Out of the Shadows: The Eclipse League

[luckymann]

Not much for fans of the Liberty Stars to cheer about so far in the EL. After a 68-94, 4th place 1968 they are down in the doldrums again this time around and may even lose 100. They've got some solid prospects but this could take a while. In the meantime, I'm sure they enjoyed this beauty from Jonathan Sanchez.

[luckymann]

Still not a lot of movement, as you'd expect with relatively small squads throughout the league. But the Buckeyes and Black Barons have apparently been busy, as have the Crawfords and Bacharach Giants.

[luckymann]

Here are the 1969 Eclipse League All-Star squads. Pops Stargell is the highest vote-getter by some margin.





Tony Armas defends his HR Challenge title with a narrow win in the final over Atlantic City's Ralph Bryant.




And the Fleet Conference squares the ledger with a hard-fought 4-2 win at Olympic Field in New York. Ruppert Jones is named MVP.

[luckymann]

Here's a quick look at how each of the teams in the EL are faring so far in season 1969.



Atlantic City Bacharach Giants

While I didn't expect the BGs to go as bad as they did last year, nor did I even remotely suspect their vast improvement, one which has them tied with the A's for the best record in the league. Their big three bats - Chito Martinez, Adolfo Phillips and Ralph Bryant - have their offence purring along nicely, but it has been their pitching that has been the biggest difference. Ruben Quevedo (17-3 / 1.90 / 68 FIP- / 5.6 WAR) has been nothing short of a revelation, but the entire staff can share the credit the same way as they have shared the load (EL-best 2.96 team ERA). While not yet the lock he was IRL, Mariano Rivera's steady hand in the closer role (11-from-14 saves / 3.19 ERA) has been another telling factor.

Newark Eagles

Started the year strongly and it has been more the BGs' dominance than any great regression that sees them 8 GB and with a lot of work to do. Buck Leonard (305/406/472; 12 HR / 58 RBI) has been great, ably supported by Cliff Floyd, and their 253 BA (2nd) and 398 runs scored (3rd) show how potent this lineup is. But they are perhaps one starter and a couple solid middle relievers (bullpen ERA of 4.06) shy of where they need to be. Still, this side has plenty of upside on offence and seems headed in the right direction.

Pittsburgh Crawfords

Despite a fairly decent effort from their pitching staff, the Crawfs' ugly -41 run diff and 19-26 home record are emblematic of why they are where they are in the standings. While they are doing anything particularly poorly, neither are they doing anything particularly well, and one would think 500 would be around the mark for where they finish this year. As with the Eagles, however, this squad projects strongly (Oms, Whitaker, Rijo, Matlock and Jhan Marinez are all excellent prospects), and I'm expecting them to start being more competitive over the next few seasons.

New York Black Yankees

Another underwhelming season from a side whose sum seems destined to be less than its parts, in fact you'd have to say this group has re- rather than progressed. Sabathia has toiled hard and their pitching in general has been acceptable (12.2 pitching WAR). But, despite Hank Thompson's improvement, there's not much pop coming from the BY bats, with most of their offensive metrics well short of where they need to be. Although his D has been exemplary (+8.5 ZR), CF Sam Jethroe really needs to pick up his production - 235/309/348 with an OPS+ of 82 just ain't cutting it.

Brooklyn Royal Giants

Was 1968's division title merely a first-year fluke and now we're seeing the real RGs? Or is this just one of those seasons teams have to endure from time to time? Maybe a combination of the two? Whatever the case, Brooklyn would be best to forget 1969 ever happened and use their high Draft pick to acquire a big bat. 42 HR in 87 games (with no player in double figures) won't get you very far in this league.




Cuban Stars West

The West has done everything asked of them this season and are rewarded with a 4-game lead over the Giants at the halfway mark. They have done so with a combination of power (91 HR, 2nd) and pitching (3.36 ERA / 12 WAR) and in spite of a somewhat porous defence (-8.6 ZR). Juan Soto, Ellis Burton and Big Papi Ortiz have kept the scoreboard ticking over, while Bryan Clark has led the rotation admirably and Sixto Sanchez (19 SV, 0.94 ERA) has been almost lights out. The biggest concern as I see it is just how much petrol is left in the tank because this team is operating at close to full capacity, with downside risk more likely than upside. Which, with a team as good as St. Louis breathing down your neck, is not how you'd want it to be. This should be a fascinating race over oncoming months. The switch of Cha-seung Baek into the rotation for Odell Jones bears watching.

