The Revenge of the Replacement Players
 

Now, before I get started, I want to make one thing clear: I am not advocating for WAR. Personally, I think it is a useless stat, BUT it does give the premise for a fun experiment. How would a team of replacement players do over a long series of time?

To determine this, enter the Random Debut League! While I will definitely evolve it over time (i.e. expansion), it will start out as an 8 team league. All 8 teams will be in one division, competing for a pennant (no World Series yet). To build the league, I will start by randomly selecting 8 historic teams using the calculator function rand(1871, 2017) to give me a random year, and then rand (1, x) with x being the amount of teams in the league at the time to get the initial 8 teams. After these teams are picked, all the players will be released and the teams will be renamed, with a fantasy draft following to give every team a "fair" start, except one. That team, will be mine! The team of expansion players!

After the draft, I will release all my players and then fill the roster with historical replacement players. To get these players, again, I will use rand(1871, 2017) and then use baseball reference to find any player that accumulated exactly 0.0 WAR. This will continue until I have a full roster of these replacement players (26).

While every other team will draft at the end of the year (5 round draft as this league will have no minors) with random debut players, we only will get new players to replace injured players (if no suitable replacements exist) and a few off-season "draftees" to help fill the roster after the season ends. There will be no free agency, so all the replacement players can stay in the organization. The only way they will leave, however, is if they win MVP/Pitcher of the Year, although this is highly unlikely as they are replacement players.

While this team will likely be awful, it will be interesting to see how these replacement players perform (especially with OOTP development) over long periods of time.

For the league settings, again, it will be 1 division of 8 teams, although this will eventually expand as I see fit. We will start with a balanced schedule and no playoffs, just a pennant race. The season will be 100 games long with a trade deadline of June 15th and no All Star Game. For team names I'm going to use fun minor league team names that will for the most part be assigned random.

As for global settings, I will use 2010 settings for both financials and modifiers, although the financial aspect likely won't matter too much with no Free Agency. Most other settings will be set to the defaults, although I personally won't make any trades. The league will also start in the year 2000, just to give it a nice round number to start with. Along with my GM powers, I will be the league commissioner, This will be a stats only league, as ratings won't really matter.

I'm hoping this will be a fun project to follow, and will try to keep relatively consistent posting habits of both the replacement players and the league as a whole. Ideally, I will make posts for Opening Day, Halfway Through, End of the Year, Playoffs, and Draft Day.

Hope you enjoy!

Montreal Expos
2000: 6-94 (.060)
2001: 7-93 (.070)
2002: 13-87 (.130)

0.0 WAR Seasons
N/A

0.0 WAR Careers
N/A

Meet the Teams!
 

The first team will be the 1922 Cincinnati Reds! They finished 86-68, good for 2nd and 7 games behind the pennant winning New York Giants. They were headlined by aces Eppa Rixey and Dolf Luque, The former finished the season 25-13 with a 3.53 ERA and 1.22 WHIP while the latter was a shockingly low record of 13-23, but with a 3.31 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. . Top hitters included C Bubbles Hargrave (.316/.369/.512) and CF Edd Roush (.352/.426/.461), who unfortunately was hurt during the season. They also had an up in coming star in 21-year-old Pete Donahue. He was 18-9 with a 3.12 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. They will be known as the Dayton Dragons, their current Class A team.

The second team will be the 1966 New York Yankees! These Yankees weren't any good, finishing half a game behind the Red Sox at 70-89 for worst record in the AL. They were 26.5 games behind the pennant winning Orioles. They had an aging start in 34-year-old Mickey Mantle. The "Commerce Comet" hit .288/.389/.538 with 23 homers in a little under 400 plate appearances. Another old star was 37-year-old Whitey Ford, who split time between the rotation and the pen, tossing 73 innings with a .2.47 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. Al Downing was the hope for the future, as the 24-year-old went 10-11 with a 3.56 ERA and 1.28 WHIP with 152 strikeouts. They will be known as the Norwich Navigators (not a lot of non Yankee farm clubs in the Yankees system), their AA team from 1995-2002.

Team three will be the 1958 Los Angeles Dodgers. They finished 7th in the NL at 71-83, 21 games behind the first place Milwaukee Braves. The star for the Dodgers that year was 31-year-old CF Duke Snider, who hit .312/.371/.505 with 15 homers and 58 RBI's in again, a little less then 400 plate appearances. The Dodgers have a ton of youth, headlined by four sub 23-year-olds in Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax, Don Demeter, and Stan Williams. But none of those four produced much for the Dodgers this season, as their best years are ahead of them. I debated between making them the Montreal Royals in honor of Jackie Robinson or the Albuquerque Isotopes for their brilliant Simpson's reference, and resulted to random numbers again. The numbers gave me the Isotopes, so the Dodgers will be the Albuquerque Isotopes! The Isotopes were the Dodgers AAA team for a few seasons in the early 2010s.

For team four we go way back to 1885 with the 53-57 Providence Grays. Their 4th place finish was a huge 33 games behind the Chicago White Stockings. Despite the poor record, they had an elite hitter in 29-year-old CF Paul Hines and an elite pitcher in 25-year-old Dupee Shaw. Hines tallied 2,134 hits in a 20 year career with a .302/.342/.409 line. He hit just .270/.305/.345, however in '85. Shaw, on the other hand, was impressive, going 23-26 with a 2.57 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 194 strikeouts, albeit a year removed from a 451 strikeout season. They also got a cameo from future star 3B Denny Lyons, who appeared in 4 games as a 19-year-old. He ended his career with a .310/.406/.443 line. They will be called the Houston Buffaloes, the first ever affiliated minor league team in 1921 when they signed a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.

We jump closer to modern day with the 1996 World Champion New York Yankees! As you might guess, this team was loaded with talent. Not only did they have closer Mariano Rivera in his first career season, but a young 23-year-old lefty named Andy Pettitte. Pettitte went 21-8 with a 3.87 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and 162 strikeouts in 34 starts and a brief relief appearance. They also have star pitcher David Cone who in just 11 starts went 7-2 with a 2.88 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 71 strikeouts. On offense was superstar CF Bernie Williams (.305/.391/.535, 29 HR, 102 RBI, 17 SB) and RF Paul O'Neil (.302/.411/.474, 19 HR, 91 RBI) to go with young rookie's Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter. A few other interesting vets include 37-year-old Wade Boggs, RP's Jeff Nelson and Dave Pavlas, LF Tim Raines Sr., and 28-year-old 1B Timo Martinez, not to mention a past his prime Doc Gooden. Instead of going with another Yankee affiliate, I decided to make them the Montreal Royals instead.

We'll continue with the 1974 NL East Champion Pittsburgh Pirates. Finishing 88-74, they edged the Cardinals by 1.5 games and faced a powerhouse Dodgers team in the NLCS. The 102-60 Dodgers were too much, and they took 3 out of 4 before losing to the A's 4-1 in the World Series. The Pirates outfield was elite, with Willie Stargell (.301/.407/.537, 25 HR, 96 RBI), Al Oliver (.321/.358/.475, 11 HR, 85 RBI) and Richie Zisk (.313/.386/.476, 17 HR, 100 RBI's) lined up in left, center, and right. The rotation was strong too, with a three headed monster of Dock Ellis (12-9, 3.16 ERA, 1.15 WHIP), Jerry Reuss (16-11, 3.50 ERA, 1.38 WHIP), and Ken Brett (13-9, 3.30 ERA, 1.28 WHIP) making up for the loss of Bob Moose, who got in just 7 games after going 12-13 with a 3.53 ERA the year before. The Pirates will be known as the Portland Beavers, who spent 4 seasons as their AAA affiliate in the 1980s.

Back all the way to 1906 for a team that seemed bound to become a dyansty, the Chicago Cubs! Despite finishing 116-36, they fell 4-2 their crosstown rival White Sox. The famous double play trio of Joe Tinker (.233/.292/.289), Johnny Evers (.255/.304/.315), and Frank Chance (.319/.418/.430) were starting to mesh, but the Cubs rotation was really were they dominated. "Three Finger" Mordecai Brown (26-6, 1.04 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 144 K) had an insanely good season. Jack Pfiester (20-8, 1.51 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 153 K) was nearly as good, and even Fred Bebee (15-10, 2.93 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 116 K) who they traded midseason to St. Louis was elite. They didn't need him as 23-year-old Big Ed Reulbach (19-4, 1.65 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 94 K) did his best to mirror Brown and Pfiester. The Cubs will be known as the Boise Hawks, a long time short season affiliate.

Last, but not least, will be the 1932 Philadelphia Phillies. The 4th place Phils were 78-76, 12 behind the pennant winning Cubs. It was their second to last season with superstar RF Chuck Klien, who hit .348/.401/..646 with 38 homers and 137 RBI's. C Spud Davis (.336/.396/.522, 14 HR, 70 RBI) was also in his second to last season, while young SS Dick Bartell (.308/.376/.414) would leave the year after Klien and Davis. Ray Benge was their "best" pitcher, but he was just 13-12 with a 4.05 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. In honor of the longest standing minor league franchise (with the same major league team), the Phillies will just move a little over to Reading, and become the Reading Phillies.

Now, with all the teams established, in the art of randomness, I decided to randomly select the team I would destroy. It would be, the Montreal Royals!

The inaugural draft is next, giving excitement to 7 of the 8 teams who are excited to build a team of non-replacement players!

Inagural Draft!
 

While we won't participate in picking players (I exported the draft order and removed us from it), the seven other teams will have a big day in trying to build a pennant winner. It will be a serpentine draft with a fixed budget ($130,000,000 per team), as the sizes of the cities vary too much to make the teams draft based off population (it ranged from $85 to $200 million). The draft will be 30 rounds, giving each team 4 reserve players and allowing the rest to be singable free agents.

The Odd Rounds would be as follows:

1. Dayton Dragons
2. Portland Beavers
3. Norwich Navigators
4. Albuquerque Isotopes
5. Houston Buffaloes
6. Reading Phillies
7. Boise Hawks

The Even Rounds would be as follows:

1. Boise Hawks
2. Reading Phillies
3. Houston Buffaloes
4. Albuquerque Isotopes
5. Norwich Navigators
6. Portland Beavers
7. Dayton Dragons

Round 1 Results:
1/1: Dayton: SP Dolf Luque
1/2: Portland: SP Fred Beebe
1/3: Norwich: LF Willie Stargel
1/4: Albuquerque: SP Eppa Rixey
1/5: Houston: 1B Frank Chance
1/6: Reading: SP Pete Donohue
1/7: Boise: SP Jack Pfiester


Round 2 Results
2/8: Boise: CF Paul Hines
2/9: Reading: RF Richie Zisk
2/10: Houston: SP Mordecai Brown
2/11: Albuquerque: RF Chuck Kline
2/12: Norwich: SP David Cone
2/13: Portland: CF Mickey Mantle
2/14: Dayton: CF Bernie Williams

Other Notable Picks (Big Names, not necessarily stars in game)
3/2: Portland: CF Duke Snider
3/3: Norwich: CF Al Oliver
3/6: Reading: C Bubbles Hargrave
3/7: Boise: RF Dave Parker
4/3: Houston: SP Andy Pettitte
4/5: Norwich: SS Derek Jeter
5/3: Norwich: 2B Johnny Evers
5/4: Albuquerque: SP Dupee Shaw
5/6: Reading: SP Doc Ellis
6/1: Boise: SP Sandy Koufax
6/2: Reading: SP Don Drysdale
6/3: Houston: SS Joe Tinker
6/7: Dayton: SP Jerry Reuss
7/1: Dayton: SP Old Hoss Radbourn
8/7: Dayton: SP Whitey Ford
9/1: Dayton: RF Paul O'Neill
9/5: Houston: LF Tim Raines Sr.
10/5: Norwich: SP Dwight Gooden
11/7: Boise: CL Mariano Rivera
12/5: Norwich: C Jorge Posada
12/6: Portland; SS Bobby Murcer
19/3: Norwich: 3B Wade Boggs
29/4: Albuquerque: SS Pee Wee Reese

Up next, we'll take a look at the 7 teams post draft!

