Whirled Ball: The Way Baseball Never Was - Page 28

Makonnen · 02-04-2025, 11:43 AM

{ Tables are always easier to read on the website; this page is at https://wbl.dmlco.com/wp/2025/02/04/...-al-all-stars/ }

For each section, if a player doesn't qualify for batting stats (roughly 270 PA), their G and PA are listed. Bold indicates a leader at that position for the stat; top 3 listed for most stats.

One thing became quite clear through all this: the AL is far more potent at the plate than the NL. Here, the challenge is omitting some players with 30 homeruns or near 1.000 OPS.

#C

Code:

 Name  OPS  Slash  Reg Stats  Other  
 Ed Bailey (DET)  .985  269/365/619  20 HR; 46 RBI; 2.1 WAR  62 G/230 PA
43.2 RTO%  
 Mickey Cochrane (SFS)  .899  297/368/531  1.9 WAR  1.6 FRM; 4.31 CERA  
 Joe Mauer (POR)  .850  297/373/477  1.7 WAR  2.7 FRM  
 Curt Blefary (BAL)  .814  251/348/465  16 HR; 47 RBI    
 Carlton Fisk (CAG)  .801  222/285/516  21 HR; 56 RBI  40.2 RTO%; 2.2 FRM
 FRM=Framing Runs | RTO%=Runners Thrown Out | CERA=Catcher ERA

Ed Bailey (whose defensive performance has been surprisingly good) and Mickey Cochrane are clearly in, with Bailey starting. That leaves Joe Mauer in a bit of no-man's land: if the AL goes with 3 catchers, he'd be the 3rd. With Portland needing representation in the game, and a general desire for 3 backstops, Mauer makes the cut.

Iván Rodríguez has probably been the best defensive catcher in the AL (although Mauer has been quite good), but Pudge's 237/272/448 slash line is just too weak to merit much consideration.

#1B

Code:

 Name  OPS  Slash  Reg Stats  Other  
 Lou Gehrig (NYY)  1.029  283/394/635  28 HR; 67 RBI; 2.5 WAR  .995 Fldg  
 Frank Thomas (CAG)  .994  297/418/576  1.8 WAR  8.84 RF  
 Lance Berkman (CLE)  .980  271/364/615  28 HR; 69 RBI    
 Hank Greenberg (DET)  .976  276/347/629  28 HR; 2.0 WAR  .998 Fldg; 3.1 ZR  
 Jim Thome (MCG)  .954  231/352/603  32 HR; 72 RBI  8.84 RF
 Fldg=Fielding % | RF=Range Factor | ZR=Zone Rating

It's hard to imagine that 32 HR and 72 RBI at the all star game doesn't make the roster, but that's what Jim Thome is facing. Lou Gehrig and Frank Thomas clearly are on the roster and while Lance Berkman and Hank Greenberg have better overall numbers than Thome, his power is gaudy enough to have the 3 in a dead heat. Perhaps Greenberg's defense edges him in front?

In the end, none of the 3 of them made it, which is remarkable.

#2B & SS

Because Dick Lundy and Bobby Grich--two strong contenders--essentially split their time between 2B and SS, we'll consider the two positions together. First the 2Bs.

Code:

 Name  OPS  Slash  Reg Stats  Other  
 Rogers Hornsby (POR)  .867  280/386/481  11 HR; 33 RBI  58 G / 254 PA  
 Bobby Grich (LAA)  .829  238/367/462  15 HR; 44 RBI; 1.8 WAR  1.3 ZR  
 Eddie Collins (CAG)  .828  310/404/424  19 2B; 38 SB; 1.3 WAR  4.60 RF  
 Charlie Gehringer (DET)  .823  260/335/488  11 HR; 34 RBI  62 G /  242 PA; 4.96 RF  
 Cookie Rojas (MCG)  .800  321/365/436  29 2B  .988 Fldg; 4.51 RF  
 Miller Huggins (BAL)  .795  302/423/372  1.9 WAR  67 G / 241 PA; 6.4 ZR
 Fldg=Fielding % | RF=Range Factor | ZR=Zone Rating

And now the SS

Code:

 Name  OPS  Slash  Reg Stats  Other  
 Cal Ripken, Jr. (BAL)  .926  293/339/587    45 G / 1655 PA  
 Arky Vaughan (CLE)  .906  312/400/506  19 2B; 44 RBI; 2.8 WAR  6.7 ZR  
 Bobby Grich (LAA)  .829  238/367/462  15 HR; 44 RBI; 1.8 WAR    
 Robin Yount (MCG)  .828  273/313/515  16 HR; 42 RBI  .983 Fldg; 4.42 RF  
 Dick Lundy (SFS)  .799  296/357/442  18 2B; 7 3B; 35 SB; 2.3 WAR  4.40 RF; 5.9 ZR  
 Jim Fregosi (POR)  .795  259/351/444  16 2B  .985 Fldg
 Fldg=Fielding % | RF=Range Factor | ZR=Zone Rating

This is rough all around.

Arky Vaughan is just about the only clear choice here, with the best all around performance by a SS if you discount Cal Ripken, Jr., who just hasn't played enough (likewise, a lack of playing time eliminates both Miller Huggins and, most controversially, Charlie Gehringer from consideration).

If we need 4 more middle infielders, they should come from Rogers Hornsby, Grich, Lundy, Eddie Collins, and Robin Yount.

Hornsby has been the best hitting 2B, which is no surprise, but he's also missed some time and is somewhat of a liability defensively. Still, the best OPS of the group has to count for something, so he's in as the starting 2B for the AL.

Eddie Collins is having a bit of an off year compared to last year season. Grich, Collins, and Yount are almost indistinguishable: as such, Grich's versatility earns him a roster spot, and Collins edges Yount for the final spot, leaving Lundy in the cold as well.

#3B

Code:

 Name  OPS  Slash  Reg Stats  Other  
 Evan Longoria (CLE)  .958  296/352/606  26 2B; 55 RBI; 2.3 WAR  .962 Fldg; 1.5 ZR  
 Mike Schmidt (NYY)  .951  251/367/584  26 HR; 60 RBI; 2.4 WAR  2.57 RF; 2.2 ZR  
 Gary Sheffield (MCG)  .937  281/327/611  22 2B; 60 RBI; 2.0 WAR  1.3 ZR  
 Wade Boggs (MEM)  .887  325/396/491  28 2B 
 Fldg=Fielding % | RF=Range Factor | ZR=Zone Rating

Wade Boggs is really just there for comparison. Mike Schmidt gets the starter's nod over Evan Longoria, as much for his team's performance as any discernable statistical edge.

#LF/RF

We'll treat the corner OF's together.

Code:

 Name  OPS  Slash  Reg Stats  Other  
 Babe Ruth (NYY)  1.191  288/428/763  41 HR; 94 RBI; 5.4 WAR  6.7 ZR  
 José Canseco (MCG)  1.101  258/378/723  38 HR    
 Ted Williams (MEM)  1.059  310/425/634  69 RBI    
 Frank Robinson (BAL)  1.038  305/398/640    1.000 Fldg  
 Mickey Mantle (NYY)  1.009  270/380/629  32 HR; 82 RBI    
 Joe Jackson (CAG)  .981  354/397/584  40 2B; 31 SB    
 Rickey Henderson (SFS)  .866  264/386/479  62 SB; 3.0 WAR  7.3 ZR
 Fldg=Fielding % | RF=Range Factor | ZR=Zone Rating

Babe Ruth, José Canseco, and Ted Williams are locks. After that, it would seem criminal to omit either Frank Robinson or Mickey Mantle, although it must be noted that Uncle Robbie's performance is ever-so-stronger than Mantle's, earning him one of the final spots.

That would leave the electric Rickey Henderson and the extraordinary Joe Jackson on the outside looking in.

#CF

Code:

 Name  OPS  Slash  Reg Stats  Other  
 Tris Speaker (CLE)  1.113  341/413/700  32 2B; 64 RBI; 4.6 WAR  6.2 ZR; 6 Kills  
 Eric Davis (NYY)  1.080  319/399/681  29 SB  45 G / 208 PA  
 Turkey Stearnes (SFS)  1.063  334/373/690  9 3B; 24 HR; 61 RBI; 2.9 WAR    
 Julio Rodríguez (MCG)  1.061  346/369/691    43 G/195 PA  
 Mike Trout (LAA)  .987  309/389/598  25 2B; 4 3B; 57 RBI; 3.0 WAR  1.000 Fldg  
 Alejandro Oms (MCG)  .881  344/406/474 
 Fldg=Fielding % | RF=Range Factor | ZR=Zone Rating

Look, I don't like Tris Speaker either, but the man can flat out play. So, he's in, as is Stearnes, perhaps the leading candidate for the AL Rookie of the Year. And neither Eric Davis nor the surprising Julio Rodríguez have played enough to make the cut. So that leaves Mike Trout as the open question: Trout is clearly deserving, so the question is whether the AL goes with 2 pure CF's or 3.

Alejandro Oms misses out, despite being 3rd in the league in BA.

#DH

Code:

 Name  OPS  Slash  Reg Stats  
 Ty Cobb (DET)  1.299  399/450/849  38 2B; 9 3B; 75 RBI; 32 SB; 5.6 WAR  
 Ron Blomberg (CLE)  1.032  288/361/671  32 HR; 85 RBI  
 Reggie Jackson (SFS)  1.029  300/422/608  21 2B; 24 SB; 3.0 WAR  
 Kal Daniels (LAA)  1.013  326/425/589  21 2B; 31 SB; 2.3 WAR  
 Ryan Braun (MCG)  .975  280/327/648  31 HR  
 Gavvy Cravath (BAL)  .956  247/349/607  23 2B; 28 HR; 71 RBI
 Fldg=Fielding % | RF=Range Factor | ZR=Zone Rating

My lord. 31 homeruns at the all star break and a possibility of not being selected? Welcome to your life, Ryan Braun.

Obviously, Ty Cobb and Ron Blomberg are in. And it seems ridiculous to omit either Kal Daniels or Reggie Jackson.

#SP

And now we move into the AL's weakness--there are strong top-end candidates here, but far less depth than over in the NL.

Code:

 Name  W-L; ERA  Reg Stats  Other  
 Doc Gooden (LAA)  7-6, 3.26  .240 BABIP  58% QS  
 Ed Walsh (CAG)  6-3, 3.36  1.05 WHIP; .199 BABIP  0.6 WPA  
 Eddie Plank (SFS)  13-3, 3.73    0.5 WPA  
 Lefty Grove (SFS)  10-4, 3.80  140 K; 3.2 WAR  3 SHO; 2.87 SIERA; 0.5 WPA  
 Andy Pettitte (NYY)  10-5, 3.90      
 Brett Anderson (LAA)  8-2, 3.93  1.05 WHIP; .234 BABIP    
 Bump Hadley (SFS)  12-4, 3.98  3.67 FIP; 3.1 WAR  58% QS  
 Cy Young (CLE)  9-3, 4.37  3.81 FIP; 3.3 WAR  2 SHO  
 Ron Guidry (NYY)  8-5, 4.15  150 K  2.52 SIERA
 FIP=Fielding Independent Pitching | BABPI=BA Allowed on Balls In Play | QS=Quality Starts | SHO=Shutouts | SIERA=Skill Interactive ERA | WPA=Win Probability Added

The spots fill up quickly. Eddie Plank will start the game for the AL, and his teammates Bump Hadley and Lefty Grove clearly belong. It seems silly to omit the ERA leader, Doc Gooden.

After that, it gets confusing. Ed Walsh has been almost unhittable, but is only 6-3. Andy Pettitte has 10 wins and a sub 4.00 ERA.

That would leave the overall WAR leader, Cy Young, the strikeout and SIERA leader, Ron Guidry, and the overall excellence of Brett Anderson missing out.

#RP

Code:

 Name  W-L; ERA  Reg Stats  Other  
 Ron Robinson (SFS)  1-0, 1.64  3 Sv; 3 H; 1.00 WHIP  { injured }  
 Ken Howell (SFS)  4-1, 1.72  1 Sv; 4 H    
 Ross Reynolds (LAA)  2-0, 2.30  1 Sv; 2 H; 1.88 FIP    
 Goose Gossage (NYY)  2-3, 2.41  10 Sv; 8 H  .90 Sv%  
 Akinori Otsuka (CAG)  3-1, 2.48  1 Sv; 5 H    
 Skel Roach (MEM)  1-0, 2.62  7 H; .160 BABIP    
 Justin Hampson (BAL)  0-0, 2.86  7 H; .159 BABIP; 1.05 WHIP    
 Rod Beck (SFS)  3-2, 3.20  23 Sv; .156 BABIP; 0.67 WHIP  15 SD; 2.83 SIERA; .885 Sv%  
 Terry Adams (CLE)  1-3, 3.80  15 Sv; 2 H  .882 Sv%  
 Sparky Lyle (NYY)  2-1, 4.37  3 Sv; 8 H    
 Rheal Cormier (NYY)  0-2, 5.75  11 H 
 FIP=Fielding Independent Pitching | BABPI=BA Allowed on Balls In Play | SD=Shutdowns | SIERA=Skill Interactive ERA | Sv%=Save %

The AL is a little weak in bullpen depth as well. Rod Beck is easily the class of the closers, with Terry Adams close behind. The overall excellence of Ken Howell and Goose Gossage also merit a spot, leaving Ross Reynolds, Skel Roach, and Justin Hampson on the bubble.

Hampson gets the nod, both because of how surprising his season has been and as a nod to the paucity of lefties in the AL pen.

#AL All Stars

The final 2 spots came down to choices between Mike Trout, Reggie Jackson, Kal Daniels, Mickey Mantle, Eddie Collins, and Robin Yount. A fourth middle infielder seemed like a requirement, giving the nod to Collins.

So. Reggie or Kal. Kal or Reggie. I mean. Kal Daniels is having an incredible year. But there's just no way to argue he is more deserving than Reggie.

There is an argument to be made that the AL should only take 2 3B, replacing Gary Sheffield with Daniels. But the final choice is always going to be onerous.

Some more arguments about who was wronged (these are the highest ranked layers in each stat not to make the game).

Joe Jackson (CAG). #2 in H (109); #1 in the league in 2B (40); #2 in BA (.354).
Mickey Mantle (NYY). #3 in HR (32); #3 in RBI (82).
Kal Daniels (LAA). #4 in OBP (.425); #11 in OPS (1.013).
Ryan Braun (MCG). #7 in SLG (.648).
Rickey Henderson (SFS). #1 in SB (62); #4 in WAR (3.0).
Dick Lundy (SFS). #3 in 3B (7).

And, on the mound

Cy Young (CLE). #5 in W (9); #2 in FIP (3.81); #1 in WAR (3.3).
Ron Guidry (NYY). #1 in K (150); #1 in SIERA (2.52).
Brett Anderson (LAA). #5 in ERA (3.93); #2 in WHIP (1.05).
Walter Johnson (POR). #2 in IP (125).
4 Players have 14 saves, tied for #3. Of those, Only Ricky Nolasco (MCG) has an ERA below 4.00.
Rheal Cormier (NYY). #1 in H (11).

Starters in bold.

C: Ed Bailey (DET); Mickey Cochrane (SFS); Joe Mauer (POR).
1B: Lou Gehrig (NYY); Frank Thomas (CAG).
2B: Eddie Collins (CAG); Bobby Grich (LAA); Rogers Hornsby (POR).
SS: Arky Vaughan (CLE).
3B: Evan Longoria (CLE); Mike Schmidt (NYY); Gary Sheffield (MCG).
LF: Frank Robinson (BAL); Ted Williams (MEM).
CF: Tris Speaker (CLE), Turkey Stearnes (SFS).
RF: José Canseco (MCG), Babe Ruth (NYY).
DH: Ron Blomberg (CLE); Reggie Jackson (SFS), Ty Cobb (DET).
SP: Doc Gooden (LAA), Lefty Grove (SFS), Bump Hadley (SFS), Andy Pettitte (NYY); Eddie Plank (SFS), Ed Walsh (CAG).
RP: Terry Adams (CLE); Rod Beck (SFS); Goose Gossage (NYY); Justin Hampson (BAL); Ken Howell (SFS).

And, by team. Unsurprisingly, the 3 American League teams with records over .500 (San Francisco, the Black Yankees, and Cleveland) are supplying 18 of the 32 players.

San Francisco Sea Lions (.625). Rod Beck (P), Mickey Cochrane (C), Lefty Grove (P), Bump Hadley (P), Ken Howell (P) Reggie Jackson (DH), Eddie Plank (P), Turkey Stearnes (OF).
New York Black Yankees (.618). Lou Gehrig (1B), Goose Gossage (P), Andy Pettitte (P), Babe Ruth (OF), Mike Schmidt (3B).
Cleveland Spiders (.558). Terry Adams (P), Ron Blomberg (DH), Evan Longoria (3B), Tris Speaker (OF), Arky Vaughan (SS).
Chicago American Giants (.466). Eddie Collins (2B), Frank Thomas (1B), Ed Walsh (P).
Miami Cuban Giants (.483). José Canseco (OF), Gary Sheffield (3B).
Detroit Wolverines (.453). Ed Bailey (C), Ty Cobb (DH).
Los Angeles Angels (.448). Doc Gooden (P), Bobby Grich (2B).
Portland Sea Dogs (.438). Rogers Hornsby (2B), Joe Mauer (C).
Baltimore Black Sox (.416). Justin Hampson (P), Frank Robinson (OF).
Memphis Red Sox (.494). Ted Williams (OF).

A whopping 15 players are repeat all-stars from last season: Terry Adams, Rod Beck, Ron Blomberg, José Canseco, Eddie Collins, Lou Gehrig, Lefty Grove, Rogers Hornsby, Ken Howell, Reggie Jackson, Joe Mauer, Babe Ruth, Frank Thomas, and Ted Williams.

Makonnen · 02-05-2025, 10:17 AM

{ Easier to read tables at https://wbl.dmlco.com/wp/2025/02/05/...-nl-all-stars/ }

For each section, if a player doesn't qualify for batting stats (roughly 270 PA), their G and PA are listed. Bold indicates a leader at that position for the stat; top 3 listed for most stats.

If you compare this with the prior post discussing the AL, the gap in offensive talent and pitching depth becomes apparent.

#C

Code:

 Name  OPS  Slash  Reg Stats  Other  
 Josh Gibson (HOM)  1.234  390/481/754  27 2B; 23 HR; 79 RBI; 5.3 WAR  3.4 FRM  
 Gary Carter (OTT)  1.102  324/387/715  31 HR; 663 RBI; 3.9 WAR  48% RTO  
 Mike Piazza (BRK)  1.027  311/348/679  31 HR; 70 RBI; 2.9 WAR    
 Jim Pagliaroni (BBB)  .898  248/355/543      
 Buster Posey (NYG)  .894  291/344/550      
 Ted Simmons (KCM)  .880  285/314/565  25 2B  4.08 CERA
 FRM=Framing Runs | RTO%=Runners Thrown Out | CERA=Catcher ERA

The only question here is whether the NL dips below the big 3. 21 Year old Josh Gibson will start, of course, with Gary Carter and Mike Piazza in reserve.

#1B

Code:

 Name  OPS  Slash  Reg Stats  Other  
 Will Clark (NYG)  .989  302/381/608  56 RBI; 1.8 WAR    
 Mike Epstein (HOM)  .971  252/386/585  22 HR; 63 RBI; 1.7 WAR  .998 Fldg  
 Anthony Rizzo (HOD)  .964  278/402/561      
 Joe Harris (HOD)  .956  295/410/546      
 Jeff Bagwell (HOU)  .938  279/376/562  71 RBI
 Fldg=Fielding % | RF=Range Factor | ZR=Zone Rating

The NL has a totally different challenge to the AL: here, it is whether any of the natural 1B really deserve to make the team. Will Clark will start, with Mike Epstein on the bench. Joe Harris split his time between 1B and the OF, and may be selected in that role.

#2B

Code:

 Name  OPS  Slash  Reg Stats  Other  
 Joe Morgan (IND)  1.101  324/425/676  50 RBI; 2.2 WAR  52 G / 221 PA  
 Roberto Alomar (OTT)  .972  312/391/581  22 2B; 18 HR; 65 RBI; 31 SB; 3.3 WAR    
 Ryne Sandberg (HOD)  .964  303/356/608  28 HR; 60 RBI; 2.7 WAR  .997 Fldg; 5.04 RF  
 Jackie Robinson (BRK)  .897  270/357/540  17 HR    
 Craig Biggio (HOU)  .837  267/371/466 
 Fldg=Fielding % | RF=Range Factor | ZR=Zone Rating

Roberto Alomar and Ryne Sandberg are locks, with Alomar getting the nod as the starter. Beyond them, it gets interesting: Joe Morgan has been phenomenal, but missed a significant chunk of time while Jackie Robinson may deserve a spot, but has split his time between 2B and 1B. While Robinson is invaluable to Brooklyn, his offensive production is excellent for a 2B, but only solid for a 1B.

#SS

Code:

 Name  OPS  Slash  Reg Stats  Other  
 Ernie Banks (HOD)  1.006  287/316/690  34 HR; 78 RBI; 1.7 WAR    
 Carlos Correa (HOU)  .931  322/396/535  20 2B; 13 HR; 40 RBI; 3.1 WAR  .981 Fldg; 4.2 ZR  
 Álex Rodríguez (OTT)  .899  260/322/577  25 HR; 45 RBI; 20 SB; 1.5 WAR  .974 Fldg
 Fldg=Fielding % | RF=Range Factor | ZR=Zone Rating

While some may suggest that Kansas City's Ozzie Smith deserves to be listed here due to his defensive prowess (he leads all SS in Fldg, RF, and ZR), it's a bit too much to imagine a sub-.700 OPS warranting an all star spot. Ernie Banks and Carlos Correa are in, with Álex Rodríguez on the bubble for a while.

#3B

Code:

 Name  OPS  Slash  Reg Stats  Other  
 Albert Pujols (KCM)  1.003  314/381/622  32 2B; 60 RBI; 2.5 WAR    
 Ron Cey (BRK)  .978  278/375/602  22 HR; 2.6 WAR  .978 Fldg; 2.46 RF; 3.5 ZR  
 Eddie Mathews (BBB)  .917  222/345/572  27 HR; 56 RBI  2.76 RF  
 Scott Rolen (PHI)  .911  275/349/562  55 RBI; 2.1 WAR  .976 Fldg; 2.6 ZR
 Fldg=Fielding % | RF=Range Factor | ZR=Zone Rating

Albert Pujols is named the starter here (although he may end up shifting over to 1B in the game itself), with Ron Cey behind him. Eddie Mathews' best hope of making the cut is if he ends up being the leading candidate for Birmingham, but my guess is they find representation on the pitching staff first.

#LF/RF

As with the AL, we'll treat the corner OF's together.

Code:

 Name  OPS  Slash  Reg Stats  Other  
 Larry Walker (OTT)  1.080  292/364/715  37 HR; 877 RBI; 2.5 WAR  3.97 RF  
 Rick Reichardt (HOM)  1.044  314/387/657      
 Tony Gwynn (HOU)  1.030  390/429/601  27 2B; 6 3B; 3.1 WAR  5 Kills  
 Aaron Judge (PHI)  .972  272/368/604    .993 Fldg  
 Stan Musial (KCM)  .964  329/392/573  37 2B; 2.2 WAR  5.7 ZR  
 Joe Rogan (PHI)  .958  296/341/617      
 Johnny Callison (NYG)  .913  272/333/580    .993 Fldg
 Fldg=Fielding % | RF=Range Factor | ZR=Zone Rating

Certainly Larry Walker, Rick Reichardt, and Tony Gwynn make it, with Gwynn and Walker earning the starting nods. It seems like Aaron Judge and Stan Musial should make the cut as well, and Rogan gets a roster spot for his combined effort on the mound and at the plate.

#CF

Code:

 Name  OPS  Slash  Reg Stats  Other  
 Rick Monday (OTT)  1.207  305/397/809    46 G / 151 PA  
 Oscar Charleston (IND)  1.006  335/384/622  19 2B; 9 3B; 63 RBI; 25 SB; 2.7 WAR    
 Willie Mays (NYG)  .974  277/347/627  31 HR; 62 RBI; 3.1 WAR  8.5 ZR  
 Carlos Beltrán (OTT)  .860  253/326/534  63 RBI
 Fldg=Fielding % | RF=Range Factor | ZR=Zone Rating

Rick Monday can't be a serious candidate, given his playing time, but wow are those numbers eye-popping.

Oscar Charleston gets the start at age 20, with Willie Mays also being named to the team. Carlos Beltrán is listed partially to show the gap between Mays and the next group of CFers. Rogan could also have been listed here.

#DH

Code:

 Name  OPS  Slash  Reg Stats  
 Willie Stargell (HOM)  .954  270/348/606  14 2B; 27 HR; 60 RBI; 1.2 WAR  
 Albert Belle (BBB)  .884  256/313/571  15 2B; 26 HR; 59 RBI  
 Benny Kauff (NYG)  .869  261/315/553  19 2B  
 Duke Snider (BRK)  .771  226/262/509  25 HR; 54 RBI
 Fldg=Fielding % | RF=Range Factor | ZR=Zone Rating

Willie Stargell will start, but it's not clear any of the rest of these make it: Mathews is a better selection for Birmingham if one is needed, and Benny Kauff and Duke Snider--while doing well--just aren't quite all star material this year.

