The Around the Horn League (AtHoL)

[luckymann]

A second 2BL title in five years for the perennially competitive Wichita Falls Spudders, who drop just one game in each of their series against Troy, Nashua and then finally Corpus Christi in the WS.

Fulton pitcher Sonny Gray finishes top 3 in all Triple Crown stat cats.

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A super-competitive finals series sees Anaheim and Fort Myers both survive tough seven-game Conference Championships then go the distance again in the WS, with the Aces triumphing for their first Championship.

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Dayton and New Orleans take fairly cruisy WC game wins to proceed to the next round.

That leaves the main body of the playoffs looking like this:

[luckymann]

A mixed bag here, with Chicago sweeping Dayton, New Orleans doing likewise to Seattle in a huge boilover, Baltimore squeezing past Mobile in a series where all five games go to the road team, and we get through in five despite playing poorly.

[luckymann]

Our dream run continues with a fairly comprehensive series win over my former club that sends us to our first ever AtHoL BCS, where we'll take on Baltimore after they end the Pelicans' hopes with a win in six.

[luckymann]

Given our participation here, I'll provide a bit more colour for each game.

Game 1




A classic to open this series as our boys never stop trying but lose in 12. Johnson’s post-season struggles continue as he is chased after just 3 IP but the pen keeps them close and the bats get us back to square in the 9th on a 2-run Wesley double to extend the game. In the end, an error by Ray Collins proves the difference as they walk it off with an unearned run on a single by catcher Johnny Bench. A-Rod goes yard yet again and we get 13 hits in all, but they outhit us by one as we keep things wild and woolly.


Game 2




We cop a good old-fashioned pummelling here in a fairly embarrassing game for our club on the big stage. Koufax puts up meek resistance as they send him to the clubhouse without having even made it through the 1st by putting up a crooked number, while Darvish pitches an absolute gem to send us back to San Fran with our tails very much between our legs. Williams gets our only two hits of the night, both singles.


Game 3




Yet another erratic performance but that’s just how we seem to be rolling in these playoffs as we get our first win of the series. Yet again, we fall behind early and are still behind until a 4-run 8th gets us a lead we do not relinquish. Williams leads the bats once more with 3 hits and 2 ribbies, while Torriente sparks the comeback with a 2-run single.


Game 4




Bullet Joe Bush shows composure well beyond his age and experience, allowing just 4 hits over 5+ scoreless before being forced from the game hurt, and the BP finish off his fine work with a shutout win to square things up. For once, we get some early runs and never really look in trouble. Appling and Williams drive in 2 apiece while Santiago and Roberts each have 3 hits. We’ll monitor Bush but he’s not scheduled to start again anyway. Game. On.


Game 5




We are 100% confident he’ll be much better for the experience, but these playoffs have been nothing short of nightmarish for Walter Johnson, who once again gets belted all over the park and chased early as we take another bad loss. This is the third game in which he has been unable to make it past the 3rd, by which point in this one we are pretty much done and dusted, down by 7. Matters aren’t helped by our bats going quiet against Seaver and it’ll take a big-time miracle one would think for us to get it done from here.


Game 6




We go down fighting and that’s all I can ask for, especially from such a young group, and what a ride this has been. We push a top-notch ballclub all the way, losing this one late after blowing a 4-run lead in the middle innings. I won’t lie by saying I’m not disappointed, but my pride in this great group of kids makes it about as palatable as it can be.



BALTIMORE WINS SERIES 4-2

SERIES MVP: Roberto Clemente (Baltimore)

[luckymann]

It almost goes without saying that this season was a successful one for our franchise, both on and off the field. To have achieved what we did on the league's lowest payroll is something about which I feel very proud. Still, all that is merely a building block for the future. We won nothing other than some new fans and perhaps some notice and respect as a ballclub. If we don't use it to get better, then it was a waste of time and energy.

We have very few loose ends to tie up. Just two arb-eligible players on our books in pitchers Brett Anderson and Tully Sparks, both of whom we tender at a price we expect will require the arb process to sort out.