Meet the Teams! (Again)
 

Now that the rosters are shuffled and full, I'll give a little information about each team in the RDL that won't be filled with Replacement Players!

Albuquerque Isotopes
Top Players:
RF Chuck Klien, 27
SP Eppa Rixey, 30
3B Harry Stienfeldt, 28

Top Prospects:
SP Ramiro Mendoza, 23 (#16)
SS Charley Bassett, 21 (#17)
RF Ron Fairly, 19 (#20)

Ranks by Position:
C Manny Sanguillen, 3rd
1B Don Hurst, 6th
2B Charlie Neal, 1st
3B Harry Stienfeldt, 2nd
SS Charley Bassett, 5th
LF George W. Harper, 5th
CF Edd Roush, 4th
RF Chuck Klien, 2nd
SP Eppa Rixey, 3rd
RP John Ward, 6th
CL Dave Giusti, 6th

Boise Hawks:
Top Players
CF Paul Hines, 29
SP Jack Pfiester, 27
RF Dave Parker, 22

Top Prospects
RF Dave Parker, 22 (#6)
2B Lou Fonseca, 22 (#9)
SP Danny McDevitt, 25 (#13)

Position Overview
C Jim Leyritz, 5th
1B Mike Hegan, 7th
2B Lou Fonseca, 5th
3B Jerry Denny, 7th
SS Solly Hofman, 1st
LF Pat Duncan, 7th
CF Kiddo Davis, 7th
RF Dave Parker, 4th
SP Jack Pfiester, 7th
RP Ramon Hernandez, 1st
CL Mariano Rivera, 1st

Dayton Dragons
Top Players
SP Dolf Luque, 31
3B Tom Tresh, 27
CF Berine Williams, 27

Top Prospects
LF Frank Howard (#18)
3B Earl Robinson (#27)
RP Larry Sherry (#34)

Position Overview
C Johnny Kling, 4th
1B Gil Hodges, 3rd
2B Jim Gilliam, 6th
3B Tom Tresh, 1st
SS Dick Bartell, 3rd
LF Norm Larker, 4th
CF Berine Williams, 2nd
RF Paul O'Neill, 7th
SP Dolf Luque, 2nd
RP Jack Cullen, 5th
CL Dave Pavlas, 4th

Houston Buffaloes
Top Players
1B Frank Chance, 29
SP Mordecai Brown, 29
SP Andy Pettitte, 23

Top Prospects
3B Denny Lyons, 18 (#1)
SP Andy Pettitte, 23 (#2)
CF Don Demeter, 22 (#11)

Position Overview
C Spud Davis, 1st
1B Frank Chance, 1st
2B Horace Clarke, 3rd
3B Dick Gray, 5th
SS Joe Tinker, 4th
LF Tim Raines Sr., 3rd
CF Roger Repoz, 5th
RF Frank Schulte, 5th
SP Mordecai Brown, 5th
RP Clem Labine, 3rd
CL Cliff Markle, 2nd

Norwich Navigators
Top Players
LF Willie Stargel, 33
SP David Cone, 32
CF Al Oliver, 27

Top Prospects
C Jorge Posada, 24 (#7)
3B Roy White, 22 (#12)
SS Derek Jeter, 21 (#15)

Position Overview
C Harry McCurdy, 7th
1B Bob Robertson, 4th
2B Johnny Evers, 2nd
3B Roy White, 6th
SS Derek Jeter, 2nd
LF Willie Stargel, 1st
CF Al Oliver, 3rd
RF Carl Furillo, 6th
SP David Cone, 6th
RP Bob A. Adams, 2nd
CL John Wetteland, 5th

Portland Beavers
Top Players
SP Fred Beebe, 26
CF Mickey Mantle, 34
RF Duke Snider, 31

Top Prospects
SP Ed Reulbach, 23 (#4)
SS Bobby Murcer, 19, (#5)
SP Fritz Peterson, 23 (#10)

Position Overview
C John Roseboro, 6th
1B Joe Pepitone, 5th
2B Sam Bohne, 7th
3B Richie Hebner, 4th
SS Ruben Amaro Sr., 6th
LF Jimmy Sheckard, 2nd
CF Mickey Mantle, 1st
RF Duke Snider, 3rd
SP Fred Beebe, 1st
RP Ed Seawrd, 4th
CL John Gillespie, 7th

Reading Phillies
Top Players
RF Richie Zisk, 24
SP Pete Donohue, 21
C Bubbles Hargrave, 29

Top Prospects
SP Pete Donohue, 21 (#3)
SP Stan Williams, 21 (#8)
RP Karl Schnell, 22 (#44)

Position Overview
C Bubbles Hargrave, 2nd
1B Tino Martinez, 2nd
2B Rennie Stennett, 4th
3B Clete Boyer, 3rd
SS Aurthur Irwin, 7th
LF Cliff Carroll, 6th
CF Ed Kirkpatrick, 6th
RF Richie Zisk, 1st
SP Pete Donohue, 4th
RP Steve Hamilton, 7th
CL Jeff Nelson, 3rd

And now, most importantly, the real "draft" of the Montreal Royals replacement studs will take place!

Meet your Montreal Royals!
 

Before introducing the wonderful replacement players, here is how the process is going to work:

My love of randomness will continue on the same process of selecting a year between 1871 and 2017. I will then browse the season for any players worth 0.0 WAR (if it becomes too hard/too many players created, I will expand a few points up and down), and then directly import them for the season that they accumulated the 0.0 WAR. It's not a perfect system, as some 0.0 WAR players might actually be really good young players, but for the most part, I'll exclude players that import too good. I had to use a few pitchers with low inning counts, but since there were enough for a full roster using just 1 year, I decided just to stick with them.

Since players are imported as Free Agents, every player will be assigned a 1-year contract based on what he demanded.

Here's the group of superstars I'll have to work with, all from the 1958 season!:

Pitchers
RHP Bud Byerly, 37: Debuting in 1943, he tallied 491.2 career innings with St. Louis (N), Cincinnati, Washington, Boston, and San Francisco. He went 22-22 with 14 saves, a 3.70 ERA, and 1.40 WHIP, mostly as a relief pitcher. In '58 he split time with Washington and Boston. He was terrible with the Sens, working to a 6.75 ERA and 1.88 WHIP with almost more walks (11) then strikeotus (13). He straightened things out with Boston, lowering his ERA and WHIP to 1.78 and 1.25 while striking out 16 and walking just 7.

RHP Phil J. Clark, 25: He pitched in just two seasons with the Cardinals, tallying 7.2 and 7 innings in '58 and '59. It didn't go well, with ERA's and WHIP's of 3.52 and 1.83 and 12.86 and 2.29. He struck out just 6 and walked 11 in his short major league career.

RHP Roger Craig, 27: Craig got into just 9 games (2 starts) with the Dodgers in '58, going 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. He did have a long career, appearing in 368 games and making 186 starts. He finished 74-98 with a 3.83 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 19 saves, and 803 strikeouts in 1,536.1 career innings. He spent most of his time with the Dodgers, but also got into a few games with the Mets, Cardinals, Reds, and Phillies. Craig was actually in the game already, but I deleted him from the Buffaloes and replaced him with Tex Clevenger.

RHP Moe Drabowsky, 22: In his third season with the Cubs, the Polish native went 9-11 with a 4.51 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, and 77 strikeouts in 22 games (20 starts). He retired in 1972, pitching with the Cubs, Braves, Reds, Royals, Orioles, Cardinals, and White Sox. In 589 career appearances, including 154 starts, he owned a 3.71 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 88-105 record, 55 saves, and 1,162 strikeouts.

RHP Don Erickson, 26: 1958 was the only season he appeared in, tossing 11.2 innings with the Phillies in 9 pen appearances. He was 0-1 with a save, 4.63 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, and 9 walks and strikeouts.

RHP Mike Fornieles, 25: Mainly a relief pitcher, Fornieles tossed 1,156.2 innings in 432 career games with a 3.96 ERA and 1.37 WHIP. He went 63-64 with 55 saves and 576 strikeouts. In '58 with Boston, he was 4-6 with a 4.96 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, and just 49 strikeouts in 110.2 innings. He started 7 of the 37 games he pitched in.

LHP Lefty Hayden, 22: His career consisted of just 3.2 innings in '58 with the Reds. He walked 1, struck out 3, and allowed 5 hits and 2 runs in 3 relief appearances.

RHP Sal "The Barber" Magile, 40: It was the final season for Magile in '58 and he split it with the Yanks and the Cardinals. Earlier in his career, he had brief stints with Cleveland and Brooklyn, but New York was his main team. In his final season, he started 13 games and came in relief 4 times, going 3-7 with a 4.72 ERA and 1.40 WHIP, while walking 34 and striking out 28. For his career, he was 119-62 with a 3.15 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 862 strikeouts in 303 games, making 232 starts.

LHP Ron "The Kid" Moeller, 19: Tossing just 4.1 innings with the Orioles in '58, he allowed 6 hits, 2 runs, and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts. He finished with 152.2 innings with the O's, Angels, and Senators. In 22 starts and 30 relief appearances, he had a 5.78 ERA, 1.79 WHIP, 100 walks, and 104 strikeouts.

RHP Jim "Bear" Owens, 23: He made just one start in '58, going 7 innings with 2 runs, 4 hits, 5 walks, and 3 strikeouts. As a member of the Phillies, Reds, and Astros, he went 42-68 with 21 saves in 286 games and 103 starts. In his 885.1 career innings, he worked to a 4.31 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, and 516 strikeouts.

RHP Virgil "Fire: Trucks, 40: He was on his last leg, appearing in 41 games out of the pen with Kansas City and New York in his final MLB season. He went 2-2 with 4 saves, a 3.65 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 41 strikeouts, and 39 walks. He had a long career, pitching in 517 career games while making 328 starts. He was 177-135 with a 3.39 ERA and 1.31 WHIP while striking out 1,088 batters in 2,682.1 innings. He spent most of his career with the Tigers, but also pitched with St. Louis (A), Chicago (A), and Detroit as well as KC and the Yanks.

RHP Herm Wehmeier, 30: It was a long career for Wehmeier who finished his career in '58 split between the Cardinals and Tigers. He appeared in 10 games, making 6 starts while going 1-1 with a 4.71 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, and 15 strikeouts. For his career, he was 92-108 with a 4.80 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, and more walks (852) then strikeouts (794). Most of it was with the Reds, but he also played with the Phillies as well as the Cardinals and Tigers.

