September 17th
Full TWIWBL at
the usual spot.
We have 2 weeks left in the season, so a ton of focus on the playoff races feels appropriate.
#Awards
The
House of David's
Anthony Rizzo hit 4 homeruns and hit .429, earning himself the
NL Player of the Week Award. Over in the AL, it was a familiar name--
Babe Ruth of the
New York Black Yankees--earning the Award. Ruth hit .526 with 6 homeruns and 11 RBIs as New York pushes towards the playoffs.
#Team Performance
#AL
The
San Francisco Sea Lions have clinched the
Cum Posey Division, and either the
Cleveland Spiders or the Black Yankees will win the
Bill James Division (currently the 2 teams are locked in a dead heat for the top spot), with the other team taking 1 of the 2 Wild Card slots.
The
Detroit Wolverines lead the
Miami Cuban Giants by 1.5 games for the final playoff spot.
This week offers the Black Yankees a huge opportunity, as they host both Detroit and Cleveland: a strong week from New York could settle a lot of questions.
#NL
Brooklyn has clinched the
Effa Manley Division, and all else is chaos.
Philadelphia is (a) 15 games behind the Royal Giants and (b) leading the Wild Card race by 2.5 games.
The
Houston Colt 45's have put their best baseball on the field when it matters, and are currently leading the
Marvin Miller Division by 4.5 games, putting them in good position to claim their first postseason appearance.
Behind them,
Indianapolis and
Kansas City are tied with identical 74-76 records, with the House of David 1.5 games behind them. But the worst team in the NL--the
Ottawa Mounties--are only 4.5 games out of the Wild Card. Now, climbing over 6 teams is hard, but anything is possible.
With that many teams still engaged, all of the matchups this week have meaning, but Houston visiting Indianapolis to start the week will certainly grab some attention.
Team Spotlight: Memphis Red Sox
There is a ton of offensive talent here, but it falls off drastically, and suffers from a lot of positional overlap. Add in downright poor pitching, and you have the worst team in the
Bill James Division.
HOME PAGE |
ROSTER |
POSITIONAL STRENGTH |
LEADERS
It's not clear where Memphis goes, but it certainly looks like trading some of their positional depth for some pitching should be on the table.
THE OFFENSE
It's a top heavy team, with some true standout talent.
#What's Going Right
Ted Williams is an elite talent, and while his 298/412/619 slash line doesn't move him into the absolute top tier, at 22 there is quite some room for improvement.
Manny Ramírez has stepped up dramatically from last year, leading the team with 42 HRs and 2nd behind Williams in RBI. Ramírez' OPS has hovered around 1.000 all season, powered by a SLG in the mid .600's.
David Ortiz has essentially displaced
Bill White at 1B, slashing 286/370/680 in just over 300 PAs.
Gabby Hartnett is an excellent offensive C, posting an OPS in the mid 800's with 37 HRs and his backup,
Billy Bryan, has been even better offensively, with 14 HRs in 140 PA's.
For a 20 year old,
Dobie Moore's debut has to be considered a success, slashing 291/352/427 while playing across the IF.
#What's Not Going Right
OF
Mookie Betts and 3B
Wade Boggs have been fine, but the Red Sox need more if they are going to compete.
Nobody getting a ton of playing time has really been awful offensively, although only
Iván De Jesús' defensive flexibility has kept him in the league.
The positional distribution remains unsolved: Ortiz, White, and
Travis Shaw all seem to be reasonable WBL alternatives at 1B, and the leading young talent (
Hack Wilson and
Lefty O'Doul) play the same positions as
Reggie Smith, Betts, Ramírez, and Williams.
THE PITCHING
When your best pitcher is a middling middle reliever (
Tommy de la Cruz, whose 6.20 ERA belies some very good supporting numbers), you're in trouble.
#What's Going Right
That is a little unfair to
Stubby Overmire, who leads the team with 11 wins and looks like an excellent #2 or #3 rotation starter being asked to be a #1.
Andrew Miller's been solid out of the bullpen with a 7-8 record, 3 saves, and 11 holds while leading the WBL in appearances.
#What's Not Going Right
Everything else.
David Bush,
Len Barker, and
Jon Lester have all failed to impress, with Bush (8-8, 6.82) being the best of a bad lot.
Some of the other hurlers given opportunities, especially
Eddie Cicotte and
Nixey Callahan, have been unbelievably bad.
THE FARM SYSTEM
TOP PROSPECTS |
MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM
There is some help, as Memphis has a middle-of-the-road farm system, with some strong talent that is blocked at the WBL level (all the more trade fodder for some pitching).
OFs
Dwight Evans,
Hack Wilson,
Willie Crawford,
Roy Thomas,
Lefty O'Doul, and
Carl Yastrzemski all look to have high ceilings. On the IF, it's a bit more sparse, with
Candy Jim Taylor and
Joe Cunningham leading the way.
There is also some potential on the mound.
Sadie McMahon remains well regarded despite his struggles, and he,
Jim Kaat,
Josh Beckett, and
Nathan Eovaldi should all be given some long looks in the Spring.
WHAT'S NEEDED
A re-distribution of the talent, using some of the excess to bring some arms to town.
Storylines to Watch
Key Questions from Spring Training
- Who is going to fill out the rotation and the bullpen? Remains totally unanswered.
- Memphis’ scouts are agog over Dobie Moore, but scouts don’t play the game: is Moore the real thing and, if so, what happens to Vern Stephens? Moore looks to be the real thing, and Stephens was pretty bad, eventually moving on to Brooklyn (where, it must be said, he has flourished) for a 4th round pick.
- Sosa was moved out, essentially for Gabby Hartnett, putting more pressure on the OF the step up. Hartnett is doing well, and the last thing the Red Sox need is more OF talent.
Divisional Notes
Bill James Division
Cum Posey Division
Effa Manley Division
Marvin Miller Division