#SP

Now things get a lot tighter in the NL. Here is everyone with a sub 4.00 ERA and/or 10 or more wins, plus a few others.

Code:

 Name  W-L; ERA  Reg Stats  Other  
 A. Rube Foster (KCM)  5-1, 2.20  .202 BABIP, 0.96 WHIP, 3.67 FIP  88% QS, 2 SHO  
 Toad Ramsey (HOU)  12-4, 2.60  163 K, 0.90 WHIP, 2.68 FIP, 5.8 WAR  72% QS, 2 SHO, 2.29 SIERA, 2.0 WPA  
 Fernando Valenzuela (BRK)  6-1, 2.66  0.87 WHIP; .176 BABIP  3 GS / 74 IP  
 Hardie Henderson (PHI)  10-6, 3.05  .214 BABIP  1.5 WPA  
 Jim Whitney  5-2, 3.11  1 Sv; 2 H, 1.02 WHIP  75% QS, 2.0 WPA  
 Roger Clemens (HOU)  10-4, 3.64  .210 BABIP    
 Smokey Joe Williams (BRK)  7-8, 3.64  3.4 WAR    
 Orel Hershiser (BRK)  11-4, 3.70      
 Luis Padrón (IND)  12-2, 3.87  3.44 FIP, 3.8 WAR  2 SHO  
 Smokey Joe Wood (KCM)  9-6, 3.95      
 J.M. Ward (PHI)  4-4, 3.99      
 Frank Castillo (KCM)  10-1, 4.43    2 SHO  
 Bullet Joe Rogan (PHI)  5-8, 4.46    2 SHO
 FIP=Fielding Independent Pitching | BABIP=BA Allowed on Balls In Play | QS=Quality Starts | SHO=Shutouts | SIERA=Skill Interactive ERA | WPA=Win Probability Added

Toad Ramsey is the starter, with Luis Padrón and A. Rube Foster close behind. Hardie Henderson seems to be another required choice, with his ERA barely eclipsing 3.00.

After that choices, have to be made: Jim Whitney has been brilliant, but just barely qualifies for the ERA title. Fernando Valenzuela has been even better, but was used out of the bullpen for most of the season. And how do you ignore a starting pitcher with a 10-1 record? I don't think you can, so we'll add Valenzuela and Castillo, snubbing Brooklyn's very strong duo of Orel Hershiser and Smokey Joe Williams.

#RP

Code:

 Name  W-L; ERA  Reg Stats  Other  
 Harley Young (BBB)  0-1, 1.12  3 Sv; 6 H  1.87 FIP  
 Craig Kimbrel (KCM)  2-3, 1.85  2 Sv; 11 H  2.38 FIP; 15 SD; 2.88 SIERA  
 Robb Nen (NYG)  3-2, 1.89  9 Sv; 6 H    
 Tug McGraw (HOU)  3-3, 2.05  9 Sv  .90 Sv%  
 Eddie Guardado (KCM)  2-1, 2.05  1 Sv; 5 H  2.58 FIP  
 Lee Smith (HOD)  4-1, 2.65  6 Sv; 6 H  .198 BABIP; 0.771 WHIP; .86 Sv%; 2.89 SIERA  
 Eric Gagne (BRK)  2-1, 2.81  19 Sv  18 SD  
 Josh Lindblom (HOM)  4-2, 3.19  23 Sv  .96 Sv%; 18 SD  
 Ted Kennedy (PHI)  2-2, 3.47  4 Sv; 9 H    
 Rob Murphy (IND)  1-3, 3.55  1 Sv; 11 H    
 Michael Jackson (HOM)  1-4, 3.73  1 Sv; 12 H    
 Bob Howry (PHI)  3-1, 4.09  12 Sv  .172 BABIP; 0.82 WHIP 
 FIP=Fielding Independent Pitching | BABPI=BA Allowed on Balls In Play | SD=Shutdowns | SIERA=Skill Interactive ERA | Sv%=Save %

More hard choices. Harley Young and Craig Kimbrel have been essentially unhittable and Eric Gagne and Josh Lindblom have been the most effective closers. So those 4 for sure. Robb Nen has done everything the Gothams have asked, covering as closer while Brian Wilson was injured, and continuing to dominate after Wilson's return (Wilson only misses the team through a lack of IP after his injury).

The real omission here seems to be Lee Smith, who has stepped into the closers role for the House of David with aplomb, reflected in his overall statistical performance.

#NL All Stars

It came down to Scott Rolen, Buster Posey, Smokey Joe Williams, and Jim Whitney for the NL's final spot. We decided to honor their dominant pitching as a league, removing Rolen and Posey from consideration.

Williams has only pitched roughly a dozen innings more than Whitney, who has better numbers across the board. That leaves Smokey Joe on the outside looking in this year.

As with the AL, here are the highest ranked performers in various categories who missed the cut.

Hank Aaron (BBB). #4 in H (96); #6 in HR (29); #16 in SLG (.588).
Joe Harris (HOD). #13 in BA (.295); #3 in OBP (.410); #18 in OPS (.956).
Jeff Bagwell (HOU). #4 in RBI (71).
Buster Posey (NYG). #13 in WAR (2.2).
Nap Lajoie (HOM). #3 in 2B (28).
Pete Hill (HOU). #1 in 3B (10).
Tim Raines (OTT). #1 in SB (59).

Orel Hershiser (BRK). #3 in W (11).
Christy Mathewson (NYG). #2 in IP (128); #2 in K (124).
Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). #3 in WAR (3.4); #4 in FIP (3.73).
Roger Clemens (HOU). #5 in ERA (3.64).
J.M. Ward (PHI). #4 in WHIP (1.02).
Rob Dibble (IND) and Jeff Pfeffer (KCM) are tied for #3 in Saves with 16, but neither have an ERA under 5.00.
The offensive players look fine. Mathewson and especially Smokey Joe have a right to feel aggrieved about this one.

Starters in bold.

C: Gary Carter (OTT), Josh Gibson (HOM); Mike Piazza (BRK).
1B: Will Clark (NYG), Mike Epstein (HOM).
2B: Roberto Alomar (OTT), Ryne Sandberg (HOD).
SS: Ernie Banks (HOD), Carlos Correa (HOU).
3B: Ron Cey (BRK), Albert Pujols (KCM).
LF: Tony Gwynn (HOU); Rick Reichardt (HOM).
CF: Oscar Charleston (IND), Joe Rogan (PHI), Willie Mays (NYG).
RF: Aaron Judge (PHI), Stan Musial (KCM), Larry Walker (OTT).
DH: Willie Stargell (HOM).
SP: Frank Castillo (KCM), A. Rube Foster (KCM), Hardie Henderson (PHI), Luis Padrón (IND), Toad Ramsey (HOU), Fernando Valenzuela (BRK), Jim Whitney (BBB).
RP: Eric Gagne (BRK), Craig Kimbrel (KCM), Josh Lindblom (HOM), Robb Nen (NYG), Harley Young (BBB).

Selections are more consistently spread across the NL, with Homestead and Kansas City leading the way with 5 players each. All teams saw at least 2 players selected for the midsummer classic.

Brooklyn, with the best record in the league, may feel a bit hard done by, as both Smokey Joe Williams and Jackie Robinson are left off the squad. Indianapolis has a similar argument, with only 2 representatives despite being only a game out of 1st with a record over .500, but the omission of Joe Morgan due to playing time is more understandable.

Here they are by team:

Homestead Grays (.535). Mike Epstein (1B), Josh Gibson (C), Josh Lindblom (P), Rick Reichardt (OF), Willie Stargell (DH).
Kansas City Monarchs (.534). Frank Castillo (P), A. Rube Foster (P), Craig Kimbrel (P), Stan Musial (OF), Albert Pujols (3B).
Brooklyn Royal Giants (.575). Ron Cey (3B), Eric Gagne (P), Mike Piazza (C), Fernando Valenzuela (P).
New York Gothams (.494). Will Clark (1B), Willie Mays (OF), Robb Nen (P).
Houston Colt 45's (.494). Carlos Correa (SS), Tony Gwynn (OF), Toad Ramsey (P).
Philadelphia Stars (.483). Hardie Henderson (P), Aaron Judge (OF), Joe Rogan (U/P).
Ottawa Mounties (.460). Roberto Alomar (2B), Álex Rodríguez (SS), Larry Walker (OF).
Indianapolis ABC's (.523). Oscar Charleston (OF), Luis Padrón (P).
Wandering House of David (.471). Ernie Banks (SS), Lee Smith (P).
Birmingham Black Barons (.432). Harley Young (P), Jim Whitney (P).

The NL sees only 4 repeat all-stars: Mike Epstein, Josh Gibson, Willie Mays, and Stan Musial

Makonnen · 02-06-2025, 11:48 AM

{ As always, the game does a really piss-poor job of picking the rosters, this time leaving the World Future Stars without anyone rated at C. }

The starting pitchers were selected as much from who was rested as anything else, with Nip Winters (AAA, HOM) starting for the USA and Mélido Pérez (A, PHI) for the International side.

Winters struggled immediately, with Asdrúbal Cabrera (AAA, BAL) and Melky Cabrera (A, BBB) starting the game with a double and a single, putting runners at 1st and 3rd with no outs. Jorge Orta (AAA, CAG) drove in one, and Xander Bogaerts (AA, LAA) 2 with a double, giving the World Team and early 3-0 lead.

Pérez pitched 2 scoreless, but José Lima (A, MCG) struggled in the 3rd, giving up an RBI double to Ed Delahanty (A, BRK), who came around to score on a passed ball (Bert Campaneris (AAA, MCG) started at C for the World Team, followed by Heliodoro Hidalgo (A, KCM)--they seemed to make the most sense).

That made it 3-2, but Campaneris--clearly trying to make up for his struggles as a backstop,--took Ed Seward (A, MCG) deep in the 4th, putting the World up, 4-2. Bobby Abreu (AAA, PHI) did the same to Al Orth (AA, OTT) in the 5th, and the lead was 5-2, with the World side seeming to be cruising.

But all-star games are odd, right? There's no continuity on the mound, and a few bad pitches can change everything. Enter Tom Harrison (A, HOD) for the World Team. One run scored on a wild pitch and Dave Malarcher (AA, HOD) drove in another, and Harrison gave way to Luis Tiant, Sr (A, MCG). Tiant gave up back-to-back homeruns, the first a 3-run job by Ralph Kiner (A, HOM), followed by a solo shot from Joe Torre (AAA, BBB).

And the game flipped, with the USA now on top, 8-5.

And that was it. Bill Harper (AA, HOU) pitched 2 excellent innings, and Billy Muffett (AAA, CLE) worked out of a little trouble in the 9th, and the USA walked away with the win.

Led by Abreu and Bogaerts, who had 3 each, the World outhit the USA 13-7. But Kiner's shot proved too much to overcome, and he walked away with the Game MVP honors.

USA 8 (Harper W; Muffett Sv) @ World 5 (Tiant Sr L)
HRs: USA - Torre, Kiner; World - Campaneris, Abreu
Box Score

Makonnen · 02-12-2025, 11:24 AM

July 9th

It's All-Star Week! That means that, not only do we cover those festivities, we have our first wave of midseason trades, followed by the usual divisional notes on a shorter slate of games.

#Awards

Brooklyn's Beals Becker picked up the NL Player of the Week, hitting .538 with 4 homers in the span. Over in the AL, perhaps peeved by his omission from the All Star Game, Cleveland's Lance Berkman hit .360 with 9--NINE--homeruns in the week, taking down the AL Player of the Week.

#Team Performance

No significant changes, but some teams are making moves. San Francisco remains the only team truly running away with their division, leading the Cum Posey Division by 11.5 games over Miami, who have taken over 2nd place from Chicago.

The New York Black Yankees have the 2nd best record in baseball and a 4.5 game lead over Cleveland in the Bill James Division.

That leaves the Effa Manley Division and Marvin Miller Division. In the former, Brooklyn leads Homestead by 3.5, with the New York Gothams fading a bit, sitting tied with Philadelphia at 8 games back. In the Marvin Miller, Kansas City still leads, but not only is Indianapolis only 2 games back, Houston, 8-2 over their last 10 games, has moved to within 5.5.

Last years champions, Baltimore, continue to have the worst record in the league, with a 38-52 record so far.

#Player Performance

With all the numbers and discussion surrounding the All Star Game, we're going to skip the Performance section this time, instead revisiting last year's mid-season trades.

#Looking Back: Last Year's Mid-Season Trades

I've somewhat quickly and arbitrarily given weights to the trades. The winning team is in italics. Overall, here is how everyone ranked out from last year.

Clear Winners: Birmingham, Baltimore, Ottawa
Did OK: Philadelphia, Detroit
Meh: Cleveland, Homestead, Memphis, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Gothams
Not Great: San Francisco, Indianapolis, Miami, Black Yankees
Clear Losers: Houston, Chicago

The details:

Big Wins

Quote:

Birmingham sends Hoyt Wilhelm and Dick Rudolph to Chicago for Melky Cabrera, A. Rube Foster, Adrián González, & a 2nd (Trea Turner)

Foster is no longer with Birmingham, having been part of a later trade for Andy Pettitte, but that he had enough value to land the ERA champ alone makes this a win for the Black Barons. González has frustrated, but he's still been a solid WBL 1B in the interim, and both Cabrera and Turner look to have some upside, especially Turner. Wilhelm has been average in Chicago's pen and Rudolph has downright struggled.

Quote:

Cleveland fleece Houston for Lance Berkman, sending Harry Stovey, Charlie Grimm, Chad Qualls and a 3rd (Garry Templeton) to the Colt 45's.

Berkman was struggling, but he has hit 39 homers and driven in 104 since the trade. Templeton refused to sign, and while the rest have some talent, it's unclear they will ever push past the talent in front of them in Houston.

Quote:

Baltimore sent Mike Morgan, Richie Sexson, Chris Hoiles and Joe Dugan to Miami for Manny Machado.

Machado was a World Series hero and remains the Black Sox' starting 3B. Hoiles and Sexson both have some offensive pop, but both are pretty buried in Miami's farm system.

Quote:

Cleveland sent Andrew Payne, Hardie Henderson, Darrell Miller, and Gibby Brack to Philadelphia for Ron Reed.

This seemed to make sense at the time, as Reed looked like the missing piece for the Spiders' bullpen. But Henderson has developed into an all-star with the Stars, and Reed, while not bad, hasn't been great for Cleveland. Of the rest, only Payne is still with the Stars, and he may never see the WBL.

Small Wins

Quote:

The Black Yankees send Sam Thompson, Dick Bartell, and a 4th (Mark Eichhorn) to Ottawa for Gary Lavelle and Jamie Moyer.

Lavelle and Moyer were both bad for New York. Lavelle is out with a long term injury, and Moyer was later traded to Chicago; given that the purpose of the trade was to shore up the Black Yankees for the post-season--which they missed--this has to be a win for Ottawa. Thompson is doing well for them, and Eichhorn has some future utility.

Quote:

San Francisco sent Rube Melton, Derrick May, and a 3rd (Gary Matthews) to Birmingham for Tim Hudson.

Hudson was an all-star, then imploded, and now is on the DL for so long his career may be toast. Given that, the fact that all 3 prospects are doing alright make this a win for Birmingham.

Quote:

The New York Gothams receive Don Sutton from Brooklyn in exchange for Ray Lamb, Gil Heredia, Lew Krause Jr, Don Mueller, a 1st (Al Simmons), and an 8th (Vic Lombardi).

Sutton's been solid for New York, on the fringes of their rotation and providing good bullpen work. Krause and Simmons seem to have the highest ceiling of what they received (Mueller and Lombardi look fine, and neither Lamb nor Heredia are still with Brooklyn).

Quote:

Ottawa sends Freddy Parent to Chicago for Sibby Sisti, Bob Watson, and Rickie Weeks.

Ottawa only wins this because it cleared room for Álex Rodríguez, who has blossomed this year. Watson--theoretically the centerpiece of the deal--was recently sent down to AAA, Sisti was released, and Weeks looks unlikely to make an impact. Still, the less said about Parent's time in Chicago, the better.

Quote:

Brooklyn sends Curt Flood, Manny Trillo, and a 6th (Steve Avery) to Birmingham for Frank Isbell.

Isbell is at AAA after a horrible start to the season. Flood and Avery each have some upside, so this is a small win for Birmingham.

Quote:

Birmingham sends Tom Herr to the Black Yankees for Reddy Mack, Bill Buckner, Heathcliff Slocumb, Charlie Keller, Moose Skowron, & a 10th (Eddie Solomon)

Herr was sold at his absolute peak, and the Black Yankees are already casting around for a replacement. As importantly, the trade cleared the way for Cupid Childs to take over at 2B, a clear win for Birmingham. None of the prospects look like much (Buckner was traded on, Keller retired, and the rest look like filler at best).

Quote:

Indianapolis sent Ernie Lombardi to Detroit for Donie Bush, Jorge Orta, Brandon League, Gene Martin and a 2nd (Matt Chapman).

Detroit wins this one, as Lombardi has been quite good for them, as only Chapman and Bush are still with the ABC's, and neither looks like much at this point.

Quote:

Miami got fixated on the potential of Minnie Miñoso, sending Don Newcombe, Clay Condrey, and a 4th (José Quintana) to Chicago for him.

Miñoso has finally begun to show some potential at AAA after some miserable time with the Cuban Giants, while none of the other players are with Chicago (Newcombe was traded, Condrey released, and Quintana refused to sign a rookie contract).

Quote:

Ottawa sends Steve Garvey and Spud Johnson to Los Angeles for Rusty Staub.

Staub has outperformed Garvey, but both have held down WBL roster spots. Johnson is a free agent at this point.

Quote:

Ottawa and Los Angeles made a second deal, with the Angels receiving Carlos Delgado in exchange for Dave Bennett, Carlos Beltrán, Jim Stephens, and Sean O'Sullivan.

This one also favors Ottawa. Delgado has been excellent for the Angels, hitting 28 homeruns since the trade. But Beltrán is a borderline all-star for the Mounties. Bennett and Stephens have a little potential, O'Sullivan is currently a free agent.

Quote:

Here's much ado about nothing: Los Angeles sent Brian Downing, Kurt Stillwell, and Dave LaRoche to San Francisco for Wally Moon, Dwayne Murphy, a 4th (John Lackey) and a 6th (Omar Olivares).

Downing is young enough to do something, as are Moon, Murphy, and Lackey. The trade failed to help San Francisco in the immediate (its ostensible purpose). Slight edge to Los Angeles.

Quote:

San Francisco picks up Tommy Bridges from Miami for Shawn Estes, Turk Wendell, and a 5th (Mark Kotsay).

Only Kotsay remains with Miami, as such, even though Bridges has been unable to hold down a WBL spot, he has been there, giving the Sea Lions the edge.

Quote:

San Francisco sent Steve Hertz and a 2nd (Judy Johnson) to Homestead for Phil Garner.

Scrap Iron Garner has been fine as utility IF for the Sea Lions, especially recently, but Johnson may be something special, recently joining Homestead as a 19 year old.

Quote:

Houston gives up Hack Wilson, Jim Kaat, DJ LeMahieu, Stubby Overmire and a 5th (Nathan Eovaldi) for Memphis' Roger Clemens.

Clemens is doing well in Houston, falling just short of an all star selection. But that's quite a haul: LeMahieu is pushing for a full time role with Memphis, Overmire is at the front of their rotation, Wilson is doing well at AAA and both Kaat and Eovaldi have some long term potential. If Clemens does become an all-star, and none of the others develop, this would swing towards Houston, but right now it feels like an overall win for the Red Sox.

Quote:

Memphis sent Joe Beggs to Baltimore for Willie Sudhoff, Alex Johnson, and a 4th (Bill "Spaceman" Lee).

Beggs did what Baltimore needed in their Whirled Series run, but has struggled this year. Sudhoff was released, and Johnson and Lee look marginal at best right now.

Even Steven

Quote:

Portland send Smokey Joe Wood & Devin Mesoraco to Kansas City for Rogers Hornsby, Vince Coleman, and a 4th Round Pick (Lee May).

Wood is a borderline all-star for the Monarchs while Hornsby both fueled Portland's playoff run last season and is an all-star this year. Portland released Coleman, neither Mesoraco nor May are doing much.

Quote:

The House of David sent Sammy Sosa to Memphis for Tony Conigliaro, Fred Lynn, and a 2nd ("Big" Bill Lee).

An odd one to evaluate, as Sosa did well enough for Memphis for the House of David to trade for him back in the off season. Still, at this point, he was a black hole of a roster spot. Conigliaro and Lynn each show good power, so call it a wash.

#Injury Report

The Black Yankees' Don Mattingly should begin his rehab assignment around the end of the week as should, perhaps, the House of David's Jim Clinton.

Makonnen · 02-13-2025, 11:55 AM

Philadelphia was bad last year. This year, they are pushing towards .500 with--maybe, just maybe--an outside shot at the playoffs. As importantly, they seem to have an identity for the first time.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

The Stars clearly need to keep adding talent: the gap between the leaders of the team--Aaron Judge, Charles "Bullet Joe" Rogan, Hardie Henderson--and the end of the roster is just too great.

But it's a start.

THE OFFENSE

Philadelphia's problem, simply, is its offense. They don't hit for average, they don't get on base, and they don't hit for power. Not sure what else there is ... they do run the bases decently.

#What's Going Right

Aaron Judge, an extra part in the Bill Dickey/Mike Schmidt trade, has absolutely exploded on the scene, with an OPS just under 1.00 and leading the team in HR and RBI.

Charles "Bullet Joe" Rogan is far better offensively than anticipated, sporting the 2nd highest OPS on the team and leading the Stars in SLG at .615 and BA at .295. Rogan is playing all over the place, but seeing most of his time in the OF.

Scott Rolen leads the team in WAR with an OPS around .950.

At 37, Rico Carty is still useful. He can't move, can't field much, but he can hit, even with occasional power.

#What's Not Going Right

Everything else?

C continues to be a black hole, with Mike Scioscia slightly more effective than Butch Wynegar and Sherm Lollar.

Willie Davis, a leader on the team last year, is slashing 233/290/373 this season, which is quite a plummet.

Ted Kluszewski has a little power, but little else: a SLG barely over .400 just won't cut it.

But Kluszewski's OPS is over 100 points higher than Jimmy Rollins, who has essentially lost the job to Art Fletcher.

While Rogan is doing unprecedented things as a 2-way player, JM Ward is not, to the point the team has decided they have better options at DH when he's on the mound.

THE PITCHING

And now the good news.

#What's Going Right

The starting pitching is strong, led by Hardie Henderson, who is 10-6 with a 3.05 ERA at the break.

Rogan and JM Ward don't have great records (5-8 for Rogan, 4-4 for Ward), but they've got fantastic peripherals led by Ward's 1.05 WHIP.

Behind them, Steve Carlton has been solid enough.

Fred Cambria, Ted Kennedy, and Brad Kilby have been fantastic getting the ball to Bob Howry. That trio has 7 saves and 21 holds, and Howry has a 0.82 WHIP and a dozen saves.

#What's Not Going Right

The back end of the rotation is still a bit rough. Ray Collins is in the 5th spot now, but neither he nor Robin Roberts nor Larry Jackson have really seized the opportunity.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

There is hope for the future here. I mean, prospects flame out and all that, but there is hope.

Bill Gatewood is the highest ranked prospect, and probably the best arm in the system, but Jack Kralick, Jack Easton, LaTroy Hawkins, and perhaps even Scott Garrelts and Luke Weaver all have some upside.

Bill Dickey is likely to be recalled at the all star break and Harmon Killebrew and Bobby Abreu will probably see time with the Stars this year as well. Behind them, it does thin out a little, but Richie Ashburn, Andrew Payne, and Prince Fielder all have significant value.

WHAT'S NEEDED

The offense to become league average or better, preferably led by some of the prospects stepping forward. And, of course, the pitching to not regress.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

What does the bullpen look like? Fairly well answered, as most teams would welcome the combined performance of Kennedy, Cambria, Kilby, and Howry.
How does the OF resolve, and most importantly how much of Aaron Judge‘s debut performance was a mirage? The latter first: very little, evidently. This remains a question, but not as anticipated--the Stars never anticipated CF being an open question, but with Willie Davis' loss of form, it is.
Can the flashes of talent on the IF shown last year from Juan Samuel and Roger Peckinpaugh deliver over a full season? Yoikes. No, no they cannot; in fact, neither is in the WBL and SS continues to be a bit of a mess.

FEATURED SERIES

Philadelphia opens the second half of the season with 3 games at Ottawa.

Projected Starters

Philadelphia's starter listed first.