LHP Bill "Lefty: Wight: Another guy in his final career season, Wight split time with the Reds and Cardinals. He made 1 start and 34 relief appearances, going 3-1 with 2 saves, a 4.92 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, and just 23 strikeouts to go with 36 walks. Debuting in 1946, he also played with the Yankees, White Sox, Red Sox, Tigers, Indians, and Orioles. He ended his career 77-99 with 198 starts in 347 games pitched. With a 3.95 ERA, 1.52 WHIP, and 574 strikeouts compared to 714 walks, Wight pitched in 1,563 career innings.

Catchers
C Joe Ginsberg, 31: A long time big league catcher, Ginsebrg spent his '58 season with Baltimore. He hit just .211/.302/.303 with 6 homers and 12 RBI's. His career line is respectable, slashing .241/.332/.320, albeit with no power, to go with 20 homers and 182 RBI's. He was well traveled, playing with Detroit, Cleveland, Kansas City, Baltimore, Chicago (A), Boston, and New York (N).

C/1B/LF/RF Jay "J.W." Porter, 24: Debuting as a 19-year-old in 1952, he spent the next two seasons in the military before returning in 1954. 1958 was his second to last season, as he was the backup catcher in Cleveland. He hit just .200/.284/.353 with 4 homers and 19 runs driven in. He ended up with a .228/.299/.316 with 8 homers and 62 RBI's in 609 trips to the plate with St. Louis (A), Detroit, Cleveland, Washington, and St. Louis (N).

Infielders
1B Preston Ward, 30: It was a long season to be worth 0 WAR, as the career 0.1 WAR Preston War(d) spent his second to last season with Cleveland and Kansas City. He actually did well for Cleveland, hitting .338/.379/.453 with 4 homers and 21 RBI's in 48 games. In 81 with Kansas City, he dropped to .254/.319/.366 with 6 homers and 24 RBI's. His last big league season came with Kansas City the year after, finishing a 7 year run with Brooklyn, Chicago (N), Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and KC. He ended with a .253/.325/.358 line with 50 homers and 262 RBI's in 2,067 at bats.

2B/3B/SS/CF Felix Mantilla, 23: It was Mantilla's third season in the bigs, and the versatile infielder was in his third season with Milwaukee. He hit .221/.282/.345 with 7 homers and 19 RBI's in 252 plate appearances. He had a solid big league career, finishing with a .261/.329/.403 batting line in parts of 11 seasons with Braves, Mets, Red Sox, and Astros. He also hit 89 homers and drove in 330 RBI's.

3B/1B Pancho Herrera, 23: Pancho Herrera spent 1958, 1960, and 1961 with the Philadelphia Phillies. A Cuban born righty, he hit .270/.347/.365 with a homer and 6 driven in during a 29 game cup of coffee with the Phils. He finished his short career hitting .271/.349/.430 with 31 homers and 128 RBI's in 1,108 plate appearances.

3B/2B Jim Finigan, 29: The second to last career season for Finigan, he hit just .200/.310/.280 with a homer and 3 RBI's in 29 plate appearances with the Giants. He spent time with the Athletics (both Philly and KC), Tigers, Giants, and Orioles in 6 seasons, batting .264/.342/.367 with 19 homers and 168 RBI's.

3B/LF Harry Bright, 28: Another 0.0 WAR career player! Bright spent 1958-1965 with the Pirates, Senators, Reds, Yankees, and Cubs. His perfect 0.0 WAR career ended with a .255/.309/.416 line with 32 homers and 126 RBI's in 919 plate appearances. In '58, his debut season with the Pirates, he hit .250/.269/.417 with just 1 homer and 3 RBI's in 15 games.

SS/2B Dick "Ducky" Schofield, 22: A switch hitting middle infielder who is actually the grandfather of another former big leaguer Jayson Werth, Schofield spent his final season with the Cardinals in 1958. He hit just .213/.348/.278 with just 1 homer and 8 RBI's in 133 trips to the plate. He then went on to the Pirates, Giants, Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, a return to the Cardinals, and Brewers before retiring in 1971. He finished a career .227/.317/.297 hitter with 21 homers and 211 RBI's in 1,321 big league games.

Outfielders
LF Chuck "Ducky" Oertel, 26: The first of the replacement players! In 1958, Oertel's only season, he went 2-for-12 with a walk and solo homers in 14 games with Baltimore. He only spent 8 innings in left field. He seems like the perfect replacement player!

LF/CF/RF Chuck Tanner, 28: In his first full season with the Cubs, Tanner hit .262/.321/.437 in 73 games, albeit with just 103 at bats. He hit 4 homers with 17 RBI's. From 1955-1962, he spent time with the Braves, Cubs, Indians, and Angels, batting .261/.323/.388 with 21 homers and 105 RBI's in just under 1,000 plate appearances.

LF/1B/CF/RF Irv Noren, 33: Noren spent 1950-1960 in the majros with Washington, New York (A), Kansas City, St. Louis (N), Chicago (N), and Los Angeles (N). In '58 he was a Cardinal, appearing in 117 games batting ..264/.327/.393 with 4 homers and 22 RBI's in 4 plate appearances shy of 200. He finished his career with 65 homers and 453 RBI's to go with a .275/.346/.410 line in 3,522 career plate appearances.

CF/LF Eddie Haas, 22: Here's an interesting player, as Haas finished his career with -0.2 WAR in just 55 games. In 1958, he was a Brave, going 5-for-14 with 2 walks and an RBI. In just 79 career big league plate appearances, he hit .243/.316/.329 with a homer and 10 RBI's with both the Cubs and Braves.

CF/LF Danny Morejon, 27: Another player who appeared in just one season, the Cuban native hit .192/.400/.192 in 26 at bats with the Reds. He walked 9 times and added a steal as well.

With the roster fully stacked, our payroll sits at just $25,230,000, although I expect this number to increase as the years pass and players gain money for performance. Interesting enough, we rank 7th at 1B with Preston Ward, 7th at 3B with Jim Finigan, 7th at SS with Dick Schofield, 7th at RF with Irv Noren, 6th at RP with Bud Byerly, and 7th at CL with Mike Fornieles. Our top players are 23-year-old righty Jim Owens, 27-year-old righty Roger Craig, and 28-year-old LF Chuck Tanner. I expect this to be a long season, and am super excited to see how terrible we perform and how terrible we are predicted to perform!

I'll sim up to Opening Day next!

Opening Day!
 

April 4th, 2000 is a big day in the RDL, as the inaugural Opening Day has four match-ups with all eight teams playing.

We are predicted to win an impressive 9 games this season!

Midseason Update
 

Team Record
April: 2-23
May: 2-27
Overall: 4-50

Transactions
4/10: Placed RHP Herm Wehmeier on the 10-Day DL with a tired arm. In his only start, he went 2.2 innings with just a single hit.

4/19: Activated LHP Herm Wehmeier from the DL, sending RP Ron Moeller to the reserve roster. Moeller appeared in 6 games, going 8 innings with 21 hits, 9 runs, and 2 strikeouts, although no walks. Wehmeier will pitch out of the pen.

4/23: Placed CF Eddie Haas on the 10-Day DL with an elbow strain. Haas was hitting .211/.250/.289 with 9 RBI's in 76 at bats.

4/29: Placed LHP Lefty Hayden on the 10-Day DL with a strained back. Hayden was roughed up in 7 innings, allowing 15 hits and 9 runs with 5 walks. Fellow LHP Ron Moeller returned to the active roster. The 19-year-old allowed 21 hits in 8 innings with 9 runs and 2 strikeouts.

5/9: Placed C Jay Porter on the 10-Day DL with a quadriceps strain. Porter was hitting .250/.256/.323 with 14 RBI's.

5/11: Placed LHP Bill Wright on the 10-Day DL with a sore shoulder. The 36-year-old was having a solid season, working to a 3.80 ERA in 21.1 innings. He had a high 2.06 WHIP though, and walked more (6) then he struck out (4). RHP Don Erickson would join him on the DL as well, although he suffered from an elbow strain. Erickson had a 7.71 ERA and 2.66 WHIP in 11.2 innings pitched.

5/17: LHP Lefty Hayden was activated from the DL, with LHP Ron Moeller heading to the reserve roster. Moeller pitched 9.2 innings with a 13.03 ERA, 2.90 WHIP, and 2 walks and strikeouts.

5/21: Activated LHP Bill Wright from the DL,sending LHP Lefty Hayden to the reserve roster. Hayden appeared in 11 games, going 9 innings with a 9.00 ERA, 2.44 WHIP, and 5 walks with no strikeouts.

5/22: Activated CF Eddie Haas from the DL, sending CF Danny Morejon to the reserve roster. Morejon was hitting just .148/.162/.174 with 10 runs driven in.

5/26: Placed RHP Roger Craig on the DL with a finger blister. It's been a nightmare season for Craig, who's 0-8 with a 8.44 ERA, 2.21 WHIP, and 10 strikeouts in 11 starts. Lefty Hayden will rejoin the big league roster.

New Acquisitions
RHP Joel Davis, 21, (1986): When Herm Wehmeier went down, we added RHP Joel Davis. In 1986, Davis earned the magical 0.0 WAR. It was his second career season, and the 21-year-old went 4-5 with a 4.70 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in 19 starts with the Chicago White Sox. He was with them his whole career, tallying 247.2 career innings in 41 starts and 8 relief appearances from 1985-1988. He was 8-14 with a 4.91 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, and 126 strikeouts. Davis will enter the #4 spot in our rotation.

LF Al "Red" Wingo, 26, (1924): With the Haas injury, we needed another outfielder. In '24, Wingo appeared in his first game since 1919 when he debuted with the Athletics. It was his first of 5 seasons with the Tigers, and he hit .287/.372/.413 with 1 homer and 26 RBI's. He finished his 493 game career with a .308/.402/.423 line to go with 9 homers and 191 RBI's. The lefty swingning Wingo will leadoff and start in left field.

C Roy Graham, 27, (1922): Not many catcher options this year, and I had to go with a guy who made just 5 plate appearances, going 0-for-3 with two hit by pitches as a rookie with the White Sox. He got a little more time the next season, hitting .195/.290/.220 with 6 RBI's in 36 games for the Chi Sox. It was his last season in a short lived major league career. He will be Joe Ginsberg's backup in the mean time.

LHP Joe Grzenda, 26, (1964): It was his second big league season, as Joe Grzenda pitched out of the pen for Kansas City. He worked to a 5.40 ERA with a 1.88 WHIP and 17 strikeouts in 25 innings pitched. He appeared in 219 big league games, going 14-13 with 14 saves, a 4.00 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, and 173 strikeouts with Detroit, Kansas City, Minnesota, Washington, and St. Louis. The lefty will pitch middle relief for us.

RHP Roy Wilkinson, 27, (1921): It his second straight season of 140+ innings, as the White Sox starter went 4-20 with a 5.13 ERA and 1.70 WHIP in 23 starts and 9 relief outings. He had a quick cup of coffee with Cleveland in 1918, but pitched the next four seasons with the White Sox before playing his last big league game in 1922. He finished his career 12-31 with a 4.66 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 88 strikeouts compared to 142 walks, and 6 saves. He won't start for us, but instead pitch the 8th inning.

