The Bucs Start Here - A Pirates Do-Over

[luckymann]

Who holds the single season record in the MLB for walks?

• Bob Feller, CLE, 252, 1936
• Bob Feller, CLE, 251, 1939
• Bob Feller, CLE, 235, 1938
• Monte Pearson, BAL, 227, 1936
• Bump Hadley, MIN, 215, 1930

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Well the first season of the rejigged AAA comp has been a raging success, with four incredibly tight races and some high-quality play. Another big induction this Draft hopefully means the Unkown Ghosts will be scarce if not exorcised entirely.

Our Lincoln Links survive an epic stretch battle and tiebreaker with Memphis and a three-game thriller against Tucson, but are no match for Auburn (the Red Sox affiliate), who take the club's second Championship in four.

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The boys waste no time in slamming that door shut with an 11-game win streak to start August off that puts our lead back into double figures. We do, however, lose Flea Patek for 5 weeks to a hamstring tear. Man, this infield of ours has been put through the wringer this season and so, not wanting to overtax them any further and allow us to ease Gene Alley back into action, we finally summon young Tim Foli from Lincoln. Then Bobby Tolan picks up a niggle. The fact that we keep winning through all of this only reinforces our belief in the strategy of positional multiplicity we adhere to as much as we can. Finally, in an eventuation that seems entirely appropriate for this season, we lose Alley again—this time for the duration with a finger fracture. Fortunately Patek is back on the field by this stage and takes over at SS once again.

Ourselves and the Astros both clinch our Division the same day. The A’s do so later the same week, despite the White Sox keeping them honest with a 13-game win streak. The Red Sox are the last to lock down their playoff spot, although the promised tight AL East race never does quite eventuate.




Rod Carew - who flirts with 400 for a good part of the year before ending up hitting 365 - and Rico Carty - whose 380 final mark is the equal 21st-best in history - repeat as batting champs, the second time for each. Boog Powell edges out a bunched field to collect the most HR with 44, while Rico Petrocelli's 133 RBI are the most of all. On the topic of Rico, he becomes the first SS in history to belt 40 HR in a season, just as he was IRL although it takes him a year longer.

Among the pitchers, Sandy K just fades a bit in the final weeks and misses out on the Triple Crown by 10 ERA points. Vida Blue's 2.40 is the league's lowest in this category (he also finishes top 3 in the TC cats), while our own Joe Coleman and Woody Fryman finish 1-2 in the NL (more on which later). Sandy finishes tied with Fergie Jenkins with 23 wins, the most in either league, and is the King of K again with 312. The 34 Saves by Tony Pierce of the White Sox are the most by any player this season.





Clearly a banner regular season for our club, with the 106 wins our most since the back-to-back 107-47 campaigns in 1939-40. Whatever happens from here for 1970, we are confident of being on the right track for another nice run of success.




Outstanding performances and career highs all over the hitting stats, with our power numbers also up despite our new home being even more pitcher-friendly than our old one. The backup guys led by Al Oliver and Ed Kirkpatrick are to be commended for their contribution, which has been critical with the merry-go-round we've had to endure.

Roberto Clemente becomes the club leader in Games Played and Hits, passing Paul Waner in both. He also drives in his 1000th career run and hits for the cycle, as does Scoop Oliver.




A fantastic rebound for Fryman after a subpar 1969, and it was he and Coleman rather than their more highly-touted teammates Ellis and Singer who lead the rotation for us this season. The BP, on the other hand, remains a toxic waste dump of inconsistency and poor application. If we don't win it all this year you can look there first for answers, one would think.


Final Top 20s and Leaders








Monthly Award Winners

August

American League

• Batter – Boog Powell (A’s): 323 / 10 HR / 17 RBI
• Pitcher – Tony Pierce (White Sox): 4-0 / 0.64 / 8 SV / 9 K / 14 IP
• Rookie – Reggie Cleveland (Red Sox): 3-2 / 2.30 / 32 K / 47 IP

National League

• Batter – George Foster (Reds): 383 / 9 HR / 28 RBI
• Pitcher – Woody Fryman (Pirates): 5-0 / 1.49 / 29 K / 48.1 IP
• Rookie – George Foster

September

American League

• Batter – Ken McMullen (Red Sox): 368 / 7 HR / 19 RBI
• Pitcher – Catfish Hunter (A’s): 6-0 / 1.64 / 34 K / 49.1 IP
• Rookie – Paul Splittorff (Royals): 3-2 / 1.84 / 41 K / 49 IP

National League

• Batter – Frank Robinson (Reds): 404 / 12 HR / 35 RBI
• Pitcher – Fergie Jenkins (Cubs): 5-1 / 0.86 / 36 K / 52.1 IP
• Rookie – Jose Cruz (Astros): 421 / 2 HR / 18 RBI

Milestones and Observations of Note

• 2000 Hits: Brooks Robinson, Orlando Cepeda
• 400 HR: Willie McCovey
• A UCL tear forces veteran hurler Ken Johnson from the game permanently and the same fate befalls pitcher Bill Pleis.
• Spare a thought for poor old Steve Renko. Stuck on a woebegone Expos team that loses an MLB-record 112 games, he goes 2-25 on the season.

