Out of the Shadows: The Eclipse League

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Baltimore Elite Giants

Hilldale Athletic Club

Homestead Grays

New York Lincoln Giants

Philadelphia Liberty Stars

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Chicago American Giants

Cleveland Buckeyes

Cuban Stars East

Detroit Motown Stars

Indianapolis ABCs

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A wild and woolly first week-and-a-bit in the 1981 EL season, with the standings containing their share of bizarre elements.

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Ramirez is the all-time leader as well.

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While the Cuban Stars West are enjoying one of the best starts to a season in Eclipse League history (13-1 as I post this), their East-side brethren get a whuppin' put on them by the American Giants, with Luis Marquez and Jose Abreu each dropping a nickel of RBIs on them.

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Johnny Markham becomes the 9th EL player to reach 200 career wins, with CC Sabathia still atop the career leaderboard just one W away from 250.

Plenty set to reach this milestone in oncoming months, and I reckon we'll see one or more of the top boys on this list eventually reach 300.

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Eclipse League

A typically enthralling start to the 1981 EL season, with some of that early craziness settling down in the latter part of the month. The Crawfords are the main surprise after such a dominant 1980, along with the Athletics, but it is only early.

Monthly Award Winners

• FC BATTER OF THE MONTH: Keston Hiura (Black Barons) 384 / 2 HR / 27 RBI.
• FC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Nate Moreland (Red Sox) 4-1 / 2.62 / 27 K / 48 IP.
• FC ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Frank Pearson (Royal Giants) 4-3 / 6.89 / 5 SV / 6 K / 14.1 IP.
• WC BATTER OF THE MONTH: Roberto Clemente (Grays) 345 / 7 HR / 19 RBI.
• WC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Ervin Santana (American Giants) 5-0 / 2.63 / 39 K / 51.1 IP.
• WC ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Slim Jones (ABCs) 3-2 / 3.89 / 22 K / 34.2 IP.

Points of Interest

• The Elite Giants sign gun Closer Lefty Moses – minus his trademark handlebar moustache – to a 1-year, $1.34m deal.
• Hilldale's Dusty Baker will miss 6-7 weeks with an elbow injury.

Transit League

A fairly tight start to the year in the TL.

Monthly Award Winners

• CAC BATTER OF THE MONTH: Glenallen Hill (White Sox) 388 / 9 HR / 21 RBI.
• CAC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Enyel De Los Santos (Browns) 3-0 / 2.32 / 16 K / 31 IP.
• FRC BATTER OF THE MONTH: Louie Meadows (Bears) 388 / 2 HR / 23 RBI.
• FRC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Jose Cano (Black Senators) 3-0 / 2.75 / 22 K / 39.1 IP.

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Fair to say Louis Johnson has a bit of an image problem. His nickname was "Spitball" (no idea how or when "Dicta" came into the mix), while the first sentence in Jim Riley's rather threadbare entry for him reads, "This spitballer pitched a no-hit game for Rube Foster's American Giants in 1913...". Not that the term had quite the pejorative context back then that it does now, but still, it does all seem a tad accusatory all the same.

Although he played for 10 different clubs over his 15 seasons in the various Negro Leagues of the early 20th century, Dicta is mainly associated with the Indianapolis ABCs, with whom he spent roughly half his career. Seamheads puts his lifetime record at 85-75 with an ERA+ bang on league average, while EC allocates him almost 16 WAR in his updated MLEs. BBRef lists him as an outfielder as well as a pitcher, a fairly generous designation given his career 163/244/212 slash line over a total of 529 at-bats. He also managed on occasion in 1922-3, but never in a full-time capacity.

With his official weight listed at 60 kg (he was 5'7"), there wasn't much of Dicta, and while he is known to have been born in Elizabethtown IL, no details are known of his demise.