Steve Carlton (7-9, 5.62) @ Old Hoss Radbourn (9-6, 6.13)
Charles Rogan (5-8, 4.46) @ Roy Halladay (8-6, 4.92)
Ray Collins (2-4, 5.08) @ Bill Smith (6-2, 3.57)

Game One

Both teams are in an odd spot where their #1 starter is not their best, with the opening game matching Steve Carlton against Old Hoss Radbourn.

The much-maligned Willie Davis led the game off with a solo shot to right, giving the Stars a 1-0 lead. Tim Raines matched him, leading off the bottom of the frame with his 12th homer of the year to tie the game. Rusty Staub took Carlton deep with a runner on in the 2nd, but Carlton induced an inning-ending double play from Roberto Alomar to limit the damage.

After Davis doubled in the 3rd, Aaron Judge went deep to tie the game, then, in the 5th Davis (who has been stung by the criticism, it must be said) homered again.

Larry Walker tied it up with a 2-out double in the bottom of the 5th, but the Stars broke the deadlock immediately, as Judge tripled and Rico Carty chased Radbourn from the game with an RBI double.

Carlton got the first out in the 7th, but his relief, Ted Kennedy, was greeted with a solo shot from Adrián Beltré to once again tie the contest. Kennedy--helped by Art Fletcher gunning down Raines at home and the just-recalled Bill Dickey throwing out Alomar on a steal attempt--got out of the inning without further damage.

George Hendrick hit a 2-run shot in the 8th: 7-5 Stars. But it was never going to be that easy: Gary Carter sent a Brad Kilby pitch over the wall in left with Walker on, tying us up once again.

It ended with a walkoff dinger, of course: Alomar taking Pedro Feliciano deep in the bottom of the 9th.

Davis and Judge had 3 hits for the Stars.

PHI 7 (Feliciano 0-1; Kennedy 6 BSv; Kilby 2 BSv) @ OTT 9 (Ryan 2-2)
HRs: PHI - Davis 2 (8), Judge (27), Hendrick (9); OTT - Raines (12), Staub (15), Carter (32), Alomar (19).
Box Score

Game Two

The Stars gave Hardie Henderson the start in game 2; he would face the Mounties' Roy Halladay.

Gary Carter hit his 33rd of the year in the bottom of the first, putting the Mounties up, 2-0, and an RBI double from Álex Rodríguez made it 3-0 in the 2nd, and then the miracle of Rick Monday continued: his 21st homer of the year increased the lead to 4-0.

Jimmy Rollins' 1st homer of the year made it 4-1.

Henderson was chased from the game in the 5th by a 2-run shot from Roberto Alomar and an RBI double from Rusty Staub. He was relieved by Robin Roberts who gave up an RBI single to Monday before getting out of the inning with Ottawa ahead, 8-1.

There was some more: homers by Ted Kluszewski and Adrian Beltré, some other stuff. But the outcome was never in doubt, as the Mounties rolled, 14-3.

Monday had 4 hits and 4 RBIs.

PHI 3 (Henderson 10-7) @ OTT 14 (Halladay 9-6)
HRs: PHI - Rollins (1), Kluszewski (12); OTT - Carter (33), Monday (21), Alomar (20), Beltré (23).
Box Score

Game Three

Trying to salvage a game, the Stars would send out J.M. Ward to face Ottawa's Bill Smith. Ward was recently removed from being used as DH when he pitched: we'll see if being able to focus solely on his mound duties changes anything for Philadelphia.

The game was scoreless through 5, with Smith allowing 3 hits and Ward only 1. Rusty Staub broke the deadlock in the bottom of the 7th, touching Ward for a 2-run homerun.

Aaron Judge hit his 28th in the top of the 9th, ending Smith's shutout bid, but, after a single by Ted Kluszewski, Ottawa's closer, Tom Henke, was able to retire Rico Carty on a popout to center.

Ward was once again a hard luck loser, pitching 7 strong innings.

PHI 1 (Ward 4-5) @ OTT 3 (Smith 7-2; Henke 7 Sv)
HRs: PHI - Judge (28); PHI - Staub (16).
Box Score

Not good. Not only were the Stars swept, they were outscored 26-11. Still, for Philadelphia, it's all about next year, so there will be bruises in the process.

Makonnen · 02-14-2025, 11:18 AM

We start with the HR Derby.

#2001 HR Derby

The most disappointing news is Babe Ruth's absence, as the Black Yankees' slugger is still recovering form a hip injury--hopefully Ruth will be available for the game itself.

Ruth was replaced by his teammate, Mickey Mantle, with the opening round matchups being Miami's José Canseco and Birmingham's Hank Aaron, the House of David's Ernie Banks and Brooklyn's Mike Piazza, Mantle and Cleveland's Ron Blomberg, and the Gotham's Willie Mays and Ottawa's Larry Walker.

The match of the opening round was Canseco and Aaron, with Miami's slugger winning, 11-10. Willie Mays had the most bombs in the opening round, beating walker 12-6. The other two matchups were close, but less thrilling: Banks beat Piazza 9-8 and Blomberg edged Mantle, 5-4.

Canseco did himself one better in the second round, leaving Banks with quite a challenge. The House of David shortstop could only manage 7, so Canseco advanced to the final, where he will face off with Mays, who edged Blomberg, 8-7.

Mays hit 9 out in the final round, quite a reachable target for Canseco. Canseco delivered his worst result of the day ... but it was enough, and he took home the crown, 10-9, earning himself a hug from his pop star girlfriend.

#The 2001 All Star Game

The only bad news for the day: the Black Yankees' superstar Babe Ruth will be sitting this one out as he's still recovering from a bruised hip.

The NL will, as expected, start Toad Ramsey, planning to run the Houston starter for 2 innings. For the AL, San Francisco's Lefty Grove insisted on taking the ball despite being a little short on rest; as such the Sea Lions' hurler is likely to only throw 1 inning. He was followed by his teammate, Bump Hadley.

Hadley ran into trouble, with walks to Larry Walker (OTT) and Ernie Banks (HOD) sandwiched around an error by Mike Schmidt (NYY) at third. But Hadley struck out Willie Stargell (HOM) and induced a popup from Will Clark (NYG) to end the threat.

Kansas City's A. Rube Foster's turn on the mound was a bit rougher: Arky Vaughan (CLE) greeted the WBL ERA leader with a double, followed by a single to Vaughan's teammate, Tris Speaker. Vaughan scored on a double-play from Rogers Hornsby (POR), putting the AL up, 1-0.

In the bottom of the frame, Doc Gooden (LAA) got 2 quick outs before walking Josh Gibson (HOM). Charles Rogan (PHI) pinch-ran for Gibson, stole 2nd, and scored on a single from Walker. Rogan's use meant we would not see the 2-way player on the mound during the contest.

Ron Blomberg (CLE) put the AL back on top, greeting Hardie Henderson (PHI) with a homer to left, but Stargell justified his inclusion in the game by taking Chicago's Ed Walsh out to tie the score at 2.

The pattern continued: Evan Longoria (CLE) took Frank Castillo (KCM) deep, and the AL was back up, 3-2, but Rogan greeted Andy Pettitte (NYY) with a moonshot to center, tying us up again at 3. But this time, something different: Walker followed Rogan with a homerun of his own, and the NL led for the first time, 4-3.

It wasn't to last. After a single by Blomberg, Boston's Ted Williams took Jim Whitney (BBB) out of the park, and the AL was back on top, 5-4. A single from Aaron Judge and Longoria went deep for the 2nd time in the game, putting the AL up 7-4. Turkey Stearnes (SFS) added a 2 run shot, Ty Cobb (DET) a solo dinger, and Frank Thomas (CAG) a 3 run shot, and by the time the dust cleared, the AL had a 13-4 lead.

The NL scored a few more times--an RBI double from Judge, another homer from Rogan being the big hits--but it was never actually close.

ELEVEN homeruns. That's a fun game, for sure.

Longoria was named the MVP, although Rogan's performance--2 for 3 with 3 runs scored and 2 homers--certainly drew raves.

AL 13 (Pettitte W) @ NL 8 (Whitney L, B Sv)
HRs: AL - Blomberg, Longoria 2, Williams, Thomas, Stearnes, Cobb; NL - Stargell, Walker, Rogan 2.
Box Score

Makonnen · 02-17-2025, 12:49 PM

Welcome to the mid-season merry-go-round! These deals tend to be a little less desperate than those at the end of August, but we have some significant movement below for sure as teams make declarations about their intentions over the final months of the season. Rogers Hornsby and Richie Sexson were traded for the 2nd time at the All-Star Break, each changing teams last season as well.

Quote:

Baltimore sends John Wetteland & a 4th Round Pick to Portland for Mike Cuellar.

Wetteland's struggles this year don't eliminate his immense upside, and this trade reunites Cuellar with his historical team. It also reinforces Baltimore's belief that the Black Sox are closer to competing than Portland may be.

Quote:

Miami sends Ryan Braun, Richie Sexson & a 7th Round Pick to Birmingham for Jim Whitney, Andy Pafko, José Cruz, and a 2nd Round Pick.

This one is tricky. Miami is in the unfamiliar position of potentially competing for a playoff spot, and are in desperate need of pitching. Whitney is a first-time all-star, so he is being sold at what is most likely his peak value. Braun is clearly a force, but moving him allows Miami to clearly define roles for Jim Thome and Gary Sheffield and to expand playing time for Yasiel Puig and Al Oliver (Pafko's acquisition is seen as relatively short-term, with his versatility aiding in the Cuban Giants' playoff push). From Birmingham's perspective, Braun immediately becomes a significant lineup addition, and Sexson has a much clearer road to the WBL with the Black Barons.

Quote:

San Francisco sends John Beckwith & a 3rd Round Pick to the House of David for Frank Grant.

A straight up future talent deal. The Sea Lions think they have their 2B issue solved with this deal, and since Grant is already in the WBL, they had to throw in the pick. It's not clear where Beckwith plays for the House of David--or when he arrives--but a bat like his will eventually not be denied.

Quote:

Los Angeles sends Don Buford to the New York Gothams for Freddie Patek and a 2nd and a 5th Round Pick

LA is rebuilding, at least slightly, and Buford has struggled this year, while the Gothams need help both in LF and at 2B. Patek has a future, but the 22 draft picks are the meat of the deal.

Quote:

Philadelphia sends Larry Jackson to the House of David for Jung Ho Kang, Luis Aparicio, and a 7th Round Pick.

The House of David wanted pitching; given how established in the WBL Jackson is, they would have to pay relatively dearly for it. Aparicio has a massive amount of upside at a position the Stars lack, the rest is to make it all acceptable.

Quote:

Cleveland send Victor Martinez, Bill Drake, and a 1st Round Pick to Detroit for Ed Bailey and Claude Passeau.

Bailey started the all-star game, but at 37, may be close to done. With Detroit looking to the future and Cleveland trying to make a late push for the playoffs, the Wolverines got to essentially name their price: a C for the future, a strong SP prospect, and a pick seems about right.

Quote:

Kansas City sent Heliodoro Hidalgo, Jimmy Key, and a 3rd Round Pick to the House of David for Joe Harris and Lee Smith.

The Monarchs addressed 2 significant needs as they try to make a 2nd half push, adding 2 players who were in consideration for the all star game. Both are well into their 30s, but still Kansas City's price was steep, as Hidalgo is an excellent prospect and Key still has some life in his arm.

Quote:

The Black Yankees sent Willie Randolph, Jake Peavy, Bill Monbouquette, and a 1st Round Pick to Portland for Rogers Hornsby and Pascual Pérez.

Trying to avoid a repeat of last-season's collapse, the Black Yankees did the same thing, perhaps overpaying for an all-star 2B. This time, it's Hornsby, who certainly seems less likely to fade than Tom Herr did last year. Portland was willing to include the immediate value of Pérez for Monbouquette and the currently injured Peavy. If he returns to his potential, this could be a steal for the Sea Dogs, who also get some insurance at 2B in the form of Randolph.

Quote:

Indianapolis sent a 4th Round Pick to Homestead for Chris Sabo.

The ABC's needed some depth at 3B. Shrug.

Quote:

Brooklyn sends a 4th Round Pick to Memphis for Vern Stephens.

Stephens carries a hefty salary (which Memphis will help offset) and has been awful this year. But the Royal Giants are desperate for help at SS.

Makonnen · 02-18-2025, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Team W/L Pct GB
New York Black Yankees 55-35 .611 --
Cleveland Spiders 49-38 .563 4.5
Memphis Red Sox 43-45 .489 11
Detroit Wolverines 40-47 .460 13.5
Baltimore Black Sox 38-52 .422 17
Bill James Division | 9 July

#Baltimore Black Sox

The Black Sox recalled Buddy Groom and Bobby Wallace from rehab assignments, sending RA Dickey and Dave Anderson to AAA. They also named Johnny Sain and newly-acquired Mike Cuellar to fill out the rotation.

Wallace's return is complicated--honestly, the Black Sox had hoped to deal the veteran, but found the market wanting, especially given his recent injury. Wallace returns to a backup role behind Cal Ripken, Jr., although he will see some time at 3B as well.

Frank Robinson homered twice and drove in 5 as the Black Sox won a slugfest over Memphis, 12-11.

#Cleveland Spiders

Cleveland's trades led to some roster shuffling. Joe Smith and Chico Walker were sent to AAA to clear room for Claude Passeau and Ed Bailey. Bob Feller and Pat Malone were named to the rotation for the Spiders with Passeau starting off in Cleveland's bullpen for the time being.

Evan Longoria won a see-saw game with a walkoff homer in the bottom of the 10th against the Black Yankees. John Ellis, Larry Doby, Ron Blomberg, and Bailey also went deep for the Spiders in the 9-7 victory.

#Detroit Wolverines

Recently acquired Victor Martinez steps into the reserve catching role for Detroit, who have also decided to juggle their middle infield, with Tony Lazzeri being recalled from AAA to take over at SS. JD Martinez was also recalled to add some power from the bench, with Billy Nash heading down to AAA.

George Bechtel was added to the rotation while Felipe Vásquez was sent to AAA in exchange for Mike Griffin.

It's not quite the wholesale commitment to youth some have been asking for (Lazzeri is 36, replacing George Davis who is 35), but it's something. I guess.

The Martinez boys came through, with JD hitting a homerun in his first WBL at-bat and Victor adding 3 hits in a 3-2, 10 inning win over Los Angeles. Ty Cobb hit one out in the top of the 10th for the go-ahead run.

#Memphis Red Sox

The Red Sox recalled Iván De Jesús to fill a utility role. One impact of this is allowing Dobie Moore to focus more exclusively on SS.

David Ortiz went deep twice and Manny Ramírez homered a record-tying 3 times (the second time this year he's done that), driving in 7 ... but the Red Sox failed to hold several leads, falling to Baltimore, 12-11.

#New York Black Yankees

Dave Righetti started a rehab assignment. AJ Burnett and Josh Harrison were sent to AAA, with newcomers Pascual Pérez and Rogers Hornsby stepping right into the rotation and the starting lineup, respectively.

Babe Ruth went deep twice in a 12 inning, 8-4 win over Cleveland. Lou Gehrig did the same the next day, but once again Aroldis Chapman couldn't hold a lead, and the Spiders won in extra innings, 9-7. This latest meltdown may trigger a shakeup in the Black Yankees' bullpen, with Goose Gossage taking over the closer role.

Makonnen · 02-19-2025, 11:14 AM

Code:

Team  W/L  Pct  GB  
 San Francisco Sea Lions  55-34  .618  --  
 Miami Cuban Giants  44-46  .489  11.5  
 Chicago American Giants  42-47  .472  13  
 Los Angeles Angels  39-49  .443  15.5  
 Portland Sea Dogs  39-51  .433  16.5
 Cum Posey Division | 9 July

#Los Angeles Angels

Jack Gleason was recalled to take Don Buford's roster spot. Buford's absence means Kal Daniels becomes the Angels' everyday LF with Elmer Smith entering a platoon with Steve Garvey at DH.

Mike Trout and Carlos Delgado hit back-to-back homeruns in the bottom of the 11th as the Angels beat Detroit, 9-8. Delgado's was his 2nd of the day and the blasts left both him and Trout with 21 dingers each on the season.

#Miami Cuban Giants

Steven Wright was sent to AAA, clearing room for Jim Whitney, who moved directly into Miami's rotation.

Whitney made a solid debut with just over 6 scoreless innings, but it took a walkoff homer from Iván Rodríguez in the bottom of the 10th for the Cuban Giants to triumph over Portland, 5-4. Jim Thome went deep twice in the game, giving him 34 on the year.

#Portland Sea Dogs

John Wetteland--despite his struggles with Baltimore--will join Portland's bullpen with Bobby Witt returning to AAA. Additionally, Joseíto Muñoz was named to the rotation, with Jerry Koosman, who is returning from a rehab assignment, taking up the role of the departed Mike Cuellar in the Sea Dogs' bullpen.

Rogers Hornsby's departure is a little more complicated: Paul Molitor will take over most of the time at 2B, with Willie Randolph as his backup and Eddie Yost was recalled from the minors to provide some depth at 3B.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Jimmy Bloodworth has gone from fan favorite to AAA as he was sent down to clear room for Frank Grant, who will take over as the everyday 2B.

Bump Hadley's first start of the second half was more of the same excellence: a 4-hit shutout of Chicago. Hadley, who improved to 13-4, fanned 10 in the 8-0 win, and Jack Clark went deep twice in support of the right-hander.

Makonnen · 02-20-2025, 11:04 AM

Code:

Team  W/L  Pct  GB  
 Brooklyn Royal Giants  51-37  .580  --  
 Homestead Grays  47-40  .540  3.5  
 New York Gothams  44-46  .489  8  
 Philadelphia Stars  44-46  .489  8  
 Ottawa Mounties  40-48  .455  11
 Effa Manley Division | 9 July

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Rick Aguilera was sent to AAA with Dave Von Ohlen returning from injury. Newly acquired Vern Stephens will get a chance to take over at SS, although expect Germany Smith to continue to see a fair bit of time there, with Matty Alou heading back to AAA.

John Briggs had 2 homeruns, the 2nd a walk-off job in the bottom of the 12th as Brooklyn topped the Gothams, 7-6.

#Homestead Grays

Owen Wilson was recalled from his rehab assignment, taking the traded Chris Sabo's roster slot. Sabo's absence means impressive teenager Judy Johnson will move into a platoon at 3B with Andy Van Slyke. Wilson was recalled largely in light of his performance last season, but he'll need to step it up to keep the roster spot, as Van Slyke and Goose Goslin cover the same positions (and, in Van Slyke's case, more).

Goslin hit for the cycle--joining teammate Roberto Clemente as the only players to do so this year--as Homestead beat the House of David, 10-3.

Van Slyke hit the ball over the fence twice, leading the Grays to a 9-5 win over the House of David. Mike Epstein added 3 hits, including a homerun, and Napoleon Lajoie and Honus Wagner also went deep.

#New York Gothams

The Gothams sent Steve Kemp and Pinky Higgins to AAA, with Terry Turner remaining with them solely because of his glove. The Gothams recalled Ryan Zimmerman, who is likely to step directly into the starting lineup at the hot corner.

Don Sutton was named to the Gothams' rotation, and the arrival of Don Buford moves J0-J0 Moore, who has performed quite well, onto the bench.

This roster still doesn't really make sense: they don't have anyone who can competently play RF behind Johnny Callison, and have far too many 1B. The most likely next move is for Pete Runnels to head to the minors with an OF coming back up.

#Ottawa Mounties

Clayton Richard and Chris Bosio moved to AAA with Dave Gregg being recalled from his rehab assignment and Bill Crouch the latest minor league arm recalled for a shot at WBL glory.

#Philadelphias Stars

John Burkett was recalled to take the role of the now-departed Larry Jackson in the Stars' bullpen. Butch Wynegar's time in the WBL was limited, as he was demoted to AAA to clear the way for Bill Dickey, who will take over the bulk of the catching duties.

That is the largest immediate change, although both César Hernández and George Hendrick will see more playing time as Philadelphia tries to overcome their struggles in CF and the middle infield.
Pete Alexander began a rehab assignment.

Makonnen · 02-21-2025, 11:28 AM

Code:

Team  W/L  Pct  GB  
 Kansas City Monarchs  49-41  .544  --  
 Indianapolis ABC's  47-43  .522  2  
 Houston Colt 45s  43-46  .483  5.5  
 Wandering House of David  41-47  .466  7  
 Birmingham Black Barons  39-51  .433  10
 Marvin Miller Division | 9 July

#Birmingham Black Barons

Birmingham named Sam Streeter to its rotation, and sent Fred Fussell to AAA, recalling Alex Malloy from his rehab assignment. They also shook up their bullpen, with all-star Harley Young taking over from Juan Ríncón as closer.

Richie Sexson steps into a platoon with Adrían González at 1B and Ryan Braun looks to take most of the time in LF, essentially pushing Bob Nieman to the bench.

#Houston Colt 45's

Ice Box Chamberlain was added to the rotation. Rick Wise was returned to AAA as the Colt 45's dropped back to a dozen pitchers and recalled Kirby Puckett, adding (yet another) OF possibility.

#Indianapolis ABC's

With the arrival of Chris Sabo, Robin Ventura was returned to AAA after another failed chance.

Emil Frisk's strong start looks to keep Jake Stenzel at AAA even after his rehab assignment expires.

#Kansas City Monarchs

The Monarchs made some moves ... the least noticed was sending promising Matt Morris on a rehab assignment. Dustin Hermanson, Steve Evans, and Jim King were all sent to AAA to make room for Lee Smith, Joe Harris, and Stan Musial's return from a rehab assignment. The choice to keep Cool Papa Bell instead of the far more experienced Evans is sure to cause some controversy.

Craig Kimbrel will be the closer from here on out, depending on Smith and Eddie Guardado to get him the ball, leaving Jeff Pfeffer to hopefully sort himself out in the middle innings.

Harris' arrival will cut into Dale Murphy's playing time, but should strengthen the Monarchs' offense overall.

Robinson Canó and Musial hit 2 out of the park and Ozzie Smith doubled 3 times as the Monarchs beat Houston, 10-4. Frank Castillo--who, it must be said, didn't have the best of outings--improved to 11-1.

#Wandering House of David

Kyle Peterson and Larry Jackson were named to the House of David rotation while Jimmy Key was added to the bullpen. Bob Rush lost his rotation spot, but Jack Taylor holds on to his at least for the time being. Bruce Sutter was sent to AAA, leaving the team without a closer at all: we'll see how that works out for them.

Craig Reynolds, Cap Anson, and Mark McGwire were all recalled as the team tries to sort out its future. Anson and McGwire will essentially rotate at 1B, while Frank Chance will see his playing time behind the plate rise as well.
McGwire went deep twice, but the House of David fell to Homestead, 9-5.

Makonnen · 02-26-2025, 10:52 AM

July 16th

Coming off a short week for most teams.

#Awards

Homestead's Goose Goslin excelled in enough games to earn the NL Player of the Week Award, hitting .667 with 2 homers in the short week, and becoming the 2nd player (and 2nd member of the Grays) to hit for the cycle. In the AL, Memphis' OF Manny Ramírez earned the Award, going 4 for 9 with all 4 hits being homeruns, giving him 29 on the season.

#Team Performance

Given teams only played 3 or 4 games, we'll skip this and come back to it next time.

#Player Performance

I've been meaning to look at splits for a while, now that we have a half-season under our belt, it seemed a decent time.

#Versus Lefty/Righty

Top 5 OPS for each.

Code:

 Name  Team  Slash  
 Charles Rogan  PHI  433/469/1.000  
 Josh Gibson  HOM  439/543/894  
 Rick Reichardt  HOM  365/437/1.000  
 Ernie Banks  HOD  362/397/942  
 Willie Mays  NYG  333/392/931
 Versus LHP

Code:

Name  Team  Slash  
 Ty Cobb  DET  414/465/914  
 Babe Ruth  NYY  311/452/873  
 Ron Blomberg  CLE  328/410/810  
 Gary Carter  OTT  357/405/799  
 Josh Gibson  HOM  390/478/723 
 Versus RHP

Bottom line: Josh Gibson can freaking rake.

#Home v Road

José Canseco's 1.411 OPS and 26 homers lead all players at home. After him, it's predictable given the lists above: Ruth, Cobb, Garter, and Gibson. The road stats are a little more interesting: Brooklyn's Mike Piazza joins 2 players from Birmingham, Hank Aaron and Albert Belle, in the top 5, along with Ruth and Mays. Yeah, Birmingham's home park is murder on hitters.

#Miscellaneous

Here's a fun one: Baltimore's big FA signing Gavvy Cravath is slashing 556/692/1.667 with the bases loaded, with 3 grandslams on the season. Chicago's Paul Konerko and Gibson also have 3 granny's on the season.

And, some random stats as well. 3 players, led by Los Angeles' Bobby Grich, have been hit by a pitch at least 15 times. Grich has been plunked on 22 occasions, Baltimore's Dan McGann 16, and San Francisco's Reggie Jackson on 15.

Miami's Alejandro Oms has 11 sacrifice hits and Portland's Harry Hooper, 10. Those are the only 2 players in double digits. The Sea Lions' Mickey Cochrane has 10 sacrifice flies, more a testament to how good the rest of the San Francisco lineup is at getting on base.