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American League
Oakland A’s (101-61) v Boston Red Sox (95-67)

A seesawing series goes the distance with the home side winning all five games as the A's just get past the Sox, with the decider a nail-biting 2-1 victory behind MVP Vida Blue.




National League
Houston Astros (108-54) v Pittsburgh Pirates (106-56)

It comes as no surprise that this series very nearly turns on a massive implosion by our BP as Bill Short blows a massive lead with us cruising in Game 4 and on the verge of a clean win. It speaks volumes that not only do the guys recover from this disappointment, but then go to Houston and overcome the early loss to injury of Dock Ellis to get it done fairly comprehensively 9-3 in the decider. Bob Bailey wins the MVP and we are back in the World Series for the first time since 1964!

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Pittsburgh Pirates v Oakland A’s
Best-of-seven, Pirates with the home-field advantage.


PITTSBURGH PIRATES S+ PAGE

OAKLAND A’S S+ PAGE

Well this is a bit of a turn-up.

I’ll need to briefly break the fourth wall to explain.

I am IRL an Oakland fan but chose the Buccos for this one because my plan is to do a full minors save of the A’s from 1968 once I’m done here and I just wanted to learn the ropes a bit before doing so.

Since beginning this save, however, it goes without saying that my team has hit the skids IRL. Now I assure you, I don’t mind the losing. If it is done the right way a la Beane and Co, that is. But Fisher is an evil man—Finley reincarnate, only way worse, and I can no longer abide what is happening there. So I have made my mind up that, if they move out of Oakland, I will not go with them and will switch my allegiances to the Buccos, who have always been my NL team, just ahead of the Amazins.

Anyway, it’s pretty funny that now I’m managing Pittsburgh here against Oakland as this is playing out, is all. Now, back to the important stuff.

Two high-quality and evenly-matched squads meet here in what should be a hellraisin’ series with plenty of noise about it. The A’s had three 20-game winners this season – the all-conquering Vida Blue, Catfish Hunter and Rick Wise – but also had their fair share of bullpen problems just like us. And, just like us, they will be missing a key member of their lineup with Sal Bando out for them (and Gene Alley for us, of course).

The two groups are incredibly similar in their makeup, with the power edge slightly in the A’s favour with Boog Powell and Reggie Jackson just a force to be reckoned with and if they light up our BP as is very much on the cards then we better have made sure to have built a lead when they do because they’ll put a crooked number on you before you’ve even realised it has happened.

But we of course also have a top-notch offence and, despite the high-quality rotations doing battle, I expect this to be one of the higher-scoring World Series on record. If we can just get our relievers to hold fast then we are in this up to our eyeballs; if not, we may as well give them the trophy now and save everyone the bother.

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Game 1 in Pittsburgh

Bill Singer (14-6, 3.28) v Catfish Hunter (20-9, 3.13)

The highest-quality pitching gets us underway as Singer and Hunter are dominant and we get home 1-0 courtesy of an 8th-inning RBI single by PH Ducky Schofield, one of just six hits the two sides can muster with Singer giving up just two of them over 8 in a sparkling performance.

Game 2 in Pittsburgh

Woodie Fryman (19-4, 2.47) v Rick Wise (21-6, 3.72)

Pirates lead series 1-0

A record 60000 pack into Three Rivers Stadium for this one and those favouring the home side go home happy as we lock down a 2-0 series advantage with a gritty 6-3 win. We overcome a bit of a wobble by Giusti, with Roberto Clemente going 3-for-4 with a jack and three RBI and Pops also going yard in a 4-run 7th that puts us ahead for good.

Game 3 in Oakland

Vida Blue (21-8, 2.40) v Dock Ellis (16-8, 3.40)

Pirates lead series 2-0

Nice to be a part of the first ever World Series game in Oakland, even if our sole intention of being here is to break their hearts. That’s not how it pans out, however, as they get on the board with a determined 4-3 win behind Vida Blue. He keeps us relatively quiet over 5 and, try as we might, we just can’t get that one run we need to catch them as their BP stays strong to close it out. So much for my high-scoring prediction - in the end, we can only manage 4 hits and we’ll need to be more productive than that if we want to prevail.

Game 4 in Oakland

Mike Kilkenny (9-4, 3.92) v Joe Coleman (15-5, 2.55)

Pirates lead series 2-1

The runs do finally come in Game 4, but sadly most of them are scored by our opponents as the A’s square things up with a decisive 11-4 win. Coleman looks all at sea and the BP’s generosity continues as Mack Jones and Boog Powell take us downtown in the rout.

Game 5 in Oakland

Catfish Hunter (1-0, 1.29) v Bill Singer (1-1, 2.30)

Series tied 2-2

Well we knew it was coming sometime and tonight is the night as Giusti blows a 2-run lead in the 9th and we take a gut-wrenching 5-4 loss that sends us home needing to win both. While not as overwhelmingly dominant as they were in the series opener, Hunter and Singer both pitch well but Boog Powell is the difference-maker. His walkoff 3-run homer is his fourth hit of the game.

