Out of the Shadows: The Eclipse League

[luckymann]

The West look ready to give the Giants a run for their money in the Fleet National this year, but they had to overcome a big game from Chico Salmon to get the win here.

[luckymann]

One of the EL's less-heralded hurlers shows 'em how it's done.





Meanwhile Oil Can Boyd and the other Cuban Stars side find themselves on the wrong end of a beauty by Reynaldo Lopez of the Black Yankees.

[luckymann]

A superb 11-inning two-hitter for Hilton Smith, whose Newark Eagles continue to impress. This 2-0 win over the struggling Monarchs puts them at 27-15, 6 games clear in the Fleet American.

[luckymann]

Friday 23rd May, 1969 – Baltimore Elite Giants (22-20) @ Hilldale Athletics (25-17)
7.05pm ET, Hilldale Park, Darby PA


Adrian Hernandez




Jim Proctor




I mentioned in the season preview that I liked the Athletics' chances this year and they haven't let me down so far. The main reason for this has been Willie Stargell, who is, not to put too fine a word, killing it. But their pitcher tonight, Adrian Hernandez, is due plenty of credit as well. At any rate, I thought we should go see them in action.

They take on WC American rivals Baltimore tonight, who sit just 3 games adrift of the A's and Grays. Jim Proctor is on for them, one of those low-key guys who never get the attention they should. He went 16-16 / 2.48 last season, good for 6.6 WAR, and is at it again in 1969.

This should be a ripper. Here's tonight's lineups:



Let's get into it then.

A sloppy start in the bottom 1st by the EGs as an error by Elvis Andrus puts Oddibe McDowell aboard and, after Pops Stargell singles him over to third, he comes in on a SF by Eric Chavez. The A's double their lead in the next on a solo shot by Neftali Soto.

More trouble for the visitors in the 4th, with a walk and 2 hits getting them another run singled in by Chino Smith. He swipes second to put two RISP with none out, but Proctor looks to have got out of the jam by getting a popout and a strikeout. McDowell changes that as he singles 2 in to make it 5-0. An error by 3B Ed Charles extends the inning and loads the bases, and Pops ends Proctor's night with another 2-run hit.





Cesar Jimenez replaces him on the mound and is rudely welcomed by Eric Chavez, who bombs out a 3-run moonshot and we have a real blowout on our hands at 10-0 Hilldale.

The visitors finally get on the scoresheet in the 6th via a run-scoring single by Ed Charles and a two-out hit by Albert Almora gets them a second.

The Athletics get a bit loose in the 7th, with an error by SS Jake Stephens eventually costing them an unearned run on a single by Derrick Robinson, but Hilldale kills off any thoughts of a miracle when they load the bases and Hernandez does the heavy lifting himself, cracking a slam - the first homer of his EL career, if you don't mind - to make it an ugly 14-3.

They get one more in the 8th off Don Newcombe and Hernandez goes the distance for his 9th win of the year. Not quite as crisp as he would perhaps have liked, but I'm sure he'll take it all the same.

A powerhouse, ruthless display from the Athletics, who do nothing to dissuade me from my belief that they'll go a long way this season.

[luckymann]

After a tough rite of passage that saw him lose his first four EL decisions, OC looks to be settling in nicely. This win over Marty Dihigo and the Crawfs is his first shutout.

[luckymann]

1969 has not started well for the Brooklyn Royal Giants, who sit at a nasty 17-30 and well off the pace in the cellar of the Fleet American, which they won last year. Pitching has been their main problem, along with a dearth of power, so hopefully this excellent Carlos Moore outing is a sign they are turning it around on the mound.




No such problems for Hilldale, who are continuing on their merry way. This win over Detroit makes Adrian Hernandez the first to win 10, while Pops cracks 2 jacks to take him to 20 - just 3 less than Brooklyn's team total - also the first to reach that mark this season.



Finally, Cleveland's Rafael Montero spins a pretty 2-hit shutout in a big win over Homestead.

[luckymann]

Still no decisive moves as all four Associations stay tight entering June. Tightest of all is the WC National, where three teams - the Buckeyes, East, and American Giants - are all tied at the top with 32-18 records.

Two surprises so far are the differing fortunes to this point of the Black Yankees and Red Sox. While the BYs are really struggling at 22-28 and 10 back in the FC American, the MeSox have improved out of sight from their turgid '68 campaign to be a game over 500 and still well in the hunt in the FC National.




This month's award winners are:

• FC BATTER OF THE MONTH: George Scott (Giants) 374 / 6 HR / 20 RBI.
• FC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Edwin Jackson (Eagles) 4-1 / 1.58 / 43 K / 57 IP.
• FC ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Oil Can Boyd (West) 4-3 / 2.44 / 47 K / 59 IP.
• WC BATTER OF THE MONTH: Willie Stargell (Athletics) 380 / 10 HR / 30 RBI.
• WC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Adrian Hernandez (Athletics) 5-0 / 2.23 / 32 K / 48.1 IP
• WC ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Yovani Gallardo (American Giants) 5-1 / 2.41 / 51 K / 52.1 IP.

Here are the overall Top 10s by WAR:




And for the NeLers:





News and leaders:

[luckymann]

William "Steel Arm Bill" Tyler doesn't get much love at all from my usual NeL sources. Even James Riley limits himself to one paragraph, an entry that ends with the mention of some trouble with the law involving the death of a white man.

