FABL -- Chicago Chiefs

[mjj55409]

Chicago takes the first two games in Brooklyn as the starting pitching dominates. Now the series shifts to Chicago, with game 3 taking place this afternoon.


Game 1 -- Wednesday, September 30th, 1936, Kings County Park



The series started well enough for Brooklyn as Tom Barrell opened the first by striking out the first two batters. But a walk, 3 hits, and 2 errors allowed the Chiefs to score 4 runs. Rabbit Day did the rest--scattering 6 hits over 9 innings. Brooklyn's only damage came when Al Wheeler led off the 9th with a home run. Day improves to 5-1, 2.74 ERA in championship series games.

Time of Game: 2:53
Attendance: 31,860


Game 2 -- Thursday, October 1st, 1936, Kings County Park



Game 2 was more of the pitchers' duel that everyone thought Game 1 might be. Al Miller and Mike Murphy were both pitching well, and Chicago was up 3-0 after 6 innings. In the bottom of the 7th, 2 walks and a John Langille double loaded the bases for Brooklyn with no one out. Miller was able to induce 2 weak fly balls and a ground out to end the threat without Brooklyn scoring. And having pinch hit for Murphy in the 7th, the Kings send Del Lyons out to pitch the 8th. Singles by Jim Hampton, Joe Foy, and Miller scored 1 run for the Chiefs. Two more runs scored on a double by Bob Martin, who was then thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple.

Time of Game: 3:02
Attendance: 31,849

[mjj55409]

CHIEFS K.O. KINGS, CLAIM CHAMPIONSHIP

For the first time since 1917, and for only the second time in their 60 year history, the Chicago Chiefs are the FABL Championship Series winner. It was a series that was expected by many to be close and competitive, but it turned out to be an easy sweep for Chicago.


Game 3 -- Saturday, October 3rd, 1936, Whitney Park


In game 3, Brooklyn had the first two batters reach base in both the 2nd and the 3rd innings. In both innings, Ron Coles was able to get a double play to get out of the jams. Coles then opened the scoring with a solo home run in the bottom of the 3rd. And in contrast to Coles' fielders helping him out with some double plays, Tom Barrell's fielders contributed to 2 unearned runs scoring for Chicago in the 4th.

Time of Game: 2:46
Attendance: 32,067


Game 4 -- Sunday, October 4th, 1936, Whitney Park


In game 4, Chicago was up 2-1 entering the 9th inning. In the 9th, a lead-off walk, 3 singles, and 2 passed balls allowed the Kings to take their first lead of the series at 4-2. In the bottom of the 9th, a hit batter and two singles produce 1 run, bringing up Tom Bird with 2 outs, 2 runners on, and the Chiefs down by 2. Bird--perhaps to attone for the 2 passed balls in the top of the inning--cracks a hard double into the right field corner driving home both runs and giving the Chiefs the series win.

With the game 4 win, Rabbit Day is now 6-1 with a 2.78 ERA in championship series play.

Time of Game: 2:41
Attendance: 32,023



l-to-r, Rabbit Day, Tom Bird

[mjj55409]

Spring training is finished and the club is currently on its way to St. Louis where they will open the season with 3 games against the Pioneers. We will be in Chicago on Friday to face the Gothams in the home opener.

It was a relatively quiet off-season for the defending champion Chiefs. No major roster changes. The biggest change was at the staff level when manager James Gentry retired. Gentry retires with 1557 managerial wins (mostly in the Century League) and 7 championships. Bench coach Joe Ward was named as Gentry's replacement.


Chicago's Opening Day Roster


Catchers (2) - Tom Bird (.301-12-84) and Tom Aiello (.290-1-13)

The 29-year-old Bird was acquired right at the start of last season. Tom Aiello was still nominally the starting catcher, but that only lasted into May, after which Bird established himself as one of the top catchers in the game. Bird started 121 games in 1936 and I would expect to see that workload increase.


Infielders (7) -- Ron Rattigan (.335-20-101), Pete Layton (.358-21-122), Bob Martin (.355-8-100), Bob Barringer (.211-0-9), Bill White (.272-4-78), Len Jones (.276-1-43), Mose Christopher (.222-2-5)

With Rattigan, Layton, and Martin, the Chiefs have one of the top infields around. It will be fun to see what Layton can do with a full season in Chicago. At short stop, Bill White has the better bat, but Joe Ward is more comfortable opening the season with the veteran Barringer's glove at the position.


Outfielders (6) -- Jim Hampton (.326-7-79), Bennie Griffith (.300-6-53), Cliff Moss (.306-19-74), Paddy Smith (.293-3-38), Joe Foy (.326-3-6), Dave Shaffer (.289-3.43 (Fort Wayne))

Joe Foy will be Moss's platoon partner in the beginning. Last season Griffith established himself as the best option in center.