In the EL, Dicta is currently playing his fourth season for the poor old Lincoln Giants, who drafted him 26th overall in 1977. His record to this point is 42-52, while he has struggled to keep the runs down, with his lifetime ERA+ an unhealthy 82.

He is only 24 at the time of writing and looks to have some improvement in him from here. We'll keep an eye on whether or not that comes to pass over oncoming seasons.

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CC Sabathia continues to pace the pitchers with regard to the Wins leaderboard, notching his 250th against the BGs. With age settings skewed older in this league, I don't see any reason why he can't get to 300 and beyond. He is currently in his age-34 season.

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Another pinch me moment in this wonderful universe as ShoTime and Satch go mano e mano at opposite ends of their career. Still, the old bull gets the better of his rookie opponent this time as the red hot Grays continue on their merry way and the Athletics' struggles persist.

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Rod is currently the all-time leader as well.

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No idea what is happening over at Riverside Park, with the ABCs franchise seemingly in utter disarray. An EL-worst 17-32 record and already 17 GB Detroit, last or near enough to in almost every meaningful metric, it's just a shambles. This humiliation by the AGs is merely the latest in what looks to be an unmitigated disaster in progress.

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Eclipse League

Plenty going on around the EL as the Motown Stars and Grays clearly look the dominant clubs this season. Detroit in particular are looking fantastic and you have to like their chances of defending their 1980 title. Things are incredibly tight over in the FC with both races looking like they'll hold our interest until the end.

Along with the ABCs (see previous post), Hilldale is really struggling, as are the Crawfords and most surprisingly of all the Black Yankees. Still plenty of games to rescue their seasons but they wouldn't want to mess about too much more from here on.

Monthly Award Winners

• FC BATTER OF THE MONTH: John Mayberry (Royal Giants) 324 / 9 HR / 22 RBI.
• FC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Johnny Guzman (Monarchs) 4-0 / 1.77 / 28 K / 35.2 IP.
• FC ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Frank Pearson (Royal Giants) 1-0 / 3.32 / 5 SV / 11 K / 19 IP.
• WC BATTER OF THE MONTH: Cristobal Torriente (Motown Stars) 394 / 7 HR / 21 RBI.
• WC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Gene Collins (Motown Stars) 6-0 / 0.89 / 56 K / 50.1 IP.
• WC ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Satchel Paige (Athletics) 3-2 / 2.58 / 25 K / 38.1 IP.

Points of Interest

• A nice pick-up for the Buckeyes, who claim pitcher Gerardo Ballesteros off waivers from the MoStars.
• Edwin Jackson earns his 200th career win.
• P Robert Poindexter is traded from the East to the Buckeyes for 3B Rio Ruiz, 1B Charlie Hayes and a 4th Round pick.
• Key Injuries: P Hal Hairston (ABCs) elbow, season.

Transit League

Baltimore already has a stranglehold on the FRC American, while after their unexpected playoff run last year the Cubans have reassumed their traditional spot in the cellar. At least they had that brief flit of light; the Habaneros are dead last again and never even got that.

Monthly Award Winners

• CAC BATTER OF THE MONTH: Eddie Williams (White Sox) 381 / 11 HR / 26 RBI.
• CAC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Francisco Cordero (Black Crackers) 4-2 / 3.95 / 6 SV / 11 K / 13.2 IP.
• FRC BATTER OF THE MONTH: Jose Malave (Wolves) 374 / 9 HR / 27 RBI.
• FRC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Edwar Ramirez (Black Sox) 3-1 / 1.15 / 10 SV / 17 K / 15.2 IP.

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The Black Barons are producing another typically feisty season, and offseason acquisition Yordan Alvarez is one reason why. This fine game moves him to the top of the EL HR list with 16. The BBs might not get to play with the big boys at the end of the year, but they'll keep them all honest along the way, as they almost invariably do.

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He's taking his time doing so, but there's no doubt Manny Machado is improving year-on-year and looks set for his best season yet (nice timing as he enters his arb years...). However it plays out, it will be memorable for this game alone.