We will not be re-upping on A-Rod. He was handy for us and all, but with our budget pretty much static from last year at $1.18m, that big chunk of cash required to keep him here - roughly $200k per - is better deployed in pieces elsewhere.

Let's reflect upon the 1957 season.

Metrics are kind of in the Goldilocks Zone for a young group - solid and improved from the previous season, but still with plenty of room to get better again.

BATS

I'll cover my thoughts moving forward a little bit later, for now I just want to highlight the good and the bad from this year. Williams was obviously the standout, but he got fantastic support from Appling and Torriente. Bagwell was far too streaky, while Evans is at a crossroads, no doubt. Wesley gave us 3 bWAR, but given his limited offerings on defence, that isn't really enough - especially as our highest-paid player.

BALLS

Once again, it is difficult to get one's head around where our pitching is at. We have a bunch of guys who should be great but aren't, or at least haven't been, and a bunch of guys who aren't so great but who we can afford. There's no doubt this staff needs to be tightened up and I need to stop being so non-committal and wishy-washy with my decision-making process with these guys.

GLOVES

Our D continued to regress over the latter part of the season to finish at a 14th-ranked -9.9 ZR, with our D-Eff a bit better coming in 9th. We were 5th in errors committed, which shows that we are making the plays we get to but not getting to as many as other teams. The boss wants an upgrade at RF, which kind of fits in with my plans here.

WINGS

Wilmington and Peoria made the playoffs by winning their div then exited early. Brownsville struggled early but did improve as the season progressed before finishing mid-standings. Ours is currently the league's top-ranked system.

POCKETS

Won't deny I'm somewhat miffed we aren't seeing more of that playoff cash. We made some good coin last season but the boss has held most of it back. $1.5m would in my mind have been a fairer amount for us.

[luckymann]

AtHoL Champions: Baltimore [2]

League slash line: 258/324/380 (v 273/351/440 in 1956)

League ERA: 3.87 (4.94)

League BABIP: 287 (305)

3BL Champions: Rochester [1]

2BL Champions: Wichita Falls [2]

1BL Champions: Anaheim [1]

ELYSIAN MEDAL (MOST VALUABLE PLAYER)

ARCADIAN MEDAL (PITCHER OF THE YEAR)

THREE UP THREE DOWN AWARD (RELIEVER OF THE YEAR)




RISING STAR AWARD (ROOKIE OF THE YEAR)




CHADWICK PLATE (MANAGER OF THE YEAR)

LA: LA: Curtis Mackney, Dayton
KA: Steve Featherston, New Orleans


SWING FOR THE FENCES AWARD (SILVER SLUGGER)

Lincoln Association
C: Heavy Johnson, Indianapolis
1B: Hal Trosky sr, Tucson
2B: Dustin Pedroia, Salt Lake City
3B: Hack Wilson, Dallas
SS: Luke Appling, San Francisco
LF: Ted Williams, San Francisco
CF: Richard Hidalgo, Montreal
RF: Bobby Bonds, Kansas City
DH: Edgar Wesley, San Francisco


King Association
C: Roy Campanella, New Orleans
1B: Chipper Jones, Baltimore
2B: Bobby Doerr, Philadelphia
3B: Mike Schmidt, Winston-Salem
SS: Joe Kelley, Mobile
LF: Bernie Williams, New Orleans
CF: Sammy Sosa, Philadelphia
RF: Bryce Harper, Vancouver
DH: Buck Leonard, Seattle


LET'S PLAY TWO AWARD (GOLD GLOVE)

Lincoln Association
P: Wayne Garland, Fresno
C: Sherm Lollar, Cincinnati
1B: Kris Bryant, Cincinnati
2B: Nicky Lopez, Houston
3B: Clete Boyer, Tucson
SS: Phil Rizzuto, Montreal
LF: Ken Griffey jr, Houston
CF: Richard Hidalgo, Montreal
RF: Curt Flood, Montreal


King Association
P: Don Drysdale, New York
C: Brad Ausmus, Winston-Salem
1B: Norm Cash, Raleigh
2B: Dots Miller, Brooklyn
3B: John Britton, New York
SS: Glenn Wright, San Jose
LF: Bernie Williams, New Orleans
CF: Dom DiMaggio, New York
RF: Mike Mitchell, Seattle

NB With everything now fairly settled, I'll forgo with the newsletter format and just give you the facts, Jack. Also, because I'm a verified genius and deleted the news log, there'll be no MiLB awards post again this year... Oops!