Game 6 in Pittsburgh

Woodie Fryman (1-0, 0.90) v Rick Wise (0-1, 6.30)

A's lead series 3-2

We go down quietly in front of another huge crowd in a disappointing finish to an admittedly fractious season despite plenty of positives. Fryman gives it his all but the bats go quiet as they can do from time to time and we just never get it going against Wise, who is magnificent. Kudos to the A’s who have put together a heck of a squad and should be among the contenders for some seasons hence. This time, they were simply – and, clearly – the better side and it is raining titles in the Bay Area just now. Boog Powell deservedly wins the MVP.

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[luckymann]

OUTS & OUTS

Just two skippers sent ashore this time around - Bill Baker by the Tigers and Tony Criscola by the Reds.


ROSTER MOVES

Quiet on the arb front again this year, with just Freddie Patek on the books. We non-tender Tom Butters and let Juan Pizarro, Ducky Schofield and Tommie Sisk walk.


SIM ACCURACY





HANGIN' THEM UP

Few retirements of note, either. Banks ends his career with 380 HR to his name but I don't think that gets him a plaque. Bunning's retirement is a bit of a surprise - thought he had a couple more years left in him.

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AL 1970 HISTORY INDEX

NL 1970 HISTORY INDEX

AWARDS HISTORY


A 7th Johnson-Waddell for the great Sandy Koufax, with Vida Blue winning his first in the AL. Rico Petrocelli repeats as AL Wagner-Lajoie Medallist (his 3rd all told), with Rico Carty winning his first. The RoYs go to Ken Singleton and Jose Cruz, the Paige Plates to first-timers Tony Pierce and Dick Selma.


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[luckymann]

A fairly low-key induction class for this year’s Rookie Draft. These are the Legacy Players for the 1971 Season:

Houston Astros: JR Richard (22.2; 221 GS – one-club player)
Los Angeles Dodgers: Ron Cey (53.8; 1481 GP)
Milwaukee Brewers: Cecil Cooper (36.0; 1490 GP)
New York Mets: John Matlack (39.4; 199 GS conceded)
San Francisco Giants: Jim Barr (30.7; 220 GS)

Burt Hooton (35.5; 265 GS) was also eligible for the Dodgers, but Cey’s higher WAR makes him the selection.

Ben Oglivie (26.4; 1149 GP) was also eligible for the Brewers, but Cooper’s higher WAR makes him the selection.

Chris Speier (30.6; 1114 GP) was also eligible for the Giants, but Barr’s (just) higher WAR makes him the selection.


There are 138 rookies for this season, with another 240 historical MiLBers also added and the Draft will consist of 12 rounds.

The Draft order will be as follows (winning percentage from 1970 IRL season in brackets; bold indicates Legacy Pick in 1st Round):


Round 1

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (540)
2. New York Mets (512)
3. Milwaukee Brewers (401; dice roll)
4. San Francisco Giants (531; dice roll)
5. Houston Astros (488; dice roll)
6. Chicago White Sox (346)
7. San Diego Padres (389)
8. Kansas City Royals (401; dice roll)
9. Washington Senators (432)
10. Montreal Expos (451)
11. Philadelphia Phillies (453)
12. Atlanta Braves (469; dice roll)
13. Cleveland Indians (469; dice roll)
14. St. Louis Cardinals (469; dice roll)
15. Detroit Tigers (488; dice roll)
16. Chicago Cubs (519)
17. California Angels (531; dice roll)
18. Boston Red Sox (537)
19. Pittsburgh Pirates (549; dice roll)
20. Oakland Athletics (549; dice roll)
21. New York Yankees (574)
22. Minnesota Twins (605)
23. Cincinnati Reds (630)
24. Baltimore Orioles (667)


Rounds 2 thru 12

1. Chicago White Sox (346)
2. San Diego Padres (389)
3. Milwaukee Brewers (401; dice roll)
4. Kansas City Royals (401; dice roll)
5. Washington Senators (432)
6. Montreal Expos (451)
7. Philadelphia Phillies (453)
8. Atlanta Braves (469; dice roll)
9. Cleveland Indians (469; dice roll)
10. St. Louis Cardinals (469; dice roll)
11. Detroit Tigers (488; dice roll)
12. Houston Astros (488; dice roll)
13. New York Mets (512)
14. Chicago Cubs (519)
15. California Angels (531; dice roll)
16. San Francisco Giants (531; dice roll)
17. Boston Red Sox (537)
18. Los Angeles Dodgers (540)
19. Pittsburgh Pirates (549; dice roll)
20. Oakland Athletics (549; dice roll)
21. New York Yankees (574)
22. Minnesota Twins (605)
23. Cincinnati Reds (630)
24. Baltimore Orioles (667)


Eligible PIT players: 7 position players + 4 pitchers = 11.


With our playing group an extremely settled one, we go into this Draft with a very specific mandate that will leave us surprised if it doesn’t come off as planned.

We choose as follows:

1. P Terry Forster, 18

• The picks before ours make this decision pretty much no decision at all, with the only guys we might have taken and risk leaving Terry for R2 all claimed. We need LHRP and, along with an acquisition we’ve made that I’ll cover later on we can now add Terry. He’ll start at AAA just to season him a bit but I reckon he’ll be with us at Pittsburgh by the middle of the year.

2. IF Kurt Bevacqua, 23

• One of just two worthwhile eligible left by this stage, and he’ll see some time with us as a utility type in a few years’ time.

