month with a 3.09 ERA as he solidified his status as the best hurler in the WBL this season, winning the NL Pitcher of the Month for August. The AL Pitcher of the Month went to Andy Pettitte of the New York Black Yankees, who rode a 5-1 record to the Award. Ernie Banks of the House of David had a torrid August, slugging 14--FOURTEEN--homeruns and hitting .370 as he was named the Batter of the Month in the AL. Over in the NL, the Batter of the Month Award went to Detroit's Ty Cobb, who hit .452 in August, reclaiming a shot at a .400 average for the season. #Weekly Awards Stearnes hit .435 with 4 homers over the final week of August, earning the rookie CF the AL Player of the Week while Brooklyn's 3B Ron Cey hit .455 with 5 homers, earning him the NL Player of the Week Award. *Playoff Watch* Here is where we are. In the American League, The San Francisco Sea Lions are going to win the Cum Posey Division, and either the Cleveland Spiders or New York Black Yankees are going to win the Bill James Division (right now, the Spiders hold a 1.5 game edge). Whoever loses the Bill James will take one Wild Card spot, and either Detroit (8 gams back in the Bill James) or Miami (1.5 games behind Detroit) will take the other. TEAM SPOTLIGHT Full overview of the Wandering House of David here. While theoretically based in Chicago, the House of David travel the backroads of the country with a portable stadium used for their home games. It's a life. On the field, it's an example of how important upper end performance is to a team, and how painful it can be when it falls off. While they are still within 2 games of the final NL Wild Card spot, it's been a disappointing year for the House of David. The offense has been decent enough--and there are some clear positive indications for next year--but the pitching has been a struggle. Overall, a lot can be placed at the feet of Pete Browning and Jack Taylor, superstars last year who have failed to deliver this season. THE OFFENSE It's a good offense. The BA and OBP are perhaps a little low, but there's enough power to compensate, and ultimately, this ain't the issue with the team. #What's Going Right Ernie Banks has exploded into superstardom, with a 1.031 OPS and 117 RBI's heading into September. Banks is 3rd in the league in homers with 54, and is clearly the dominant cog in the House of David offense, and perhaps the dominant offensive SS in the league. Richie Hebner, not projected as a starter, also has an OPS over 1.000, and has edged into an everyday role, slashing 296/387/636 in just under 300 PAs. The House of David as found 2 standout 1Bs this year in Anthony Rizzo and Mark McGwire. McGwire has played in just under 40 games, but is managing to maintain an OPS around .950 with a BA barely over .200: that's a lot of walks and a lot of homeruns (17 of each in 140 PAs). Rizzo is slashing 276/389/581. Ryne Sandberg continues to deliver at 2B, with 35 homers and a .930 OPS. Ron Santo, has been mired in a slump recently, but still has an OPS around .850. George Stone, George Gore, and Jim Edmonds all cluster around an .800 OPS in the OF, with Gore the most effective of the 3, taking most of the CF time from Edmonds. Sammy Sosa has 37 homers, 2nd on the team. #What's Not Going Right Pete Browning has been hurt, limiting his availability to about 75 games. More importantly, when healthy, last year's superstar has struggled, with an OPS under .750. Sammy Sosa's 37 homeruns are part of a .750 OPS as the immensely talented OF struggles constantly to put good wood on the ball. Combine this with the above and the OF picture is just horribly confused. Gore, Stone, Edmonds, Sosa, and Browning (and the supernova debut of Tony Conigliaro) all result in none of the OF spots having a clear claimant. Elrod Hendricks has been ... not terrible, but not at all good. 22 homeruns is nice from a catcher, but a sub .700 OPS is not. Frank Chance--given every, um, chance, to supplant Hendricks--has an even lower OPS, although he has shown a decent ability to get on base. THE PITCHING The House of David entered the season concerned about how they would fill out the rotation behind Jack Taylor. Now they're worried about all of the staff, including Taylor. It's not pretty. #What's Going Right Bob Rush, who leads the team in wins with 10, has been quite solid, and CC Sabathia has pitched far better than his 5-11 record would indicate. Youngster Kyle Peterson has been a revelation, with a 3.51 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over 11 starts. Veteran lefty Jimmy Key has done well out of the pen. But well in this context is an ERA just over 5.00 and a WHIP hovering in the 1.20 range. So ... not great. Having traded away or demoted all of their closers, Karl Spooner has quite unexpectedly stepped into the spotlight and pitched quite well at the end of games. #What's Not Going Right Taylor has been awful for much of the year, with an ERA well over 6.00 most of the season. Now, it must be said, he's pitched significantly better of late, winning his last 5 decisions and dropping his ERA by roughly a run. They've run a lot of arms through the rotation, with Frank Sullivan, Kerry Wood, Ferguson Jenkins, and Rick Reuschel all getting at least 5 starts. Of those, only Reuschel has been passable. *PREVIEWING THE GOLD GLOVES* An early look at the leading fielders is up here. We have twice as many as last year, due to the creation of the National League. All the deets are at that link. The best bets for potential repeat winners are Baltimore's Paul Blair in CF, Brooklyn's Roy White in LF, and Jack Taylor of the House of David on the mound. *TWIWBL Notes for Each Division* More detail than anyone else could care about: Bill James Division Cum Posey Division Effa Manley Division Marvin Miller Division __________________ Year II of the WBL on the Forums STARTS HERE. Baseball The Way It Never Was https://wbl.dmlco.com/ i9s: Curated, Bespoke MLE's for NeL Players. https://www.i9s.org/