St. Louis Giants

With the lineup they have (especially Judge, Scott, Conger and Taylor), you know the Giants are usually going to score enough runs to win games. The difference between this season and last is that the pitching has regressed, meaning the runs they continue to score are now winning them less of those games. Starter ERA over 4 is a big worry, even more so given all 4 of their starters have seen their ERA blow out by a run per nine. But if they can turn this around then I think you'll see them run down the West in a tight finish and keep their title defence alive.

Birmingham Black Barons

Little has changed since last season for the BBs, and I see no reason to expect otherwise. The biggest problem is that they keep finishing with a good enough record to forestall a high Draft pick, and the squad they have at the moment is pretty average, leaving them in some sort of holding pattern of mediocrity. So they'll need to get creative in the trade market or be prepared to finish 3rd or 4th for years to come.

Memphis Red Sox

Started the season really strongly but have gone pretty quiet since and are a horrid 2-11 so far for July. Top pick Eddie Rosario is doing well in his rookie season without setting the league alight, but they'll need a few more like him before they get anywhere because - Billy Sample and Ozzie Virgil jr aside - this is a decidedly ordinary squad with limited upside to boot.

Kansas City Monarchs

Even though as I have pointed out numerous times this is a long-term project, the Mons management would have to be a little miffed at the squad's abject lack of improvement this season. Their 32-55 record is the league's worst and they should use the resultant pick high in next year's Draft on another cornerstone position player, because their offence is sadly lacking in both a current and future context.




Hilldale Athletics

A dream season so far for the A's and, while Stargell's performance has deservedly hogged the headlines, almost to a man this squad has played their part. Chino Smith has benefitted greatly from batting ahead of Pops, and is starting to show why he is earmarked for stardom. The presence of Eric Chavez behind him has been instrumental in Pops getting his share of pitches to hit. Adrian Hernandez (18-3 / 2.59) has blossomed into one of the EL's elite pitchers, while the move of Dave Brown into the spin has been a masterstroke. 10 clear in the div and I don't see that changing.

Baltimore Elite Giants

An improving bunch, the EGs have had the misfortune of running into a dogged foe in Homestead last season and now the rampant Hilldale. Still, their overall record of 125-124 mollifies any feeling of indignation they might want to have, because it simply isn't good enough for division titles. Take Randall Delgado's contribution this season out of the equation and this becomes even more the case, and the EGs need to add a bat or three if they want to keep up with the upwardly mobile Joneses they find themselves competing against.

Homestead Grays

The regression I was expecting all of last year has finally hit the Grays, and coming at the same time as Hilldale's dominance leaves them unlikely to figure in the post-season this time around. These things happen, and the mark of a good squad is how it respond when they do. This has by no means been a crash, and the pitching - led by Tanaka, who has been great again - has been particularly resilient. But nor do I see a hard rebound in this current group, especially the offence, with only Amos Otis having any measurable upside from here. Limbo beckons, for a few seasons at least.

New York Lincoln Giants

Baby steps forward, no doubt, for the LGs. But this remains a pretty middling bunch with a long, long way to go before they can hope to be amongst it at the pointy end. With Henderson and Williams they have the makings of a quality OF. Now they need some pitching first and foremost, then a strong cornerman. Until then, even going 500 might be a bridge too far.

Philadelphia Liberty Stars

Little has changed for the Libs since this time last year. Bake McBride was a step in the right direction and another lofty pick will presumably get them another handy type. That pick must be used on a pitcher, as the position player group looks roughly where it needs to be. Should keep the keys to the cellar for a few more seasons, methinks.




Cuban Stars East

No room for error in the WC National, clearly the toughest div of the four. After a slowish start, the East has come good and this squad's lack of obvious weaknesses should hold it in good stead over the remainder of the season. Ruppert Jones and Rod Allen are proving '68 was no fluke with excellent sophomore campaigns, while Montero, Rivera and Ducey have all been solid contributors. If there is a concern it's the rotation after Big Z, but the bullpen (2.67 ERA) has done a fantastic job of getting them to 27 outs. Still, any further slippage in the SPs may prove the difference between success and failure for los Cubanos el Este.