Pitchers (8) -- Rabbit Day (25-3, 2.41), Al Miller (21-8, 2.87), Ron Coles (15-5, 3.82), Charlie Bingham (19-12, 4.13), Jack Beach (14-10, 5.54), Larry Brown (4-9, 4.24), Max Plourde (9-4, 5.68), Bob Walls (2-2, 5.76)

The strength of the club continues to be the pitching staff. Like Pete Layton, it will be fun to see what Day can do with a full season in Chicago.

[mjj55409]

We are 3 weeks into the season, and I didn't get a chance to update after the first two sims. The Chiefs had a tough beginning to the season--going into St. Louis for the first 3 games and--after being outplayed in all aspects--losing all 3. After St. Louis, the Chiefs came home and took 2 of 3 from New York. And after losing to New York on Sunday, April 25th, the Chiefs took off on a 13-game winning streak, before losing to Philadelphia (3-0) yesterday. Since that 0-3 start, the Chiefs are 15-2. The winning stretch included a three game sweep of Pittsburgh this past week. This week we have the final 2 games of the Philadelphia series, 2 games with Washington, and then 3 with Detroit to wrap up a 15-game home stand.





Top Performances:

• Bennie Griffith: .308/.379/.538, 3 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 R
• Jim Hampton: .391/.400/.565, 2 3B, 1 RBI, 2 R
• Pete Layton: .273/.385/.591, 1 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R
• Al Miller: 2-0, 18 IP, 2.00 ERA

Tom Bird and Pete Layton are both looking primed to have terrific seasons. While Jim Hampton, Cliff Moss, and Bob Martin have gotten off to slow starts.

We just finalized a deal to bring in outfielder Tom Taylor. Taylor had been on waivers in the CA and to secure him, we sent Brooklyn a 7th round draft pick. Taylor, of course, burst onto the scene as a 23-year-old in 1928, hitting 44 home runs for the Philadelphia Sailors and winning both the 1928 CA Whitney Award and the 1928 world championship series. He followed that up in 1929 with 38 home runs and another Whitney Award. He struggled with some injuries in 1930 but still won the world championship series with Philadelphia. In that off-season, he was traded to the Chicago Cougars. In 1931 he was part of another championship club with the Cougars. Overall he had 4 good seasons in Chicago (including leading the CA in home runs in 1934 with 34) and was dealt to the New York Gothams during the 1935 season. After winning another championship with the Gothams in 1935, he got off to a very slow start start in 1936. He was hitting just .167 in 30 games when he was released in July. He was signed by his original club--the Philadelphia Sailors--and he looked good during a 16-game stint last September. The Sailors, though, put him on waivers this spring and he was claimed by Brooklyn. After refusing a minor league assignment with the Kings, we were able to work out a deal.

Overall in his career, the 32-year-old Taylor has 1476 hits and 227 home runs. He's expected to fill the right handed platoon role in right field along side Moss.




The 1937 Chiefs will live and die by its pitching, and after a very rough first week of the season, the staff is looking more like the staff we expected. It may take some time for new manager Joe Ward (and by extension new pitching coach George Burger) to get in sync with the hurlers.





Tom Taylor

[mjj55409]

The Chiefs have played to a 21-8 record (.724) so far in May with two games remaining--there is a Decoration Day double-header this afternoon against the Pioneers. So all in all, a very good month; even though it feels as though the club isn't quite hitting on all cylinders yet. Rabbit Day is just 3-3 in May with a 4.14 ERA. Bob Martin finally has his average over .250. And Cliff Moss is still scuffling around below .300. Al Miller has been walking more and giving up more home runs--never a good combination for pitching success.

This season is shaping up to be a good neck and neck race between Chicago, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis. Though Boston gets Dick Higgins back in a few weeks. This week we have 3 games with St. Louis, 3 with Boston, and 2 with Pittsburgh--so all the clubs in the top half of the league. It should be a fun week.




May Top Performers:

• Tom Bird: .337/.451/.500, 7 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 17 RBI, 16 R
• Jim Hampton: .383/.409/.523, 3 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 17 RBI, 17 R
• Pete Layton: .317/.398/.490, 4 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 22 RBI, 24 R
• Charlie Bingham: 6-1, 2.34 ERA
• Jack Beach: 4-1, 2.48 ERA
• Al Miller: 4-0, 2.66 ERA

Bennie Griffith--who had already been dealing with a sore biceps--sprained his ankle and will be out for a few weeks. And so Paddy Smith--who had been sent to Fort Wayne to make room for Tom Taylor--was recalled to play center field. Smith hit well in Fort Wayne, slashing .354/.404/.521, and was named the Century League Player of the Week last week. And it should come as no surprise, but Taylor is also nursing a sore elbow. It's unclear when he'll be at full strength again, but we are scheduled to face only two left-handers this week, so he'll likely get the full week off to rest.




So with Rabbit Day and Al Miller both struggling to get back to the level at which they were pitching in 1936, Charlie Bingham and Jack Beach have been the rocks in the rotation. With the double-header today, Max Plourde will also pick up another start this week--likely Friday in the finale of the Boston series, which sets up Day and Miller to pitch against Pittsburgh.