3. SS Dwain Anderson, 23 (ineligible)
4. P John Moncier, 22 (ineligible)
5. P Michael Anderson, 18 (ineligible)
6. UT Thomas Cason, 22 (ineligible)
7. P Gregory Gromek, 22 (ineligible)
8. OF Robert Blakely, 22 (ineligible)
9. P Jim Foor, 21
10. P David Lanfair, 21 (ineligible)
11. 1B Rim Lanier, 22
12. P Darrell Devitt, 20 (ineligible)

• With the other semi-decent guy now gone as well, from here it’s just a matter of getting a combination of the guys we feel will be of the greatest value to be flipped in a year and plugging gaps at Lincoln.

Got what we needed but little more.


FULL DRAFT LOG

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Furthermore to our bullpen situation, we have made a second acquisition via the trade market to go with the one I alluded to in the Draft recap. Here are the details of each.






While Ramon is a solid long-term relief option despite his advanced age, Lou - like the departing John Lamb - didn't play for long IRL so has some risk attached. The thinking here being that Forster comes in if he drops off the proverbial. Ramon will move to Stopper, with Giusti and Marone - our Italian Connection - now in the Setup roles.

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Third time is the charm for Warren Spahn, with Yogi Berra holding firm in the high 50s his second go around.

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The Giants and Dodgers have an epic dogfight in the NL West before the Jints get home by one, but it is the Pirates who win it all in another colossal World Series, beating the defending champs in seven.


AL EAST / WEST CHAMPIONS: Baltimore Orioles (101-57) / Oakland A’s (101-60)
NL EAST / WEST CHAMPIONS: Pittsburgh Pirates (97-65) / San Francisco Giants (90-72)
ALCS: Orioles 3, A's 0
NLCS: Pirates 3, Giants 1
WORLD SERIES: Pirates 4, Orioles 3

Pittsburgh Pirates: 97-65, 1st in NL East

AL MVP: Vida Blue (A’s)
NL MVP: Joe Torre (Cardinals)

AL CYA: Vida Blue (A’s)
NL CYA: Fergie Jenkins (Cubs)

AL RoY: Chris Chambliss (Indians)
NL RoY: Earl Williams (Braves)


Top Ten Lists (courtesy of thisgreatgame.com)

NL Hitters

1. HANK AARON, ATLANTA

• Key Numbers: 139 games, .327 average, 95 runs, 162 hits, 47 home runs, 118 RBIs, 21 intentional walks, .669 slugging percentage.
• Look out, Bambino: Aaron raced past 600 lifetime home runs and belted a career-high 47 at age 37.

2. JOE TORRE, ST. LOUIS

• Key Numbers: .363 average, 634 at-bats, 97 runs, 230 hits, 34 doubles, 8 triples, 24 home runs, 137 RBIs, 20 intentional walks.
• The once-pudgy Torre dieted off the field and feasted on opposing pitchers, setting the tone for a whopper of a season by hitting safely in each of his first 22 games of the year.

3. WILLIE STARGELL, PITTSBURGH

• Key Numbers: .295 average, 104 runs, 25 doubles, 48 home runs, 125 RBIs, 83 walks, 154 strikeouts, 20 intentional walks.
• Stargell promised free chicken from his own fast-food chain every time he hit a homer; 48 blasts later, Pittsburgh’s poultry lovers were yelling fowl. Among Stargell’s power feats were 11 homers in April alone (a major league first), with two hat tricks—both against Atlanta—embedded within that total.

4. LOU BROCK, ST. LOUIS

• Key Numbers: .313 average, 640 at-bats, 126 runs, 200 hits, 37 doubles, 7 triples, 7 home runs, 61 RBIs, 76 walks, 64 stolen bases, 19 caught stealing.
• The Cardinals’ speedster set career highs in runs, walks, hitting streak (26 games) and took back the stolen base crown swiped by Bobby Tolan the year before.

5. BOBBY BONDS, SAN FRANCISCO

• Key Numbers: .288 average, 110 runs, 178 hits, 32 doubles, 33 home runs, 102 RBIs, 26 stolen bases.
• The dual power/speed threat became the first Giant not named Willie to lead the team in home runs since 1953.

6. RUSTY STAUB, MONTREAL

• Key Numbers: 162 games, .311 average, 94 runs, 186 hits, 34 doubles, 6 triples, 19 home runs, 97 RBIs, 74 walks.
• Staub was second in the NL—and on the Expos—in getting hit by pitches, with nine. The leader, Ron Hunt, had 50.

7. WILLIE MAYS, SAN FRANCISCO

• Key Numbers: 136 games, .271 average, 82 runs, 24 doubles, 5 triples, 18 home runs, 61 RBIs, 112 walks, 23 stolen bases, .425 on-base percentage.
• In his last full year in San Francisco, Mays failed to display the usual wowing power numbers—but he walked over 100 times for the first time in his career while showing vintage legs leading to his highest stolen base total since 1960.

8. BILLY WILLIAMS, CHICAGO

• Key Numbers: .301 average, 86 runs, 179 hits, 27 doubles, 5 triples, 28 home runs, 93 RBIs. 77 walks.
• The quiet Cubs star continued to let his bat do the talking, and it was very loud at Wrigley Field—where he batted .347 with a 1.011 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentages).