#Injury Report

Some bullpens around the league are playing the waiting game as Baltimore's surprise All-Star, Justin Hampson and Los Angeles' Scott Rice are both awaiting diagnoses as to the severity of their injuries.

Los Angeles' AJ Pierzynski may start a rehab assignment by the end of the week, but he could have a hard time reclaiming his old spot given Ron Hassey's success with the Angels. The House of David's Jim Clinton may be back this week as well.

Makonnen · 02-27-2025, 10:38 AM

The American Giants were a strong playoff team last year. At the halfway mark this season, they find themselves 14 games back in the Cum Posey Division, but only 2.5 games back in the Wild Card race.

But, it's not enough: this team should be doing better.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

The problems are clear: an offense that falls off dramatically after its top half, struggles on the mound, and issues at a couple key positions (CF and SS). The solutions aren't so obvious, and if things aren't better by mid-August, the American Giants are a candidate to mortgage their future to address those shortcomings.

THE OFFENSE

The top end--Frank Thomas, Joe Jackson, Eddie Collins, and the surprising Paul Konerko are all excellent and, especially if Dick Allen regains his stroke, may be enough to carry Chicago in a playoff run. But Chicago regularly trots out 5 starters with OPS' below .750, leaving too many holes.

#What's Going Right

The big 4 are stunning. Thomas and Shoeless Joe are virtually tied in OPS around .975, with Konerko not too far behind.

Carlton Fisk lags behind in OPS, but as a C, he's well above average, and leads the American Giants with 21 homers. Thomas leads in RBIs and Jackson has an incredible 41 2Bs.

Collins isn't the all around leader of last season, but 309/406/418 with 41 SBs from a middle infielder is nothing to sneeze at.

#What's Not Going Right

The 2 obvious problems are SS and CF. Freddy Parent, picked up at last year's All-Star break, has been thoroughly disappointing, with an OPS under .550 (although he has flashed some decent leather). Damian Jackson has been given some opportunities, but has fared even worse offensively.

In CF, 18 year old Cristóbal Torriente is clearly still a large part of Chicago's future. But he may not be part of their present: 188/235/245 won't cut it, no matter how fast you are or how good you are in the field. This issue has gotten better: Vernon Wells has taken over for Torriente, and is doing alright.

I have no idea how to evaluate Mike Fiore. He's hitting .181, but his OBP is .340, and he has 12 homers. Is that going right? Going wrong? No idea, but I think going wrong.

Duffy Lewis was injured at the start of the year, and hasn't clicked since, and is increasingly losing time to Kevin Mitchell in LF.

THE PITCHING

It's not bad. And some of it--Ed Walsh, Akinori Otsuka--is downright excellent. But everything else needs to step forward.

#What's Going Right

Last year's Rookie of the Year, Ed Walsh, is pitching fantastically, despite a modest 6-4 record, sporting a 3.55 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP.

Akinori Otsuka, Tom Williams, and Hoyt Wilhelm are a very solid trio in the bullpen, especially Otsuka and Williams.

#What's Not Going Right

Last year's ace, Tricky Nichols, has struggled mightily, with an ERA approaching 7.00, and is in danger of losing his spot in the rotation.

The trio of Jamie Moyer, Ben Sheets, and Mark Buehrle have been ... thoroughly meh. Just meh. Meh not's good enough for the playoffs.

AJ Minter has a dozen saves, but also an ERA of roughly 6.50.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

The jewel of the system is the much-traveled Chino Smith. What's not clear is if Smith will be used as trade bait at the deadline or be asked to move to SS--he's not going to unseat Collins at 2B.

There is some decent OF talent here: Lenny Dykstra, Walter Davis, Henry Cotto, and Jorge Orta has the bat, if not the glove, to help a WBL team.

On the mound, Jacob deGrom, Harry Buckner, Scott Radinsky, and Ted Lyons all have some ceiling.

So, yeah, some help here.

WHAT'S NEEDED

The bottom of the lineup to step forward, and the pitching overall to improve a shade across the board.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

How is the rotation going to fall out? Can Ed Walsh handle a fulltime starting role, and can Mark Buehrle and Ben Sheets handle the back end of the rotation? Still a question, with Walsh, Buehrle, and Sheets now being asked to move up in the rotation.
How long do the American Giants stick with Parent–he’s fine, but his level of play over the second half of the season (after the American Giants picked him up from Ottawa) was below championship. How long, indeed.

FEATURED SERIES

The American Giants start the week hosting Memphis for 4 games, so we'll look at those.

Projected Starters

Memphis' starter listed first.

David Bush (5-3, 5.98) @ Tricky Nichols (4-8, 6.89)
Jameson Taillon (2-3, 5.12) @ Ben Sheets (4-9, 5.69)
Stubby Overmire (8-6, 4.70) @ Ed Walsh (6-4, 3.55)
Jon Lester (5-4, 5.61) @ Mark Buehrle (6-8, 4.61)

So. Much. Mediocrity. Although the Overmire-Walsh tilt should be a good one. Both teams can score a lot of runs, so let's say this one goes 2-2.

Before the first game, the American Giants made a move, promoting Rocky Colavito to the big leagues to take the place of Mike Fiore. Colavito and Mitchell will split time in LF, with Duffy Lewis taking on an unfamiliar bench role.

Game One

Carlton Fisk put the American Giants up 1-0 in the 2nd with a solo shot to left. Joe Jackson added to the lead the next inning with a sacrifice fly to deep center, scoring Freddy Parent. Fisk would add a 3rd run in the most unlikely of ways: a walk, a stolen base, and then crossing the plate on a single from Vernon Wells, and Dick Allen would go deep in the 4th, increasing the lead to 4-0.

Tricky Nichols recaptured some of his form from last year, holding the Red Sox scoreless until Gabby Hartnett hit a 2-run shot in the top of the 7th, closing gap to 4-2 and chasing Nichols from the mound in favor of Hoyt Wilhelm. Wilhelm got through the inning without further damage, other than a double from Dobie Moore.

A homer from Wells was offset by a sacrifice fly from Ted Williams, so the lead was still 2, at 5-3 in favor of Chicago.

The American Giants added a couple in the 8th with the key hits being a triple from Jackson and another RBI hit form Fisk. It turned out to matter, as David Ortiz took AJ Minter deep with 2 on and 2 out in the top of the 9th, bringing Memphis within 1 run at 7-6. Minter was able to induce a groundout from Wade Boggs, bringing home the victory for Chicago.

MEM 6 (Feliciano 0-1; Kennedy 6 BSv; Kilby 2 BSv) @ CAG 7 (Ryan 2-2)
HRs: MEM - Hartnett (18), Ortiz (20); CAG - Fisk (22), Allen (17), Wells (8).
Box Score

Game Two

Game 2 will pit Memphis' Jameson Taillon against Chicago's Ben Sheets in a matchup of end-of-rotation starters.

Memphis took the lead in the 3rd, scoring 1 on a Wade Boggs double and 2 more on a two-bagger from Bill White. Dobie Moore added a solo shot in the 4th, making it 4-0.

Taillon was sailing along, holding Chicago scoreless through 6. But Joe Jackson singled and Frank Thomas went deep, halving the deficit and chasing Taillon. Sheets, who calmed down after Moore's shot, lasted until 1 out in the 7th, when a double from Reggie Smith sent him to the showers.

Joe Lake, Sheets' replacement, gave up an RBI single to Ted Williams, increasing Memphis' lead to 5-2, cut to 5-3 when Jackson tripled home Eddie Collins. Dave Nilsson singled in one in the 8th, but Andrew Miller got Collins to groundout with the bases loaded, keeping the Red Sox up by 1, 5-4.

An RBI from Smith sent us to the bottom of the 9th with the Red Sox up, 6-4, with their closer, Jonathan Papelbon, coming in from the bullpen.

Papelbon whiffed 2, and the series was tied at a game apiece.

Moore and Smith had 3 hits each for the Red Sox.

MEM 6 (Taillon 3-3; Papelbon 14 Sv; de la Cruz 1 H; Roach 9 H; Miller 8 H) @ CAG 4 (Sheets 4-10)
HRs: MEM - Moore (8); CAG - Thomas (20).
Box Score

Game Three

Tied at one, we get the premier pitching matchup of the series, with Memphis' Stubby Overmire taking on Chicago's Ed Walsh. It's a bit of an odd game for the American Giants, with several regulars getting the day off, resulting in a bit of a patchwork lineup. So, we'll see.

Walsh gave up 2 in the 2nd on 2-out RBI's from DJ LeMahieu and Billy Bryan. Reggie Smith hit his 23rd homer of the year in the 5th, extending the lead to 3-0. Meanwhile, Overmire was dealing, holding Chicago scoreless through 5 on only 2 hits. despite loading the bases in the 2nd.

Overmire departed in the 7th after surrendering his 6th walk, to Rocky Colavito, and an infield hit to Freddy Parent. Heath Bell loaded the bases, but escaped without damage.

That was it, really: Bell pitched well in the 8th and Jonathan Papelbon shut the door in the 9th on a combined 3 hit shutout.

MEM 3 (Overmire 9-6; Papelbon 15 Sv; Bell 5 H) @ CAG 0 (Walsh 6-5)
HRs: MEM - Smith (23); CAG - none.
Box Score

Game Four

The American Giants will try to salvage a split behind Mark Buehrle who will be opposed by Memphis' Jon Lester.

The full strength lineup for the American Giants came through immediately, as Frank Thomas launched a 3 run homerun in the bottom of the 1st. But Jack McAleese--who seems to have locked down the utility OF spot for the Red Sox--drove home 2 in the 2nd and scored on a base hit from Dobie Moore, tying the game at 3.

Ted Williams launched his 25th of the year in the 3rd, giving Memphis a 1 run lead. Chicago evened the score the following inning on a sacrifice fly from Paul Konerko. That lasted into the top of the 5th, when Williams went deep again, this time with a man on. 6-4 Memphis. Buehrle made it into the 6th but a DJ LeMahieu double chased him from the game. His relief, David Price, allowed 2 more runs, making the edge 8-4, Red Sox.

Lester got through the 5th, but by that point he had given up 7 walks and was clearly fatigued. Then, suddenly and surprisingly, the relievers figured out how to pitch, keeping it scoreless until Memphis added a few more in the top of the 9th.

Just about the only bad news for Memphis was Moore having to leave the game after being hit on the hand with a pitch: his ultimate injury status is yet to be known.

MEM 11 (Lester 6-4; Roach 1 Sv) @ CAG 4 (Buehrle 6-9)
HRs: MEM - Williams 2 (26); CAG - Thomas (21).
Box Score

This is emblematic of everything disappointing about Chicago's year so far: loss after loss and question after question of what if and what's next. This team needs some help: immediately, they are looking at sending AJ Minter down to AAA and installing Akinori Otsuku as the closer, but it's going to take more than that.

Makonnen · 02-28-2025, 12:04 PM

Code:

Team  W/L  Pct  GB  
 New York Black Yankees  56-37  .602  --  
 Cleveland Spiders  51-39  .563  3.5  
 Memphis Red Sox  44-47  .484  11  
 Detroit Wolverines  41-50  .451  14  
 Baltimore Black Sox  40-53  .430  16
 Bill James Division | 16 July

#Baltimore Black Sox

A rough year gets rougher, as surprise all-star Justin Hampson will miss most of the rest of the season. RA Dickey, who was decently effective in an earlier run with the Black Sox, was recalled.

Manny Machado hit 2 out giving him 29 for the year, but the Black Sox bullpen couldn't hold a lead and Baltimore fell to San Francisco, 11-9.

#Cleveland Spiders

Al Smith was recalled from a rehab assignment, with Claude Passeau heading back to AAA.

Bob Feller and Ron Reed combined on a 2-hit shutout of Baltimore, with the Spiders taking the contest 5-0. Feller, who improved to 5-3, allowed 2 hits (but 7 walks) in 7 innings, and Reed was perfect in relief.

Recent acquisition Ed Bailey went deep twice, giving him 4 in his short tenure with the Spiders, as Cleveland topped Detroit, 7-4. Bill Steen was solid, improving to 8-5, and Reed and Cory Gearrin did their job, getting the ball to Terry Adams who picked up his 16th save.

#Detroit Wolverines

George Bechtel hit the DL, with Detroit recalling Gene Conley, who may have gotten himself straightened out at AAA after a miserable start to the year.

#Memphis Red Sox

Dobie Moore will miss a couple of weeks, prompting the Red Sox to recall veteran IF Nomar Garciaparra. Garciaparra had 2 hits in his first game, but was overshadowed by Travis Shaw's 2 homeruns as the Red Sox beat the Black Yankees, 8-7 in 12 innings.

In need of a starter, the Red Sox moved Bill Doak to AAA, recalling Nixey Callahan.

#New York Black Yankees

Jack Scott was sent to AAA to make room for Dave Righetti's return from the DL. Righetti will move to the bullpen for the time being. It was expected that Nick Etten would head down when Don Mattingly returned, but Etten just continues to mash the ball, leaving Tom Herr the odd man out.

Righetti's return lasted one appearance, as a strained back will put him on the shelf for up to 22 weeks. Needing a starter, the Black Yankees recalled Tony Brizzolara, the only rested arm at AAA.

Makonnen · 03-03-2025, 10:42 AM

Code:

Team  W/L  Pct  GB  
 San Francisco Sea Lions  57-35  .620  --  
 Miami Cuban Giants  46-47  .495  11.5  
 Chicago American Giants  43-49  .467  14  
 Los Angeles Angels  42-50  .457  15  
 Portland Sea Dogs  40-53  .430  17.5
 Cum Posey Division | 16 July

#Los Angeles Angels

Mark Ellis and Doug Rader each hit 2 out of the park as the Angels defeated Miami, 10-7.

Scott Rice will be out about 6 weeks. The Angels' AAA team has very little to offer, with veteran arm Darren Holmes seeming the best choice for the bullpen.

Kal Daniels went deep twice, but the Angels' bullpen imploded as Los Angeles fell to Portland, 9-5, allowing all 9 runs in the final 2 innings of the contest.

#Miami Cuban Giants

José Canseco hit his 41st and 42nd homerun of the season in the late innings, leading Miami to a 12-7 win over Chicago.

José Méndez tossed a complete game, 2-hit shutout as the Cuban Giants again beat Chicago, this time by the slenderest of margins, 1-0. Méndez improved to 9-5, with a 2-out RBI double from Martín Dihigo proving the difference in the contest.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Buddy Bell tied the WBL record with 3 homeruns as Portland held on for a 5-4 victory over the New York Black Yankees.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Watty Clark hit the DL with a strained back, as the Sea Lions recalled Bobby Seay.

Sal Bando hit 2 out as the Sea Lions took a see-saw battle from Baltimore, 11-9.

Makonnen · 03-04-2025, 11:08 AM

Code:

Team  W/L  Pct  GB  
 Brooklyn Royal Giants  53-38  .582  --  
 Homestead Grays  51-40  .560  2  
 New York Gothams  45-48  .484  9  
 Ottawa Mounties  43-48  .473  10  
 Philadelphia Stars  44-49  .473  10
 Effa Manley Division | 16 July

#Brooklyn Royal Giants

Mike Piazza hit 2 out, leading the Royal Giants to a 13-1 walkover of Homestead. As importantly, Don Drysedale continued his midseason resurgence, improving to 8-4 with 7 plus innings allowing only an unearned run.

#Homestead Grays

Andy Van Slyke went deep twice for the second week in a row, hitting 2 out in a 13-2 trouncing of Houston. Roberto Clemente, Josh Gibson, and Judy Johnson also hit homeruns as Doug Drabek improved to 4-5 on the year.

#New York Gothams

Don Buford has fit right in since arriving with the Gothams, hitting 2 out in a 9-7 win over Ottawa. Willie Mays hit a grandslam for his 33rd of the year, and Don Sutton improved to 10-3 with Brian Wilson picking up his 14th save.

#Ottawa Mounties

Old Hoss Radbourn still has it from time to time: the Mounties' erstwhile ace tossed a 2 hit shutout as Ottawa topped the Gothams, 10-0. Radbourn walked 4 and whiffed 8 in the effort, improving his record to 10-7. Rusty Staub, Álex Rodríguez, and Brad Ausmus each went deep in support of Radbourn.

#Philadelphia Stars

Aaron Judge went deep twice--bringing him to 30 on the year--and the Stars edged Houston, 6-4 in a game marked by a solid string of performances from the Stars' bullpen with John Burkett, Fred Cambria, Pedro Feliciano, and Bob Howry combining to allow only a single run over 4 innings.

Makonnen · 03-05-2025, 11:16 AM

Code:

Team  W/L  Pct  GB  
 Kansas City Monarchs  50-43  .538  --  
 Indianapolis ABC's  49-44  .527  1  
 Houston Colt 45s  45-477  .489  4.5  
 Wandering House of David  41-51  .446  8.5  
 Birmingham Black Barons  40-53  .430  10
 Marvin Miller Division | 16 July

#Birmingham Black Barons

Sam Streeter will miss a few starts with shoulder inflammation. Rube Melton was recalled from AAA to take his place in the interim.

Jim Pagliaroni went deep twice and Birmingham topped Kansas City, 7-4.
#Houston Colt 45's

Teenager Leon Day was returned to AAA with 20 year old Vida Blue being recalled to make his WBL debut.

Craig Biggio hit 2 out but Houston fell to Philadelphia, 9-5.

#Indianapolis ABC's

Emil Frisk, who has done quite well since being recalled, will miss about a month with an abdominal strain. Jake Stenzel--who started the season with Indianapolis, but was injured himself--was recalled.

George Foster hit 2 homeruns as the ABC's beat the House of David, 9-4.

#Wandering House of David

Sammy Sosa and Ernie Banks each went deep twice as the House of David beat Indianapolis, 13-5. Ron Santo, Ryne Sandberg, and Mark McGwire also hit homeruns, with McGwire's being his 5th in only 8 games.

Makonnen · 03-27-2025, 09:59 AM

July 23rd

Coming off a short week for most teams.

#Awards

A .500 average and 3 homeruns was enough for Jeff Bagwell of the Houston Colt 45's to win the NL Player of the Week Award while, in the AL, Portland's resurgent Buddy Bell took home the Award, doing even better over the span by hitting .522 with 4 dingers.

#Team Performance

The yawner is the Cum Posey Division, where San Francisco continues to coast with the best record in the league, leading the division by 15 games and going 8-22 over their last 10 contests.

In the Bill James Division, where the New York Black Yankees once looked as comfortable as San Francisco, the Cleveland Spiders have closed to within 2.5 games of New York. That's the same margin the Brooklyn Royal Giants hold over Homestead in the Effa Manley Division while, over in the Marvin Miller Division, it's a 3 team race between Kansas City, Indianapolis, and Houston with only 2.55 games separating those 3 franchises.

Baltimore continues to flounder with the worst record in the WBL at 41-58.

#Player Performance

#Batters

Returning to this, a few things stand out: Detroit's Ty Cobb has hit a little bit of a lull, pulling his average well below .400 while Babe Ruth keeps doing Babe Ruth things, but isn't as dominant as he has been in past moments. All of this has allowed the exploits of Homestead's Josh Gibson to come to the forefront.

Gibson was an all-star, but he was overshadowed by Cobb and Ruth until now. But he's slashing 407/500/781, which may make the young backstop the most dangerous bat in the league at the moment.

As always, top 3 in most stats with the leaders in bold.

It's an odd list, as the gap between the truly elite performers--essentially Gibson, Cobb, and Ruth and, maybe, Cleveland's Tris Speaker--and the next group is pretty wide.

Ron Blomberg (CLE). 286/355/681. 38 HR, 101 RBI.
José Canseco (MCG). 252/370/709. 42 HR.
Oscar Charleston (IND). 345/390/639. 130 H, 11 3B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 381/432/818. 130 H, 41 2B, 5.8 WAR.
Kal Daniels (LAA). 331/434/626.
Josh Gibson (HOM). 407/500/781. 1221 H, 6.5 WAR.
Tony Gwynn (HOU). 366/406/563. 130 H.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 260/386/482. 63 BB, 69 SB.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 362/407/592. 124 H, 44 2B.
Stan Musial (KCM). 325/390/573. 40 2B.
Mike Piazza (BRK). 313/350/709. 38 HR.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 291/428/769. 47 HR, 108 RBI, 94 R, 78 BB, 6.0 WAR.
Tris Speaker (CLE). 343/423/692. 81 R.
Larry Walker (OTT). 274/355/669. 38 HR, 93 RBI.
Ted Williams (MEM). 306/419/636. 81 R, 63 BB.

#Pitchers

#Starters

All 6 players with 12 or more wins are listed.

A. Rube Foster (KCM). 6-2, 2.48. 0.93 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 12-4, 3.86. 156 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-6, 4.24. 169 K.
Bump Hadley (SFS). 14-4, 3.62. 3.55 FIP.
Orel Hershiser (BRK). 12-5, 3.76.
José Méndez (MCG). 9-5, 4.12. 3.9 WAR.
Luis Padrón (IND). 13-3, 3.70. 3.57 FIP, 4.4 WAR.
Eddie Plank (SFS). 14-4, 3.90.
Toad Ramsey (HOU). 13-5, 2.82. 175 K, 0.93 WHIP, 2.81 FIP, 6.1 WAR.
Jim Whitney (MCG). 5-2, 2.88. 1 Sv, 2 H. 0.98 WHIP.

#Relievers

22 IP Min.

Rod Beck (SFS). 3-2, 3.58. 25 Sv, 1 H. 0.76 WHIP.
Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-2, 5.48. 12 H.
Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-1, 3.14. 20 Sv.
Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-1, 1.87. 1 Sv, 6 H.
Bob Howry (PHI). 3-1, 3.91. 13 Sv. 0.78 WHIP.
Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-4, 3.48. 1 Sv, 14 H.
Josh Lindblom (HOM). 4-3, 3.44. 25 Sv.
Robb Nen (NYG). 3-2, 1.72. 10 Sv, 9 H.
Lee Smith (KCM). 4-1, 2.37. 6 Sv, 6 H. 0.82 WHIP.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.19. 14 Sv.

#Injury Report

Detroit's Mike Henneman may start a rehab assignment later in the week.

Makonnen · 03-28-2025, 11:41 AM

The Mounties were awful last season. At 4 games under .500, they're unlikely to make the playoffs, but they are a far better team this year, easily one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the league ... but still with one of the worst staffs around. So there's that.

HOME PAGE | ROSTER | POSITIONAL STRENGTH | LEADERS

Odd how much optimism can be generated by a team whose record isn't very good.

THE OFFENSE

It's all good here, end to end. When the only offensive black hole is your backup catcher, your offense is doing OK. Ten--TEN--Mounties are in double digit homeruns, from Tim Raines at 14 to Larry Walker's 38.

#What's Going Right

Gary Carter and Larry Walker are among the best in the league at their positions, with Walker leading the team in HR and RBI.

Roberto Alomar has blossomed, and leas the team in H with an OPS in the .950s, which is incredibly strong for a middle infielder. His partner at SS, Álex Rodríguez, has finally begun to deliver on his promise, validating Ottawa's decision to retain him last season.

The rest of the lineup is solid, with everyone delivering OPS' between .800 and .850. It's a fairly consistent model--mediocre BAs, a decent OBP, and a ton of power. Tim Raines--2nd in the WBL in SB by 1 at 68--is the exception to the model, but his value remains clear.

Special mention has to be made of Rick Monday. Not really thought of as a significant prospect, Monday has flourished, slashing 302/385/755 closing in on 200 PAs. A CF by trade, Monday's future is uncertain as his current performance clearly exceeds a role as Carlos Beltrán's backup, but with Walker in RF and Raines in LF, it's not clear where he can move to.

#What's Not Going Right

Brad Ausmus has already announced his retirement at the end of the season. He's being kept around for his, um, veteran leadership at this point.

I mean ... that's about it. Bob Watson struggled and was sent to AAA, and Mike Dorgan is back to being a useful utility player instead of a world-beater.

It's been a good year at the plate in Ottawa so far. However ...

THE PITCHING

Yoikes. Yoikes, yoikes, and yoikes.

#What's Going Right

Roy Halladay continues to tantalize, showing flashes of ace-ish potential. Halladay sits at 10-6 with an ERA under 5.00, and has yet to put it all together for an extended length of time, but the potential is there.

Bill Smith has pitched excellently when healthy, sitting at 8-2 with a 3.225 ERA.

Atlee Hammaker struggled initially, but has pitched very well out of the bullpen, far better than his 6+ ERA would indicate.

Old Hoss Radbourn continues to oscillate between excellence and ... other things. At worst, he's a solid innings eater.

#What's Not Going Right

Nobody else has succeeded as a starter, and the back 3 spots in the rotation have essentially been a revolving door, a situation that has surely been hurt by Bob Brown, Bob Moose, and Gary Peters all being on the DL for extended lengths of time (Moose and Peters are out well into next year). The whole staff has been mediocre at best, but there are some lowlights ...

Randy Johnson is ... perhaps the most frustrating bundle of talent in the WBL? Johnson has been sent to the minors after struggling mightily, but the Mounties hope he returns soon. Ish.