[mjj55409]

A 5-3 record during a week in which Chicago faced all of it's main competitors must be considered a success.

The Chiefs took 2 of the 3 games with the Pioneers. In the Monday double-header, Sam Sheppard ran his record to 10-1 as he easily beat Rabbit Day 7-1. In game 2, Al Miller stepped up and shut out the Pioneers 5-0.

Chicago won the first game of the Boston series, but dropped the last two. And Day and Miller both came up with wins against Pittsburgh over the weekend. The final game of the Pittsburgh series is today, and then Philadelphia is in town for 3 games followed by Washington for 3 games.




Top Performances:

• Cliff Moss: .333/.462/.571, 2 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 4 R
• Tom Bird: .304/.407/.522, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R
• Paddy Smith: .364/.364/.636, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 6 R
• Al Miller: 2-0, 1.53 ERA

Len Jones seems to have solved whatever batting funk was ailing him in 1936. And so I'd like to get his bat into the lineup more regularly. Pete Layton has been a decent short stop in his career, but he hasn't played there much since 1930. At any rate, we are going to try Layton at short and Jones at the keystone. As much as I like Bob Barringer's glove work at short, the position has been an offensive black hole. With Layton at short and Jones at second, the lineup has no real soft spots.




Without a doubt, Rabbit Day is happy to turn the page on the month of May. A month in which he had a 3-4 record with a 4.59 ERA. He's been pitching better than his raw numbers indicate, so there isn't a reason to worry about him. Al Miller, meanwhile, is working to recover from his forgettable April. In May, Miller was 5-0 with a 2.21 ERA.

[mjj55409]

Two one-run losses and an extra innings loss leads to a 4-3 week, though we did manage to maintain the 4.5 game lead. We opened the week by beating Pittsburgh in the finale of that series. Pittsburgh and Chicago have played each other three times this season with a sweep being the result all three times--once by Pittsburgh and twice by Chicago.

This week we have four games in Boston--including a double-header on Thursday. And then three games in Philadelphia. The Keystones have given us the most trouble so far this season. Surprisingly, the Philadelphia pitching staff is 2nd in the Fed in runs allowed.




Top Performances:

• Tom Bird: .273/.484/.500, 2 2B, 1 HR, 7 R, 4 RBI
• Ron Rattigan: .296/.345/.519, 4 2B, 1 3B, 4 R, 6 RBI
• Charlie Bingham: 2-0, 3.60 ERA
• Al Miller: 1-1, 1.50 ERA

The bats went a little cold this past week, so not a lot of offensive performances to talk about. Tom Taylor got his first extra-base hits for the Chiefs--a double and a home run. Chicago's top prospect (number 19 overall) is first baseman Chuck Adams, who is playing for class B Tacoma. He had gotten off to a slow start and was hitting just .156 with no home runs on May 2nd. On May 3rd he went 2 for 4 with his first home run--he's now hitting .247 with 10 home runs.




One thing that may be astonishing is that the Chiefs have the best record in baseball, are leading the Fed by 4 and 1/2 games, and yet the pitcher with the worst ERA on the staff--and the only one with an ERA+ of below 100--is 3-time Allen Award winner Rabbit Day. One thing working against Day is the run support he is receiving: 3.4 runs/game, which is much less than Charlie Bingham's 6.4 runs/game of support. Note that the least supported starting pitcher on the staff is Ron Coles at just 3.0 runs/game. That makes Coles' 6-4 record all the more impressive. Coles strained his hamstring in his last start, and while it doesn't look like it's a serious injury, he'll get the week off, and Bob Walls will pick up a start in his place.





Chuck Adams

[mjj55409]

Another 4-3 week, and another series loss to the Keystones. Chicago is 5-7 when playing Philadelphia. The Chiefs did win 3 of the 4 with Boston, though the series proved costly in other ways. Pete Layton was playing both ends of Thursday's double-header, and he strained his oblique in the 2nd game. He'll likely be out until late July.

After an off-day today, the road trip will conclude this week with 3 games in Pittsburgh and 3 in Washington. (Editor's note: we will pause the sims for a few days as we conduct the amateur draft.)




Top Performances:

• Pete Layton: .444/.545/.611, 3 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI
• Tom Bird: .333/.484/.500, 1 2B, 1 HR, 6 R, 1 RBI
• Len Jones: .320/.433/.360, 1 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI
• Al Miller: 2-0, 3.00 ERA

That Pete Layton was in the middle of his best week of the season makes his loss that much more painful. But if Len Jones continues to hit more like the Len Jones of 1935 than the Len Jones of 1936, it will help us weather the storm. Bob Barringer is one of the better defensive shortstops in the Fed, though his bat--which isn't much to begin with--has completely gone cold (he is hitting .143/.143/.171 in June). To replace Layton on the roster, the contract of outfielder David Merchant will be purchased from Fort Wayne.