Monthly Awards
April Batter of the Month: Houston 1B Frank Chance (.440, 0 HR, 17 RBI's)
April Pitcher of the Month: Boise SP Johnny Ponders (4-0, 1.67 ERA, 5 K)
April Rookie of the Month: Houston 3B Dick Gray (.419, 0 HR, 35 RBI's)

May Batter of the Month: Houston 1B Frank Chance (.419, 0 HR, 26 RBI's)
May Pitcher of the Month: Boise SP Danny McDevitt (5-0, 2.52 ERA, 3 K)
May Rookie of the Month: Boise RF Dave Parker (.392, 1 HR, 45 RBI)

League Note
I realized the modifiers were all messed up, and I think I fixed the situation, setting everything back to the 2010 settings. Hopefully, this will normalize the stats in the second half, and eventually become the norm.

Team Summary
Well, we are on pace for 8 wins! Just 1 below our preseason predictions! Interesting enough, our Pythagorean is 12-42, much better then our actual record. We sit 8th in every offensive category except homers (3rd) and 8th in every pitching category except homers allowed (7th) and strikeouts (2nd).

There are a few bright spots, including Preston Ward who is hitting .284/.290/.344 with 23 RBI's and Joe Ginsberg who's hitting .233/.252/.325 with 2 homers and 19 RBI's. Dick Schofield has been alright, hitting .263/.276/.358 with 31 RBI's of his own. Offensively, however, only Irv Noren, who's hitting .264/.287/.350 with 25 RBI's has been worth a positive WAR, checking in at 0.2. No hitter is exactly worth 0.0 WAR on offense.

On the pitching side, we've actually had some productive starters. Despite being 0-8, Joel Davis has been worth 1.0 WAR, working to a 6.04 ERA and 1.94 WHIP with 6 strikeouts in 10 starts. Roger Craig checks in at 0.9, also 0-8, but with a 8.44 ERA, 2.21 WHIP, and 10 strikeouts. Sal Magile, who announced his retirement, is also at 0.9. He's 0-8 in 9 starts with a respectable 4.47 ERA and high 1.75 WHIP. The best pitcher has been Moe Drabowsky, going 2-9 with a 3.05 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, and 5 strikeouts. Somehow, he is worth less then the first three, sitting at 0.8 in his 11 starts. Joe Grzenda (7.2 IP, 3.52 ERA, 2.74 WHIP) and Lefty Hayden (11.2 IP, 10.80 ERA, 2.83 WHIP, 1 K) have both been worth exactly 0.0 WAR.

Around the League
Boise and Albuquerque are tied at the top of the league, both sitting at 33-21, a game ahead of the 32-22 Dayton Dragons and Houston Buffaloes. Reading is 31-23, just 2 games behind. Norwich is 1 game farther down, sitting at 21-33. Just Portland, at 21-33, joins us below .500.

Boise has been lead by strong rookie RF Dave Parker, who's hitting .336/.368/.508 with a homer, 45 RBI's, and 7 stolen bases. The pitching has been elite, with Jack Pfester (2.67), Johnny Podres (2.19), Danny McDevitt (2.78), and Kenny Rogers (2.36) all owning sub 3 ERA's. Just young southpaw Sandy Koufax (3.05) has an ERA above 3 in the rotation. Podres is tied for the league lead with 12 strikeouts.

The Isotopes don't have the pitching of the Hawks, but their offense is much more potent. Harry Stienfeldt and Charlie Neal both lead the team with .363 RBI's, with 42 and 40 RBI's respectively. Manny Sanguillen has launched 2 homers with 44 RBI's and a .322 average. Chuck Klien (.327), Ed Roush (.303), George W. Harper (.383), Don Hurst (.314), and Charley Bassett (.299) fill the rest of the lineup. On the pitching side, Eppa Rixey (6-6, 2.68 ERA) is carrying the load, with much higher ERA's behind him.

The Dragons are in striking distance, mostly in part to two-way star Old Hoss Radbourn. He's hitting .353 with a homer and 23 RBI's as the leadoff hitter, and is 3-2 with a 2.92 ERA in the rotation. Bernie Williams (.325, 1 HR, 33 RBI) and Dick Bartell (.352, 32 RBI) have produced big numbers, and Gli Hodges paces the team with 45 RBI's. The pitching has been good, with quality numbers from Dolf Luque (8-2, 3.13 ERA), Jerry Reuss (4-3, 3.05 ERA), and Bob Wicker (4-5, 2.66 ERA) giving solid numbers as well.

The favorites at the beginning of the year, Houston, struggled out of the gate, but have made things interesting as well. Frank Chance has been by far the best player in the league, hitting .428 with 43 RBI's. Slugger Fred Schulte has launched 4 homers and driven in 55 RBI's, most of those Chance who bats above him in the three hole. Spud Davis (.358, 45 RBI) and Don Demeter (.340, 1 HR, 15 RBI) have helped as well. Mordecai Brown (9-2, 2.89 ERA) has been the ace of the staff, with lefties Andy Pettitte (3-4, 3.14 ERA) and Jim Rooker (7-4, 2.44 ERA) pitching well behind him. Righty Sam Kimber (5-3, 2.69 ERA) has been an excellent 4.

The Phillies are in striking distance, powered by superstar Richie Zisk and his .429 batting average to go with 29 RBI's. There isn't much offense after, with no other batter hitting above .300. Tino Martinez has drove in 49, however, and owns a respectable .284 average. The pitching hasn't been great either. Pete Donohue has underperformed (4-6, 4.31 ERA) as they expected him to be a second ace behind Don Drysdale (5-4, 2.97 ERA). They have, however, gotten results from Dock Ellis (6-4, 3.21 ERA) and Jumbo Elliot (6-2, 2.55 ERA).

Norwich is the last team in the hunt. Strong seasons from Al Oliver (.361, 1 HR, 45 RBI), Willie Stargell (.353, 3 HR, 52 RBI), and Derek Jeter (.368, 53 RBI) help them produce a ton of runs and a deadly one-two punch of David Cone (6-2, 2.37 ERA) and Jack Scott (6-5, 2.21 ERA) make it hard for opponents to score. Vets Wade Boggs (.310, 40 RBI) and Dwight Gooden (5-4, 3.21 ERA) have also played their part.

The only other team out of it, Portland, has been far from successful. Duke Snider (.341, 37 RBI), Jimmy Sheckard (.322, 36 RBI), and Mickey Mantle (.322, 2 HR, 49) make up a solid outfield, but the infield is shaky at best. Bobby Murcer has really struggled, hitting just .155 in 103 at bats. Al Downing (2-6, 2.31 ERA) has been unlucky, but the only starter with an ERA below the 3.50 mark. Fred Beebe, the #2 overall pick has not lived up to the hype, just 6-5 with a 3.84 ERA in 12 starts and a below average 95 ERA+.

End of the Season Report
 

Team Record
June: 1-26
July: 1-18
Total: 6-94

Transactions
6/7: Placed RHP Jim Owens on the 60-Day DL with shoulder inflammation. Owens started 13 games, going 2-9 with a 4.56 ERA, 1.90 WHIP, and 15 strikeouts. LHP Ron Moeller returned from the reserve roster.

6/8: Activated RHP Roger Craig from the Disabled list, sending LHP Ron Moeller to the reserve roster. Moeller did not appear into a game in his very short stint.

6/14: Placed RHP Virgil Trucks on the 10-Day DL with bicep strains. Trucks pitched 30.1 innings out of the pen, working to a 4.15 ERA and 1.52 WHIP with 4 walks and 9 strikeouts. LHP Ron Moeller was added back to the active roster.

6/22: Placed RHP Herm Wehemeier on the 10-Day DL with back stiffness. Herm was 0-3 with a 8.44 ERA in 27 games (3 starts). He owned a 2.41 WHIP and 12 walks and strikeouts.

6/23: Activated C Jay Porter from the 10-Day DL, and sent C Roy Graham to the reserve roster. Graham was the backup, hitting 229/.341/.314 in 35 at bats.

6/27: Activated RHP Virgil Trucks from the 10-Day DL, and sent LHP Ron Moeller to the reserve roster. Moeller's ERA jumped to 16.36 and his WHIP sits at 3.64.

6/28: LHP Bill Wight hit the 10-Day DL with a calf strain. Wight, who recently announced his retirement, had a 6.00 ERA in 45 innings with 15 walks and 17 strikeouts. The always on the move Ron Moeller returned to the active roster.

7/2: Placed LHP Lefty Hayden on the 10-Day DL with a strained oblique. In 22 innings of relief, he had a 7.36 ERA, 2.27 WHIP, and more walks (11) then strikeouts (8).

7/7: Sent RHP Phil J. Clark to the 60-Day DL with a herniated disc in his back. Clark pitched 36 innings out of the pen, striking out just 6 while walking 22. He held a 6.25 ERA and 2.19 WHIP.

7/10: Activated RHP Herm Wehmeier from the Disabled List. Sent Ron Moeller back to the reserve roster. His ERA and WHIP dropped to 12.42 and 3.42.

7/11: RHP Molly Craft was placed on the 10-Day DL with back spasms. Tossed 3.1 innings with a 8.10 ERA, 3.30 WHIP, and 3 walks and strikeouts.

7/12 Activated LHP Lefty Hayden from the DL.

7/13: Activated RHP Don Erickson from the DL. Sent LHP Bert Cole to the reserve roster. Cole had a 10.34 ERA, 3.06 WHIP, and 10 strikeouts in 15.2 innings.

7/16: Activated LHP Bill Wight from the DL. Sent RHP Don Erickson to the reserver roster. Erickson had a 11.25 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, and just 2 strikeouts in 12 innings.

7/22: LHP Bill Wight (31 G, 0-1, 45 IP, 6.00 ERA, 2.09 WHIP, 15 BB, 17 K, -0.5 WAR) and RHP Sal Magile (17 GS, 0-16, 7.05 ERA, 2.07 WHIP, 23 BB, 13 K, -1.1 WAR.

New Acquisitions
LHP Bert Cole, 27 (1924): Bert Cole pitched from 1921-1927, mostly with Detroit, but also a bit with the Indians and White Sox. In '24 he was 3-9 with a 4.69 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, and more walks (35) then strikeouts (16). He finished his career with 605.2 innings in 177 games, with 46 of them being starts. He was 28-32 with 10 saves, a 4.67 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, and 119 strikeouts. Cole will pitch as the #5 pitcher in the rotation.

RHP Mike Oquist, (1998): A former 13th Round pick of the Orioles back in 1989, Oquist spent three seasons with Baltimore, one with San Diego, and then three more in Oakland. '98 was the second to last season of his career, as the A's righty started 29 games with a pair of relief appearances. He was 7-11 with a 6.22 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, and 112 strikeouts. For his career, he was 25-31 with a 5.46 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, and 351 strikeouts in 133 games, 79 of which he started. Oquist will enter the third spot in the rotation.