9. LEE MAY, CINCINNATI

• Key Numbers: .278 average, 85 runs, 39 home runs, 98 RBIs.
• The 28-year-old slugger finished off a three-year run in which he belted 111 homers; the Reds’ reward was to ship him out to Houston for Joe Morgan.

10. ROBERTO CLEMENTE, PITTSBURGH

• Key Numbers: 132 games, .341 average, 82 runs, 178 hits, 29 doubles, 8 triples, 13 home runs, 86 RBIs.
• Now in his 17th year with the Pirates, Clemente hit over .340 for the third straight season, although he failed to win a batting title in either year.

AL Hitters

1. BOBBY MURCER, NEW YORK

• Key Numbers: .331 average, 94 runs, 175 hits, 25 doubles, 6 triples, 25 home runs, 94 RBIs, 91 walks, 14 stolen bases, .427 on-base percentage.
• Recent-suffering Yankee fans believed, for the moment, that they’d finally found Mickey Mantle’s successor in the historic line of pinstriped icons with Murcer.

2. ROY WHITE, NEW YORK

• Key Numbers: .292 average, 86 runs, 22 doubles, 7 triples, 19 home runs, 84 RBIs, 86 walks, 14 stolen bases, 17 sacrifice flies.
• White’s 17 sac flies set an American League record which still stands today.

3. DON BUFORD, BALTIMORE

• Key Numbers: 122 games, .290 average, 99 runs, 19 home runs, 54 RBIs, 89 walks, 15 stolen bases.
• No one scored 100 or more runs in the American League for only the third time since the Deadball Era, but Buford would have clearly crossed the mark had he not missed 40 games—mostly because of a semi-platoon outfielding scheme by the Orioles. In fact, Buford scored exactly 99 runs for the third straight year.

4. TONY OLIVA, MINNESOTA

• Key Numbers: 126 games, .337 average, 164 hits, 30 doubles, 22 home runs, 81 RBIs, .546 slugging percentage.
• Oliva copped his third batting title and was hitting as high as .374 in early August thanks in large part to three streaks of at least six games collecting multiple hits; but after a midseason knee injury, followed by offseason surgery—the first of many procedures—he’d never be the same.

5. NORM CASH, DETROIT

• Key Numbers: 135 games, .283 average, 32 home runs, 91 RBIs.
• One last blast from the past for Cash, who at 37 surpassed 30 homers for the first time since 1966; it got him voted into the starting line-up at the All-Star Game at Detroit, but AL manager Earl Weaver refused to start him—preferring his Orioles first baseman, Boog Powell—to an irate cascading of boos from Tiger fans.

6. MERV RETTENMUND, BALTIMORE

• Key Numbers: 141 games, .318 average, 81 runs, 11 home runs, 75 RBIs, 87 walks, 15 stolen bases.
• Later cited by David Letterman as the best-known pro athlete among his fellow alums at Ball State, Rettenmund thrived in what was strangely his only year among 13 seasons playing every day.

7. REGGIE SMITH, BOSTON

• Key Numbers: .283 average, 85 runs, 175 hits, 33 doubles, 30 home runs, 96 RBIs, 11 stolen bases.
• With Carl Yastrzemski beginning a long-term power outage, Smith stepped in to become the Red Sox’ big bopper.

8. FRANK ROBINSON, BALTIMORE

• Key Numbers: 133 games, .281 average, 82 runs, 28 home runs, 99 RBIs, 72 walks, 22 grounded into double plays.
• In his final year at Baltimore before being traded to the Dodgers, Robinson completed the MVP trifecta—winning All-Star Game honors to go with those he’d already collected for the league and World Series. The only other player to win all three is Brooks Robinson.

9. REGGIE JACKSON, OAKLAND

• Key Numbers: .277 average, 87 runs, 29 doubles, 32 home runs, 80 RBIs, 161 strikeouts, 16 stolen bases.
• Jackson improved his batting stance, his confidence (thanks to Winter League manager Frank Robinson in Puerto Rico) and his eyesight—he realized after taking an exam that he was nearsighted—and got back on track after a horrid, strife-torn 1970 campaign. His most famous homer of the year took place at the All-Star Game when he reached Tiger Stadium’s roof.

10. AMOS OTIS, KANSAS CITY

• Key Numbers: .301 average, 80 runs, 167 hits, 26 doubles, 15 home runs, 79 RBIs, 52 stolen bases.
• Shipped in from the Mets after he refused to play third base, Otis fit in far more comfortably in the Kansas City outfield; his five steals on September 7 against the Brewers remains a Royals single-game record.

NL Pitchers

1. TOM SEAVER, NEW YORK

• Key Numbers: 1.76 ERA, 20 wins, 10 losses, 35 starts, 21 complete games, 286.1 innings, 61 walks, 289 strikeouts, 24 grounded into double plays.
• Seaver was at his most brilliant with career bests in ERA and strikeouts, to say nothing of authoring the NL’s two longest consecutive scoreless-inning streaks in 1971 (31.2 and 27)—and still they gave the Cy Young Award to Ferguson Jenkins, who had four more wins but an ERA one full run higher.