Merchant was signed to a minor league deal back on May 26th. He is a 2-time Whitney Award winner who had a number of good seasons over a 14-year career with the Philadelphia Sailors--a .300 hitter for his career with 2,048 hits. He was released by the Sailors early in 1936, and then he spent some time in the Brooklyn organization. He was released by Brooklyn at the end of 1936 and was signed again by the Sailors. He was then released by the Sailors in April. After signing with the Chiefs at the end of May, Merchant was assigned to Fort Wayne where he put up good numbers: .299/.412/.448. With Bennie Griffith still not recovered from his sprained ankle, and both Paddy Smith and Tom Taylor nursing injuries of their own, we are starting to run out of players to play center field.




Rabbit Day ERAs by Month:

• April -- 4.29
• May -- 4.59
• June -- 5.45

Day had 2 brutal starts last week: 7 innings and 6 runs in each (though he did win 1). In 33 June innings, Day has given up 38 hits, walked 20, and struck out only 16. And even with all of that, Jack Beach and Rabbit Day are the only two starters with a FIP- of less than 100. I'm confident he'll be just fine, but now, particularly with Layton's injury, we will all breathe a sigh of relief when Day gets on track.





David Merchant

[mjj55409]

While we are paused for the draft, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at the state of the Chiefs' farm system, which we haven't done in a while.

The trades to acquire Tom Bird, Pete Layton, and Rabbit Day over the past season and a half pretty much gutted the organization. That those three players were instrumental in the championship season last year makes it all worth it. However, it will likely take a couple of years to rebuild a system which is ranked 14th out of 16..

Here we will look at the top prospects among the position players. Later we'll look at pitchers.


Catcher

Jim Foley, 21-years-old (class A, Cedar Rapids)

The catching cupboard is pretty bare; none of these catchers are top 500 prospects. Foley was a 21st round pick in 1934, and he spent his first year as a starter at class B Tacoma in 1936, hitting .352/.416/.420. He is struggling to adjust to A: .239/.298/.306.

Bob Ray, Jr., 22-years-old (class B, Tacoma)

Ray is a diminutive (5'8") switch-hitter drafted in the 5th round in 1936. His professional debut is not going well: .158/.304/.263. You can see by the .304 OBP that he has a decent eye, but he is really struggling to make contact.

Tony Witt, 22-years-old (class B, Tacoma)

Witt is the 2nd half of the catching tandem in Tacoma, and neither half has much of a chance to get out of Tacoma. Witt is hitting .198/.325/.284.


First base

Chuck Adams, 20-years-old (class A, Cedar Rapids)

One of the few ranked prospects in the system, Adams--a 2nd round pick in 1935--is ranked 19th overall. Adams is a big first baseman with tremendous power potential. After a slow start to the season in class B, Adams hit 10 home runs in May and June. He was just recently promoted to class A.

Jimmy Gregory, 21-years-old (class B, Tacoma)

Gregory was promoted from class C to class B to take Adams' spot in Tacoma. He opened the year for class C Waterloo hitting .292/.400/.389 with 12 doubles.


Second Base

Wes Parks, 18-years-old (class C, Waterloo)

Parks was just acquired in the lottery portion prior to the today's draft. He is a tall (6'1") second baseman out of Bryan High School in Texas. A 4-year-starter, he hit .457/.547/.751 with 50 doubles, 24 triples, 7 home runs, and 62 stolen bases in his high school career. He is excellent defensively, and I suspect he'll be able to handle short stop as well. Parks is ranked 202nd overall by OSA.

Mike Rollinson, 21-years-old (class A, Cedar Rapids)

Rollinson is ranked 213th by OSA. Drafted in the 2nd round in 1936, he is hitting .278/.339/.387 this season.

Fritz Reynolds, 22-years-old (class AAA, Fort Wayne)

At 392nd overall, Reynolds closes out our trifecta of ranked second base prospects. Drafted in the 5th round in 1935, Reynolds opened the season in class AA where he hit .277/.337/.370; he was just recently promoted to class AAA. Reynolds can play both the infield and the outfield, but he is showing himself to be a slightly better second baseman than outfielder.



Third base

Scooter Fleming, 22-years-old (class A, Cedar Rapids)

Drafted in the 3rd round in 1936, Fleming is ranked 358th overall. In his first taste of professional ball, he is hitting .260/.330/.418.

Bill Jones, 25-years-old (class AAA, Fort Wayne)

At 25-years-old, it's becoming a stretch to call Jones a prospect. Drafted in 1932, Jones is hitting .255/.383/.418 with 6 home runs for Fort Wayne. He likely deserves an opportunity in Chicago, but it will take an injury to Bob Martin or Len Jones to create that opportunity for him.


Short stop

Short stop is as bad as catcher. At class AAA Fort Wayne, we have both 26-year-old Al Kangas (.235/.359/.340) and 25-year-old Bill Cox (.175/.249/.231), neither of whom look like they'll ever play in Chicago. It's likely that one of the second base prospects will end up becoming a short stop, and/or some short stops will be selected in today's draft.