Cleveland Buckeyes

I mentioned in last year's midterm report that I felt the Buckeyes were only a few astute moves away from being good. Well obviously it has only taken the one. The addition of Ohtani and his twin abilities has been transformative to say the least and the Bucks are in this up to their eyeballs. Cesar Hernandez is living up to the hype while Bobby Abreu is putting together a stellar season. Still a bunch of blue sky for this group, the question is will that take them to the heights this year? If so, they'll certainly have earned it.

Chicago American Giants

On paper the AGs are arguably the best right now of the three competing for this division and it is somewhat surprising that they trail the other two, albeit by a manageable margin. Gregory Polanco is a superstar, Yovani Gallardo looks right at home at this level, and this group can put a hurtin' on with the best of them. But the bottom half of their rotation is struggling and their pen has fairly stunk up the joint (5.43 ERA), which is where I put the blame for their underperformance to this point. They'll give it a shake, but I suspect they might just come up short again.

Detroit Motown Stars

Now this one is a crash. Have done few things well this year and, take Andre Thornton out of the calculations, that can be downgraded to almost none. Another club who needs to use their imminent high Draft pick on a golden arm, although I think Mo'Stars fans will need to be very patient indeed as there is no quick fix to this mess.

Indianapolis ABCs

Nothing to see here, people, please move along. The ABCs are in the midst of the sort of season that will have management questioning and second-guessing themselves on an almost daily basis after another ugly loss. Such are the travails of the long-term approach. So much is banked upon players delivering on their promise, it is akin to walking across a bottomless ravine on the ricketiest bridge imaginable. Thank heavens their pitching has been as robust as it has (3.31 ERA, 3rd in the WC), or there may have been a rush of defenestrations at Riverside Park. As the great Eastern (US) philosopher Gianni bonGiovi wrote from the conveniently futuristic and highly-enlightened vantage point of mid-1980s New Jersey, Oh, you gotta keep the faith. Easier, as is almost invariably the case with both Eastern Philosophy and mid-1980s hair metal, said than done.

[luckymann]

Few ballplayers, if any, have fascinated me in the way Charles "Chino" Smith has in the short time since I became aware of his existence. The Babe, simply for his prodigiousness, has always been my favourite. Of the current crop, Juan Soto, who I could watch for hours. In fact, the closest comparison would perhaps not be a baseball player at all, but rather Muhammad Ali, although Chino isn't quite in his league with regard to my respect and admiration. Not yet, anyway.

Perhaps it is the paucity of information about Chino that fascinates me; perhaps it's the content of the little that does exist. I don't know; nor, frankly, do I really care.

He was just 5'6", but carried himself as if a foot taller. Jim Riley says this of him:

This compact dynamo who, according to Satchel Paige, was one of the two greatest hitters in the Negro Leagues, was a scrapper, arousing the fans and intimidating pitchers as he shot through the world of black baseball like a meteor, with a career as brief as it was bright.

He adds:

A line-drive hitter whose lined shots to all parts of the ballpark looked like frozen ropes, he [...] hit everything thrown at him and respected no pitcher. Sometimes he would spit at a pitcher's best offerings as [they] came across the plate, taking two strikes, before lining a base hit back through the middle. Supremely confident at the plate, the little slugger had no weakness.

Now I know most of these types of stories have been embellished beyond recognition, so let's have a look at him from a statistical perspective.

For reasons I shall get to in a little while, Smith played just 7 seasons in the various NeLs between 1925 and 1931. Seamheads lists his career slash line as 398/485/659 over 945 ABs, with 82 doubles, 21 triples and 41 HR. They have allocated him an OPS+ of 179 and 14.3 WAR.

Eric Chalek's MLEs - my secondary statistical source for NeLers - has him at 332/399/560, with 43.3 WAR or better than 6 per season.