Tom Henke came back from a long term injury to provide an ERA over 7.00 in the closer role.

Jesse Crain, who looked promising initially, is on the verge of being sent back down as his ERA has ballooned over 7.00.

THE FARM SYSTEM

TOP PROSPECTS | MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM

There might be help here, but there isn't much high end talent. As an example, Otto Briggs, Warren Cromartie, Willie Upshaw, Leon Roberts, and Denard Span could all see time, but all are in A ball. Wee Willie Keeler is closer, and perhaps likely to make an impact.

But the Mounties need arms ... and there's just not a ton there. Dan Haren, Mark Eichhorn, Max Scherzer, and Billy Koch all have live arms, but are all at A ball.

WHAT'S NEEDED

The bottom of the lineup to step forward, and the pitching overall to improve a shade across the board.

Storylines to Watch

Key Questions from Spring Training

Can the staff both deliver and stay healthy? No.
Who is the bullpen? Who the hell knows.
How the young talent sorts itself out. This one is working out OK. Walker, Carter, Raines, Staub, and Rodríguez are all 23 or younger.

FEATURED SERIES

The Mounties host Homestead for 3 to start the week.

Projected Starters

Homestead's starter listed first.

Francisco Liriano (6-7, 5.224) @ Roy Halladay (10-66, 4.60)
Doug Drabek (4-5, 4.89) @ Bill Smith (8-2, 3.25)
Cliff Lee (5-2, 6.00) @ Johnny Podgagny (3-3, 4.61)

If the starters take their spots as planned, this may be the rare chance for the Mounties to rely on their mound work. If that happens, I think they take 2 out of 3.

Before this series began, the Mounties named Atlee Hammaker to the 5th spot in their rotation, although it's not clear when his turn will come around.

Game One

Turns out Atlee Hammaker's turn is immediately available, with Roy Halladay not quite recovered from his prior outing. He'll face Homestead's Francisco Liriano, who has pitched very well of late, in this one.

The legend of Josh Gibson just continues ... Homestead's offensive juggernaut took Hammaker deep in the first with Judy Johnson on to give the Grays an early 2-0 lead. Tim Raines started the game for Ottawa with a solo shot, halving the deficit and then Larry Walker launched his 39th of the year, tying the game at 2.

Hammaker allows 2 baserunners in the 2nd, but he got out of it, having gotten 5 of the 6 outs in the game so far via the strikeout. Liriano is faring worse: Adrián Beltré launched a solo shot in the 2nd, and the Mounties scored another on a hit from Sam Thompson.

But Gibson and Rick Reichardt launched back to back shots in the 3rd, tying the game once again until, in the 4th, Willie Stargell hit his 29th, giving the Grays a 5-4 lead. That was it for Hammaker--4 innings and 7 K's, but also 4 homeruns allowed.

Bryn Smith allowed a hit to Johnson, and then Gibson did it once again--his 3rd homerun of the game, launched to deep center.

Liriano made it into the 6th, but hits from Thompson and Mike Dorgan chased him.

Gibson had a chance to become the first player in WBL history to hit 4 out in a game, but had to settle for a double off the CF wall.

But there was one more twist in the game: with 2 runners on in the bottom of the 9th, Ottawa turned to Rick Monday who continued his shocking campaign with a 3-run shot off Michael Jackson to tie the game at 7. That was followed by Dorgan's 2nd homer of the game, and Ottawa had seized the lead, which they doubled on a an RBI double from Beltrán.

So, the top of the 9th was set, with Ottawa's closer Tom Henke destined to face Gibson. Homestead is hard to close out: Andy Van Slyke led off the inning with a homerun. Johnson may have shown his youth, getting thrown out at send trying to stretch a single into a double--an especially poor choice, given Gibson being the next batter.

Henke was very careful, and while it won't go down as an intentional walk, it was as close as can be. Henke wrapped 2 strikeouts around a hit batsman, closing out the game for a surprising win for Ottawa.

Gibson was clearly magnificent, but Johnson and Stargell added 3 hits each, while Mike Epstein whiffed 5 times for the Grays. 11 homeruns in the game highlighted the challenge both teams have with their staffs.

HOM 8 (Jackson 1-5, 5 B Sv; Kemmerer 2 H) @ OTT 9 (Crain 1-2; Henke 9 Sv)
HRs: HOM - Gibson 3 (29), Reichardt (26), Stargell (20), Van Slyke (12); OTT - Raines (15), Walker (39), Beltré (24), Monday (22), Dorgan (2).
Box Score

Game Two

Game 2 will see Roy Halladay face off against Homestead's Doug Drabek.

These teams cannot stop hitting the ball out of the park. Homestead's Mike Epstein and Rick Reichardt went back-to-back in the top of the first.

Drabek had to leave the game in the 3rd with back tightness, bringing in newly promoted Bartolo Colón for his WBL debut. Colón gave up a seeing-eye 2 run single to Gary Carter that tied the game at 3, but Owen Wilson launched his 2nd of the year to put the Grays back on top, 5-3.

Both bullpens locked in at that point: Colón was followed by Rick Ownbey and Ricardo Rincón, turning the ball over to closer Josh Lindblom for the bottom of the 9th. But this Ottawa team is tough: Carter greeted Lindblom with his 35th homer of the year, making it a 1 run game.

Rusty Staub managed a bloop hit, and was replaced at first by Tim Raines, representing the tying run. Raines stole 2nd (his 70th of the year, giving him, at least for the moment, the league lead) and moved to 3rd on a groundout from Carlos Beltrán. A single from Adrián Beltré tied the game, and off to extra innings we went.

Andy Van Slyke walked, stole second, and move to 3rd on a single form Judy Johnson. Josh Gibson was plunked by Clark Griffith to load the bases. Griffith walked in a run, but that was it, and Homestead stuck with Lindblom for the bottom of the 10th. Despite an error in the frame, Lindblom closed out the game.

HOM 6 (Lindblom 5-3, 3 B Sv; Ownbey 5 H; Rincón 2 H) @ OTT 5 (Gregg 0-3)
HRs: HOM - Reichardt (27), Epstein (27), Wilson (2); OTT - Carter (35).
Box Score

After the game, Homestead moved Drabek to the DL, recalling Brickyard Kennedy from AAA.

Game Three

So, 2 one-run games and an even split.

The rubber match would see Homestead's Cliff Lee take on Ottawa's Bill Smith--which should be a fairly significant edge for the Mounties.

And yet ... Andy Van Slyke led the game off with homer against Smith for an early 1-0 lead for the Grays. In the 4th, a double from Honus Wagner, a homer from Napoleon Lajoie, and RBI singles from Josh Gibson and Rick Reichardt made it 6-0 and chased Smith.

The Mounties finally got on the board when Tim Raines stole home (!) for his 72nd swipe of the season.

But Lee was dealing until he was forced from the game in the 7th through injury. At that point, he had a -1 lead, having surrendered only 2 hits. Ray Brown replaced Lee and gave up 2 runs, but the Grays were still up, 7-3 heading into the final 2 frames.

In the bottom of the 9th, Sam Thompson knocked in 2, closing the game to 7-5. The Mounties sent up Rick Monday as a pinch-hitter--could the legend grow? Temporarily, at least! Monday greeted Michael Jackson with a double, making it a 1-run game, 7-6.

Jackson walked Raines ... and gave up a walk-off, 3 run shot to Roberto Alomar, as Ottawa once again rode their offense to a win, both for the game and the series.

HOM 7 (Jackson 1-6, 6 B Sv) @ OTT 9 (Smith, Bry 1-1)
HRs: HOM - Van Slyke (13), Lajoie (8); OTT - Alomar (22).
Box Score

In many ways, this is who Ottawa is: can they hold on by their fingernails on the mound until they find a way to score more runs than you. They hit 7 homers in the 5 games, and Tim Raines swiped 5 bases.

Some recognition does need to go to Josh Gibson, who finished the 3 game series with 3 homers, 7 RBI's and 6 hits in 10 ABs.

Makonnen · 03-31-2025, 10:31 AM

Code:

Team  W/L  Pct  GB  
 New York Black Yankees  59-41  .590  --  
 Cleveland Spiders  54-41  .568  2.5  
 Memphis Red Sox  48-50  .490  10  
 Detroit Wolverines  43-54  .443  14.5  
 Baltimore Black Sox  41-58  .414  17.5
 Bill James Division | 23 July

#Cleveland Spiders

The surprising Steve Gromek headed to the DL, prompting the Spiders to recall the to-date ineffective Hank Gastright once more.

Ed Bailey hit 2 out, but a late comeback fell short as the Spiders fell to Los Angeles, 11-8.

#Detroit Wolverines

Al Kaline hit out 2, reaching 20 for the year, as the Wolverines topped Chicago, 7-5 behind a strong outing from Charlie Root, who evened his record at 8-8.

Joakim Soria will miss a few weeks, prompting Detroit to recall Dick Donovan from AAA.

#Memphis Red Sox

Both Billy Bryan and Ted Williams hit 2 homeruns in an insane game that saw the Red Sox lose, 17-15 to Baltimore in 10 innings. The two teams combined for 19 runs in the final 3 innings in the see-saw affair.

02-04-2025, 11:43 AM	#541
Makonnen All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 913	TWIWBL 71.7: The AL All Stars { Tables are always easier to read on the website; this page is at https://wbl.dmlco.com/wp/2025/02/04/...-al-all-stars/ } For each section, if a player doesn't qualify for batting stats (roughly 270 PA), their G and PA are listed. Bold indicates a leader at that position for the stat; top 3 listed for most stats. One thing became quite clear through all this: the AL is far more potent at the plate than the NL. Here, the challenge is omitting some players with 30 homeruns or near 1.000 OPS. #C Code: Name OPS Slash Reg Stats Other Ed Bailey (DET) .985 269/365/619 20 HR; 46 RBI; 2.1 WAR 62 G/230 PA 43.2 RTO% Mickey Cochrane (SFS) .899 297/368/531 1.9 WAR 1.6 FRM; 4.31 CERA Joe Mauer (POR) .850 297/373/477 1.7 WAR 2.7 FRM Curt Blefary (BAL) .814 251/348/465 16 HR; 47 RBI Carlton Fisk (CAG) .801 222/285/516 21 HR; 56 RBI 40.2 RTO%; 2.2 FRM FRM=Framing Runs \| RTO%=Runners Thrown Out \| CERA=Catcher ERA Ed Bailey (whose defensive performance has been surprisingly good) and Mickey Cochrane are clearly in, with Bailey starting. That leaves Joe Mauer in a bit of no-man's land: if the AL goes with 3 catchers, he'd be the 3rd. With Portland needing representation in the game, and a general desire for 3 backstops, Mauer makes the cut. Iván Rodríguez has probably been the best defensive catcher in the AL (although Mauer has been quite good), but Pudge's 237/272/448 slash line is just too weak to merit much consideration. #1B Code: Name OPS Slash Reg Stats Other Lou Gehrig (NYY) 1.029 283/394/635 28 HR; 67 RBI; 2.5 WAR .995 Fldg Frank Thomas (CAG) .994 297/418/576 1.8 WAR 8.84 RF Lance Berkman (CLE) .980 271/364/615 28 HR; 69 RBI Hank Greenberg (DET) .976 276/347/629 28 HR; 2.0 WAR .998 Fldg; 3.1 ZR Jim Thome (MCG) .954 231/352/603 32 HR; 72 RBI 8.84 RF Fldg=Fielding % \| RF=Range Factor \| ZR=Zone Rating It's hard to imagine that 32 HR and 72 RBI at the all star game doesn't make the roster, but that's what Jim Thome is facing. Lou Gehrig and Frank Thomas clearly are on the roster and while Lance Berkman and Hank Greenberg have better overall numbers than Thome, his power is gaudy enough to have the 3 in a dead heat. Perhaps Greenberg's defense edges him in front? In the end, none of the 3 of them made it, which is remarkable. #2B & SS Because Dick Lundy and Bobby Grich--two strong contenders--essentially split their time between 2B and SS, we'll consider the two positions together. First the 2Bs. Code: Name OPS Slash Reg Stats Other Rogers Hornsby (POR) .867 280/386/481 11 HR; 33 RBI 58 G / 254 PA Bobby Grich (LAA) .829 238/367/462 15 HR; 44 RBI; 1.8 WAR 1.3 ZR Eddie Collins (CAG) .828 310/404/424 19 2B; 38 SB; 1.3 WAR 4.60 RF Charlie Gehringer (DET) .823 260/335/488 11 HR; 34 RBI 62 G / 242 PA; 4.96 RF Cookie Rojas (MCG) .800 321/365/436 29 2B .988 Fldg; 4.51 RF Miller Huggins (BAL) .795 302/423/372 1.9 WAR 67 G / 241 PA; 6.4 ZR Fldg=Fielding % \| RF=Range Factor \| ZR=Zone Rating And now the SS Code: Name OPS Slash Reg Stats Other Cal Ripken, Jr. (BAL) .926 293/339/587 45 G / 1655 PA Arky Vaughan (CLE) .906 312/400/506 19 2B; 44 RBI; 2.8 WAR 6.7 ZR Bobby Grich (LAA) .829 238/367/462 15 HR; 44 RBI; 1.8 WAR Robin Yount (MCG) .828 273/313/515 16 HR; 42 RBI .983 Fldg; 4.42 RF Dick Lundy (SFS) .799 296/357/442 18 2B; 7 3B; 35 SB; 2.3 WAR 4.40 RF; 5.9 ZR Jim Fregosi (POR) .795 259/351/444 16 2B .985 Fldg Fldg=Fielding % \| RF=Range Factor \| ZR=Zone Rating This is rough all around. Arky Vaughan is just about the only clear choice here, with the best all around performance by a SS if you discount Cal Ripken, Jr., who just hasn't played enough (likewise, a lack of playing time eliminates both Miller Huggins and, most controversially, Charlie Gehringer from consideration). If we need 4 more middle infielders, they should come from Rogers Hornsby, Grich, Lundy, Eddie Collins, and Robin Yount. Hornsby has been the best hitting 2B, which is no surprise, but he's also missed some time and is somewhat of a liability defensively. Still, the best OPS of the group has to count for something, so he's in as the starting 2B for the AL. Eddie Collins is having a bit of an off year compared to last year season. Grich, Collins, and Yount are almost indistinguishable: as such, Grich's versatility earns him a roster spot, and Collins edges Yount for the final spot, leaving Lundy in the cold as well. #3B Code: Name OPS Slash Reg Stats Other Evan Longoria (CLE) .958 296/352/606 26 2B; 55 RBI; 2.3 WAR .962 Fldg; 1.5 ZR Mike Schmidt (NYY) .951 251/367/584 26 HR; 60 RBI; 2.4 WAR 2.57 RF; 2.2 ZR Gary Sheffield (MCG) .937 281/327/611 22 2B; 60 RBI; 2.0 WAR 1.3 ZR Wade Boggs (MEM) .887 325/396/491 28 2B Fldg=Fielding % \| RF=Range Factor \| ZR=Zone Rating Wade Boggs is really just there for comparison. Mike Schmidt gets the starter's nod over Evan Longoria, as much for his team's performance as any discernable statistical edge. #LF/RF We'll treat the corner OF's together. Code: Name OPS Slash Reg Stats Other Babe Ruth (NYY) 1.191 288/428/763 41 HR; 94 RBI; 5.4 WAR 6.7 ZR José Canseco (MCG) 1.101 258/378/723 38 HR Ted Williams (MEM) 1.059 310/425/634 69 RBI Frank Robinson (BAL) 1.038 305/398/640 1.000 Fldg Mickey Mantle (NYY) 1.009 270/380/629 32 HR; 82 RBI Joe Jackson (CAG) .981 354/397/584 40 2B; 31 SB Rickey Henderson (SFS) .866 264/386/479 62 SB; 3.0 WAR 7.3 ZR Fldg=Fielding % \| RF=Range Factor \| ZR=Zone Rating Babe Ruth, José Canseco, and Ted Williams are locks. After that, it would seem criminal to omit either Frank Robinson or Mickey Mantle, although it must be noted that Uncle Robbie's performance is ever-so-stronger than Mantle's, earning him one of the final spots. That would leave the electric Rickey Henderson and the extraordinary Joe Jackson on the outside looking in. #CF Code: Name OPS Slash Reg Stats Other Tris Speaker (CLE) 1.113 341/413/700 32 2B; 64 RBI; 4.6 WAR 6.2 ZR; 6 Kills Eric Davis (NYY) 1.080 319/399/681 29 SB 45 G / 208 PA Turkey Stearnes (SFS) 1.063 334/373/690 9 3B; 24 HR; 61 RBI; 2.9 WAR Julio Rodríguez (MCG) 1.061 346/369/691 43 G/195 PA Mike Trout (LAA) .987 309/389/598 25 2B; 4 3B; 57 RBI; 3.0 WAR 1.000 Fldg Alejandro Oms (MCG) .881 344/406/474 Fldg=Fielding % \| RF=Range Factor \| ZR=Zone Rating Look, I don't like Tris Speaker either, but the man can flat out play. So, he's in, as is Stearnes, perhaps the leading candidate for the AL Rookie of the Year. And neither Eric Davis nor the surprising Julio Rodríguez have played enough to make the cut. So that leaves Mike Trout as the open question: Trout is clearly deserving, so the question is whether the AL goes with 2 pure CF's or 3. Alejandro Oms misses out, despite being 3rd in the league in BA. #DH Code: Name OPS Slash Reg Stats Ty Cobb (DET) 1.299 399/450/849 38 2B; 9 3B; 75 RBI; 32 SB; 5.6 WAR Ron Blomberg (CLE) 1.032 288/361/671 32 HR; 85 RBI Reggie Jackson (SFS) 1.029 300/422/608 21 2B; 24 SB; 3.0 WAR Kal Daniels (LAA) 1.013 326/425/589 21 2B; 31 SB; 2.3 WAR Ryan Braun (MCG) .975 280/327/648 31 HR Gavvy Cravath (BAL) .956 247/349/607 23 2B; 28 HR; 71 RBI Fldg=Fielding % \| RF=Range Factor \| ZR=Zone Rating My lord. 31 homeruns at the all star break and a possibility of not being selected? Welcome to your life, Ryan Braun. Obviously, Ty Cobb and Ron Blomberg are in. And it seems ridiculous to omit either Kal Daniels or Reggie Jackson. #SP And now we move into the AL's weakness--there are strong top-end candidates here, but far less depth than over in the NL. Code: Name W-L; ERA Reg Stats Other Doc Gooden (LAA) 7-6, 3.26 .240 BABIP 58% QS Ed Walsh (CAG) 6-3, 3.36 1.05 WHIP; .199 BABIP 0.6 WPA Eddie Plank (SFS) 13-3, 3.73 0.5 WPA Lefty Grove (SFS) 10-4, 3.80 140 K; 3.2 WAR 3 SHO; 2.87 SIERA; 0.5 WPA Andy Pettitte (NYY) 10-5, 3.90 Brett Anderson (LAA) 8-2, 3.93 1.05 WHIP; .234 BABIP Bump Hadley (SFS) 12-4, 3.98 3.67 FIP; 3.1 WAR 58% QS Cy Young (CLE) 9-3, 4.37 3.81 FIP; 3.3 WAR 2 SHO Ron Guidry (NYY) 8-5, 4.15 150 K 2.52 SIERA FIP=Fielding Independent Pitching \| BABPI=BA Allowed on Balls In Play \| QS=Quality Starts \| SHO=Shutouts \| SIERA=Skill Interactive ERA \| WPA=Win Probability Added The spots fill up quickly. Eddie Plank will start the game for the AL, and his teammates Bump Hadley and Lefty Grove clearly belong. It seems silly to omit the ERA leader, Doc Gooden. After that, it gets confusing. Ed Walsh has been almost unhittable, but is only 6-3. Andy Pettitte has 10 wins and a sub 4.00 ERA. That would leave the overall WAR leader, Cy Young, the strikeout and SIERA leader, Ron Guidry, and the overall excellence of Brett Anderson missing out. #RP Code: Name W-L; ERA Reg Stats Other Ron Robinson (SFS) 1-0, 1.64 3 Sv; 3 H; 1.00 WHIP { injured } Ken Howell (SFS) 4-1, 1.72 1 Sv; 4 H Ross Reynolds (LAA) 2-0, 2.30 1 Sv; 2 H; 1.88 FIP Goose Gossage (NYY) 2-3, 2.41 10 Sv; 8 H .90 Sv% Akinori Otsuka (CAG) 3-1, 2.48 1 Sv; 5 H Skel Roach (MEM) 1-0, 2.62 7 H; .160 BABIP Justin Hampson (BAL) 0-0, 2.86 7 H; .159 BABIP; 1.05 WHIP Rod Beck (SFS) 3-2, 3.20 23 Sv; .156 BABIP; 0.67 WHIP 15 SD; 2.83 SIERA; .885 Sv% Terry Adams (CLE) 1-3, 3.80 15 Sv; 2 H .882 Sv% Sparky Lyle (NYY) 2-1, 4.37 3 Sv; 8 H Rheal Cormier (NYY) 0-2, 5.75 11 H FIP=Fielding Independent Pitching \| BABPI=BA Allowed on Balls In Play \| SD=Shutdowns \| SIERA=Skill Interactive ERA \| Sv%=Save % The AL is a little weak in bullpen depth as well. Rod Beck is easily the class of the closers, with Terry Adams close behind. The overall excellence of Ken Howell and Goose Gossage also merit a spot, leaving Ross Reynolds, Skel Roach, and Justin Hampson on the bubble. Hampson gets the nod, both because of how surprising his season has been and as a nod to the paucity of lefties in the AL pen. #AL All Stars The final 2 spots came down to choices between Mike Trout, Reggie Jackson, Kal Daniels, Mickey Mantle, Eddie Collins, and Robin Yount. A fourth middle infielder seemed like a requirement, giving the nod to Collins. So. Reggie or Kal. Kal or Reggie. I mean. Kal Daniels is having an incredible year. But there's just no way to argue he is more deserving than Reggie. There is an argument to be made that the AL should only take 2 3B, replacing Gary Sheffield with Daniels. But the final choice is always going to be onerous. Some more arguments about who was wronged (these are the highest ranked layers in each stat not to make the game). Joe Jackson (CAG). #2 in H (109); #1 in the league in 2B (40); #2 in BA (.354). Mickey Mantle (NYY). #3 in HR (32); #3 in RBI (82). Kal Daniels (LAA). #4 in OBP (.425); #11 in OPS (1.013). Ryan Braun (MCG). #7 in SLG (.648). Rickey Henderson (SFS). #1 in SB (62); #4 in WAR (3.0). Dick Lundy (SFS). #3 in 3B (7). And, on the mound Cy Young (CLE). #5 in W (9); #2 in FIP (3.81); #1 in WAR (3.3). Ron Guidry (NYY). #1 in K (150); #1 in SIERA (2.52). Brett Anderson (LAA). #5 in ERA (3.93); #2 in WHIP (1.05). Walter Johnson (POR). #2 in IP (125). 4 Players have 14 saves, tied for #3. Of those, Only Ricky Nolasco (MCG) has an ERA below 4.00. Rheal Cormier (NYY). #1 in H (11). Starters in bold. C: Ed Bailey (DET); Mickey Cochrane (SFS); Joe Mauer (POR). 1B: Lou Gehrig (NYY); Frank Thomas (CAG). 2B: Eddie Collins (CAG); Bobby Grich (LAA); Rogers Hornsby (POR). SS: Arky Vaughan (CLE). 3B: Evan Longoria (CLE); Mike Schmidt (NYY); Gary Sheffield (MCG). LF: Frank Robinson (BAL); Ted Williams (MEM). CF: Tris Speaker (CLE), Turkey Stearnes (SFS). RF: José Canseco (MCG), Babe Ruth (NYY). DH: Ron Blomberg (CLE); Reggie Jackson (SFS), Ty Cobb (DET). SP: Doc Gooden (LAA), Lefty Grove (SFS), Bump Hadley (SFS), Andy Pettitte (NYY); Eddie Plank (SFS), Ed Walsh (CAG). RP: Terry Adams (CLE); Rod Beck (SFS); Goose Gossage (NYY); Justin Hampson (BAL); Ken Howell (SFS). And, by team. Unsurprisingly, the 3 American League teams with records over .500 (San Francisco, the Black Yankees, and Cleveland) are supplying 18 of the 32 players. San Francisco Sea Lions (.625). Rod Beck (P), Mickey Cochrane (C), Lefty Grove (P), Bump Hadley (P), Ken Howell (P) Reggie Jackson (DH), Eddie Plank (P), Turkey Stearnes (OF). New York Black Yankees (.618). Lou Gehrig (1B), Goose Gossage (P), Andy Pettitte (P), Babe Ruth (OF), Mike Schmidt (3B). Cleveland Spiders (.558). Terry Adams (P), Ron Blomberg (DH), Evan Longoria (3B), Tris Speaker (OF), Arky Vaughan (SS). Chicago American Giants (.466). Eddie Collins (2B), Frank Thomas (1B), Ed Walsh (P). Miami Cuban Giants (.483). José Canseco (OF), Gary Sheffield (3B). Detroit Wolverines (.453). Ed Bailey (C), Ty Cobb (DH). Los Angeles Angels (.448). Doc Gooden (P), Bobby Grich (2B). Portland Sea Dogs (.438). Rogers Hornsby (2B), Joe Mauer (C). Baltimore Black Sox (.416). Justin Hampson (P), Frank Robinson (OF). Memphis Red Sox (.494). Ted Williams (OF). A whopping 15 players are repeat all-stars from last season: Terry Adams, Rod Beck, Ron Blomberg, José Canseco, Eddie Collins, Lou Gehrig, Lefty Grove, Rogers Hornsby, Ken Howell, Reggie Jackson, Joe Mauer, Babe Ruth, Frank Thomas, and Ted Williams. __________________ 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/