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Talk about international men of mystery - other than his sparsely-populated Seamheads entry (and its mirrored BBRef version), I have absolutely no information to share with you about Agustin Acosta. We know he was born in Cuba, but neither where nor when exactly, and have no details whatsoever about his life outside of baseball or death after it.

As for the career bookended by these other termini, it was spent as a 3B and pitcher in his homeland during the first decade of the 20th century, fairly evenly split between Carmelita and Matanzas. Its documented state consists of 137 PA and 36 IP, both conducted with adequate proficiency (110 OPS+, 103 ERA+), but the sample size of which makes definitive conclusions futile. Let's just say that - like The Dude Lebowski - he abided, and leave it there.

The game imports him as a pitcher, and a poor-hitting one at that, but one with decent enough skills as a moundsman. For the EL, those skills were good enough to get him picked 21st overall by the Crawfords in the 1976 Draft. They have remained good enough for him to amass just on 20 rWAR in the 4+ seasons since (along with two ASG appearances), and were good enough for him to be tied in with Willie McGee and traded away for one of the league's big guns in Leon Durham at the end of the '79 season. So far, 1981 hasn't been his best season but let's see if he can turn things around as we pass through the halfway mark and beyond. As always, we'll keep tabs on him along the way.

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As you'll see in the imminent monthly update, it has been an ordinary stretch for the MoStars in recent weeks. But they show the requisite heart in this 20-inning monster that might help put things back on track. Good to see things working out better in this timeline for poor old Tim Anderson...

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Eclipse League

In the WC American, the only group of the four that seems cut and dried, Hilldale manages to put together a 19-6 June including 10 wins on the trot, but it still seems that they and the LibStars have given the Grays far too big a start. Detroit's stumble in the WC National brings it well and truly back into play, while both FC groups look set for grandstand finishes involving three clubs apiece.

Monthly Award Winners

• FC BATTER OF THE MONTH: Manny Machado (Dodgers) 379 / 9 HR / 33 RBI.
• FC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Bob Gibson (Red Sox) 5-1 / 2.57 / 38 K / 49 IP.
• FC ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Frank Robinson (Giants) 309 / 3 HR / 17 RBI.
• WC BATTER OF THE MONTH: John Beckwith (Buckeyes) 323 / 9 HR / 33 RBI.
• WC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Ismael Valdez (Athletics) 5-1 / 2.77 / 35 K / 48.2 IP.
• WC ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: John Taylor (Lincoln Giants) 3-2 / 2.47 / 37 K / 51 IP.

Points of Interest

• Key Extensions: P Bill Drake (Royal Giants, 2/2420); C Quincy Trouppe (Athletics, 2/1740).
• Key Injuries: P Daniel Webster (Royal Giants) back, 4-5 months; 2B Cesar Hernandez (Crawfords) hamstring, 5 weeks; P Ramon Ramirez (Dodgers) labrum, season; P Walter Ball (Bacharach Giants) triceps, season.
• P Porter Moss is claimed off waivers from the AGs by the CSE.
• A couple trades of note:

Top 20s - overall

Top 20s - NeLers

Transit League

Just starting to see the cream rise to the top in all four groups. After coming close the past two years, Bobby Marshall - on pace for 72 - looks certain of raising the single-season HR bar of Frank Blattner's current 51 mark.

Monthly Award Winners

• CAC BATTER OF THE MONTH: Bobby Marshall (Black Crackers) 283 / 18 HR / 39 RBI.
• CAC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Mark Woodyard (White Sox) 4-1 / 2.75 / 25 K / 39.1 IP.
• FRC BATTER OF THE MONTH: Jorge Alfaro (Tigers) 394 / 4 HR / 28 RBI.
• FRC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Patrick Sandoval (Hornets) 4-0 / 2.02 / 31 K / 40 IP.