[luckymann]

We don't make many moves pre the Draft, but those we do are purposeful.

Those of you who've been paying attention could probably see this one coming a mile off but it almost didn't happen, with me chasing first Aaron then Maris before regaining my senses. And it was made more difficult by how abjectly unwanted Eddie was, with us having to tie him to Howdy and still retain 20%. Still, this is a good move for us - Bill is just the sort of understated, underrated guy to suit our smaller budget. Plays 1B and all 3 OF slots, but will be our everyday RF for 1958. The bigger dilemma is what we do if McNair comes on like he projects to, but we've got a season at least to figure that out.

This next one began with Adam Frazier the catalyst in an approach from the Shippers.

For him and Shawkey, who is handy but whose pitch-to-contact style is not a good fit for us, we pick up a guy who could prove well handy for us next year in Barry, a wildcard corner IF/OF prospect in Joe Rudi and a passable MiLB catcher in Navarro.

This final one was all about that high pick, with the Rally Caps actually flipping Ryan almost immediately to New York for Eddie Cicotte.

Saying that, Lonborg may suffer the same fate with us if the Draft doesn't fall our way.


On the topic of which, poor old Boston can't seem to take a trick of late, and get hammered in the Lottery to the benefit of St. Louis and Salt Lake City.

That pick from Raleigh means we have numbers 23, 51 and 60 in Rounds 1 and 2. We know what we need but the pool isn't exactly dripping with ready-made power right-handed 3B so we'll just play the old wait-and-see game and, should the guy we need not be there then we'll take the guy we want.

Ken Keltner is the guy we covet above all others, but not in our wildest dreams do we ever believe he'll make it thru 22 picks. He nearly does, but goes to Dallas at 17, and with no other players at that position really grabbing us, we change tack and look to the longer term with our early selections.

Here are our newest Seal Cubs:

And the first two rounds in full, with Jose Rijo taken first overall by the Terriers ahead of Ty Cobb, who'll be joining us in the Adams Band with SLC.

[luckymann]

• Once again, Boston is the biggest net WAR gainer - let's hope it does them better this time around.
• Will this be the year that Chicago finally breaks through for that overdue maiden title? It cannot be argued that they haven't done everything possible and again they keep their core - with the exception of John Mize, who ends up at Baltimore - intact while adding ever more quality, with Chipper Jones, Gaylord Perry and Tris Speaker joining their ranks.
• Philly gets busy this offseason, nabbing A-Rod, Don Drysdale and Reggie Jackson, and look ready to compete.
• I'm expecting much-improved years from Cincy and Raleigh, both of whom make some nice moves over the break.

Here are all the net gains and losses, along with the major offseason moves by team:

We travel a bit further back in time, LTM-wise, this year, with 1983 having been deigned upon by the dice.

The BNN bunch sees most of the excitement across in the KA this year, particularly in the Chandler. They have tipped us to repeat with 99 wins - an improvement of 10. I'll take that gladly, as will I the nice season they are expecting from Bagpipes.

Ty Cobb is the top-rated rook ahead of Jose Rijo and Hank Greenberg, with the top two expected to see action in the bigs sometime this season.

And here are the top-rated players:

What does 1958 hold in store for us?

[luckymann]

With no luck in the Draft, I take a big step toward hopefully redressing our 3B situation.