2. DON SUTTON, LOS ANGELES

• Key Numbers: 2.54 ERA, 17 wins, 12 losses, 37 starts, 265.1 innings, 55 walks, 20 stolen bases allowed.
• After five years of solid if not overpowering results, Sutton found his groove for the long run. Key: Conceding only 10 home runs after giving up 38 the year before.

3. DON WILSON, HOUSTON

• Key Numbers: 2.45 ERA, 16 wins, 10 losses, 34 starts, 268 innings.
• Not even Tom Seaver had a better opposing batting average than the .202 yielded by Wilson, who thrived in the second half with a 1.42 ERA after July 8.

4. DAVE ROBERTS, SAN DIEGO

• Key Numbers: 2.10 ERA, 14 wins, 17 losses, 37 appearances, 34 starts, 269.2 innings, 37 grounded into double plays.
• The math on Roberts: 2.10 ERA + 14-17 record = life with the sickly Padres offense, which ‘supported’ him with just 2.3 runs per start.

5. AL DOWNING, LOS ANGELES

• Key Numbers: 2.68 ERA, 20 wins, 9 losses, .690 win percentage, 36 starts, 5 shutouts, 262.1 innings, 12 wild pitches, 26 grounded into double plays.
• Downing took a pay cut with the Dodgers to get out of Milwaukee, and got a big raise in results—winning 20 games for his first and only time.

6. FERGUSON JENKINS, CHICAGO

• Key Numbers: 2.77 ERA, 24 wins, 13 losses, 39 starts, 30 complete games, 325 innings, 461 total bases allowed, 37 walks, 263 strikeouts, 4 balks.
• The Chicago workhorse was an ironic case of one winning the Cy Young Award winner despite leading the league in home runs, doubles and triples allowed.

7. KEN FORSCH, HOUSTON

• Key Numbers: 2.53 ERA, 8 wins, 8 losses, 33 appearances, 23 starts, 188.1 innings.
• The hard-throwing rookie right-hander had to vouch for all of his precious few victories; he won all seven games he went the distance in.

8. JUAN MARICHAL, SAN FRANCISCO

• Key Numbers: 2.94 ERA, 18 wins, 11 losses, 37 starts, 279 innings, 56 walks.
• The last productive season for Marichal, who would dive into a relative funk starting in 1972; in hindsight, it was apparent that the Giants traded the wrong ace. (Gaylord Perry would be sent away after the year and win 180 more games.)

9. STEVE BLASS, PITTSBURGH

• Key Numbers: 2.85 ERA, 15 wins, 8 losses, 33 starts, 5 shutouts, 240 innings.
• The right-hander’s regular season numbers were good enough to almost make one forget about his two complete-game victories in the World Series.

10. DON GULLETT, CINCINNATI

• Key Numbers: 2.66 ERA, 16 wins, 6 losses, .727 win percentage, 35 appearances, 31 starts, 217.2 innings, 25 grounded into double plays.
• Though the Reds tripped up in the standings—with their only losing record (79-83) between 1967-81—the second-year Gullett, promoted from the bullpen, put together numbers to suggest the Big Red Machine was in a finely-tuned groove.

AL Pitchers

1. VIDA BLUE, OAKLAND

• Key Numbers: 1.82 ERA, 24 wins, 8 losses, .750 win percentage, 39 starts, 24 complete games, 8 shutouts, 312 innings, 301 strikeouts, 23 grounded into double plays.
• The breakout star of 1971 won the AL Cy Young Award and MVP, striking out more batters than any other A’s pitcher since Rube Waddell’s franchise-best 349 in 1904; though Blue would win 209 games over the next 17 years, he would never again collect even 200 K’s in a season.

2. WILBUR WOOD, CHICAGO

• Key Numbers: 1.91 ERA, 22 wins, 13 losses, 44 appearances, 42 starts, 7 shutouts, 334 innings, 62 walks, 27 stolen bases allowed, 24 grounded into double plays.
• Wood, warming up to make people forget about Mickey Lolich’s ironman feat (below), showed that he had been wasted as a reliever in the White Sox bullpen.

3. PAT DOBSON, BALTIMORE

• Key Numbers: 2.90 ERA, 20 wins, 8 losses, .714 win percentage, 37 starts, 282.1 innings, 63 walks, 28 grounded into double plays.
• One of four Orioles to win 20-plus games in 1971, Dobson’s path to the milestone was realized by winning 12 straight starts—all but one of them a complete game—in early summer; he capped his year with a no-hitter for an American All-Star team touring through Japan in November.

4. MEL STOTTLEMYRE, NEW YORK

• Key Numbers: 2.87 ERA, 16 wins, 12 losses, 35 starts, 7 shutouts, 269.2 innings, 28 grounded into double plays.
• The rock of the Yankees rotation sailed along, posting his fifth straight season of at least 15 wins.

5. MICKEY LOLICH, DETROIT

• Key Numbers: 2.92 ERA, 25 wins, 14 losses, 45 starts, 29 complete games, 376 innings, 308 strikeouts.
• The joke about the hefty Mickey Lolich was that he couldn’t pitch his weight in innings thrown, and some still didn’t think that after he logged an incredible 376 in 1971.