RHP Molly Craft, 20, (1916): It was the debut season for Craft, who spent his short four year career in Washington. He tossed 11 innings, with a 3.27 ERA, a 1.64 WHIP, and 9 strikeouts. In 29 outings, he owns a 3.88 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, and 0-4 record with 33 walks and strikeouts. Craft will pitch middle relief.

Monthly Awards
June Batter of the Month: Reading 1B Tino Martinez (.339, 13 HR, 33 RBI)
June Pitcher of the Month: Boise LHP Sandy Koufax (5-1, 2.58 ERA, 74 K)
June Rookie of the Year: Boise 2B Lou Fonseca (2.87, 4 HR, 49 RBI's)

July Batter of the Month: Norwich CF Al Oliver (.400, 8 HR, 23 RBI)
July Pitcher of the Month: Albuquerque LHP Dupee Shaw (4-0, 2.12 ERA, 53 K)
July Rookie of the Month: Boise RF Dave Parker (.325, 7 HR, 27 RBI)

End of Season Awards
Gold Glove P: Ken Brent, Portland
Gold Glove C: Manny Sanquillen, Albuquerque
Gold Glove 1B: Frank Chance, Houston
Gold Glove 2B: Horace Clark, Houston
Gold Glove 3B: Harry Stienfeldt, Albuquerque
Gold Glove SS: Joe Tinker, Houston
Gold Glove LF: Jimmy Sheckard, Portland
Gold Glove CF: Ed Kirkpatrick, Reading
Gold Glove RF: Richie Zisk, Reading

Reliever of the Year
RHP Bruce Kison, Albuquerque (8, 40)
RHP Jim Bouton, Albquerque (0, 24)
RHP Jim Guisti, Albuquerque (0.8)

Platinum Stick P: Old Hoss Radbourn, Dayton
Platinum Stick C: Spud Davis, Houston
Platinum Stick 1B: Frank Chance, Houston
Platinum Stick 2B: Charlie Neal, Albuquerque
Platinum Stick 3B: Harry Stienfeldt, Albuquerque
Platinum Stick SS: Derek Jeter, Norwich
Platinum Stick LF: Wille Stargell, Norwich
Platinum Stick CF: Al Olliver, Norwich
Platinum Stick RF: Richie Zisk, Reading

Rookie of the Year
RF Dave Parker, Boise (6, 36)
LHP Danny McDevitt, Boise (2,14)
SS Derek Jeter, Norwich (0, 13)
3B Dick Gray, Houston (0, 6)
LHP Andy Pettite, Houston (0, 3)

Pitcher of the Year
RHP David Cone, Norwich (8, 56)
RHP Dolf Luque, Dayton (0, 28)
LHP Jerry Reuss, Dayton (0, 24)
LHP Jack Pfiester, Boise (0, 14)
RHP Mordecai Brown, Houston (0, 5)
LHP Jumbo Elliot, Reading (0, 5)
LHP Johnny Podres, Boise (0, 2)

Batter of the Year
1B Frank Chance, Houston (8, 112)
RF Richie Zisk, Reading (0, 70)
3B Harry Stienfeldt, Albuquerque (0, 66)
CF Al Oliver, Norwich (0, 55)
3B Tom Tresh, Dayton (0, 49)
2B Charlie Neal, Albuquerque (0, 30)
RF Dave Parker, Boise (0, 26)
LF Willie Stargell, Norwich (0, 19)
CF Berine F. Williams, Dayton (0, 11)

League Note
The modifier adjustment worked, and the game is set to 2010 settings like it should have been.

Team Summary
Wow! We were amazing! Just 2 wins (the second the day the season ended!), so we finished the season 6-94. Our run differential gave us 20 wins, but that's far more then what we had. We were 58 games out of first place.

Offensively, we finished with two above replacement players. RF Ivey Wingo was the first, finishing the season at 0.4 WAR with a .257/.304/.368 line to go with 5 homers, 47 RBI's, and 2 steals in 94 games. LF Ali Wingo appeared in 80 and tallied 341 at bats and 0.2 WAR. He hit .293/.351/.375 with 1 homer, 34 RBI's, and 21 steals.

C Roy Graham and LF Chuck Oertel were unlucky, and just barely missed a 0.0 WAR. Both were worth -0.0 WAR. Graham appeared in 18 games, accumulating 35 at bats and a .229/.341/.314. He also hit a homer and drove in 17 runs. Oertel finsihed with a .208/.269/.308 line with a single RBI in 24 at bats.

The most impressive line must be 2B Felix Matilla. He hit .225/.255/.308 with 5 homers, 8 steals, and 51 runs batted in. He was worth a whopping -1.7 WAR. 1B Preston Ward wasn't too terrible, hitting .276/.289/.344 with a homer and 36 RBI's. He accumulated -0.4 WAR. LF Chuck Tanner (-1.0), C Joe Ginsburg (-1.1), 1B Pancho Herrera (-1.2), CF Eddie Haas (-1.2), CF Danny Morejon (-1.3), and SS Dick Schofield (-1.5) joined Matilla with being worth less the a full win.

The pitchers, on the other hand, were halfway decent. RHP Jim Owens was worth an impressive 1.1 WAR. He was 2-9 in 13 starts with a 4.56 ERA, 1.90 WHIP, 19 walks, and 17 strikeouts. The righties Roger Craig (19 GS, 0-15, 7.69 ERA, 2.19 WHIP, 23 BB, 42 K) and Moe Drabowsky (21 GS, 3-16, 4.36 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, 42 BB, 66) were worth 0.9 and 0.8. 4 more pitchers, RHP Joe Davis (0.6), LHP Lefty Hayden (0.2), LHP Joe Grzenda (0.2), and RHP Roy Wilkinson (0.1).

No one was worth 0.0, but 3.1 innings of RHP Molly Craft (8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K) were worth -0.0 WAR.

Below zero started with RHP Phil J. Clark. He was atrocious, worth a full negative win while going 0-1 with a 6.25 ERA, 2.19 WHIP, and 22 walks compared to just 6 strikeouts in 36 innings. RHP Don Erickson (12 IP, 0-1, 11.25 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, 5 BB, 2 K) was worth -0.9 and RHP Mike Oquist (4 GS, 25.1 IP, 0-3, 7.46 ERA, 2.01 WHIP, 13 BB, 10 K) was worth -0.8. RHP Bud Byerly (-0.4 WAR), LHP Bert Cole (-0.3) were all worth less the -0.1.

The team as a whole finished 8th in every hitting category except strikeouts, where they were first, and walks, which they were just 7th. We finished 8th in every pitching category.

Around the League
They managed to separate from the rest of the pack, and finished the season 64-36, good for a 4 game cushion over the 60-40 Buffaloes and Isotopes. Reading (57-43), Dayton (55-45), and Norwich (54-46) all had solid seasons, but fell short. Portland was the only other sub .500 team, finishing 44-56.

Boise owed a lot of their success to Rookie of the Year RF Dave Parker, who finished the season hitting .326 with 15 homers, 13 steals, and a league leading 106 runs driven in. SS Solly Hoffman (.300, 3 HR, 35 RBI), CF Paul Hines (.302, 9 HR, 85), and 1B Jake Daubert (.302, 3 HR, 72 RBI) put in solid seasons as well. Their strength was the pitching, with LHP Sandy Koufax headlining an all southpaw rotation. Koufax finished 10-7 with a 2.88 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and a league leading 121 strikeouts and 7.6 K/9. He started 20 games and tossed 143.2 innings. The "Giant Killer" LHP Jack Pfiester might have been even better, going 11-6 with a 2.47 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 21 starts. He reached 164 innings, walking 27 and striking out 94. Danny McDevitt (11-4, 2.98 ERA), LHP Johnny Podres (13-5, 3.24), and Kenny Rogers (8-3, 2.78 ERA) were brilliant as well.

Houston fell short this year, a little disappointing for the preseason favorites. They chose to stay at the deadline, and perhaps a buy could have helped them. Centerfield was a weak spot, as Roger Repoz hit .247/.301/.456 with 13 homers and 48 runs driven in. It was solid, but not enough. MVB 1B Frank Chance did his part, batting an impressive .389/.461/.538 (175 OPS+) with 4 homers, 72 RBI's, and 82 steals. His steals, average, on base percentage, OPS, and (.999) lead the league. RF Frank Schulte (.291, 13 HR, 92 RBI) and 3B Dick Gray (.287, 12 HR, 98 RBI) were really the only other threats. On the mound, their starters were very average. All five had ERA's between 3.00 and 3.65. RHP Mordecai Brown's was 3.48, LHP Andy Pettite sat at 3.02. LHP Jim Rooker's was 3.11, RHP Tex Clevinger's was 3.64, and RHP Sam Kimber checked in at 3.62.

They were tied with Albuquerque, who failed to upgrade their rotation at the deadline. RHP Ramiro Mendoza (20 GS, 4.99 ERA, 1.53 WHIP) and RHP Mel Stottlemyre Sr (21 GS, 4.71 ERA, 1.46 WHIP) were well below average. LHP Eppa Rixey was a bright spot, going 11-8 with a 2.85 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 21 starts. He tallied 167.1 innings, walking 25 and striking out 84. LHP Dupee Shaw (10-4, 3.49 ERA) salvaged the season with a strong second half of the season.

Reading wasn't too close at the end, but they had a star in RF Richie Zisk. The 25-year-old hit .386/.415/.554 with 10 homers and 90 RBI's. His .554 slugging percentage and 173 hits were best in the league. 1B Tino Martinez eclipsed 100 RBI's (103) and lead the league with 18 homers while hitting .303/.341/.494. Other then 2B Rennie Stennett (.310, 3 HR, 67 RBI), no starter hit better then .250. The rotation was strong, with perhaps LHP Jumbo Elliot owning the best season. He was 11-4 in 20 starts (149 innings) with a 2.78 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 78 strikeouts. RHP's Pete Donohue (8-9, 3.67 ERA), Don Drysdale (9-7, 3.20 ERA), Dock Ellis (9-7, 3.10 ERA), and Johnny Cough (6-6, 3.51 ERA) were all dependable as well.

Dayton followed, but their elite pitching makes them dangerous for the future. 25-year-old LHP Jerry Reuss finished the season 9-5 with a 2.55 ERA in 21 starts. He struck out 81 and had a nice 1.21 WHIP. Dolf Luque, however, was the ace, and the first player selected was 14-6 with a 2.60 ERA in his 22 starts. He walked 24, struck out 93, and had a nice 1.14 WHIP. His 22 starts and 179.2 innings pitched lead the league. LHP White Ford (3-1, 3.21 ERA), RHP Old Hoss Radbourn (7-8, 3.68 ERA), and RHP Bob Wicker (9-6, 3.24 ERA) were dependable as well. At the plate, 3B Tom Tresh (.340, 14 HR, 92 RBI) was almost a one man team. He had a little help from CF Berine F. Williams (.314, 10 HR, 75 RBI), RF Paul O'Neill (.314, 14 HR, 76 RBI), C Johnny King (.316, 2 HR, 56 RBI), and SS Dick Bartell (.311, 1 HR, 58 RBI.