Outfield

Jim Alarie, 21-years-old (class A, Cedar Rapids)

In 139 games in Cedar Rapids over the past two seasons, Alarie is hitting .289/.301/.451 with 29 doubles, 21 triples, and 8 home runs. He has also swiped 35 bags in 55 attempts. So clearly he has some speed, and he can play defense, but he also struck-out 64 times and walked just 9 times. He is ranked 172nd overall, but that walk rate does not quicken my blood.

Bobby Small, 26-years-old (class AAA, Fort Wayne)

You can't really call a 26-year-old a prospect much longer. Small hit .329/.398/.497 in class AA last season, and if he were a right-handed batter, he likely would have gotten a look in Chicago by now, but we are flush with left-handed hitting outfielders.

Sam West, 20-years-old (class B, Tacoma)

I like West, who was just promoted to class B this week. In 194 class C games over the past two seasons, he hit .323/.356/.465 with 58 doubles, 14 triples, and 8 home runs. He is a corner outfielder, and he is dinged for a lack of power for a corner, but he has plus bat to ball skills and the ability to hit line drives from gap to gap. I would love to see West in the outfield at Whitney Park.

Frank Hardy, 21-years-old (class B, Tacoma)

Hardy is a small (5'10") center fielder with excellent defensive skills and speed. He started the season with 42 games in class C, where he hit .282/.356/.376 with 21 stolen bases. He has struggled to adjust to class B in the two weeks he's been there: .172/.226/.259.

[mjj55409]

Prospect Report, continued.

Entering 1936, pitching prospects were a strength of the Chiefs. Al Miller debuted and had a terrific season. Bob Ross was traded to Montreal for Tom Bird. And Bob Walls now has too many days on the Chiefs roster to be considered a prospect. There are currently 5 top 500 pitching prospects in the system, although the highest is ranked just 131st overall.


Pitchers


Sergio Vergara, 21-years-old (class B, Tacoma)

The Mexican-born Vergara was selected in the 12th round of the 1935 draft out of El Paso High School in Texas. Since he's been drafted he has upped his velocity from 84-85 to 87-89. He throws 3 pitches with a good curveball. This season he is 3-5 with a 3.98 ERA.


Sam Vaughan, 20-years-old (class A, Cedar Rapids)

Vaughan was drafted in the 3rd round of the 1935 draft. At the time I wrote: "Vaughn is a tall (6'1"), lanky (165 lbs) left-hander who features a curve and slider in addition to his fastball. I think he has some room to grow, and it would be really nice if he was able to add another pitch." Well, this spring he did add another pitch--a variant of his already good curve--and also put on some muscle (170) and upped his velocity to 87-89. He started out very strong in class B (4-0, 2.02 ERA), but has struggled adjusting to class A (1-6, 5.98 ERA).


Tom Williams, 25-years-old (class AAA, Fort Wayne)

Williams had a good Spring and is pitching quite well in Fort Wayne: 6-5, 2.65 ERA. Being a young pitcher trying to establish a spot on the Chiefs staff is a tough assignment. 25-year-old Bob Walls is essentially in the same position, only on the big league club. And Walls has only thrown 16 innings so far this season.


Johnny Cox, 26-years-old (injured)

Cox is a year older than both Williams and Walls, and he will miss the entire season after injuring his shoulder in the Spring. His best option would be for another club to take a chance on him in the Rule 5 draft this December.


Gordon Martin, 20-years-old (class C, Waterloo)

A young pitcher who has been marred by injury--Martin tore his rotator cuff last year after just 6 starts. When he was able to pitch again this season, he went back on the injured list with a herniated disk in his neck after only 1 inning.

[mjj55409]

It's clear that I didn't have much time to update in the 2nd half of the season, and that's too bad as the both the Federal and Continental Associations had some of the best pennant races of all time.

At the end of the day on June 16th, the Chiefs had a record of 39-18 (.684) and a 4.5 game lead over the Pittsburgh Miners. Little did everyone know that the Chiefs were about to embark on one of their worst stretches of baseball in quite a while. From June 16th to the end of August, the Chiefs played 29-39 (.426). This put their season record at 68-57 (.544), trailing the Boston Minutemen by 6.5 games.

At the beginning of September, the Chiefs woke up and went 10-4 over the next 15 days, which, thanks to the collapse of Boston, put the Chiefs back in first by 1/2 game. Unfortunately for Chiefs fans, the club went 4-9 over their last 13 games to finish in 3rd place.

It was a good race, with 6 clubs having a viable chance at the pennant at the beginning of September. And the 1938 season looks to be just as competitive.




The mid-summer struggles can--as usual--be laid at the feet of the offense. Pete Layton strained a muscle on June 17th and missed the next 5 weeks. And when he returned, he had some knee soreness and really wasn't himself until the end of the season. Bob Martin was cold nearly all season. And while he did collect his 2,000th career hit, he finished with a batting average below .300 for the first time in his career.