This is a bit of a dice-roll once again. No question Sheff is top notch, but will we be able to afford him past this season when his contract is up? This question very much played on my mind throughout negotiations, with the necessary loss of Bip Roberts for pecuniary reasons - making the net outlay minimal - the only real element sticking in my craw. Collins is another puffball pitcher who needs a better defence behind him than we can offer him, and was set to get somewhat expensive, while the stories about Washington's poor disposition had reached a dull roar. The Barry pickup will now be properly tested with him taking on Bip's "rover" role, and we also picked up OF utility Buster Adams (along with Aussie reliever Grant Balfour) in the Rule 5 Draft, the first time from memory I have ever done so.

So let's look at where that leaves us on OD, 1958.

BATS

It's fair to say that I have played things pretty conservatively here. I think the moves we have made have been good ones, but am concerned about our depth. So the cash on hand will be used for that if necessary, as well as to tighten up the pitching should it need doing so.

SHOPPING LIST: A gift voucher will do for now, thanks.

BALLS

Absolutely no doubt in my mind that our staff will make or break us this year and, whereas I was proactive with our position players I've been almost compelled to be reactive here, which doesn't sit well with me at all. Maybe that's all in my mind, but we have these guys who should be good and by and large did the right thing by us last season, and I think they deserve the chance to do so again. But the trigger-finger is itchy and ready to be scratched. Big Unit gets a trial at Closer, but that's merely a stopgap measure. We want him in the rotation again at some point.

SHOPPING LIST: Who knows where the wind blows?

GLOVES

If our headline acts stay healthy and in form we are OK here, but it gets real thin real quick and managing fatigue, especially in our IF, will be a big job this season. Purely for that reason, Adams or Barry might lose their spot to Schofield or someone brought in - although our doing so would be a dead giveaway that things are going poorly for us.

SHOPPING LIST: A votre santé, my band of brothers.

WINGS

A few misfires, but I retain total faith in McNair becoming a gem. I think they are overstating Marvellous Marv by some margin, and underestimating Walker Cooper - don't be surprised if this looks vastly different at various stages throughout the season. Our system is ranked third at the time of writing.

POCKETS

I think I've covered this already and will come back with a closer look as usual in a bit. If we can get hot early and start packing the crowds in that will help no end.

The flipside of success is always the increased fear of failure, and I am feeling this more acutely than I expected to. Still, our destiny is in our hands and, on paper at least, we're in really good shape.

[luckymann]

After a bit of a slow start we've been on a bit of a roll winning 9 of our last 10. This, however, is one of the first games where everything sort of comes together, with Teddy as usual at the vanguard.

[luckymann]

AAA Goldsboro's Roger Pavlik gives us our first no-hitter for the season against Hagerstown.

[luckymann]

Two no-nos in a week at AAA, this one from Rochester's AJ Griffin against Charlotte. Shame the game doesn't allow for mullets - LSt, if you're looking in, this guy would be a fun one to do with no hat, were it possible (I know it isn't) - although the one I've got of him is more than passable.

[luckymann]

A big day out for the marvellous Mule Suttles as he mashes three taters at Louisville.

[luckymann]

[luckymann]

No doubt in our minds Oakland will be our toughest rival in the Adams Band this season, and they beef up their already stacked roster with a blockbuster move here - Johnson is a gun.

[luckymann]

The Seattle Pilots have absolutely fallen into a heap of late, with just 6 wins from their past 25 in a dreadful month of May. They cop an absolute pounding here from Harry Heilmann and his Whales teammates in a 20-2 rout.

[luckymann]

Another really positive first third for us to begin the 1958 season. In fact, a loss in Game 60 is our first in ten to leave us at 39-21 and six clear of the Oaks. Perhaps the most pleasing aspect is that we still seem to have plenty of upside from here with certain areas of our game not where we want them to be just for the moment.

There is a fair turnover of personnel to report.