The last .500 team was Norwich. They had the dangerous Pitcher of the Year Winner LHP David Cone. He was 12-5 with a league best 2.04 ERA in 21 starts. He struck out 119, walked 39, and owned a 1.20 WHIP in 163 innings pitched. The only other above average starter was RHP Jack Scott (9-10, 3.16 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 72 K). CF Al Oliver lead the offense, hitting .345/.372/.536 with 12 homers, 85 RBI's, and a league best 29 doubles. LF Willie Stargell was his co-star, hitting .323/.374/.489 with 12 homers and 90 RBI's. 3B Wade Boggs (.318, 4 HR, 76 RBI) and SS Derek Jeter (.331, 1 HR, 78 RBI) were also productive.

The disappointment of the RDL had to be the Portland Beavers. They were the only other team to finish below .500. The offense was beyond awful, as just 1B Mickey Mantle amounted to anything. He wasn't all that great, but he lead the league with 46 walks and had a great .308/.379/.471 line with 14 homers and 84 RBI's. LF Jimmy Sheckard (294, 5 HR, 54 RBI) was something, but there wasn't much after that. Ace RHP Ed Reulbach was an unlucky 5-7 despite his 3.05 ERA and 63 strikeouts. In 21 starts he worked to a 1.25 WHIP, 24 walks, and 63 strikeouts. He allowed just 1 homer, and his 0.1 HR/9 was the best in the league. RHP Fred Beebe (10-9, 3.62 ERA) and LHP Al Downing (5-10, 3.46 ERA) are both solid middle of the rotation guys to build with.

The draft is up next!

This made for great reading on my lunch break! I'm a bit of a sucker for randomness too so I appreciate the lengths you've gone to!

The only way is up from here! Unless you somehow manage to figure out a way to win less than 6 in which case, kudos.

Draft Results!
 

Portland had the first pick of the first ever amateur draft, selecting 2B Pete "Gladiator" Browning. He played in 1,183 big league games between 1882-1894, batting .341/.402/.467 with 46 homers, 258 steals, and 659 RBI's. Norwich went next, selecting LHP/OF Babe Ruth. Selected as a pitcher, Ruth's career lines sit at 94-46 with a 2.28 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 488 strikeouts in 1,221.1 innings. As a hitter, the greatest power hitter of his generation launched 714 home runs and drove in 2,217 runs with a .342/.472/.690 line in over 8,000 at bats.

Dayton grabbed RHP Anibal Sanchez (90-94, 4.09 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 1,414 K), Reading went with RF Albert Belle (.295/.369/.504, 381 HR, 1,239 RBI), Houston selected RHP Claude Hendrix (99-91, 2.79 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 796 K), Albuquerque went with 1B Wes Parker (.267/.351/.375, 64 HR, 470 RBI), and the pennant winning Boise Hawks selected 1B Andre Thornton (.254/.360/.452, 253 HR, 895 RBI). The full draft results will be at the bottom of the post.

I had a few wholes I needed to fill. We had four backup pitchers, but just two position players, a catcher and center fielder. Here are Montreal's brand new replacement players!

SS Skeeter Webb, 28 (1938): 1938 was Webb's debut season, and he got into 20 games with the Cleveland Indians. He hit .276/.364/.310 with a pair of RBI's in 66 plate appearances. His big league career lasted 698 games from 1938-1948, where he hit .219/.261/.268 with 3 homers, 33 steals, and 166 RBI's. He played with the Indians, White Sox, Tigers, and Athletics.

2B/3B/SS Joe "Move up Joe" Gerhardt, 23 (1879): It was a terrible season for the Reds second basemen, as his .279/.323/.340 line from the previous year dropped way down to .198/.213/.265 in 1879. He did have a homer and drive in 39 runs, but this was one of the worst season in his career. In 1,071 big league games spanning from his debut as an 18-year-old in 1873 to his retirement at 36 in 1891, he tallied 4,139 at bats with a .227/.261/.288 line. He added 7 homers, 77 steals, and 380 RBI's as well.

On to Opening Day!

Opening Day!
 

2001 is a brand new year, and the Royals are poised to win more then 6 games! The preseason predictions have us expected to win 18 games, which would be a monumental improvement over last year. Not too many changes in the rotation, although 25-year-old Jim Owens (2-9, 4.56 ERA, 1.90 WHIP, 15 K) will get the Opening Day start. On offense we have a few changes, as rookie 2B Joe Gerhardt will enter the starting lineup, shifting last year's starter CF Felix Mantilla to the outfield.

For the other 7 teams, Boise should have a chance to repeat as pennant winners, although they aren't the favorites. CF Paul Hines (.302/.343/.443, 9 HR, 85 RBI) and RF Dave Parker (.326/.363/.550, 15 HR, 106 RBI) will headline the offense. They have the projected #1 pitcher, LHP Sandy Koufax (10-7, 2.88 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 121 K) and a powerful #2 and #3 in LHP Jack Pfiester (11-6, 2.47 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 94 K) and LHP Danny McDevitt (11-4, 2.98 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 82 K).

The favorite this year is last years runner up, the Albuquerque Isotopes. Lead by projected #1 Batter RF Chuck Klein (.331/.366/.490, 12 HR, 94 RBI) they will score a ton of runs. The pitching isn't too great, but LHP Dupee Shaw (10-4, 3.49 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 96 K) is a bonified ace who gives even the best hitters problems.

Dayton and Reading are projected to finish near the top as well. Dayton CF Bernie F. Williams (.314/.355/.485, 10 HR, 74 RBI) and 1B Gil Hodges (.274/.307/.424, 11 HR, 78 RBI) give them a formidable third and fourth hitter with RHP Dolf Luque (14-6, 2.60 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 93 K) and LHP Jerry Reuss (9-5, 2.25 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 81 K) a deadly 1-2 punch in the rotation. Reading boasts elite RF Richie Zisk (.386/.415/.554, 10 HR, 90 RBI), although someone needs to step up behind him, perhaps rookie LF Albert Belle. The pitching will be lead by ace Pete Donohue (8-9, 3.67 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 71 K) looking to bounce back a little with a collection of solid options behind him.

Last year's favorite, the Houston Buffaloes are the last projected team with a shot at the pennant. Reigning MVP 1B Frank Chance (.389/.461/.538, 4 HR, 72 RBI, 82 SB) and RF Fred Schulte (.291/.320/.482, 13 HR, 92 RBI, 46 SB) give the Buffaloes solid bats who can also steal a ton of bases. LHP Andy Pettitte (9-6, 3.02 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 78 K) and RHP Mordecai Brown (15-5, 3.48 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 83 K) give the Buffaloes a solid pitching staff as well.

The bottom feeders consist of Portland and Norwich. The Beavers are on the upturn, however, as #1 overall pick 2B Pete Browning should contribute instantly and is the odds on favorite for Rookie of the Year and a potential MVP candidate as well. RHP Fred Beebe (10-9, 3.62 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 92 K) could be an ace if he takes the next step this year. In Norwich, it looks to be a huge drop off for the Navigators. Besides RF Duke Snider (.297/.319/.435, 6 HR, 62 RBI) they don't look to scary. They have reigning Pitcher of the Year in David Cone (12-5, 2.04 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 119 K), but the game must notice some sort of decline as he's pitching in his aged 34 season. Two-way rookie LHP/LF Babe Ruth is just 18, but he could burst on to the scene and raise a few eyebrows.

Midseason Update
 

Team Record
April: 0-25
May: 3-26
Overall: 3-51

Transactions
4/9: Placed RHP Jim Owens on the 10-Day DL with back tightness. Activated RHP Phil J. Clark from the reserve roster.

4/20: Activated RHP Jim Owens from the DL, sending RHP Don Erickson to the reserve roster.

4/23: Placed LF Al Wingo on the 10-Day DL with a mild hamstring strain. Wingo was playing really well, hitting .368/.456/.456 with 8 RBI's. Recalled LF Chuck Oertel from the reserve roster.

5/4: Placed RHP Virgil Trucks on the 10-Day DL with an oblique strain. He had a 6.75 ERA, 3.19 WHIP, 12 walks, and 5 strikeouts in 10.2 innings. Recalled LHP Lefty Hayden from the reserve roster.

5/12: Activated LF Al Wingo from the disabled list. Sent LF Chuck Oertel to the reserve roster. He was 1-for-5 with a homer and two driven in.

Placed RHP Jim Owens on the 10-Day DL with back tightness. Recalled RHP Don Erickson from the reserve roster. Owens was 1-6 with a 4.06 ERA, 1.76 WHIP, and 43 strikeouts in 7 starts.

5/15: Sent LHP Bert Cole to the reserve roster and activated RHP Virgil Trucks. Cole had an 11.09 ERA, 2.68 WHIP, and 8 strikeouts in 18.2 innings pitched.

Placed LHP Lefty Hayden on the 10-Day DL with a strained oblique. He appeared in just 6.1 innings working to a 9.95 ERA, 2.53 WHIP, and 8 strikeouts with just 2 walks. LHP Bert Cole will return straight back.

5/18: Placed 3B Jim Finigan on the 10-Day DL with a sprained elbow. He was hitting .274/.335/.309 with 20 RBI's in 196 plate appearances. Recalled 1B Pancho Herrera from the reserve roster.

5/23: Activated RHP Jim Owens from the 10-Day DL. Sent RHP Don Erickson to the reserve roster. Erickson allowed just 1 run in his last 3 innings with the team.

5/24: Placed RHP Roger Craig on the 10-Day DL with a finger blister. In 10 rough starts he had a 6.46 ERA, 2.07 WHIP, and 25 strikeouts with an 0-8 record. Recalled LHP Ron Moeller from the reserve roster. Also placed RHP Phil J. Clark on the 10-Day DL with a rotator cuff strain. He has a 8.24 ERA and 2.24 WHIP with 19 walks and 17 strikeouts in 19.2 innings. RHP Molly Croft will rejoin the roster.

5/31: Sent 1B Pancho Herrera back to the reserve roster. He was hitting .174/.269/.174 with 6 RBI's. He was sent down to activate 3B Jim Finigan from the DL.

New Acquisitions
N/A

Monthly Awards
April Batter of the Month: Reading: 1B Tino Martinez (.388, 12 HR, 34 RBI)
April Pitcher of the Month: Reading, RHP Pete Donohue (5-0, 2.31 ERA, 35 K)
April Rookie of the Month: Portland, 2B Pete Browning (.326, 4 HR, 34 RBI)

May Batter of the Month: Albuquerque, 1B Don Hurst (.342, 8 HR, 29 RBI)
May Pitcher of the Month: Dayton, LHP Jerry Reuss (4-0, 2.06 ERA, 37 K)
May Rookie of the Month: Portland, 2B Pete Browning (.299, 5 HR, 26 RBI)

League Note
N/A

Team Summary
April was extremely impressive, as we managed to lose every single game in the month. We bounced back with 3 wins in May, but of course, we are absolutely terrible. We were 8th in every offensive category except strikeouts (1st) and last in every pitching category except homers allowed (6th). It's been a rough one, as expected.

We managed three players with a positive WAR in the first half of the season. 2B Joe Gerhardt lead the charge with a .309/.358/.439 line with 9 homers, 8 steals, and 30 RBI's. In 53 games he was worth just a shade (0.8) under 1. LF Al Wingo sat in second with 0.5, however, in 37 games. He's slashing an impressive .320/.389/.380 with 8 steals and 11 driven in. The only other positive WAR hitter was 3B Harry Bright (.266/.322/.570, 6 HR, 26 RBI) who was worth 0.3.