The brightest spot among the bats was the season that Tom Bird had. It was one of the better seasons for a catcher in the history of the league. He carried the offense all summer, and he finished 3rd in the voting for the Whitney Award (the Whitney was won by Washington's Mel Carrol who hit .409 and became the first batter to top .400 since Max Morris in 1925).




On the pitching side, Rabbit Day spent the first few month of the season not looking at all like the Rabbit Day we know, but he righted himself and ended up right around where you would expect (and finished 3rd in the voting for the Allen Award). Al Miller had a good follow-up sophomore season to his tremendous rookie campaign. Charlie Bingham, though was an enigma. On that fateful June 17th day, Bingham had a record of 9-1 with an era of 2.89. He would go 3-12 the rest of the way and finish with an ERA of 4.90. It got to the point where he was no longer trusted to pitch in important games in September. Ron Coles came down with a sore elbow in mid-July and missed the remainder of the season.

[mjj55409]

CHIEFS ACQUIRE LONARDO
Chicago Adds Another Pitcher from Gothams

Last week the news broke that the Chicago Chiefs and New York Gothams had struck a deal for another veteran starting pitcher. This time it's Jim Lonardo headed to Chicago in exchange for the Chiefs's first selection in the 1938 draft as well as minor league pitcher Charlie Sutton.

The 33-year-old Lonardo was one of the few remaining pieces of a 1935 championship Gothams club that has been entirely dismantled over the past two years. In June 1936, Chicago acquired Rabbit Day from New York, and Day was a key piece of the club that won the 1936 Championship Series for Chicago. And now today, Chicago is acquiring Day's former team mate Lonardo.

Lonardo is a long-time Gotham, initially drafted by the club in the 10th round of the 1925 draft. Lonardo debuted in New York in 1928, and he has won 20 games three times and has also won 3 Allen Awards. After a tough luck 8-19 record for a 100-loss Gothams club in 1937, he has an overall record of 162-124 with an ERA of 3.37 (ERA+ 121).

The addition of Lonardo gives Chicago one of the deepest, if not the deepest, rotations in the Federal Association. The Chiefs now have 7 Allen Awards represented on their pitching staff: Rabbit Day (1930, 1932, 1936), Jim Lonardo (1930, 1931, 1933), and Jack Beach (1932).


Jim Lonardo

[mjj55409]

CHIEFS ACQUIRE INFIELDER
Hank Barnett to join club

As baseball's annual winter meetings wound down last week, the Detroit Dynamos and Chicago Chiefs announced that they had reached an agreement on a deal that would send infielder Hank Barnett to the Chiefs in exchange for pitchers Ron Coles and Bob Walls.

The 28-year-old Barnett was drafted by the Montreal Saints in the sixth round of the 1927 draft, and he has played 8 seasons in Montreal. Detroit surprised some around baseball when they traded for both Barnett and Ed Stewart (Pittsburgh) at the beginning of November. As it turns out, Detroit never intended to retain Barnett and were immediately looking for another trading partner.

Barnett came up as a second baseman before being moved to third by the Saints. Last season he was asked to play shortstop and he made his displeasure with his situation in Montreal widely known.

Barnett is a strong, professional hitter with good power, which was often masked by the park in Montreal. He had a .276 average with a career-high 19 home runs in 1937. He has hit at least 14 home runs in 6 consecutive seasons. He is a career .282 hitter with 1,047 hits and 108 home runs. The indications are that he will be asked to play second base in Chicago.

The players going to Detroit--Ron Coles and Bob Walls--were made expendable after the Chicago acquisition of Jim Lonardo. The 28-year-old Coles has made 79 starts for the Chiefs over the past three seasons and has a career record of 54-39 with a 3.82 ERA (ERA+ of 119). He had some elbow problems in 1937 which prevented him from pitching after mid-July. The 25-year-old Walls has made just seven starts (3-6, 5.53) for Chicago the past two seasons. With the veteran rotation of the Chiefs firmly in place, Walls wasn't receiving much of an opportunity in Chicago.



l-to-r, Hank Barnett, Bob Walls, Ron Coles

[DD Martin]

Originally Posted by mjj55409

CHIEFS ACQUIRE INFIELDER
Hank Barnett to join club

The 28-year-old Barnett was drafted by the Montreal Saints in the sixth round of the 1927 draft, and he has played 8 seasons in Montreal. Detroit surprised some around baseball when they traded for both Barnett and Ed Stewart (Pittsburgh) at the beginning of November. As it turns out, Detroit never intended to retain Barnett and were immediately looking for another trading partner.

[

Well not necessarily true that we never intended to keep Barnett. With Stewart though we did have duplication but it could have worked. Detroit traded for them both with the idea one could be a key piece in another deal. It was on the Chiefs putting Coles out there that made Detroit go forward moving Barnett before he ever played a game for the Dynamo’s.

We are just trying to play catch up to your Chiefs in the standings

[mjj55409]

The time under the Florida sun ended last week, and the club has made its way back to Chicago where the 1938 season will kick off with a 3-game series with the rebuilding Gothams. Tuesday's Opening Day game will see Rabbit Day take the hill for the Chiefs.