Perhaps this is the reason for his relatively short career.

Seamheads has him listed as having played just 107 games between 1925 and 1930, finishing with a 10-12 record and 3.81 ERA. By their calculations, this was good for a tidy enough 8.9 WAR.

My job when formulating profiles is made harder the less the anecdotal data available. For a player like this for whom that total is virtually none, I have to get creative.

It was clear from his career stats that Bill was a fairly handy pitcher. He imported with a decent pitch repertoire, which I kept but edited to more realistic levels. This being a "what-if" exercise, his lack of longevity is not within my purview. Nor the reason for it. So these ratings merely get transposed into a career that lasts as long as it lasts. I think how it turned out is fairly representative of his abilities.




Bill was a member of the EL's inaugural draftee class and was selected by Memphis in the 9th Round with the 164th overall pick. He spent 1968 in the bullpen, where he struggled. In 1969, however, he has done well enough to earn a spot in the rotation, where he seems to be thriving.

His most recent start, a 3-hitter in a win over Birmingham

was both his first CG and first shutout, and leaves his stat line looking thus:




We'll check back in along the way to see how he is progressing.

[luckymann]

This is the EL's 4th no-hitter and the first for the 1969 season. It is both the first by a Hilldale pitcher and the first against Birmingham.

The fact that he managed to pull it off despite an hourlong rain delay in the 3rd makes it even more impressive.

[luckymann]

... in the face of this sort of performance?

[luckymann]

It's games like this one - when you lose on a two-out slam in the 9th - that make you start to suspect that perhaps this just isn't your year. And this certainly doesn't look like it is Brooklyn's year, that's for sure.

[luckymann]

Still can't believe Tony didn't go until the 205th pick of the inaugural Draft. looking more astute with every season now...

[luckymann]

A gem from the big guy against our mate Steel Arm Bill and his MeSox.

[luckymann]

Phil Ortega was a bit of an unheralded star in 1968, winning 20 games and racking up 4.3 WAR. He's not quite up to that level in his sophomore season so far but a lot of that has to do with the fact that his Black Barons aren't travelling very well at 32-39.

Still, performances such as this show he's got what it takes to keep mixing it up with the big boys.

[luckymann]

This is Señor Delgado's second shutout this month after 3-hitting the Motown Stars a couple weeks back and, at 13-5 / 2.54 / 2.4 WAR, he is having a fine season. His rotation colleagues, however, are struggling and the EGs are only hovering around 500. They look destined to finish well back of the Athletics unless something changes dramatically.

[luckymann]

This Hilldale outfit is looking ever more dangerous and dominant. Whereas Stargell was doing most of the heavy lifting early on, now three other players are into double-figure HR and Chino Smith is really starting to blossom as well, along with pitcher Dave Brown who has recently been moved into the rotation and is yet to lose a game as a starter.

Ruben Mateo is one of those stepping up his game. These two give him 14 HR and he is slashing a very tasty 315/340/562 with 65 RBI and more than 3 WAR.



Meanwhile the win takes ace Adrian Hernandez to 15 wins, most in the EL.

[luckymann]

The Bacharach Giants finally lose a game to end their EL-record win streak at 16.




Meanwhile, the American Giants post a fat lady in the 9th to steal a game from Cleveland, both of whom now find themselves chasing the Cuban Stars East in the WC National.




And the Motown Stars and ABCs play out one of the EL's most epic games so far.

[luckymann]

What a difference a month can make as the previously unheralded Bacharach Giants are suddenly the talk of the town. A stunning 22-4 June including that one run of 16 straight wins as previously mentioned has them possessing the EL's best record of 50-28 and a relatively comfortable 5 1/2 game lead atop the Fleet American. Ruben Quevedo has been untouchable, going 7-0 for the month with a tidy 1.37 and now leads all three TC categories, while Adolfo Phillips has been powering the offence. These two, along with closer Mariano Rivera, make it a clean sweep for the BGs in the monthly awards.

Pops Stargell has just cooled off a bit, but his A's are still well clear in the WC American, while the West leads the Giants and Red Sox by 7 1/2 in the FC National. Only the Weldy National is overly close, with the East now edging both the Buckeyes and American Giants.




Here are the monthly awards in full:

• FC BATTER OF THE MONTH: Adolfo Phillips (Bacharach Giants) 361 / 6 HR / 19 RBI.
• FC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Ruben Quevedo (Bacharach Giants) 7-0 / 1.37 / 56 K / 59.1 IP.
• WC ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Mariano Rivera (Bacharach Giants) 1-1 / 1.62 / 17 K / 16.2 IP / 5 SV.
• WC BATTER OF THE MONTH: Ruppert Jones (East) 379 / 7 HR / 25 RBI.
• WC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Randall Delgado (Elite Giants) 5-1 / 1.24 / 34 K / 51 IP.
• WC ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Hector Rondon (East) 1-2 / 1.88 / 20 K / 24 IP / 8 SV.

Top 10s as usual, nice to see a couple of the NeL players creeping in:





News and leaders:

[luckymann]

[luckymann]

In young leagues like this one, these Prospects reports are more a who's who of players not quite good enough to make the grade.

Anyway, here are the EL's Top 10 as at the halfway point of 1969.




Quack Davis