6. CLYDE WRIGHT, CALIFORNIA

• Key Numbers: 2.99 ERA, 16 wins, 17 losses, 37 starts, 276.2 innings, 30 grounded into double plays.
• He threw the same number of innings and posted the same exact ERA as teammate Andy Messersmith—and yet he won four fewer games while losing four more. Yet why is he on this list instead of Messersmith? Because he gave up fewer walks, fewer extra-base hits, and induced more double play grounders. Oh, and the Angels offense also gave him one less run of support per start.

7. MIKE CUELLAR, BALTIMORE

• Key Numbers: 3.08 ERA, 20 wins, 9 losses, .690 win percentage, 38 starts, 292.1 innings, 27 grounded into double plays.
• There was nothing more blissful for a deeply superstitious guy like Cuellar than to keep it consistent; as such, he won 20-plus games and pitched just north of 290 innings for the third straight year at Baltimore.

8. MIKE HEDLUND, KANSAS CITY

• Key Numbers: 2.71 ERA, 15 wins, 8 losses, 30 starts, 205.2 innings.
• Wrecked apart the year before by a worldwide virus that caused him to lose significant weight, the red-haired, heavily freckled Hedlund was an unsung (and brief) star for the Royals as they clinched their first-ever winning record.

9. JOE COLEMAN, DETROIT

• Key Numbers: 3.15 ERA, 20 wins, 9 losses, .690 win percentage, 38 starts, 286 innings, 22 grounded into double plays.
• They can put Denny McLain behind them now; along with Lolich, Coleman became half of the first Tigers pitching duo to each win 20 games since 1956; no two Detroit pitchers have done it since.

10. RUDY MAY, CALIFORNIA

• Key Numbers: 3.02 ERA, 11 wins, 12 losses, 1 save, 31 starts, 208.1 innings.
• Though he’d be more in the spotlight later in the decade with the Orioles and Yankees, May for now was hidden away in the Angels rotation, getting even worse support than Clyde Wright (above); opponents hit just .213 against him, the AL’s third-lowest figure after Vida Blue and Sam McDowell.

[luckymann]

Extensions very much the name of the game this year – good to see Cleveland, with the league’s smallest budget, being proactive in this regard. The Mick an Expo! Say Hey stays a Giant! Sweet Swingin’ Billy a Red! Whitey Ford the new PC at the Giants! It’s all been happening in a hectic offseason…

• C Joe Torre: Braves, 7 years / $3210000 (extension)
• OF Billy Williams: Reds, 5 years / $2650000
• P Pat Jarvis: Giants, 6 years / $2646000
• P Ray Sadecki: Cardinals, 7 years / $2616000
• P Fritz Peterson: Red Sox, 4 years / $1610000 (extension)
• C Jerry Grote: Angels, 3 years / $1368000
• P George Stone: Indians, 4 years / $1360000 (extension)
• P Manny Mota: Expos, 4 years / $1344000
• C Tim McCarver: Royals, 4 years / $1218000
• OF Merv Rettenmund: Indians, 4 years / $1064000 (extension)
• C Dick Dietz: White Sox, 4 years / $1051000 (extension)
• 3B Bill Melton: White Sox, 4 years / $1040000 (extension)
• P Jim O’Toole: Yankees, 4 years / $1034000
• 2B Tony Taylor: Yankees, 3 years / $1014000
• OF Fred Valentine: Cardinals, 3 years / $922000
• OF Willie Mays: Giants, 2 years / $872000 (extension)
• P Andy Messersmith: Mets, 4 years / $731000 (extension)
• 2B Mike Andrews: A’s, 3 years / $698000 (extension)
• P Rudy May: White Sox, 3 years / $698000 (extension)
• OF Tommy Agee: Tigers, 3 years / $686000 (extension)
• P Jim Kaat: Orioles, 3 years / $642000
• 1B Bob Watson: Twins, 4 years / $624000 (extension)
• OF Rick Monday: White Sox, 3 years / $598000 (extension)

• 2B Ken Hamlin and OF Von Joshua from Expos to Braves for P Gene Garber and P Pedro Borbon
• P Jerry Robertson from Cardinals to A’s for 3B Don Money and C Ed Herrmann
• P Dave Lemonds and OF Jerry Morales from Reds to Brewers for OF Gates Brown (retaining 85%)
• P Scipio Spinks from Orioles to Red Sox for 2B Ken Hubbs and P Tom Murphy
• OF Ralph Garr and C Ray Fosse from Tigers to Mets for P Jim Brewer
• OF Larry Hisle, C Ellie Rodriguez and 1B Tony Solaita from Red Sox to Orioles for OF Rusty Staub
• OF Angel Mangual, OF Joe Rudi and 1B Jim Spencer from Mets to A’s for P Joe Grzenda
• P Tom Griffin from Twins to Indians for P Jerry Koosman (retaining 45%)
• P Mike Torrez and 1B Tony Muser from Senators to Red Sox for OF Johnny Callison (retaining 50%)

We again go 13-5 in ST without incident.

ALL TRANSACTIONS


Repeats predicted for all but the NL West, where the BNN crew likes the look of the Dodgers this year.

FULL PRESEASON PREDICTIONS

[luckymann]

As per usual, our team page can be accessed HERE.