There is no doubt that the expectations for the Chiefs are high this season. This is a veteran club that was assembled with the goal of reclaiming the Federal pennant. Here's a quick rundown of the current roster:


Catchers - Tom Bird (.337-24-92), Tom Aiello (.266-0-4)

Bird finished 3rd in the 1937 Whitney vote and has looked even better this spring (.321-5-20).


Infielders - Ron Rattigan (.307-10-84), Hank Barnett (.276-19-95), Bob Martin (.293-13-74), Pete Layton (.301-9-77), Len Jones (.262-3-45), Bill White (.241-1-6), Frankie Cohen (.272-7-51 (AAA))

The big change here, of course, is the addition of Hank Barnett to play second base. That means the 38-year-old Pete Layton will open the season as the starting short stop. How long Layton will be able to handle short is an open question.


Outfielders - Jim Hampton (.300-7-87), Bob Worley (.339-57-148 (AAA/AA)), Cliff Moss (.283-12-46), Tom Taylor(.235-1-15), Paddy Smith (.288-5-41), Vince York (.294-3-34)

Bob Worley was released by Montreal last spring and spent 1937 playing in the Lone Star Association and Great Western League. After being initially picked up by Detroit this winter, the Chiefs acquired Worley from the Dynamos. Worley will be in center field in place of Bennie Griffith, who will open the season in Fort Wayne while recovering from his arm problems.


Pitchers - Rabbit Day (18-13, 3.23), Al Miller (19-13, 3.49), Jim Lonardo (8-19, 4.25), Jack Beach (15-12, 3.69), Red Hampton (6-3, 3.89), Charlie Bingham (12-13, 4.90), Max Plourde (2-2, 4.21), Tom Williams (8-15, 4.35 (AAA))

Once again, the starting staff is expected to be the strength of the club. Newly acquired Jim Lonardo looked particularly strong this spring (2-0, 2.11 in 21 innings).

[mjj55409]

The first week of the season is in the books, and all in all, it was a successful week for the Chiefs. This week Chicago will see an intriguing, young Detroit club for the first time and face the Gothams and Pioneers again.

4/19 vs New York, W, 6-4
4/20 vs New York, L, 3-4,
4/21 vs New York, W, 6-2
4/22 @ St. Louis, L, 2-5
4/23 @ St. Louis, W, 7-2
4/24 @ St. Louis, W, 13-3




Top Performances:

• Pete Layton, .500/.552/.731, 3 2B, 8 R, 4 RBI
• Hank Barnett, .360/.385/.840, 3 HR, 5 R, 9 RBI
• Bob Martin, .355/.355/.452, 3 2B, 4 R, 4 RBI

Pete Layton was named the Player of the Week in the Fed. Hank Barnett had an impressive debut week with the club. And Bob Martin went 5 for 6 in yesterday's victory in St. Louis.




Rabbit Day won both of his starts, and Jim Lonardo picked up right where he left off this spring. Charlie Bingham is starting the season in the bullpen while Red Hampton--after his strong finish in 1937--gets a chance to start.

[mjj55409]

Chicago opened last week by dropping 2 of 3 to a Detroit club that is playing surprisingly well. The Chiefs were then able to go 4-0 to finish the week and keep pace with Detroit. An an off-day today, the club embarks on a two week, 13-game road trip, with stops in Pittsburgh, Washington, Philadelphia, Boston, and Detroit.

4/25 vs Detroit, L, 13-2
4/26 vs Detroit, W, 2-3 (10)
4/27 vs Detroit, L, 8-6
4/28 @ New York, W, 3-0
4/29 @ New York, W, 11-8
4/30 vs St. Louis, W, 5-7
5/01 vs St. Louis, W, 1-7




Top Performances:

• Tom Bird: .545/.643/.1.273, 5 HR, 13 RBI, 9 R
• Cliff Moss: .450/.476/.650, 2 2B, 1 3B, 5 R
• Hank Barnett: .345/.367/.552, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R
• Red Hampton: 1-0, 0.00 ERA

This week, it was Tom Bird being named Player of the Week for his incredible week, which included hitting 3 home runs and driving in all 6 runs in Wednesday's 8-6 loss to Detroit. Bird becomes just the 17th player in history to hit 3 home runs in a game--Bird's team mate Tom Taylor has accomplished the feat twice. The Chiefs offense is certainly hitting on all cylinders at the moment. The club is currently leading the Fed in home runs with 15.




To pair with an offense that has hit the most home runs in the Fed, the pitching staff has allowed the fewest, giving up only 4 thus far. Rabbit Day is 3-0 despite some inconsistent performances because the offense has averaged over 9 runs/game in his starts. Jim Lonardo has been even better than anticipated.

[mjj55409]

The road trip has started well--Chicago won the series in Pittsburgh, split a two-game series in Washington, and won the first game of a 3-game series in Philadelphia. This week the Chiefs have 2 more games in Philadelphia and 2 in Boston before a big 3-game weekend series in Detroit.