The tricky part of assessing Chino is threefold. As no lesser source than Strat-o-Matic put it thus in the handbook to their Negro League All-Stars pack:

Number one, not only was he a Hall of Fame candidate in 2006, everybody who ever played against the man said he was one of the two or three greatest hitters they ever saw. [...] Number two, he played in an extremely hitter-friendly home ballpark in New York, which skewered his performance. And number three, he died of Yellow Fever when he was only 30-years-old.

Yes, tragically his career ended almost before it had begun.

SoM used his Cuban League stats to settle on their ratings for him. I just stuck with my own methodology and am OK with how it turned out. Perhaps I have inflated his ratings somewhat, but who knows - he could have got even better and maybe I have in fact sold him short.




In the EL, Chino was drafted way lower than I'd expected, in the 5th Round - 94th overall - by the Athletics. His 7 WAR rookie 1968 season immediately confirmed the astuteness of this acquisition (Pops Stargell was their next pick...), and he has been fantastic again in '69. He was named to the All-Star squad in both and won the Slick Award at 2B in '68, registering +3.2 ZR. He has also, as if in keeping with his feistiness IRL, been suspended after starting a brawl.




I hope this is just the start and that Chino gets to enjoy the long and rewarding career in the EL so cruelly denied him in real life.

For anybody interested, HERE is the entry about Chino from the Forgotten Heroes series - a great read!

[luckymann]

Not a lot of good times for Juan Marichal and his KC Monarchs in the EL to this point, but he's still giving his all as this pearler against Marty Dihigo and the Crawfords shows.

[luckymann]

[luckymann]

As I have mentioned previously, Pops Stargell is far from a one-man band at Hilldale, and this has been key as his form settles back to the realm of mortality. 3B Eric Chavez is having another solid season and puts together a fine game here. OF Ruben Mateo also takes his HR total up to 20 as the A's power on.



Later that same week, Santi Guzman reminded us that it's not just the hitters doing great things in Darby this season.

[luckymann]

Tuesday 29th July, 1969 – New York Lincoln Giants (42-54) @ Atlantic City Bacharach Giants (61-35)
7.05pm ET, Bacharach Park, Atlantic City NJ

Ruben Quevedo



Jesse Hudson




While - with the relatively unheralded Jesse Hudson taking on the all-conquering Ruben Quevedo, and the BGs being in such dominant form of late - this interleague clash might look like a clear mismatch on paper, we all know that anything can happen in any given game and, let's face it, the LGs have little to lose from here on in. For Atlantic City, these are the types of games good clubs win to keep the momentum going, so let's see if they can do so tonight.

The two teams will line up like this:




The first pitch is upon us.

The visitors come out swinging in the 1st, as Henderson singles, Tapia doubles, and Reyes scores them both with another two-base hit. Quevedo then pulls it together, striking out the side to limit the damage.

The top of the LGs order gets to Quevedo again in the next, as a Tapia triple makes it 3-0 and Reyes singles him in to add another one.

Quevedo is well off his game here as he walks them full with none out in the next and New York goes further ahead on a Hudson SF.

This is exactly what I was talking about.




Hudson is keeping the home bats quiet with his dinky off-speed stuff and the scoreline holds into the 6th, when Quevedo again goes walkabout (breaking the club record with 8 bases on balls) and a throwing error by BGs catcher Hal Jones gifts the guests another run, with a single by Bernie Williams making it a nasty 7-0 and chasing Quevedo at last.

The Bacharach Giants finally get on the board as Huskey spoils Hudson's shutout bid with a 2-run blast in the 9th, but this was a comprehensive win that, if you weren't aware of the standings, would make you think it is the LGs going well and the BGs struggling, rather than the other way around.

[luckymann]

With the mid-season recap so recent, not much to add here. The American Giants have gained a slight ascendancy in the WC National, so it will be interesting to see if they can keep that going in the face of Shotime's continued dominance: the rookie is now 18-3 with a 1.72 ERA and nearly 8 WAR, to go with his 10 HR.




The July player gongs:

• FC BATTER OF THE MONTH: George Scott (Giants) 353 / 5 HR / 26 RBI.
• FC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: CC Sabathia (Black Yankees) 5-0 / 2.70 / 45 K / 50 IP.
• FC ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Horacio Ramirez (Crawfords) 3-2 / 1.86 / 27 K / 48.1 IP.
• WC BATTER OF THE MONTH: Ruppert Jones (East) 330 / 6 HR / 20 RBI.
• WC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Yovani Gallardo (American Giants) 5-0 / 2.24 / 47 K / 52.1 IP.
• WC ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Yovani Gallardo (American Giants).