Everything seems in place for another full-blown title tilt, which of course means expectations are super high and nerves ajangle. No change to last year's player position alignment, with Oliver again the 4th OF / backup 1B. Gelnar and Short to AAA with the Hernandez / Marone adds.

[luckymann]

All under control here with little material change. Money continues to tighten and we'll need to keep a close eye on spending. Fortunately, most of our key guys are locked down long-term but we've little chance of keeping all of them past this current window of 2-3 years.

[luckymann]

This, as I'll explain in more detail as part of my end-May recap, kind of comes out of the blue for us. It is the first by one of our guys since Harvey Haddix in 1956 and sixth overall.

Woody never threw one IRL.

[luckymann]

The Mick with a vintage performance puts us to the sword with a walkoff slam, career HR #587.

[luckymann]

Still on the Mick, I don't think - aside from ASGs - that Mickey and Willie would ever have faced each other IRL, would they? I think Mantle missed the '51 WS through injury, which is the only time the Yanks and Giants met.

Whatever the case, this is a nice touch. I can imagine Mick patting Willie on the rump as he rounds first.

[luckymann]

A flat old start by the group, not helped by an early injury to Roberto Clemente. Little goes right the first couple of weeks in a pretty clumsy and incompetent opening to the campaign and I’d hate to see our record without Pops Stargell’s stellar play. It’s a new year but the same old BP dramas with Dave Giusti on just about my last nerve and close to making Lincoln his home for a while, with Grant Jackson as roommate.

Arriba’s return from the IL ushers in a calmer, more consistent period where we get things back on track but our pitching remains all over the shop, both the rotation and the pen, leaving us susceptible to wild form swings and obviously hindering us un the standings.

Then Woody Fryman throws his no-no, just to keep us guessing. That said, he and Joe Coleman aren’t the problem. Yet again they are out pitching the two guys above them in Ellis and Singer, as was the case last year, to the extent that our overall SP metrics hold up OK even though the odd stop-start schedule through this opening stanza means they get fewer starts. Let’s hope that has the side-benefit of having them well-rested when the dog days are upon us.

The key point through all of this is that we haven’t shot ourselves in the foot or anything and when – other than the loss of Davey Johnson for a minimum IL stint – the rest of May is relatively smooth sailing as Ellis finds his groove (winning the monthly award, in fact) and we run together some (occasionally scratchy) wins, we actually lead the Mets by 2 ½ as we head into June. Perhaps more importantly, the early turbulence and tribulations should once again have swept away any cobwebs of complacency.





The thing I like most about this list is how little Roberto Clemente has contributed, which hopefully means we have another gear or two in us.




Hernandez has been fantastic and his importance is reinforced when the BP blows a massive lead in his absence. His return, thankfully, is imminent. Coleman continues to excel, along with Fryman. While Dock has turned it around, Singer and Roberts continue to underperform. The latter of these wants slightly north of $200k per for a long-term deal and I'm frankly not sold on that idea just yet, so we'll let him go to arb this time and see what's what after that.




The 15-36 Orioles are the big surprise. The Twins come out red-hot, winning 16 of their first 20 games before cooling off a bit. All four races still pretty tight, with ours the biggest lead.




Monthly Award Winners

April

American League

• Batter – Tony Oliva (Twins): 400 / 3 HR / 16 RBI
• Pitcher – Nolan Ryan (Angels): 3-1 / 1.64 / 40 K / 38.1 IP
• Rookie – Bill Bonham (Twins): 3-1 / 2.60 / 17 K / 34.2 IP

National League

• Batter – Billy Williams (Reds): 333 / 8 HR / 17 RBI
• Pitcher – Tom Seaver (Mets): 4-0 / 1.69 / 30 K / 37.1 IP
• Rookie – Jim Barr (Giants): 4-1 / 1.67 / 11 K / 37.2 IP

May

American League

• Batter – Roy White (Yankees): 414 / 5 HR / 12 RBI
• Pitcher – Vida Blue (A’s): 4-0 / 1.12 / 47 K / 48 IP
• Rookie – Bruce Kison (Senators): 4-1 / 1.63 / 28 K / 38.2 IP

National League

• Batter – Willie Horton (Phillies): 366 / 7 HR / 24 RBI
• Pitcher – Dock Ellis (Pirates): 5-0 / 1.71 / 27 K / 42 IP
• Rookie – Jim Barr (Giants): 5-0 / 2.83 / 24 K / 47.2 IP

News and Leaders






Milestones and Observations of Note

• Poor old Steve Renko - after his 2-25 horror show last year he has started this season 0-7!
• Camilo Pascual, still in the game and currently with the Tigers, suffers a medial ligament rupture that will keep him out of the game for a year. At 37, that might be a death knell for Patata, we’ll see.
• The Cards lose OF Don Money for 5 months to a broken kneecap, while Johnny Bench will miss the best part of 2 months due to a fractured thumb.
• Doubly bad news for the Astros, as rotator cuff trouble spells Astros gun rookie JR Richard for 4-5 months. Because he only played minimally IRL in ’71, he gets no protection from his Legacy Status. Teammate Joe Niekro, on the other hand, does—and it saves him a few months after he goes down with a partial UCL tear that will see him out for the maximum 90 days.

S+ HOME

REPORTS HOME

PIRATES HOME

[luckymann]

Most SBs in Debut Season