5/2 - Off
5/3 @ Pittsburgh, L, 1-10
5/4 @ Pittsburgh, W, 11-4
5/5 @ Pittsburgh, W, 8-6
5/6 @ Washington, L, 2-4
5/7 @ Washington, W, 5-2
5/8 @ Philadelphia, W, 7-5




Top Performances:

• Tom Bird: .435/.536/.522, 2 2B, 7 R, 2 RBI
• Hank Barnett: .417/.500/.583, 1 2B, 1 HR, 6 R, 5 RBI
• Pete Layton: .429/.448/.536, 1 HR, 6 R, 6 RBI

The bats continue their onslaught against Fed pitching. If you look at the leader board for batting average, 5 of the top 6 are Chiefs, led by Tom Bird:



The only players not joining the offensive party are Bob Worley and Bob Martin. It's early, of course, but it's still a strange sight to see Martin hitting just .226.




After praising the pitchers last week for allowing just 4 home runs, they went and allowed 7 home runs this week. Red Hampton gave up 3 and Jim Lonardo gave up 2 in the 2 losses on the week.

[mjj55409]

Chicago completes the road trip with a 9-4 record, including winning 2 out of 3 from Detroit this past weekend to reclaim first. Chicago and Detroit have played to a 3-3 record against each other--with each club winning 2 of 3 in the road park. The teams will meet again in Detroit in a Memorial Day doubleheader at the end of the month. After an off-day today, the Chiefs have a 13-game home stand.

5/9 @ Philadelphia, L, 2-7
5/10 @ Philadelphia, W, 6-4
5/11 @ Boston, W, 6-4 (10)
5/12 @ Boston, W, 11-5
5/13 @ Detroit, L, 3-7
5/14 @ Detroit, W, 6-2
5/15 @ Detroit, W, 8-1




Top Performances:

• Ron Rattigan: .429/.484/.571, 2 2B, 1 3B, 6 R, 5 RBI
• Jim Hampton: .400/.471/.733, 2 2B, 1 HR, 3 R, 6 RBI
• Pete Layton: .240/.367/.520, 1 2B, 2 HR, 3 R, 5 RBI
• Jim Lonardo: 2-0, 2.50 ERA

Ron Rattigan's good week--coupled with Tom Bird hitting just .227--allows Rattigan to take over the top spot in the Fed batting race. Hank Barnett hit just .167 on the week, but he walked 8 times (OBP of .394), and 2 of his 4 hits were home runs.




Both Rabbit Day and Al Miller are--uncharacteristically for both--walking more batters than usual. Day's walk rate is at 7.2% and Miller's is at 8.0%. Day has taken advantage of some great run support to fashion a 5-1 record. At this time, the Chiefs have the FABL's best run differential (+34).

[mjj55409]

It's fair to say that the Chiefs would have preferred to open their home stand with a better week than 2-4. Boston scored 9th inning runs in their two wins, a Philadelphia loss was due to 4 unearned runs (as well as a 9th inning rally), and Washington won yesterday's game with 2 runs in the 9th. All in all, a week which Chicago--and its fans--would like to forget. And the two losses over the weekend have put the Chiefs two games behind Detroit.

5/16 - Off day
5/17 vs Boston, L, 6-5 (13)
5/18 vs Boston, W, 1-8
5/19 vs Boston, L, 7-6
5/20 vs Philadelphia, , W, 8-9
5/21 vs Philadelphia, L, 8-5
5/22 vs Washington, L, 4-2




Top Performances:

• Cliff Moss: .444/.542/.1.000, 1 2B, 3 HR, 4 R, 11 RBI
• Pete Layton: .435/.480/.609, 2 2B, 1 3B, 4 R, 4 RBI
• Jack Beach: 1-0, 0.00 ERA

In Wednesday's 8-1 win over Boston, Cliff Moss became the 2nd player this season--joining Tom Bird--to hit 3 home runs in a game. The Chiefs continue to have the top scoring offense in the league, just trailing the Dynamos in home runs (33 to 28). And even in the midst of a dismal 2-4 week, the Chiefs added to their FABL-best run differential.

The Chiefs made a roster move this morning also. Veteran outfielder Vince York had not been getting much playing time (he was hit-less in 5 plate appearances), and so York was given his release. To take his roster spot, the club purchased the contract of 26-year-old third baseman Bill Jones from class AAA Fort Wayne. Jones was hitting .388 for the Warriors with 4 home runs. Bob Martin has been in a dreadful slump--a slump which really extends to last season. Manager Joe Ward has indicated that while Martin is trying to work out of his slump, he is being moved out of his customary lead-off spot in the batting order and that Jones will be given some starts at third.




The pitchers had a rough week. The club dropped from 1st in runs allowed to 3rd. Al Miller, in particular, has been having a tough start to the season. It seems like everything he throws up there is getting hit hard. I'm confident that he'll be able to turn things around.