Overall Top 10s:





NeL player Top 10s:





And finally, news and leaders:

[luckymann]

Sergio Valdez may have got the plaudits in the recap for this big win over the Mons, but this game is also a memorable one for the West's gun outfielder as well, as he drives in 7 runs, tying the FC best. The West are on a tear right now, with this their 8th straight win as they solidify top spot in the FC National.

[luckymann]

First to 20 wins is just another badge of honour in a season full of them. Funny thing is, he won't win an award because he's slated as a RF not a pitcher.

Silly, but somewhat inconsequential.

[luckymann]

Pops has been quietish for him of late. Not any more.

[luckymann]

Not sure things could have gone much worse here for the MoStars, nor better for the AGs - this is ugly.

[luckymann]

Consistency remains elusive for Bill Tyler, as his 10-12 / 4.14 record and 106 FIP- attest, but he continues to tantalize with outings like this gem against the AGs and their big lineup.

[luckymann]

There have been so many fine performances with both bat and ball in this second EL season that it's sometimes hard to know where to look.

While Jose Guzman hasn't necessarily been one of the more dominant players, and his ABCs are enduring another tough season, this is but one more outing in which the quality evident in this league shines through.

It's the AGs 4th loss on the trot and slips them back into a tie with the Cuban Stars East atop the WC National, with the Buckeyes a couple games back. It's the only race with any juice left in it and looks to have plenty more twists and turns in store for us.

[luckymann]

Another loss for the AGs - they did win the previous day - but no blame can be laid at Señor Ayala's feet as Richard Hidalgo undoes all of his good work with a walkoff 2-run homer to win it for Indy.

[luckymann]

The Bacharach Giants stumble, then recover somewhat but have certainly left the door ever so slightly ajar for the Eagles in the FC American. The Giants, too, make up a few games in the FC National and now trail the West by just 4. While the A's remain comfortably ahead in the WC American, the National continues to be the source of most of the excitement with the East, American Giants and Buckeyes still tightly bunched and looking destined to remain that way until the end.




Awards for August went as follows:

• FC BATTER OF THE MONTH: Rich Coggins (Crawfords) 353 / 10 HR / 28 RBI.
• FC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Andy Porter (Red Sox) 6-1 / 3.14 / 35 K / 57.1 IP.
• FC ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Oil Can Boyd (West) 4-1 / 2.59 / 36 K / 55.2 IP.
• WC BATTER OF THE MONTH: Bernie Williams (Lincoln Giants) 374 / 2 HR / 15 RBI.
• WC PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Robert Person (Grays) 5-1 / 2.77 / 47 K / 52 IP.
• WC ROOKIE OF THE MONTH: Simon Castro (Liberty Stars) 3-2 / 3.19 / 22 K / 36.2 IP.

Overall Top 10s:




Take a moment for poor Juan Marichal who, despite being 2nd in pWAR, finds himself having lost 20 games against just 7 wins.


News and leaders:






Pops Stargell, Rich Coggins and Shohei Ohtani are all still very much in the Triple Crown hunt. This should be a spectacular stretch even if the races aren't quite as tight as they could be.

[luckymann]

Not too sure there's an unluckier pitcher operating in this league than Juan Marichal. He has the misfortune of being a member of the Monarchs, one of the EL's worst teams to this point. This has meant that, despite posting really impressive metrics in both 1968 and '69, including over 17 WAR and a FIP- of 65, Juan's career W-L currently sits at a nasty 23-37.

Take a look at that run support - or, in this case, lack thereof.




This most recent outing pretty much encapsulates how things have panned out for him: 12 scoreless innings for a no-decision. Small mercy, perhaps - at least the Mons got the win this time. That said, they'll still need to get cracking if they want to avoid losing 100.

[luckymann]

Another solid season for Edsall and, while they won't feature in the playoffs, the BYs have slowly improved over the course of the season to sit a game above 500. Performances like this will keep them headed in the right direction. Remember, there's always next year!