On the other side, a pair of players were worth -1 WAR. C Jay Porter managed it in 42 games, hitting .212/.274/.273 with 2 homers and 17 RBI's. SS Dick Schofield was the other, hitting .231/.286/.32 with 2 homers and 19 RBI's in 52 games. There were a lot more, with CF Felix Mantilla (.201/.227/.279, 3 HR, 26 RBI) sat at -0.8, C Joe Ginsberg (.203/.256/.228, 9 RBI) is at -0.7, 1B Preston Ward (.258/.278/.298, 1 HR, 27 RBI) managed -0.6, and LF Chuck Tanner (.215/.258/.281, 2 HR, 18 RBI) sits at -0.5. The rest of the negatives are RF Iven Noren (-0.4), 1B Pancho Herrera (-0.3), SS Skeeter Webb (-0.3), CF Danny Morejon (-0.2), and 3B Jim Finigan (-0.2).

In Chuck Oertel's five at bats, he sat at just 0.0 WAR.

On the pitching side, the only starter with positive WAR is RHP Jim Owens and his 0.8 WAR. He's 1-8 with a 4.71 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, and 49 strikeouts in 9 starts. Our closer, RHP Mike Fornieles is worth just 0.1 WAR, with 2 saves and an 0-4 record in 12 innings. He had a 3.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, and 9 walks with 8 strikeouts.

A pair of starters were worth -0.9. Both RHP's Mike Oquist and Joel Davis managed these numbers. Olquist was 0-9 in 9 starts with a 10.45 ERA, 2.69 WHIP, 33 walks, and 15 strikeouts. Davis was 1-6 with a 7.53 ERA, 2.35 WHIP, 40 walks, and 43 strikeouts in 11 starts. A pair of relievers, LHP Bert Cole and RHP's Don Erickson and Herm Wehmeier were all worth -0.8. In 25 innings, Cole had a 10.80 ERA, 2.64 WHIP, 17 walks, and 11 strikeouts. Wehmeier had a 5.86 ERA, 2.07 WHIP, 21 walks, and 20 strikeouts. Erickson was 0-2 with a 11.70 ERA, 3.50 WHIP, 10 walks and 12 strikeouts.11 other pitchers had negative WAR's as well.

Around the League
The defending champion Boise Hawks are leading the path at 34-19. RF Dave Parker (.355, 13 HR, 62 RBI) is pacing the team in every offensive category and is leaguing the lead in average and RBI's. The pitching hasn't been great, but LHP Sandy Koufax (5-2, 2.40 ERA) has been the bright spot of the staff. An interesting other player is 19-year-old LF Travis Snider, who they signed as an undrafted free agent. He's hitting .340/.398/.602 with 7 homers and 26 RBI's.

Just half a game behind them are the Isotopes. RF Chuck Klien (.289, 14 HR, 48 RBI) and 1B Don Hurst (.320, 11 HR, 46 RBI) are two thirds of a dangerous middle of the order. CF Ed Roush (.310, 3 HR, 19 RBI) may end up being the third, but he hasn't played all too much. LHP's Dupee Shaw (4-6, 3.17 ERA) and Eppa Rixey (7-2, 3.42 ERA) are a formidable 1-2 punch.

Just half behind them are the Dragons. CF Bernie F. Williams (.319, 15 HR, 46 RBI) has been one of the best players this season. Both LF Norm Larker (.305, 5 HR, 32 RBI) and RF Paul O'Neill (.294, 10 HR, 35 RBI) have done well enough to fill a talented outfield. RHP Dolf Luque has really struggled, going 5-2 with a 4.24 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and 95 strikeouts in 11 starts. Jerry Reuss, reigning Pitcher of the Month, is 6-2 with a 2.95 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and 79 strikeouts.

They're falling, but the 4 back Reading Phillies are still kind of in it. 2B Rennie Stennett has been dominating, hitting .349 with 10 homers and 45 RBI's. RF Richie Zisk (.311, 10 HR, 39 RBI) and the leagues home run leader 1B Tino Martinez (.298, 16 HR, 49 RBI) hit behind Stennett, making a dominated 2-3-4 in the order. The top two pitchers have done well too, with righties Pete Donohue (8-2, 2.30 ERA) and Don Drysdale (6-5, 2.77 ERA) are a great 1-2 punch, but the back three haven't picked up the slack.

Houston may be over .500, but they're 7 out and just 1 game up. 1B Frank Chance has dropped off a cliff, hitting just .249 with 15 RBI's. The only regular hitting over .270 is the 9 hitter 2B Horace Clark (.301, 1 HR, 24 SB, 25 RBI). LHP Andy Pettitte (2-4, 3.50 ERA) and RHP Mordecai Brown (7-2, 3.41 ERA) have been solid, but the best pitcher turned out to be RHP Claude Hendrix (4-6, 2.45 ERA).

Portland sits at exactly .500, finishing 27-27. Rookie 2B Pete Browning has been the brightest spot, hitting .311 with 9 homers and 60 runs driven in. They've gotten power from 3B Riche Hebner's 11 homers and 42 RBI's, but he's hitting just .241. Only one pitcher is really doing much, with RHP Fred Beebe (5-5, 3.19 ERA) being nearly the only productive starter.

In 7th sits Norwich, at 26-28. Rookie star LF/LHP Babe Ruth has been the team's best performer. Not only is he hitting .305/.363/.629 with 15 homers and 39 RBI's, he's 4-3 in 10 starts with a 2.33 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, and 66 strikeouts. RHP Ray Benge has been solid as well, going 6-4 with a 2.61 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 79 strikeouts in 11 starts. RF Duke Snider (.297, 9 HR, 37 RBI) and 3B Wade Boggs (.324, 16 RBI) have been productive as well.

...and here I thought my team was bad... silly me!

June Report
 

I've decided to switch to monthly reports instead. Each report will still have a team summary, but only the midseason and end of season report will report on the other teams and include pictures of stats.

Team Record
June: 2-26
Overall: 5-77

Transactions
6/4: Activated RHP Roger Craig from the disabled list. Sent LHP Bert Cole to the reserve roster. He had a 9.96 ERA, 2.64 WHIP, and 12 strikeouts in 28 innings.

6/6: Placed RHP Jim Owens on the 10-Day DL with a herniated disc in his back. In 10 starts he was 1-9 with a 5.49 ERA, 1.81 WHIP, and 50 strikeouts. Activated RHP Don Erickson returned from the reserve roster.

6/8: Activated RHP Phil J. Clark from the disabled list. Sent the recently recalled Don Erickson to the reserve roster. He had two awful appearances combining 5 hits and 6 runs (5 earned) with a walk in an inning of work.

6/10: Placed RHP Roy Wilkinson on the 10-Day DL with a sprained ankle. In 15 relief appearances and 5 starts, he was 0-5 with a 6.57 ERA, 2.33 WHIP, and 18 strikeouts. LHP Bert Cole was recalled in his place.

6/16: Activated LHP Lefty Hayden from the disabled list. Sent RHP Bud Byerly to the reserve roster. He tossed 16.1 innings with a 11.57 ERA, 2.14 WHIP, and 11 strikeouts.

6/18: Placed C Jay Porter on the DL with a lacerated finger. He was hitting just .213/.270/.306 with 5 homers and 27 RBI's. Activated C Roy Graham from the reserve roster.

6/25: Placed RHP Roger Craig on the 10-Day DL with shoulder inflammation. He was 0-9 in his 14 starts and worked to a 4.85 ERA, 1.98 WHIP, and 43 strikeouts. He's likely done for the rest of the season, and he'll end up with a WAR of just -0.1.

6/27: Placed RHP Herm Wehmeier on the DL with a strained back. He appeared in 29 games (3 starts) and went 0-1 with a 6.93 ERA, 2.31 WHIP, and 26 strikeouts. Also placed RHP Mike Fornieles on the DL with a partially torn labrum. He was our "closer" and recorded 3 saves with a 5.30 ERA, 2.68 WHIP, and 11 strikeouts. RHP Bud Byerly returned from the reserve roster.

6/30: Sent LHP Ron Moeller to the reserve roster to make room for the now healthy RHP Roy Wilkinson. Moeller had a 10.95 ERA and 3.16 WHIP in just 12.1 innings.

New Acquisitions
RHP Mike Moore, 22 (1982): It was his rookie season, and the Mariner righty was 7-14 with a 5.36 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, 73 strikeouts, and 79 walks in 27 starts and 1 relief appearance. He did have a long career, however, pitching all the way until 1995. He finished his career 161-176 with a 4.39 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and 1,667 strikeouts pitching with the Mariners, A's, and Tigers.

LHP Jakie May, 34 (1930): He was at the end of his career, and he made 18 starts in 26 games. He was 3-11 with a 5.77 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, and 44 strikeouts in 112.1 innings. He pitched 1,562.1 career big league innings, finishing 72-95 with a 3.88 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and 765 strikeouts. He spent most of his career with St. Louis and Cincy, but also his last two seasons with the Cubs.

Monthly Awards
Batter of the Month: Dayton 3B Tom Tresh (.366, 11 HR, 38 RBI)
Pitcher of the Month: Reading LHP Jumbo Elliot (6-0, 2.72 ERA, 50 K)
Rookie of the Month: Portland 2B Pete Browning (.368, 8 HR, 30 RBI)

League Note
N/A

Team Summary
A pair of wins brought us up to 5 for the season, 1 short of our total last year. We dropped to 8 in every pitching category, but for some reason we just don't strikeout. We've been set down 603 times, far less then the 2nd place Isotopes (674) and over 200 less then the league leading Navigators (813).

2B Joe Gerhardt jumped over the 1.0 WAR mark. He's hitting .302/.355/.425 with 12 homers, 16 steals, and 45 RBI's. LF Al Wingo is stuck at 0.8. He's hitting .320/.399/.383 with 15 steals and 27 RBI's. C Roy Graham sits at 0.0 WAR, but in just 4 games. He's hitting .308/.308/.462 with a homer and 3 RBI's.

On the negative side, SS Dick Schofield (-1.6), C Joe Ginsberg (-1.4), CF Felix Mantilla (-1.3), and C Jay Porter (-1.2) have all been worth less then a single win. 7 others sit negative as well.

Jim Owens still leads the pitcher, but he sits at 0.9. He's 1-9 with a 5.49 ERA, 1.81 WHIP, and 50 strikeouts in 10 starts. Moe Drabowsky, despite being 0-14, has a 0.5 WAR. He's got a 5.81 ERA, 1.96 WHIP, and 100 strikeouts in 105.1 innings. Mike Oquist has been the most interesting pitcher, being worth -2.1 WAR. He's 0-15 with an impressive 13.20 ERA and 3.10 WHIP in his 15 starts. Joel Davis, Herm Wehmeier, and Phil J. Clark also sit with WAR's worth then -1.0.

End of the Season Report
 

One more little change: I'm cutting the team transactions section. I felt like there wasn't too much interesting to report on, and I'd rather spend more time on the team and league summaries.