02-05-2025, 10:17 AM	#542
Makonnen All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 913	{ Easier to read tables at https://wbl.dmlco.com/wp/2025/02/05/...-nl-all-stars/ } For each section, if a player doesn't qualify for batting stats (roughly 270 PA), their G and PA are listed. Bold indicates a leader at that position for the stat; top 3 listed for most stats. If you compare this with the prior post discussing the AL, the gap in offensive talent and pitching depth becomes apparent. #C Code: Name OPS Slash Reg Stats Other Josh Gibson (HOM) 1.234 390/481/754 27 2B; 23 HR; 79 RBI; 5.3 WAR 3.4 FRM Gary Carter (OTT) 1.102 324/387/715 31 HR; 663 RBI; 3.9 WAR 48% RTO Mike Piazza (BRK) 1.027 311/348/679 31 HR; 70 RBI; 2.9 WAR Jim Pagliaroni (BBB) .898 248/355/543 Buster Posey (NYG) .894 291/344/550 Ted Simmons (KCM) .880 285/314/565 25 2B 4.08 CERA FRM=Framing Runs \| RTO%=Runners Thrown Out \| CERA=Catcher ERA The only question here is whether the NL dips below the big 3. 21 Year old Josh Gibson will start, of course, with Gary Carter and Mike Piazza in reserve. #1B Code: Name OPS Slash Reg Stats Other Will Clark (NYG) .989 302/381/608 56 RBI; 1.8 WAR Mike Epstein (HOM) .971 252/386/585 22 HR; 63 RBI; 1.7 WAR .998 Fldg Anthony Rizzo (HOD) .964 278/402/561 Joe Harris (HOD) .956 295/410/546 Jeff Bagwell (HOU) .938 279/376/562 71 RBI Fldg=Fielding % \| RF=Range Factor \| ZR=Zone Rating The NL has a totally different challenge to the AL: here, it is whether any of the natural 1B really deserve to make the team. Will Clark will start, with Mike Epstein on the bench. Joe Harris split his time between 1B and the OF, and may be selected in that role. #2B Code: Name OPS Slash Reg Stats Other Joe Morgan (IND) 1.101 324/425/676 50 RBI; 2.2 WAR 52 G / 221 PA Roberto Alomar (OTT) .972 312/391/581 22 2B; 18 HR; 65 RBI; 31 SB; 3.3 WAR Ryne Sandberg (HOD) .964 303/356/608 28 HR; 60 RBI; 2.7 WAR .997 Fldg; 5.04 RF Jackie Robinson (BRK) .897 270/357/540 17 HR Craig Biggio (HOU) .837 267/371/466 Fldg=Fielding % \| RF=Range Factor \| ZR=Zone Rating Roberto Alomar and Ryne Sandberg are locks, with Alomar getting the nod as the starter. Beyond them, it gets interesting: Joe Morgan has been phenomenal, but missed a significant chunk of time while Jackie Robinson may deserve a spot, but has split his time between 2B and 1B. While Robinson is invaluable to Brooklyn, his offensive production is excellent for a 2B, but only solid for a 1B. #SS Code: Name OPS Slash Reg Stats Other Ernie Banks (HOD) 1.006 287/316/690 34 HR; 78 RBI; 1.7 WAR Carlos Correa (HOU) .931 322/396/535 20 2B; 13 HR; 40 RBI; 3.1 WAR .981 Fldg; 4.2 ZR Álex Rodríguez (OTT) .899 260/322/577 25 HR; 45 RBI; 20 SB; 1.5 WAR .974 Fldg Fldg=Fielding % \| RF=Range Factor \| ZR=Zone Rating While some may suggest that Kansas City's Ozzie Smith deserves to be listed here due to his defensive prowess (he leads all SS in Fldg, RF, and ZR), it's a bit too much to imagine a sub-.700 OPS warranting an all star spot. Ernie Banks and Carlos Correa are in, with Álex Rodríguez on the bubble for a while. #3B Code: Name OPS Slash Reg Stats Other Albert Pujols (KCM) 1.003 314/381/622 32 2B; 60 RBI; 2.5 WAR Ron Cey (BRK) .978 278/375/602 22 HR; 2.6 WAR .978 Fldg; 2.46 RF; 3.5 ZR Eddie Mathews (BBB) .917 222/345/572 27 HR; 56 RBI 2.76 RF Scott Rolen (PHI) .911 275/349/562 55 RBI; 2.1 WAR .976 Fldg; 2.6 ZR Fldg=Fielding % \| RF=Range Factor \| ZR=Zone Rating Albert Pujols is named the starter here (although he may end up shifting over to 1B in the game itself), with Ron Cey behind him. Eddie Mathews' best hope of making the cut is if he ends up being the leading candidate for Birmingham, but my guess is they find representation on the pitching staff first. #LF/RF As with the AL, we'll treat the corner OF's together. Code: Name OPS Slash Reg Stats Other Larry Walker (OTT) 1.080 292/364/715 37 HR; 877 RBI; 2.5 WAR 3.97 RF Rick Reichardt (HOM) 1.044 314/387/657 Tony Gwynn (HOU) 1.030 390/429/601 27 2B; 6 3B; 3.1 WAR 5 Kills Aaron Judge (PHI) .972 272/368/604 .993 Fldg Stan Musial (KCM) .964 329/392/573 37 2B; 2.2 WAR 5.7 ZR Joe Rogan (PHI) .958 296/341/617 Johnny Callison (NYG) .913 272/333/580 .993 Fldg Fldg=Fielding % \| RF=Range Factor \| ZR=Zone Rating Certainly Larry Walker, Rick Reichardt, and Tony Gwynn make it, with Gwynn and Walker earning the starting nods. It seems like Aaron Judge and Stan Musial should make the cut as well, and Rogan gets a roster spot for his combined effort on the mound and at the plate. #CF Code: Name OPS Slash Reg Stats Other Rick Monday (OTT) 1.207 305/397/809 46 G / 151 PA Oscar Charleston (IND) 1.006 335/384/622 19 2B; 9 3B; 63 RBI; 25 SB; 2.7 WAR Willie Mays (NYG) .974 277/347/627 31 HR; 62 RBI; 3.1 WAR 8.5 ZR Carlos Beltrán (OTT) .860 253/326/534 63 RBI Fldg=Fielding % \| RF=Range Factor \| ZR=Zone Rating Rick Monday can't be a serious candidate, given his playing time, but wow are those numbers eye-popping. Oscar Charleston gets the start at age 20, with Willie Mays also being named to the team. Carlos Beltrán is listed partially to show the gap between Mays and the next group of CFers. Rogan could also have been listed here. #DH Code: Name OPS Slash Reg Stats Willie Stargell (HOM) .954 270/348/606 14 2B; 27 HR; 60 RBI; 1.2 WAR Albert Belle (BBB) .884 256/313/571 15 2B; 26 HR; 59 RBI Benny Kauff (NYG) .869 261/315/553 19 2B Duke Snider (BRK) .771 226/262/509 25 HR; 54 RBI Fldg=Fielding % \| RF=Range Factor \| ZR=Zone Rating Willie Stargell will start, but it's not clear any of the rest of these make it: Mathews is a better selection for Birmingham if one is needed, and Benny Kauff and Duke Snider--while doing well--just aren't quite all star material this year. #SP Now things get a lot tighter in the NL. Here is everyone with a sub 4.00 ERA and/or 10 or more wins, plus a few others. Code: Name W-L; ERA Reg Stats Other A. Rube Foster (KCM) 5-1, 2.20 .202 BABIP, 0.96 WHIP, 3.67 FIP 88% QS, 2 SHO Toad Ramsey (HOU) 12-4, 2.60 163 K, 0.90 WHIP, 2.68 FIP, 5.8 WAR 72% QS, 2 SHO, 2.29 SIERA, 2.0 WPA Fernando Valenzuela (BRK) 6-1, 2.66 0.87 WHIP; .176 BABIP 3 GS / 74 IP Hardie Henderson (PHI) 10-6, 3.05 .214 BABIP 1.5 WPA Jim Whitney 5-2, 3.11 1 Sv; 2 H, 1.02 WHIP 75% QS, 2.0 WPA Roger Clemens (HOU) 10-4, 3.64 .210 BABIP Smokey Joe Williams (BRK) 7-8, 3.64 3.4 WAR Orel Hershiser (BRK) 11-4, 3.70 Luis Padrón (IND) 12-2, 3.87 3.44 FIP, 3.8 WAR 2 SHO Smokey Joe Wood (KCM) 9-6, 3.95 J.M. Ward (PHI) 4-4, 3.99 Frank Castillo (KCM) 10-1, 4.43 2 SHO Bullet Joe Rogan (PHI) 5-8, 4.46 2 SHO FIP=Fielding Independent Pitching \| BABIP=BA Allowed on Balls In Play \| QS=Quality Starts \| SHO=Shutouts \| SIERA=Skill Interactive ERA \| WPA=Win Probability Added Toad Ramsey is the starter, with Luis Padrón and A. Rube Foster close behind. Hardie Henderson seems to be another required choice, with his ERA barely eclipsing 3.00. After that choices, have to be made: Jim Whitney has been brilliant, but just barely qualifies for the ERA title. Fernando Valenzuela has been even better, but was used out of the bullpen for most of the season. And how do you ignore a starting pitcher with a 10-1 record? I don't think you can, so we'll add Valenzuela and Castillo, snubbing Brooklyn's very strong duo of Orel Hershiser and Smokey Joe Williams. #RP Code: Name W-L; ERA Reg Stats Other Harley Young (BBB) 0-1, 1.12 3 Sv; 6 H 1.87 FIP Craig Kimbrel (KCM) 2-3, 1.85 2 Sv; 11 H 2.38 FIP; 15 SD; 2.88 SIERA Robb Nen (NYG) 3-2, 1.89 9 Sv; 6 H Tug McGraw (HOU) 3-3, 2.05 9 Sv .90 Sv% Eddie Guardado (KCM) 2-1, 2.05 1 Sv; 5 H 2.58 FIP Lee Smith (HOD) 4-1, 2.65 6 Sv; 6 H .198 BABIP; 0.771 WHIP; .86 Sv%; 2.89 SIERA Eric Gagne (BRK) 2-1, 2.81 19 Sv 18 SD Josh Lindblom (HOM) 4-2, 3.19 23 Sv .96 Sv%; 18 SD Ted Kennedy (PHI) 2-2, 3.47 4 Sv; 9 H Rob Murphy (IND) 1-3, 3.55 1 Sv; 11 H Michael Jackson (HOM) 1-4, 3.73 1 Sv; 12 H Bob Howry (PHI) 3-1, 4.09 12 Sv .172 BABIP; 0.82 WHIP FIP=Fielding Independent Pitching \| BABPI=BA Allowed on Balls In Play \| SD=Shutdowns \| SIERA=Skill Interactive ERA \| Sv%=Save % More hard choices. Harley Young and Craig Kimbrel have been essentially unhittable and Eric Gagne and Josh Lindblom have been the most effective closers. So those 4 for sure. Robb Nen has done everything the Gothams have asked, covering as closer while Brian Wilson was injured, and continuing to dominate after Wilson's return (Wilson only misses the team through a lack of IP after his injury). The real omission here seems to be Lee Smith, who has stepped into the closers role for the House of David with aplomb, reflected in his overall statistical performance. #NL All Stars It came down to Scott Rolen, Buster Posey, Smokey Joe Williams, and Jim Whitney for the NL's final spot. We decided to honor their dominant pitching as a league, removing Rolen and Posey from consideration. Williams has only pitched roughly a dozen innings more than Whitney, who has better numbers across the board. That leaves Smokey Joe on the outside looking in this year. As with the AL, here are the highest ranked performers in various categories who missed the cut. Hank Aaron (BBB). #4 in H (96); #6 in HR (29); #16 in SLG (.588). Joe Harris (HOD). #13 in BA (.295); #3 in OBP (.410); #18 in OPS (.956). Jeff Bagwell (HOU). #4 in RBI (71). Buster Posey (NYG). #13 in WAR (2.2). Nap Lajoie (HOM). #3 in 2B (28). Pete Hill (HOU). #1 in 3B (10). Tim Raines (OTT). #1 in SB (59). Orel Hershiser (BRK). #3 in W (11). Christy Mathewson (NYG). #2 in IP (128); #2 in K (124). Smokey Joe Williams (BRK). #3 in WAR (3.4); #4 in FIP (3.73). Roger Clemens (HOU). #5 in ERA (3.64). J.M. Ward (PHI). #4 in WHIP (1.02). Rob Dibble (IND) and Jeff Pfeffer (KCM) are tied for #3 in Saves with 16, but neither have an ERA under 5.00. The offensive players look fine. Mathewson and especially Smokey Joe have a right to feel aggrieved about this one. Starters in bold. C: Gary Carter (OTT), Josh Gibson (HOM); Mike Piazza (BRK). 1B: Will Clark (NYG), Mike Epstein (HOM). 2B: Roberto Alomar (OTT), Ryne Sandberg (HOD). SS: Ernie Banks (HOD), Carlos Correa (HOU). 3B: Ron Cey (BRK), Albert Pujols (KCM). LF: Tony Gwynn (HOU); Rick Reichardt (HOM). CF: Oscar Charleston (IND), Joe Rogan (PHI), Willie Mays (NYG). RF: Aaron Judge (PHI), Stan Musial (KCM), Larry Walker (OTT). DH: Willie Stargell (HOM). SP: Frank Castillo (KCM), A. Rube Foster (KCM), Hardie Henderson (PHI), Luis Padrón (IND), Toad Ramsey (HOU), Fernando Valenzuela (BRK), Jim Whitney (BBB). RP: Eric Gagne (BRK), Craig Kimbrel (KCM), Josh Lindblom (HOM), Robb Nen (NYG), Harley Young (BBB). Selections are more consistently spread across the NL, with Homestead and Kansas City leading the way with 5 players each. All teams saw at least 2 players selected for the midsummer classic. Brooklyn, with the best record in the league, may feel a bit hard done by, as both Smokey Joe Williams and Jackie Robinson are left off the squad. Indianapolis has a similar argument, with only 2 representatives despite being only a game out of 1st with a record over .500, but the omission of Joe Morgan due to playing time is more understandable. Here they are by team: Homestead Grays (.535). Mike Epstein (1B), Josh Gibson (C), Josh Lindblom (P), Rick Reichardt (OF), Willie Stargell (DH). Kansas City Monarchs (.534). Frank Castillo (P), A. Rube Foster (P), Craig Kimbrel (P), Stan Musial (OF), Albert Pujols (3B). Brooklyn Royal Giants (.575). Ron Cey (3B), Eric Gagne (P), Mike Piazza (C), Fernando Valenzuela (P). New York Gothams (.494). Will Clark (1B), Willie Mays (OF), Robb Nen (P). Houston Colt 45's (.494). Carlos Correa (SS), Tony Gwynn (OF), Toad Ramsey (P). Philadelphia Stars (.483). Hardie Henderson (P), Aaron Judge (OF), Joe Rogan (U/P). Ottawa Mounties (.460). Roberto Alomar (2B), Álex Rodríguez (SS), Larry Walker (OF). Indianapolis ABC's (.523). Oscar Charleston (OF), Luis Padrón (P). Wandering House of David (.471). Ernie Banks (SS), Lee Smith (P). Birmingham Black Barons (.432). Harley Young (P), Jim Whitney (P). The NL sees only 4 repeat all-stars: Mike Epstein, Josh Gibson, Willie Mays, and Stan Musial __________________ 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/

02-06-2025, 11:48 AM	#543
Makonnen All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 913	TWIWBL 71.9: The Year II Futures Game { As always, the game does a really piss-poor job of picking the rosters, this time leaving the World Future Stars without anyone rated at C. } The starting pitchers were selected as much from who was rested as anything else, with Nip Winters (AAA, HOM) starting for the USA and Mélido Pérez (A, PHI) for the International side. Winters struggled immediately, with Asdrúbal Cabrera (AAA, BAL) and Melky Cabrera (A, BBB) starting the game with a double and a single, putting runners at 1st and 3rd with no outs. Jorge Orta (AAA, CAG) drove in one, and Xander Bogaerts (AA, LAA) 2 with a double, giving the World Team and early 3-0 lead. Pérez pitched 2 scoreless, but José Lima (A, MCG) struggled in the 3rd, giving up an RBI double to Ed Delahanty (A, BRK), who came around to score on a passed ball (Bert Campaneris (AAA, MCG) started at C for the World Team, followed by Heliodoro Hidalgo (A, KCM)--they seemed to make the most sense). That made it 3-2, but Campaneris--clearly trying to make up for his struggles as a backstop,--took Ed Seward (A, MCG) deep in the 4th, putting the World up, 4-2. Bobby Abreu (AAA, PHI) did the same to Al Orth (AA, OTT) in the 5th, and the lead was 5-2, with the World side seeming to be cruising. But all-star games are odd, right? There's no continuity on the mound, and a few bad pitches can change everything. Enter Tom Harrison (A, HOD) for the World Team. One run scored on a wild pitch and Dave Malarcher (AA, HOD) drove in another, and Harrison gave way to Luis Tiant, Sr (A, MCG). Tiant gave up back-to-back homeruns, the first a 3-run job by Ralph Kiner (A, HOM), followed by a solo shot from Joe Torre (AAA, BBB). And the game flipped, with the USA now on top, 8-5. And that was it. Bill Harper (AA, HOU) pitched 2 excellent innings, and Billy Muffett (AAA, CLE) worked out of a little trouble in the 9th, and the USA walked away with the win. Led by Abreu and Bogaerts, who had 3 each, the World outhit the USA 13-7. But Kiner's shot proved too much to overcome, and he walked away with the Game MVP honors. USA 8 (Harper W; Muffett Sv) @ World 5 (Tiant Sr L) HRs: USA - Torre, Kiner; World - Campaneris, Abreu Box Score __________________ 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/

02-13-2025, 11:55 AM	#545
Makonnen All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 913	TWIWBL 72.2 Spotlight on the Philadelphia Stars Philadelphia was bad last year. This year, they are pushing towards .500 with--maybe, just maybe--an outside shot at the playoffs. As importantly, they seem to have an identity for the first time. HOME PAGE \| ROSTER \| POSITIONAL STRENGTH \| LEADERS The Stars clearly need to keep adding talent: the gap between the leaders of the team--Aaron Judge, Charles "Bullet Joe" Rogan, Hardie Henderson--and the end of the roster is just too great. But it's a start. THE OFFENSE Philadelphia's problem, simply, is its offense. They don't hit for average, they don't get on base, and they don't hit for power. Not sure what else there is ... they do run the bases decently. #What's Going Right Aaron Judge, an extra part in the Bill Dickey/Mike Schmidt trade, has absolutely exploded on the scene, with an OPS just under 1.00 and leading the team in HR and RBI. Charles "Bullet Joe" Rogan is far better offensively than anticipated, sporting the 2nd highest OPS on the team and leading the Stars in SLG at .615 and BA at .295. Rogan is playing all over the place, but seeing most of his time in the OF. Scott Rolen leads the team in WAR with an OPS around .950. At 37, Rico Carty is still useful. He can't move, can't field much, but he can hit, even with occasional power. #What's Not Going Right Everything else? C continues to be a black hole, with Mike Scioscia slightly more effective than Butch Wynegar and Sherm Lollar. Willie Davis, a leader on the team last year, is slashing 233/290/373 this season, which is quite a plummet. Ted Kluszewski has a little power, but little else: a SLG barely over .400 just won't cut it. But Kluszewski's OPS is over 100 points higher than Jimmy Rollins, who has essentially lost the job to Art Fletcher. While Rogan is doing unprecedented things as a 2-way player, JM Ward is not, to the point the team has decided they have better options at DH when he's on the mound. THE PITCHING And now the good news. #What's Going Right The starting pitching is strong, led by Hardie Henderson, who is 10-6 with a 3.05 ERA at the break. Rogan and JM Ward don't have great records (5-8 for Rogan, 4-4 for Ward), but they've got fantastic peripherals led by Ward's 1.05 WHIP. Behind them, Steve Carlton has been solid enough. Fred Cambria, Ted Kennedy, and Brad Kilby have been fantastic getting the ball to Bob Howry. That trio has 7 saves and 21 holds, and Howry has a 0.82 WHIP and a dozen saves. #What's Not Going Right The back end of the rotation is still a bit rough. Ray Collins is in the 5th spot now, but neither he nor Robin Roberts nor Larry Jackson have really seized the opportunity. THE FARM SYSTEM TOP PROSPECTS \| MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM There is hope for the future here. I mean, prospects flame out and all that, but there is hope. Bill Gatewood is the highest ranked prospect, and probably the best arm in the system, but Jack Kralick, Jack Easton, LaTroy Hawkins, and perhaps even Scott Garrelts and Luke Weaver all have some upside. Bill Dickey is likely to be recalled at the all star break and Harmon Killebrew and Bobby Abreu will probably see time with the Stars this year as well. Behind them, it does thin out a little, but Richie Ashburn, Andrew Payne, and Prince Fielder all have significant value. WHAT'S NEEDED The offense to become league average or better, preferably led by some of the prospects stepping forward. And, of course, the pitching to not regress. Storylines to Watch Key Questions from Spring Training What does the bullpen look like? Fairly well answered, as most teams would welcome the combined performance of Kennedy, Cambria, Kilby, and Howry. How does the OF resolve, and most importantly how much of Aaron Judge‘s debut performance was a mirage? The latter first: very little, evidently. This remains a question, but not as anticipated--the Stars never anticipated CF being an open question, but with Willie Davis' loss of form, it is. Can the flashes of talent on the IF shown last year from Juan Samuel* and Roger Peckinpaugh deliver over a full season?* Yoikes. No, no they cannot; in fact, neither is in the WBL and SS continues to be a bit of a mess. FEATURED SERIES Philadelphia opens the second half of the season with 3 games at Ottawa. Projected Starters Philadelphia's starter listed first. Steve Carlton (7-9, 5.62) @ Old Hoss Radbourn (9-6, 6.13) Charles Rogan (5-8, 4.46) @ Roy Halladay (8-6, 4.92) Ray Collins (2-4, 5.08) @ Bill Smith (6-2, 3.57) Game One Both teams are in an odd spot where their #1 starter is not their best, with the opening game matching Steve Carlton against Old Hoss Radbourn. The much-maligned Willie Davis led the game off with a solo shot to right, giving the Stars a 1-0 lead. Tim Raines matched him, leading off the bottom of the frame with his 12th homer of the year to tie the game. Rusty Staub took Carlton deep with a runner on in the 2nd, but Carlton induced an inning-ending double play from Roberto Alomar to limit the damage. After Davis doubled in the 3rd, Aaron Judge went deep to tie the game, then, in the 5th Davis (who has been stung by the criticism, it must be said) homered again. Larry Walker tied it up with a 2-out double in the bottom of the 5th, but the Stars broke the deadlock immediately, as Judge tripled and Rico Carty chased Radbourn from the game with an RBI double. Carlton got the first out in the 7th, but his relief, Ted Kennedy, was greeted with a solo shot from Adrián Beltré to once again tie the contest. Kennedy--helped by Art Fletcher gunning down Raines at home and the just-recalled Bill Dickey throwing out Alomar on a steal attempt--got out of the inning without further damage. George Hendrick hit a 2-run shot in the 8th: 7-5 Stars. But it was never going to be that easy: Gary Carter sent a Brad Kilby pitch over the wall in left with Walker on, tying us up once again. It ended with a walkoff dinger, of course: Alomar taking Pedro Feliciano deep in the bottom of the 9th. Davis and Judge had 3 hits for the Stars. PHI 7 (Feliciano 0-1; Kennedy 6 BSv; Kilby 2 BSv) @ OTT 9 (Ryan 2-2) HRs: PHI - Davis 2 (8), Judge (27), Hendrick (9); OTT - Raines (12), Staub (15), Carter (32), Alomar (19). Box Score Game Two The Stars gave Hardie Henderson the start in game 2; he would face the Mounties' Roy Halladay. Gary Carter hit his 33rd of the year in the bottom of the first, putting the Mounties up, 2-0, and an RBI double from Álex Rodríguez made it 3-0 in the 2nd, and then the miracle of Rick Monday continued: his 21st homer of the year increased the lead to 4-0. Jimmy Rollins' 1st homer of the year made it 4-1. Henderson was chased from the game in the 5th by a 2-run shot from Roberto Alomar and an RBI double from Rusty Staub. He was relieved by Robin Roberts who gave up an RBI single to Monday before getting out of the inning with Ottawa ahead, 8-1. There was some more: homers by Ted Kluszewski and Adrian Beltré, some other stuff. But the outcome was never in doubt, as the Mounties rolled, 14-3. Monday had 4 hits and 4 RBIs. PHI 3 (Henderson 10-7) @ OTT 14 (Halladay 9-6) HRs: PHI - Rollins (1), Kluszewski (12); OTT - Carter (33), Monday (21), Alomar (20), Beltré (23). Box Score Game Three Trying to salvage a game, the Stars would send out J.M. Ward to face Ottawa's Bill Smith. Ward was recently removed from being used as DH when he pitched: we'll see if being able to focus solely on his mound duties changes anything for Philadelphia. The game was scoreless through 5, with Smith allowing 3 hits and Ward only 1. Rusty Staub broke the deadlock in the bottom of the 7th, touching Ward for a 2-run homerun. Aaron Judge hit his 28th in the top of the 9th, ending Smith's shutout bid, but, after a single by Ted Kluszewski, Ottawa's closer, Tom Henke, was able to retire Rico Carty on a popout to center. Ward was once again a hard luck loser, pitching 7 strong innings. PHI 1 (Ward 4-5) @ OTT 3 (Smith 7-2; Henke 7 Sv) HRs: PHI - Judge (28); PHI - Staub (16). Box Score Not good. Not only were the Stars swept, they were outscored 26-11. Still, for Philadelphia, it's all about next year, so there will be bruises in the process. __________________ 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/