First to go is one we'd much rather have been able to keep but always suspected that would be a tough ask. When we sat down with Luke Appling to talk extension, I had budgeted 100k per and was OK with up to 3 years. His counter offer of 2/330 totally blew us away and ended those talks rather abruptly. This trade ensued soon thereafter:

A really nice trade all-round for us. While JV might not be quite up to Luke's level on offence, he offers more rounded D and ends up saving us $100k for next season after we subsequently extend him for 1/57. Averill is the kicker that then allows us to make this move:

We were never going to run both Benito and Joe G through their full TC, and in the end we decided Joe was the better bet. We've still Miguel Montero at AAA but I'm not sold on the idea of running two LHB catchers, so we placed Earl at SF with Joe moving into the strong side of the platoon. Barry offers us relief work now with the option of starting if we need him there.

Next, we freed up some cash for extensions with this move:

GG has been such a handy transitional guy on and off the field for us, but figured no part in our future for the price required of his services. With Sheff and Spiderman both locked down for the immediate future, we have enough leadership and so I wanted to try and recoup some value for Greg. Given some other developments I'll cover in a bit, Billy Bucks may just cover a short-term need and we'll take it from there with him. Dade is almost certainly MiLB padding only.

Here's the on-field action now.

Incredibly satisfying to see these metrics looking so consistent across the board.

BATS

An utterly stupendous first 60 for Teddy B, with 4 bWAR to his name already. Bags has stepped up as well, so too Chuck Knoblauch. The one who hasn't done much at all is Sheff, and we're hoping that means we have another gear left in us, or at least some offset should Ted not be able to maintain his current pace throughout.

BALLS

These stats and the metrics above don't really tell you the full story of our pitching, which has been super solid for the most part but also susceptible to being blown out big time every so often. Our 16th-ranked BABIP hints at some unluckiness, although 295 v OBA of 263 isn't too wild.

Koufax started dreadfully but has progressively improved, while our top and tails in Train and Bobby Groom have anchored a really strong rotational effort.

Unit has, so far, proved a revelation at Closer and his 16 saves lead the LA. Of the others, Urban Shocker is the main one at risk here, but we'll hold firm for the time being.

GLOVES

All looking OK here. Teddy B out of the OF certainly solidifies us there on D and allows him to concentrate on destroying baseballs.

That said, I'm still far from happy with our mix.

Which brings us to Bill White. After coveting him for so long, it seems as if his tenure with us will be a short one after extension talks broke down with little likelihood of a resolution other than his being moved on. We have Hurley McNair and Billy B ready to go and they'll both likely come up with Buster Adams released back to his former club as per Rule 5 contract designations. That worsens our plight defensively, however, leaving us a smidge thin at CF. So if we can perhaps roll the two Bills into a handy UT type who'll stay cheap then we'll do so - sooner rather than later, as I want this group settled by the halfway point.

Shad Barry will also need to go to AAA and, with us having signed Willard Brown on a cheap option deal, he looks the one almost certain to come up.

WINGS

The other alternative for our backup OF dilemma is to promote Marv Throneberry and see how he goes. He's been killing it at AA and might just be worth the gamble, thereby allowing us to roll the two Bills into a prospect.

Other than that, Hoyt looks most likely - but at just 19 I do not want to rush him.

Wilmington and Peoria on top again, Brownsville still struggling.

POCKETS

Tough crowd these San Franciscans - WS appearance and leading again, yet still only averaging 12k per game and finding it impossible to move the needle. Which means we'll be looking at having about $1.3m at our disposal next year.

Here's my old-school chart that shows who's been locked down for what and who's still up in the air.

Which tells us the following:

• McCormick, Anderson, Aguilera and Zito are the four we would like to lock down and that we'll have around $100k to do so
• French, Loes, Dresser and Shocker are borderline - maybe slightly on the NO side if I'm being honest
• Shad Barry is one I'd like to keep around if possible, but don't think we'll have the room to do so
• Adams will head home
• White will go, Collier will be a non-tender come arb time

That's the rough plan, at any rate. Like I said, I will be making these moves as early as possible to enable the group we do go with plenty of time to gel. Oakland should be running hard at us all year.

[luckymann]

He's been up with the Ducks for a while, but in the 76 ABs prior to this game Marcell Ozuna was yet to go deep.

Not

Any

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