02-14-2025, 11:18 AM	#546
Makonnen All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 913	TWIWBL 72.3: The All Star Festivities We start with the HR Derby. #2001 HR Derby The most disappointing news is Babe Ruth's absence, as the Black Yankees' slugger is still recovering form a hip injury--hopefully Ruth will be available for the game itself. Ruth was replaced by his teammate, Mickey Mantle, with the opening round matchups being Miami's José Canseco and Birmingham's Hank Aaron, the House of David's Ernie Banks and Brooklyn's Mike Piazza, Mantle and Cleveland's Ron Blomberg, and the Gotham's Willie Mays and Ottawa's Larry Walker. The match of the opening round was Canseco and Aaron, with Miami's slugger winning, 11-10. Willie Mays had the most bombs in the opening round, beating walker 12-6. The other two matchups were close, but less thrilling: Banks beat Piazza 9-8 and Blomberg edged Mantle, 5-4. Canseco did himself one better in the second round, leaving Banks with quite a challenge. The House of David shortstop could only manage 7, so Canseco advanced to the final, where he will face off with Mays, who edged Blomberg, 8-7. Mays hit 9 out in the final round, quite a reachable target for Canseco. Canseco delivered his worst result of the day ... but it was enough, and he took home the crown, 10-9, earning himself a hug from his pop star girlfriend. #The 2001 All Star Game The only bad news for the day: the Black Yankees' superstar Babe Ruth will be sitting this one out as he's still recovering from a bruised hip. The NL will, as expected, start Toad Ramsey, planning to run the Houston starter for 2 innings. For the AL, San Francisco's Lefty Grove insisted on taking the ball despite being a little short on rest; as such the Sea Lions' hurler is likely to only throw 1 inning. He was followed by his teammate, Bump Hadley. Hadley ran into trouble, with walks to Larry Walker (OTT) and Ernie Banks (HOD) sandwiched around an error by Mike Schmidt (NYY) at third. But Hadley struck out Willie Stargell (HOM) and induced a popup from Will Clark (NYG) to end the threat. Kansas City's A. Rube Foster's turn on the mound was a bit rougher: Arky Vaughan (CLE) greeted the WBL ERA leader with a double, followed by a single to Vaughan's teammate, Tris Speaker. Vaughan scored on a double-play from Rogers Hornsby (POR), putting the AL up, 1-0. In the bottom of the frame, Doc Gooden (LAA) got 2 quick outs before walking Josh Gibson (HOM). Charles Rogan (PHI) pinch-ran for Gibson, stole 2nd, and scored on a single from Walker. Rogan's use meant we would not see the 2-way player on the mound during the contest. Ron Blomberg (CLE) put the AL back on top, greeting Hardie Henderson (PHI) with a homer to left, but Stargell justified his inclusion in the game by taking Chicago's Ed Walsh out to tie the score at 2. The pattern continued: Evan Longoria (CLE) took Frank Castillo (KCM) deep, and the AL was back up, 3-2, but Rogan greeted Andy Pettitte (NYY) with a moonshot to center, tying us up again at 3. But this time, something different: Walker followed Rogan with a homerun of his own, and the NL led for the first time, 4-3. It wasn't to last. After a single by Blomberg, Boston's Ted Williams took Jim Whitney (BBB) out of the park, and the AL was back on top, 5-4. A single from Aaron Judge and Longoria went deep for the 2nd time in the game, putting the AL up 7-4. Turkey Stearnes (SFS) added a 2 run shot, Ty Cobb (DET) a solo dinger, and Frank Thomas (CAG) a 3 run shot, and by the time the dust cleared, the AL had a 13-4 lead. The NL scored a few more times--an RBI double from Judge, another homer from Rogan being the big hits--but it was never actually close. ELEVEN homeruns. That's a fun game, for sure. Longoria was named the MVP, although Rogan's performance--2 for 3 with 3 runs scored and 2 homers--certainly drew raves. AL 13 (Pettitte W) @ NL 8 (Whitney L, B Sv) HRs: AL - Blomberg, Longoria 2, Williams, Thomas, Stearnes, Cobb; NL - Stargell, Walker, Rogan 2. Box Score __________________ 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/

02-19-2025, 11:14 AM	#549
Makonnen All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 913	Code: Team W/L Pct GB San Francisco Sea Lions 55-34 .618 -- Miami Cuban Giants 44-46 .489 11.5 Chicago American Giants 42-47 .472 13 Los Angeles Angels 39-49 .443 15.5 Portland Sea Dogs 39-51 .433 16.5 Cum Posey Division \| 9 July #Los Angeles Angels Jack Gleason was recalled to take Don Buford's roster spot. Buford's absence means Kal Daniels becomes the Angels' everyday LF with Elmer Smith entering a platoon with Steve Garvey at DH. Mike Trout and Carlos Delgado hit back-to-back homeruns in the bottom of the 11th as the Angels beat Detroit, 9-8. Delgado's was his 2nd of the day and the blasts left both him and Trout with 21 dingers each on the season. #Miami Cuban Giants Steven Wright was sent to AAA, clearing room for Jim Whitney, who moved directly into Miami's rotation. Whitney made a solid debut with just over 6 scoreless innings, but it took a walkoff homer from Iván Rodríguez in the bottom of the 10th for the Cuban Giants to triumph over Portland, 5-4. Jim Thome went deep twice in the game, giving him 34 on the year. #Portland Sea Dogs John Wetteland--despite his struggles with Baltimore--will join Portland's bullpen with Bobby Witt returning to AAA. Additionally, Joseíto Muñoz was named to the rotation, with Jerry Koosman, who is returning from a rehab assignment, taking up the role of the departed Mike Cuellar in the Sea Dogs' bullpen. Rogers Hornsby's departure is a little more complicated: Paul Molitor will take over most of the time at 2B, with Willie Randolph as his backup and Eddie Yost was recalled from the minors to provide some depth at 3B. #San Francisco Sea Lions Jimmy Bloodworth has gone from fan favorite to AAA as he was sent down to clear room for Frank Grant, who will take over as the everyday 2B. Bump Hadley's first start of the second half was more of the same excellence: a 4-hit shutout of Chicago. Hadley, who improved to 13-4, fanned 10 in the 8-0 win, and Jack Clark went deep twice in support of the right-hander. __________________ 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/

02-20-2025, 11:04 AM	#550
Makonnen All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 913	TWIWBL 72.7: Effa Manley Division Code: Team W/L Pct GB Brooklyn Royal Giants 51-37 .580 -- Homestead Grays 47-40 .540 3.5 New York Gothams 44-46 .489 8 Philadelphia Stars 44-46 .489 8 Ottawa Mounties 40-48 .455 11 Effa Manley Division \| 9 July #Brooklyn Royal Giants Rick Aguilera was sent to AAA with Dave Von Ohlen returning from injury. Newly acquired Vern Stephens will get a chance to take over at SS, although expect Germany Smith to continue to see a fair bit of time there, with Matty Alou heading back to AAA. John Briggs had 2 homeruns, the 2nd a walk-off job in the bottom of the 12th as Brooklyn topped the Gothams, 7-6. #Homestead Grays Owen Wilson was recalled from his rehab assignment, taking the traded Chris Sabo's roster slot. Sabo's absence means impressive teenager Judy Johnson will move into a platoon at 3B with Andy Van Slyke. Wilson was recalled largely in light of his performance last season, but he'll need to step it up to keep the roster spot, as Van Slyke and Goose Goslin cover the same positions (and, in Van Slyke's case, more). Goslin hit for the cycle--joining teammate Roberto Clemente as the only players to do so this year--as Homestead beat the House of David, 10-3. Van Slyke hit the ball over the fence twice, leading the Grays to a 9-5 win over the House of David. Mike Epstein added 3 hits, including a homerun, and Napoleon Lajoie and Honus Wagner also went deep. #New York Gothams The Gothams sent Steve Kemp and Pinky Higgins to AAA, with Terry Turner remaining with them solely because of his glove. The Gothams recalled Ryan Zimmerman, who is likely to step directly into the starting lineup at the hot corner. Don Sutton was named to the Gothams' rotation, and the arrival of Don Buford moves J0-J0 Moore, who has performed quite well, onto the bench. This roster still doesn't really make sense: they don't have anyone who can competently play RF behind Johnny Callison, and have far too many 1B. The most likely next move is for Pete Runnels to head to the minors with an OF coming back up. #Ottawa Mounties Clayton Richard and Chris Bosio moved to AAA with Dave Gregg being recalled from his rehab assignment and Bill Crouch the latest minor league arm recalled for a shot at WBL glory. #Philadelphias Stars John Burkett was recalled to take the role of the now-departed Larry Jackson in the Stars' bullpen. Butch Wynegar's time in the WBL was limited, as he was demoted to AAA to clear the way for Bill Dickey, who will take over the bulk of the catching duties. That is the largest immediate change, although both César Hernández and George Hendrick will see more playing time as Philadelphia tries to overcome their struggles in CF and the middle infield. Pete Alexander began a rehab assignment. __________________ 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/

02-21-2025, 11:28 AM	#551
Makonnen All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 913	TWIWBL 72.7: Effa Manley Division Code: Team W/L Pct GB Kansas City Monarchs 49-41 .544 -- Indianapolis ABC's 47-43 .522 2 Houston Colt 45s 43-46 .483 5.5 Wandering House of David 41-47 .466 7 Birmingham Black Barons 39-51 .433 10 Marvin Miller Division \| 9 July #Birmingham Black Barons Birmingham named Sam Streeter to its rotation, and sent Fred Fussell to AAA, recalling Alex Malloy from his rehab assignment. They also shook up their bullpen, with all-star Harley Young taking over from Juan Ríncón as closer. Richie Sexson steps into a platoon with Adrían González at 1B and Ryan Braun looks to take most of the time in LF, essentially pushing Bob Nieman to the bench. #Houston Colt 45's Ice Box Chamberlain was added to the rotation. Rick Wise was returned to AAA as the Colt 45's dropped back to a dozen pitchers and recalled Kirby Puckett, adding (yet another) OF possibility. #Indianapolis ABC's With the arrival of Chris Sabo, Robin Ventura was returned to AAA after another failed chance. Emil Frisk's strong start looks to keep Jake Stenzel at AAA even after his rehab assignment expires. #Kansas City Monarchs The Monarchs made some moves ... the least noticed was sending promising Matt Morris on a rehab assignment. Dustin Hermanson, Steve Evans, and Jim King were all sent to AAA to make room for Lee Smith, Joe Harris, and Stan Musial's return from a rehab assignment. The choice to keep Cool Papa Bell instead of the far more experienced Evans is sure to cause some controversy. Craig Kimbrel will be the closer from here on out, depending on Smith and Eddie Guardado to get him the ball, leaving Jeff Pfeffer to hopefully sort himself out in the middle innings. Harris' arrival will cut into Dale Murphy's playing time, but should strengthen the Monarchs' offense overall. Robinson Canó and Musial hit 2 out of the park and Ozzie Smith doubled 3 times as the Monarchs beat Houston, 10-4. Frank Castillo--who, it must be said, didn't have the best of outings--improved to 11-1. #Wandering House of David Kyle Peterson and Larry Jackson were named to the House of David rotation while Jimmy Key was added to the bullpen. Bob Rush lost his rotation spot, but Jack Taylor holds on to his at least for the time being. Bruce Sutter was sent to AAA, leaving the team without a closer at all: we'll see how that works out for them. Craig Reynolds, Cap Anson, and Mark McGwire were all recalled as the team tries to sort out its future. Anson and McGwire will essentially rotate at 1B, while Frank Chance will see his playing time behind the plate rise as well. McGwire went deep twice, but the House of David fell to Homestead, 9-5. __________________ 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/

02-26-2025, 10:52 AM	#552
Makonnen All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 913	TWIWBL 73.1: Year 2, Week 16: The Post All-Star Lull *July 16th* Coming off a short week for most teams. #Awards Homestead's Goose Goslin excelled in enough games to earn the NL Player of the Week Award, hitting .667 with 2 homers in the short week, and becoming the 2nd player (and 2nd member of the Grays) to hit for the cycle. In the AL, Memphis' OF Manny Ramírez earned the Award, going 4 for 9 with all 4 hits being homeruns, giving him 29 on the season. #Team Performance Given teams only played 3 or 4 games, we'll skip this and come back to it next time. #Player Performance I've been meaning to look at splits for a while, now that we have a half-season under our belt, it seemed a decent time. #Versus Lefty/Righty Top 5 OPS for each. Code: Name Team Slash Charles Rogan PHI 433/469/1.000 Josh Gibson HOM 439/543/894 Rick Reichardt HOM 365/437/1.000 Ernie Banks HOD 362/397/942 Willie Mays NYG 333/392/931 Versus LHP Code: Name Team Slash Ty Cobb DET 414/465/914 Babe Ruth NYY 311/452/873 Ron Blomberg CLE 328/410/810 Gary Carter OTT 357/405/799 Josh Gibson HOM 390/478/723 Versus RHP Bottom line: Josh Gibson can freaking rake. #Home v Road José Canseco's 1.411 OPS and 26 homers lead all players at home. After him, it's predictable given the lists above: Ruth, Cobb, Garter, and Gibson. The road stats are a little more interesting: Brooklyn's Mike Piazza joins 2 players from Birmingham, Hank Aaron and Albert Belle, in the top 5, along with Ruth and Mays. Yeah, Birmingham's home park is murder on hitters. #Miscellaneous Here's a fun one: Baltimore's big FA signing Gavvy Cravath is slashing 556/692/1.667 with the bases loaded, with 3 grandslams on the season. Chicago's Paul Konerko and Gibson also have 3 granny's on the season. And, some random stats as well. 3 players, led by Los Angeles' Bobby Grich, have been hit by a pitch at least 15 times. Grich has been plunked on 22 occasions, Baltimore's Dan McGann 16, and San Francisco's Reggie Jackson on 15. Miami's Alejandro Oms has 11 sacrifice hits and Portland's Harry Hooper, 10. Those are the only 2 players in double digits. The Sea Lions' Mickey Cochrane has 10 sacrifice flies, more a testament to how good the rest of the San Francisco lineup is at getting on base. #Injury Report Some bullpens around the league are playing the waiting game as Baltimore's surprise All-Star, Justin Hampson and Los Angeles' Scott Rice are both awaiting diagnoses as to the severity of their injuries. Los Angeles' AJ Pierzynski may start a rehab assignment by the end of the week, but he could have a hard time reclaiming his old spot given Ron Hassey's success with the Angels. The House of David's Jim Clinton may be back this week as well. __________________ 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/

02-27-2025, 10:38 AM	#553
Makonnen All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 913	TWIWBL 73.2 Spotlight on the Chicago American Giants The American Giants were a strong playoff team last year. At the halfway mark this season, they find themselves 14 games back in the Cum Posey Division, but only 2.5 games back in the Wild Card race. But, it's not enough: this team should be doing better. HOME PAGE \| ROSTER \| POSITIONAL STRENGTH \| LEADERS The problems are clear: an offense that falls off dramatically after its top half, struggles on the mound, and issues at a couple key positions (CF and SS). The solutions aren't so obvious, and if things aren't better by mid-August, the American Giants are a candidate to mortgage their future to address those shortcomings. THE OFFENSE The top end--Frank Thomas, Joe Jackson, Eddie Collins, and the surprising Paul Konerko are all excellent and, especially if Dick Allen regains his stroke, may be enough to carry Chicago in a playoff run. But Chicago regularly trots out 5 starters with OPS' below .750, leaving too many holes. #What's Going Right The big 4 are stunning. Thomas and Shoeless Joe are virtually tied in OPS around .975, with Konerko not too far behind. Carlton Fisk lags behind in OPS, but as a C, he's well above average, and leads the American Giants with 21 homers. Thomas leads in RBIs and Jackson has an incredible 41 2Bs. Collins isn't the all around leader of last season, but 309/406/418 with 41 SBs from a middle infielder is nothing to sneeze at. #What's Not Going Right The 2 obvious problems are SS and CF. Freddy Parent, picked up at last year's All-Star break, has been thoroughly disappointing, with an OPS under .550 (although he has flashed some decent leather). Damian Jackson has been given some opportunities, but has fared even worse offensively. In CF, 18 year old Cristóbal Torriente is clearly still a large part of Chicago's future. But he may not be part of their present: 188/235/245 won't cut it, no matter how fast you are or how good you are in the field. This issue has gotten better: Vernon Wells has taken over for Torriente, and is doing alright. I have no idea how to evaluate Mike Fiore. He's hitting .181, but his OBP is .340, and he has 12 homers. Is that going right? Going wrong? No idea, but I think going wrong. Duffy Lewis was injured at the start of the year, and hasn't clicked since, and is increasingly losing time to Kevin Mitchell in LF. THE PITCHING It's not bad. And some of it--Ed Walsh, Akinori Otsuka--is downright excellent. But everything else needs to step forward. #What's Going Right Last year's Rookie of the Year, Ed Walsh, is pitching fantastically, despite a modest 6-4 record, sporting a 3.55 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. Akinori Otsuka, Tom Williams, and Hoyt Wilhelm are a very solid trio in the bullpen, especially Otsuka and Williams. #What's Not Going Right Last year's ace, Tricky Nichols, has struggled mightily, with an ERA approaching 7.00, and is in danger of losing his spot in the rotation. The trio of Jamie Moyer, Ben Sheets, and Mark Buehrle have been ... thoroughly meh. Just meh. Meh not's good enough for the playoffs. AJ Minter has a dozen saves, but also an ERA of roughly 6.50. THE FARM SYSTEM TOP PROSPECTS \| MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM The jewel of the system is the much-traveled Chino Smith. What's not clear is if Smith will be used as trade bait at the deadline or be asked to move to SS--he's not going to unseat Collins at 2B. There is some decent OF talent here: Lenny Dykstra, Walter Davis, Henry Cotto, and Jorge Orta has the bat, if not the glove, to help a WBL team. On the mound, Jacob deGrom, Harry Buckner, Scott Radinsky, and Ted Lyons all have some ceiling. So, yeah, some help here. WHAT'S NEEDED The bottom of the lineup to step forward, and the pitching overall to improve a shade across the board. Storylines to Watch Key Questions from Spring Training How is the rotation going to fall out? Can Ed Walsh* handle a fulltime starting role, and can Mark Buehrle and Ben Sheets handle the back end of the rotation?* Still a question, with Walsh, Buehrle, and Sheets now being asked to move up in the rotation. How long do the American Giants stick with Parent–he’s fine, but his level of play over the second half of the season (after the American Giants picked him up from Ottawa) was below championship. How long, indeed. FEATURED SERIES The American Giants start the week hosting Memphis for 4 games, so we'll look at those. Projected Starters Memphis' starter listed first. David Bush (5-3, 5.98) @ Tricky Nichols (4-8, 6.89) Jameson Taillon (2-3, 5.12) @ Ben Sheets (4-9, 5.69) Stubby Overmire (8-6, 4.70) @ Ed Walsh (6-4, 3.55) Jon Lester (5-4, 5.61) @ Mark Buehrle (6-8, 4.61) So. Much. Mediocrity. Although the Overmire-Walsh tilt should be a good one. Both teams can score a lot of runs, so let's say this one goes 2-2. Before the first game, the American Giants made a move, promoting Rocky Colavito to the big leagues to take the place of Mike Fiore. Colavito and Mitchell will split time in LF, with Duffy Lewis taking on an unfamiliar bench role. Game One Carlton Fisk put the American Giants up 1-0 in the 2nd with a solo shot to left. Joe Jackson added to the lead the next inning with a sacrifice fly to deep center, scoring Freddy Parent. Fisk would add a 3rd run in the most unlikely of ways: a walk, a stolen base, and then crossing the plate on a single from Vernon Wells, and Dick Allen would go deep in the 4th, increasing the lead to 4-0. Tricky Nichols recaptured some of his form from last year, holding the Red Sox scoreless until Gabby Hartnett hit a 2-run shot in the top of the 7th, closing gap to 4-2 and chasing Nichols from the mound in favor of Hoyt Wilhelm. Wilhelm got through the inning without further damage, other than a double from Dobie Moore. A homer from Wells was offset by a sacrifice fly from Ted Williams, so the lead was still 2, at 5-3 in favor of Chicago. The American Giants added a couple in the 8th with the key hits being a triple from Jackson and another RBI hit form Fisk. It turned out to matter, as David Ortiz took AJ Minter deep with 2 on and 2 out in the top of the 9th, bringing Memphis within 1 run at 7-6. Minter was able to induce a groundout from Wade Boggs, bringing home the victory for Chicago. MEM 6 (Feliciano 0-1; Kennedy 6 BSv; Kilby 2 BSv) @ CAG 7 (Ryan 2-2) HRs: MEM - Hartnett (18), Ortiz (20); CAG - Fisk (22), Allen (17), Wells (8). Box Score Game Two Game 2 will pit Memphis' Jameson Taillon against Chicago's Ben Sheets in a matchup of end-of-rotation starters. Memphis took the lead in the 3rd, scoring 1 on a Wade Boggs double and 2 more on a two-bagger from Bill White. Dobie Moore added a solo shot in the 4th, making it 4-0. Taillon was sailing along, holding Chicago scoreless through 6. But Joe Jackson singled and Frank Thomas went deep, halving the deficit and chasing Taillon. Sheets, who calmed down after Moore's shot, lasted until 1 out in the 7th, when a double from Reggie Smith sent him to the showers. Joe Lake, Sheets' replacement, gave up an RBI single to Ted Williams, increasing Memphis' lead to 5-2, cut to 5-3 when Jackson tripled home Eddie Collins. Dave Nilsson singled in one in the 8th, but Andrew Miller got Collins to groundout with the bases loaded, keeping the Red Sox up by 1, 5-4. An RBI from Smith sent us to the bottom of the 9th with the Red Sox up, 6-4, with their closer, Jonathan Papelbon, coming in from the bullpen. Papelbon whiffed 2, and the series was tied at a game apiece. Moore and Smith had 3 hits each for the Red Sox. MEM 6 (Taillon 3-3; Papelbon 14 Sv; de la Cruz 1 H; Roach 9 H; Miller 8 H) @ CAG 4 (Sheets 4-10) HRs: MEM - Moore (8); CAG - Thomas (20). Box Score Game Three Tied at one, we get the premier pitching matchup of the series, with Memphis' Stubby Overmire taking on Chicago's Ed Walsh. It's a bit of an odd game for the American Giants, with several regulars getting the day off, resulting in a bit of a patchwork lineup. So, we'll see. Walsh gave up 2 in the 2nd on 2-out RBI's from DJ LeMahieu and Billy Bryan. Reggie Smith hit his 23rd homer of the year in the 5th, extending the lead to 3-0. Meanwhile, Overmire was dealing, holding Chicago scoreless through 5 on only 2 hits. despite loading the bases in the 2nd. Overmire departed in the 7th after surrendering his 6th walk, to Rocky Colavito, and an infield hit to Freddy Parent. Heath Bell loaded the bases, but escaped without damage. That was it, really: Bell pitched well in the 8th and Jonathan Papelbon shut the door in the 9th on a combined 3 hit shutout. MEM 3 (Overmire 9-6; Papelbon 15 Sv; Bell 5 H) @ CAG 0 (Walsh 6-5) HRs: MEM - Smith (23); CAG - none. Box Score Game Four The American Giants will try to salvage a split behind Mark Buehrle who will be opposed by Memphis' Jon Lester. The full strength lineup for the American Giants came through immediately, as Frank Thomas launched a 3 run homerun in the bottom of the 1st. But Jack McAleese--who seems to have locked down the utility OF spot for the Red Sox--drove home 2 in the 2nd and scored on a base hit from Dobie Moore, tying the game at 3. Ted Williams launched his 25th of the year in the 3rd, giving Memphis a 1 run lead. Chicago evened the score the following inning on a sacrifice fly from Paul Konerko. That lasted into the top of the 5th, when Williams went deep again, this time with a man on. 6-4 Memphis. Buehrle made it into the 6th but a DJ LeMahieu double chased him from the game. His relief, David Price, allowed 2 more runs, making the edge 8-4, Red Sox. Lester got through the 5th, but by that point he had given up 7 walks and was clearly fatigued. Then, suddenly and surprisingly, the relievers figured out how to pitch, keeping it scoreless until Memphis added a few more in the top of the 9th. Just about the only bad news for Memphis was Moore having to leave the game after being hit on the hand with a pitch: his ultimate injury status is yet to be known. MEM 11 (Lester 6-4; Roach 1 Sv) @ CAG 4 (Buehrle 6-9) HRs: MEM - Williams 2 (26); CAG - Thomas (21). Box Score This is emblematic of everything disappointing about Chicago's year so far: loss after loss and question after question of what if and what's next. This team needs some help: immediately, they are looking at sending AJ Minter down to AAA and installing Akinori Otsuku as the closer, but it's going to take more than that. __________________ 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/

02-28-2025, 12:04 PM	#554
Makonnen All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 913	TWIWBL 73.3: Bill James Division Code: Team W/L Pct GB New York Black Yankees 56-37 .602 -- Cleveland Spiders 51-39 .563 3.5 Memphis Red Sox 44-47 .484 11 Detroit Wolverines 41-50 .451 14 Baltimore Black Sox 40-53 .430 16 Bill James Division \| 16 July #Baltimore Black Sox A rough year gets rougher, as surprise all-star Justin Hampson will miss most of the rest of the season. RA Dickey, who was decently effective in an earlier run with the Black Sox, was recalled. Manny Machado hit 2 out giving him 29 for the year, but the Black Sox bullpen couldn't hold a lead and Baltimore fell to San Francisco, 11-9. #Cleveland Spiders Al Smith was recalled from a rehab assignment, with Claude Passeau heading back to AAA. Bob Feller and Ron Reed combined on a 2-hit shutout of Baltimore, with the Spiders taking the contest 5-0. Feller, who improved to 5-3, allowed 2 hits (but 7 walks) in 7 innings, and Reed was perfect in relief. Recent acquisition Ed Bailey went deep twice, giving him 4 in his short tenure with the Spiders, as Cleveland topped Detroit, 7-4. Bill Steen was solid, improving to 8-5, and Reed and Cory Gearrin did their job, getting the ball to Terry Adams who picked up his 16th save. #Detroit Wolverines George Bechtel hit the DL, with Detroit recalling Gene Conley, who may have gotten himself straightened out at AAA after a miserable start to the year. #Memphis Red Sox Dobie Moore will miss a couple of weeks, prompting the Red Sox to recall veteran IF Nomar Garciaparra. Garciaparra had 2 hits in his first game, but was overshadowed by Travis Shaw's 2 homeruns as the Red Sox beat the Black Yankees, 8-7 in 12 innings. In need of a starter, the Red Sox moved Bill Doak to AAA, recalling Nixey Callahan. #New York Black Yankees Jack Scott was sent to AAA to make room for Dave Righetti's return from the DL. Righetti will move to the bullpen for the time being. It was expected that Nick Etten would head down when Don Mattingly returned, but Etten just continues to mash the ball, leaving Tom Herr the odd man out. Righetti's return lasted one appearance, as a strained back will put him on the shelf for up to 22 weeks. Needing a starter, the Black Yankees recalled Tony Brizzolara, the only rested arm at AAA. __________________ 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/

03-03-2025, 10:42 AM	#555
Makonnen All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 913	TWIWBL 73.4: Cum Posey Division Code: Team W/L Pct GB San Francisco Sea Lions 57-35 .620 -- Miami Cuban Giants 46-47 .495 11.5 Chicago American Giants 43-49 .467 14 Los Angeles Angels 42-50 .457 15 Portland Sea Dogs 40-53 .430 17.5 Cum Posey Division \| 16 July #Los Angeles Angels Mark Ellis and Doug Rader each hit 2 out of the park as the Angels defeated Miami, 10-7. Scott Rice will be out about 6 weeks. The Angels' AAA team has very little to offer, with veteran arm Darren Holmes seeming the best choice for the bullpen. Kal Daniels went deep twice, but the Angels' bullpen imploded as Los Angeles fell to Portland, 9-5, allowing all 9 runs in the final 2 innings of the contest. #Miami Cuban Giants José Canseco hit his 41st and 42nd homerun of the season in the late innings, leading Miami to a 12-7 win over Chicago. José Méndez tossed a complete game, 2-hit shutout as the Cuban Giants again beat Chicago, this time by the slenderest of margins, 1-0. Méndez improved to 9-5, with a 2-out RBI double from Martín Dihigo proving the difference in the contest. #Portland Sea Dogs Buddy Bell tied the WBL record with 3 homeruns as Portland held on for a 5-4 victory over the New York Black Yankees. #San Francisco Sea Lions Watty Clark hit the DL with a strained back, as the Sea Lions recalled Bobby Seay. Sal Bando hit 2 out as the Sea Lions took a see-saw battle from Baltimore, 11-9. __________________ 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/

03-04-2025, 11:08 AM	#556
Makonnen All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 913	TWIWBL 73.5: Effa Manley Division Code: Team W/L Pct GB Brooklyn Royal Giants 53-38 .582 -- Homestead Grays 51-40 .560 2 New York Gothams 45-48 .484 9 Ottawa Mounties 43-48 .473 10 Philadelphia Stars 44-49 .473 10 Effa Manley Division \| 16 July #Brooklyn Royal Giants Mike Piazza hit 2 out, leading the Royal Giants to a 13-1 walkover of Homestead. As importantly, Don Drysedale continued his midseason resurgence, improving to 8-4 with 7 plus innings allowing only an unearned run. #Homestead Grays Andy Van Slyke went deep twice for the second week in a row, hitting 2 out in a 13-2 trouncing of Houston. Roberto Clemente, Josh Gibson, and Judy Johnson also hit homeruns as Doug Drabek improved to 4-5 on the year. #New York Gothams Don Buford has fit right in since arriving with the Gothams, hitting 2 out in a 9-7 win over Ottawa. Willie Mays hit a grandslam for his 33rd of the year, and Don Sutton improved to 10-3 with Brian Wilson picking up his 14th save. #Ottawa Mounties Old Hoss Radbourn still has it from time to time: the Mounties' erstwhile ace tossed a 2 hit shutout as Ottawa topped the Gothams, 10-0. Radbourn walked 4 and whiffed 8 in the effort, improving his record to 10-7. Rusty Staub, Álex Rodríguez, and Brad Ausmus each went deep in support of Radbourn. #Philadelphia Stars Aaron Judge went deep twice--bringing him to 30 on the year--and the Stars edged Houston, 6-4 in a game marked by a solid string of performances from the Stars' bullpen with John Burkett, Fred Cambria, Pedro Feliciano, and Bob Howry combining to allow only a single run over 4 innings. __________________ 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/

03-05-2025, 11:16 AM	#557
Makonnen All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 913	TWIWBL 73.6: Marvin Miller Division Code: Team W/L Pct GB Kansas City Monarchs 50-43 .538 -- Indianapolis ABC's 49-44 .527 1 Houston Colt 45s 45-477 .489 4.5 Wandering House of David 41-51 .446 8.5 Birmingham Black Barons 40-53 .430 10 Marvin Miller Division \| 16 July #Birmingham Black Barons Sam Streeter will miss a few starts with shoulder inflammation. Rube Melton was recalled from AAA to take his place in the interim. Jim Pagliaroni went deep twice and Birmingham topped Kansas City, 7-4. #Houston Colt 45's Teenager Leon Day was returned to AAA with 20 year old Vida Blue being recalled to make his WBL debut. Craig Biggio hit 2 out but Houston fell to Philadelphia, 9-5. #Indianapolis ABC's Emil Frisk, who has done quite well since being recalled, will miss about a month with an abdominal strain. Jake Stenzel--who started the season with Indianapolis, but was injured himself--was recalled. George Foster hit 2 homeruns as the ABC's beat the House of David, 9-4. #Wandering House of David Sammy Sosa and Ernie Banks each went deep twice as the House of David beat Indianapolis, 13-5. Ron Santo, Ryne Sandberg, and Mark McGwire also hit homeruns, with McGwire's being his 5th in only 8 games. __________________ 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/

03-27-2025, 09:59 AM	#558
Makonnen All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 913	TWIWBL 74.1: Year 2, Week 17 *July 23rd* Coming off a short week for most teams. #Awards A .500 average and 3 homeruns was enough for Jeff Bagwell of the Houston Colt 45's to win the NL Player of the Week Award while, in the AL, Portland's resurgent Buddy Bell took home the Award, doing even better over the span by hitting .522 with 4 dingers. #Team Performance The yawner is the Cum Posey Division, where San Francisco continues to coast with the best record in the league, leading the division by 15 games and going 8-22 over their last 10 contests. In the Bill James Division, where the New York Black Yankees once looked as comfortable as San Francisco, the Cleveland Spiders have closed to within 2.5 games of New York. That's the same margin the Brooklyn Royal Giants hold over Homestead in the Effa Manley Division while, over in the Marvin Miller Division, it's a 3 team race between Kansas City, Indianapolis, and Houston with only 2.55 games separating those 3 franchises. Baltimore continues to flounder with the worst record in the WBL at 41-58. #Player Performance #Batters Returning to this, a few things stand out: Detroit's Ty Cobb has hit a little bit of a lull, pulling his average well below .400 while Babe Ruth keeps doing Babe Ruth things, but isn't as dominant as he has been in past moments. All of this has allowed the exploits of Homestead's Josh Gibson to come to the forefront. Gibson was an all-star, but he was overshadowed by Cobb and Ruth until now. But he's slashing 407/500/781, which may make the young backstop the most dangerous bat in the league at the moment. As always, top 3 in most stats with the leaders in bold. It's an odd list, as the gap between the truly elite performers--essentially Gibson, Cobb, and Ruth and, maybe, Cleveland's Tris Speaker--and the next group is pretty wide. Ron Blomberg (CLE). 286/355/681. 38 HR, 101 RBI. José Canseco (MCG). 252/370/709. 42 HR. Oscar Charleston (IND). 345/390/639. 130 H, 11 3B. Ty Cobb (DET). 381/432/818. 130 H, 41 2B, 5.8 WAR. Kal Daniels (LAA). 331/434/626. Josh Gibson (HOM). 407/500/781. 1221 H, 6.5 WAR. Tony Gwynn (HOU). 366/406/563. 130 H. Rickey Henderson (SFS). 260/386/482. 63 BB, 69 SB. Joe Jackson (CAG). 362/407/592. 124 H, 44 2B. Stan Musial (KCM). 325/390/573. 40 2B. Mike Piazza (BRK). 313/350/709. 38 HR. Babe Ruth (NYY). 291/428/769. 47 HR, 108 RBI, 94 R, 78 BB, 6.0 WAR. Tris Speaker (CLE). 343/423/692. 81 R. Larry Walker (OTT). 274/355/669. 38 HR, 93 RBI. Ted Williams (MEM). 306/419/636. 81 R, 63 BB. #Pitchers #Starters All 6 players with 12 or more wins are listed. A. Rube Foster (KCM). 6-2, 2.48. 0.93 WHIP. Lefty Grove (SFS). 12-4, 3.86. 156 K. Ron Guidry (NYY). 8-6, 4.24. 169 K. Bump Hadley (SFS). 14-4, 3.62. 3.55 FIP. Orel Hershiser (BRK). 12-5, 3.76. José Méndez (MCG). 9-5, 4.12. 3.9 WAR. Luis Padrón (IND). 13-3, 3.70. 3.57 FIP, 4.4 WAR. Eddie Plank (SFS). 14-4, 3.90. Toad Ramsey (HOU). 13-5, 2.82. 175 K, 0.93 WHIP, 2.81 FIP, 6.1 WAR. Jim Whitney (MCG). 5-2, 2.88. 1 Sv, 2 H. 0.98 WHIP. #Relievers 22 IP Min. Rod Beck (SFS). 3-2, 3.58. 25 Sv, 1 H. 0.76 WHIP. Rheal Cormier (NYY). 0-2, 5.48. 12 H. Eric Gagne (BRK). 2-1, 3.14. 20 Sv. Eddie Guardado (KCM). 2-1, 1.87. 1 Sv, 6 H. Bob Howry (PHI). 3-1, 3.91. 13 Sv. 0.78 WHIP. Michael Jackson (HOM). 1-4, 3.48. 1 Sv, 14 H. Josh Lindblom (HOM). 4-3, 3.44. 25 Sv. Robb Nen (NYG). 3-2, 1.72. 10 Sv, 9 H. Lee Smith (KCM). 4-1, 2.37. 6 Sv, 6 H. 0.82 WHIP. Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.19. 14 Sv. #Injury Report Detroit's Mike Henneman may start a rehab assignment later in the week. __________________ 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/

03-28-2025, 11:41 AM	#559
Makonnen All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 913	TWIWBL 74.2 Spotlight on the Ottawa Mounties The Mounties were awful last season. At 4 games under .500, they're unlikely to make the playoffs, but they are a far better team this year, easily one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the league ... but still with one of the worst staffs around. So there's that. HOME PAGE \| ROSTER \| POSITIONAL STRENGTH \| LEADERS Odd how much optimism can be generated by a team whose record isn't very good. THE OFFENSE It's all good here, end to end. When the only offensive black hole is your backup catcher, your offense is doing OK. Ten--TEN--Mounties are in double digit homeruns, from Tim Raines at 14 to Larry Walker's 38. #What's Going Right Gary Carter and Larry Walker are among the best in the league at their positions, with Walker leading the team in HR and RBI. Roberto Alomar has blossomed, and leas the team in H with an OPS in the .950s, which is incredibly strong for a middle infielder. His partner at SS, Álex Rodríguez, has finally begun to deliver on his promise, validating Ottawa's decision to retain him last season. The rest of the lineup is solid, with everyone delivering OPS' between .800 and .850. It's a fairly consistent model--mediocre BAs, a decent OBP, and a ton of power. Tim Raines--2nd in the WBL in SB by 1 at 68--is the exception to the model, but his value remains clear. Special mention has to be made of Rick Monday. Not really thought of as a significant prospect, Monday has flourished, slashing 302/385/755 closing in on 200 PAs. A CF by trade, Monday's future is uncertain as his current performance clearly exceeds a role as Carlos Beltrán's backup, but with Walker in RF and Raines in LF, it's not clear where he can move to. #What's Not Going Right Brad Ausmus has already announced his retirement at the end of the season. He's being kept around for his, um, veteran leadership at this point. I mean ... that's about it. Bob Watson struggled and was sent to AAA, and Mike Dorgan is back to being a useful utility player instead of a world-beater. It's been a good year at the plate in Ottawa so far. However ... THE PITCHING Yoikes. Yoikes, yoikes, and yoikes. #What's Going Right Roy Halladay continues to tantalize, showing flashes of ace-ish potential. Halladay sits at 10-6 with an ERA under 5.00, and has yet to put it all together for an extended length of time, but the potential is there. Bill Smith has pitched excellently when healthy, sitting at 8-2 with a 3.225 ERA. Atlee Hammaker struggled initially, but has pitched very well out of the bullpen, far better than his 6+ ERA would indicate. Old Hoss Radbourn continues to oscillate between excellence and ... other things. At worst, he's a solid innings eater. #What's Not Going Right Nobody else has succeeded as a starter, and the back 3 spots in the rotation have essentially been a revolving door, a situation that has surely been hurt by Bob Brown, Bob Moose, and Gary Peters all being on the DL for extended lengths of time (Moose and Peters are out well into next year). The whole staff has been mediocre at best, but there are some lowlights ... Randy Johnson is ... perhaps the most frustrating bundle of talent in the WBL? Johnson has been sent to the minors after struggling mightily, but the Mounties hope he returns soon. Ish. Tom Henke came back from a long term injury to provide an ERA over 7.00 in the closer role. Jesse Crain, who looked promising initially, is on the verge of being sent back down as his ERA has ballooned over 7.00. THE FARM SYSTEM TOP PROSPECTS \| MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM There might be help here, but there isn't much high end talent. As an example, Otto Briggs, Warren Cromartie, Willie Upshaw, Leon Roberts, and Denard Span could all see time, but all are in A ball. Wee Willie Keeler is closer, and perhaps likely to make an impact. But the Mounties need arms ... and there's just not a ton there. Dan Haren, Mark Eichhorn, Max Scherzer, and Billy Koch all have live arms, but are all at A ball. WHAT'S NEEDED The bottom of the lineup to step forward, and the pitching overall to improve a shade across the board. Storylines to Watch Key Questions from Spring Training Can the staff both deliver and stay healthy? No. Who is the bullpen? Who the hell knows. How the young talent sorts itself out. This one is working out OK. Walker, Carter, Raines, Staub, and Rodríguez are all 23 or younger. FEATURED SERIES The Mounties host Homestead for 3 to start the week. Projected Starters Homestead's starter listed first. Francisco Liriano (6-7, 5.224) @ Roy Halladay (10-66, 4.60) Doug Drabek (4-5, 4.89) @ Bill Smith (8-2, 3.25) Cliff Lee (5-2, 6.00) @ Johnny Podgagny (3-3, 4.61) If the starters take their spots as planned, this may be the rare chance for the Mounties to rely on their mound work. If that happens, I think they take 2 out of 3. Before this series began, the Mounties named Atlee Hammaker to the 5th spot in their rotation, although it's not clear when his turn will come around. Game One Turns out Atlee Hammaker's turn is immediately available, with Roy Halladay not quite recovered from his prior outing. He'll face Homestead's Francisco Liriano, who has pitched very well of late, in this one. The legend of Josh Gibson just continues ... Homestead's offensive juggernaut took Hammaker deep in the first with Judy Johnson on to give the Grays an early 2-0 lead. Tim Raines started the game for Ottawa with a solo shot, halving the deficit and then Larry Walker launched his 39th of the year, tying the game at 2. Hammaker allows 2 baserunners in the 2nd, but he got out of it, having gotten 5 of the 6 outs in the game so far via the strikeout. Liriano is faring worse: Adrián Beltré launched a solo shot in the 2nd, and the Mounties scored another on a hit from Sam Thompson. But Gibson and Rick Reichardt launched back to back shots in the 3rd, tying the game once again until, in the 4th, Willie Stargell hit his 29th, giving the Grays a 5-4 lead. That was it for Hammaker--4 innings and 7 K's, but also 4 homeruns allowed. Bryn Smith allowed a hit to Johnson, and then Gibson did it once again--his 3rd homerun of the game, launched to deep center. Liriano made it into the 6th, but hits from Thompson and Mike Dorgan chased him. Gibson had a chance to become the first player in WBL history to hit 4 out in a game, but had to settle for a double off the CF wall. But there was one more twist in the game: with 2 runners on in the bottom of the 9th, Ottawa turned to Rick Monday who continued his shocking campaign with a 3-run shot off Michael Jackson to tie the game at 7. That was followed by Dorgan's 2nd homer of the game, and Ottawa had seized the lead, which they doubled on a an RBI double from Beltrán. So, the top of the 9th was set, with Ottawa's closer Tom Henke destined to face Gibson. Homestead is hard to close out: Andy Van Slyke led off the inning with a homerun. Johnson may have shown his youth, getting thrown out at send trying to stretch a single into a double--an especially poor choice, given Gibson being the next batter. Henke was very careful, and while it won't go down as an intentional walk, it was as close as can be. Henke wrapped 2 strikeouts around a hit batsman, closing out the game for a surprising win for Ottawa. Gibson was clearly magnificent, but Johnson and Stargell added 3 hits each, while Mike Epstein whiffed 5 times for the Grays. 11 homeruns in the game highlighted the challenge both teams have with their staffs. HOM 8 (Jackson 1-5, 5 B Sv; Kemmerer 2 H) @ OTT 9 (Crain 1-2; Henke 9 Sv) HRs: HOM - Gibson 3 (29), Reichardt (26), Stargell (20), Van Slyke (12); OTT - Raines (15), Walker (39), Beltré (24), Monday (22), Dorgan (2). Box Score Game Two Game 2 will see Roy Halladay face off against Homestead's Doug Drabek. These teams cannot stop hitting the ball out of the park. Homestead's Mike Epstein and Rick Reichardt went back-to-back in the top of the first. Drabek had to leave the game in the 3rd with back tightness, bringing in newly promoted Bartolo Colón for his WBL debut. Colón gave up a seeing-eye 2 run single to Gary Carter that tied the game at 3, but Owen Wilson launched his 2nd of the year to put the Grays back on top, 5-3. Both bullpens locked in at that point: Colón was followed by Rick Ownbey and Ricardo Rincón, turning the ball over to closer Josh Lindblom for the bottom of the 9th. But this Ottawa team is tough: Carter greeted Lindblom with his 35th homer of the year, making it a 1 run game. Rusty Staub managed a bloop hit, and was replaced at first by Tim Raines, representing the tying run. Raines stole 2nd (his 70th of the year, giving him, at least for the moment, the league lead) and moved to 3rd on a groundout from Carlos Beltrán. A single from Adrián Beltré tied the game, and off to extra innings we went. Andy Van Slyke walked, stole second, and move to 3rd on a single form Judy Johnson. Josh Gibson was plunked by Clark Griffith to load the bases. Griffith walked in a run, but that was it, and Homestead stuck with Lindblom for the bottom of the 10th. Despite an error in the frame, Lindblom closed out the game. HOM 6 (Lindblom 5-3, 3 B Sv; Ownbey 5 H; Rincón 2 H) @ OTT 5 (Gregg 0-3) HRs: HOM - Reichardt (27), Epstein (27), Wilson (2); OTT - Carter (35). Box Score After the game, Homestead moved Drabek to the DL, recalling Brickyard Kennedy from AAA. Game Three So, 2 one-run games and an even split. The rubber match would see Homestead's Cliff Lee take on Ottawa's Bill Smith--which should be a fairly significant edge for the Mounties. And yet ... Andy Van Slyke led the game off with homer against Smith for an early 1-0 lead for the Grays. In the 4th, a double from Honus Wagner, a homer from Napoleon Lajoie, and RBI singles from Josh Gibson and Rick Reichardt made it 6-0 and chased Smith. The Mounties finally got on the board when Tim Raines stole home (!) for his 72nd swipe of the season. But Lee was dealing until he was forced from the game in the 7th through injury. At that point, he had a -1 lead, having surrendered only 2 hits. Ray Brown replaced Lee and gave up 2 runs, but the Grays were still up, 7-3 heading into the final 2 frames. In the bottom of the 9th, Sam Thompson knocked in 2, closing the game to 7-5. The Mounties sent up Rick Monday as a pinch-hitter--could the legend grow? Temporarily, at least! Monday greeted Michael Jackson with a double, making it a 1-run game, 7-6. Jackson walked Raines ... and gave up a walk-off, 3 run shot to Roberto Alomar, as Ottawa once again rode their offense to a win, both for the game and the series. HOM 7 (Jackson 1-6, 6 B Sv) @ OTT 9 (Smith, Bry 1-1) HRs: HOM - Van Slyke (13), Lajoie (8); OTT - Alomar (22). Box Score In many ways, this is who Ottawa is: can they hold on by their fingernails on the mound until they find a way to score more runs than you. They hit 7 homers in the 5 games, and Tim Raines swiped 5 bases. Some recognition does need to go to Josh Gibson, who finished the 3 game series with 3 homers, 7 RBI's and 6 hits in 10 ABs. __________________ 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/

03-31-2025, 10:31 AM	#560
Makonnen All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 913	TWIWBL 74.3: Bill James Division Code: Team W/L Pct GB New York Black Yankees 59-41 .590 -- Cleveland Spiders 54-41 .568 2.5 Memphis Red Sox 48-50 .490 10 Detroit Wolverines 43-54 .443 14.5 Baltimore Black Sox 41-58 .414 17.5 Bill James Division \| 23 July #Cleveland Spiders The surprising Steve Gromek headed to the DL, prompting the Spiders to recall the to-date ineffective Hank Gastright once more. Ed Bailey hit 2 out, but a late comeback fell short as the Spiders fell to Los Angeles, 11-8. #Detroit Wolverines Al Kaline hit out 2, reaching 20 for the year, as the Wolverines topped Chicago, 7-5 behind a strong outing from Charlie Root, who evened his record at 8-8. Joakim Soria will miss a few weeks, prompting Detroit to recall Dick Donovan from AAA. #Memphis Red Sox Both Billy Bryan and Ted Williams hit 2 homeruns in an insane game that saw the Red Sox lose, 17-15 to Baltimore in 10 innings. The two teams combined for 19 runs in the final 3 innings in the see-saw affair. __________________ 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/