Team Record
July: 2-16
Overall: 7-93

New Acquisitions
N/A

Monthly Awards
Batter of the Month: Boise RF Dave Parker (.386, 6 HR, 28 RBI)
Pitcher of the Month: Portland SP Fred Beebe (4-0, 2.57 ERA, 55 K)
Rookie of the Month: Portland 1B Prince Fielder (.375, 4 HR, 21 RBI)

League Note
N/A

Team Summary
We did it! We finished better then last year! We improved to 7-93, one win better then last years debut season. We finished with the same expected record, however, of 20-80. Dead last in every category except a lead league in least amount of offense strikeouts (which is impressive in its' own right).

One of our veterans, RHP Virgil "Fire" Trucks declared his retirement. He finished his career with a 6.07 ERA, 2.10 WHIP, and 26 strikeouts in 69.2 innings split between the past two seasons. He was worth an impressive -0.9 WAR, with -0.8 of it coming this season.

Joe Gerhardt (.297/345/418, 13 HR, 63 RBI, 20 SB) and Al Wingo (.325/.404/.392, 0 HR, 40 RBI, 17 SB) both finished with positive WAR's, sitting at 1.4 and 1.1. No other hitter finished in the positive, and the lone 0.0 WAR was just Chuck Oertel in his 5 at bats.

There was definitely some bad, as the -23.7 UZR of SS Dick Shofield couldn't have helped his team leading -1.9 WAR.He hit just .213/.277/.299 with 3 homers and 38 RBI's. Felix Mantilla (.185/.229/.269, 6 HR, 41 RBI, -1.8 WAR), Joe Ginsberg (.176/.246/.205, 0 HR, 18 RBI, -1.6 WAR), and Jay Porter (.222/.279/.309, 5 HR, 32 RBI, -1.1 WAR) all tallied more then a negative win above replacement. One of the "better" bad players was Preston Ward, who hit .284/.312/.348 with 5 homers and 61 RBI's with a -0.4 WAR.

Just like on offense, we had just two positive players. Unfortunately, Jim Owens (1-10, 5.50 ERA, 1.78 WHIP, 55 K, 0.6 WAR) and Mike Moore (0-2, 5.94 ERA, 1.90 WHIP, 32 K, 0.5 WAR) were both way lower then Wingo and Gerhardt, and Moore only made 5 starts.

Joe Grzenda had a perfect 0.0 WAR season! He pitched 28.2 innings, going 0-6 with a 5.34 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, and 27 strikeouts compared to 14 walks. Grzenda was actually better last season, finishing with a 0.2 WAR. He had a 4.50 ERA, 1.91 WHIP, and 12 strikeouts in 22 innings.

The worst of the worst had to be Mike Oquist, who was a perfect 0-16 with a 12.34 ERA, 3.03 WHIP, 54 walks, and 23 strikeouts in 65.2 innings. This 16 start string was worth an impressive -2.1 WAR. A trio of other pitchers, Herm Wehmeier (0-1, 7.64 ERA, 2.43 WHIP, 32 BB, 27 K, -1.6 WAR), Joel Davis (2-13, 7.47 ERA, 2.27 WHIP, 69 BB, 79 K, -1.3 WAR), and Phil J. Clark (0-0, 6.56 ERA, 2.16 WHIP, 30 BB, 25 K, -1.1 WAR) were all worth less/more then a full negative win. 10 other pitchers pitched at least 10 innings and recorded a negative WAR. Moe Drabowsky had one of the most interesting lines, finishing 1-16 with a 6.06 ERA, 1.99 WHIP, 57 walks, and a relatively impressive 115 strikeouts in 127.2 innings.

Around the League
We had a race down to the wire as both Reading and Boise finished tied at 62-38. In a crazy high scoring affair, the Phillies toppled the Hawks 16-12 to win the tiebreaker game and the second pennant in RDL history.

Reading was a team full of stars, with 2B Rennie Stennett (.348, 15 HR, 81 RBI), RF Richie Zisk (.300, 20 HR, 74), and 1B Tino Martinez (.289, 26 HR, 101 RBI) made up a potent middle of the order. It didn't stop there, as supplementary players like LF Cliff Carroll (.325, 10 HR, 45 RBI), C Bubbles Hargrave (.321, 11 HR, 65 RBI), and 3B Clete Boyer (.263, 17 HR, 68 RBI) did there best when called on. The pitching wasn't the best, but a 1-2 of RHP's Pete Donohue (13-4, 2.12 ERA) and Don Drysdale (11-8, 2.62 ERA) is about as good as it gets.

The runner up Boise Hawks were powered by the likely MVP RF Dave Parker (.351, 33 HR, 129 RBI) who was a thorn in the side of pitchers throughout the league. They didn't have a second star beside the 24-year-old, however, SS Solly Hoffman (.296, 17 HR, 71 RBI), 3B Jerry Denny (.277, 22 HR, 81 RBI), and CF Paul Hines (.291, 15 HR, 86 RBI) were productive regulars. Their lefty rotation wasn't nearly as good as last season, with just Sandy Koufax (9-7, 2.89 ERA) and Danny McDevitt (10-5, 3.33 ERA) having great seasons. Technically, both Jack Pfiester (11-5, 3.92 ERA) and Johnny Poders (13-6, 4.08 ERA) were above average, but they both took big steps backwards.

Albuquerque and Dayton were both tied for fourth at 58-42. The Isotopes had two elite hitters, RF Chuck Klien (.318, 25 HR, 94 RBI) and 1B Don Hurst (.308, 21 HR, 84 RBI) to lead the offensive charge with two solid hitters in C Manny Sanguillen (.298, 11 HR, 66 RBI) and LF Ron Fairly (.298, 11 HR, 67 RBI) producing solid numbers as well. They did have three solid pitchers too in LHP Dupee Shaw (12-7, 3.60 ERA), LHP Eppa Rixey (10-6, 3.46 ERA), and RHP Ramiro Mendoza (8-6, 3.41 ERA), but there was no dominate anchor in the rotation. The Dragons were helped by a dominate season from CF Bernie F. Williams (.309, 34 HR, 102 RBI). Beside him were dominate seasons from RF Paul O'Neil (.321, 19 HR, 76 RBI) and 3B Tom Tresh (.299, 18 HR, 76 RBI). RHP Dolf Luuque (11-3, 2.69 ERA) was a dominate ace, but behind LHP Jerry Reuss (10-6, 3.56 ERA), the solid #2, the rest of the rotation was rather weak. Rookie RHP Anibal Sanchez (5-6, 4.01 ERA) had a promising debut season, but there is room to work for the #3 overall pick.

Houston sat 9.5 back at 53-47, and were the last team over .500. The decline of 1B Frank Chance (.277, 5 HR, 36 RBI) really deflated their season, and fellow middle of the order hitters RF Fred Schulte (.276, 14 HR, 69 RBI) and C Spud Davis (.272, 13 HR, 47 RBI) didn't help pick up the slack. RHP Claude Hendrix (9-8, 2.37 ERA) was an underappreciated ace who lead the league in ERA. RHP Mordecai Brown (11-4, 3.25 ERA), LHP Andy Pettitte (5-7, 3.38 ERA), and LHP Jim Rooker (8-8, 3.89 ERA) fill up what could be one of the best rotations in the league next season.

No other team finished below .500, with both Portland and Norwich finishing an even 50-50. The Beavers had a dominate rookie and #1 Overall Pick 2B Pete Browning (.319, 19 HR, 105 RBI) showed the league why he was the first selection. 3B Richie Hebner (.291, 26 HR, 99 RBI) and another rookie in 1B Prince Fielder (.296, 19 HR, 77 RBI) give the Beavers a core to work around. Both Fielder and Browning are 20, with Hebner a still youthful 27. 27-year-old Ace RHP Fred Beebe (12-7, 2.82 ERA) had a great bounce back season, and the 26-year-old LHP Ken Brett (9-8, 3.76 ERA) and 25-year-old LHP Fritz Peterson (8-4, 3.83 ERA) both improved from last season. For the Navigators, 39-year-old 3B Wade Boggs (.349, 1 HR, 28 RBI) lead the team in average, just 2 points behind the league leading Dave Parker. Despite moving former LF Willie Stragell (.256, 26 HR, 67 RBI) to first base, Norwich boasted a dominate outfield of LF Babe Ruth (.283, 29 HR, 70 RBI), CF Al Oliver (.292, 23 HR, 90 RBI), and RF Duke Snider (.287, 23 HR, 77 RBI). The Rookie Ruth (10-5, 2.88 ERA) was also the team's best pitcher, making up for the meteoric fall of RHP David Cone (9-10, 4.60 ERA) who was last seasons Pitcher of the Month.

2001 Award Winners
 

Gold Gloves
P: Ken Brett, POR (2)
C: Bubbles Hargrave, REA
1B: Frank Chance, HOU (2)
2B: Pete Browning, POR
3B: Harry Steinfeldt, ALB (2)
SS: Dick Bartell, DAY
LF: Jimmy Sheckard, POR (2)
CF: Ed Kirkpatrick, REA (2)
RF: Richie Zisk, REA (2)

Reliever of the Year
RHP Juan Pena, REA (8, 40)
RHP Cliff Markle, HOU (0, 24)
LHP Ramon Hernandez, BOI (0, 8)

Platinum Stick
P: Babe Ruth, NOR
C: Bubbles Hargrave, REA
1B: Don Hurst, ALB
2B: Pete Browning, POR
3B: Richie Hebner, POR
SS: Solly Hoffman, BOI
LF: Babe Ruth, NOR
CF: Bernie F. Williams, DAY
RF: Dave Parker, BOI

Rookie of the Year
LF/LHP Babe Ruth, NOR (8, 40)
RHP Claude Hendrix, HOU (0, 15)
2B Pete Browning, POR (0, 14)

Pitcher of the Year
LHP Don Drysdale, REA (5, 45)
LHP Sandy Koufax, BOI (1, 33)
RHP Pete Donohue, REA (1, 24)

Batter of the Year
LF Babe Ruth, NOR (8, 112)
RF Dave Parker, BOI (0, 70)
CF Bernie F. Williams, DAY (0, 57)

I still plan on continuing this. I've been busy with hurricane prep, and may not be able to post for a bit because of the hurricane.

Draft Results!
 

And we are back!

Portland was given the #1 pick in the draft. They got 22-year-old righty Jake Arrieta. His 2014-2017 seasons were unbelievable, but there wasn't much else going on for him from 2010-2013. In his career, he's 88-56 with a 3.58 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 1,070 strikeouts in 191 starts and 6 relief appearances. Norwich took 3B Chris Sabo was taken next. Another guy with not the greatest career, he owns just a .268/.326/.445 line with 116 homers and 426 RBI's.

The rest of the first round includes Houston taking RHP/CF Charlie J. Ferguson (99-64, 2.67 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 728 K/ .288/.364/.372, 6 HR, 157 RBI), Dayton selecting RF Sixto Lezcano (.271/.360/.440, 148 HR, 591 RBI), CF Cesar Cedeno (.285/.347/.443, 199 HR, 976 RBI), RHP Bart Johnson (43-51, 17 SV, 3.94 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 520 K), and RHP Bill Donovan (186-139, 2.69 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 1,552 K).

Opening Day!
 

A brand new season of losing for the Montreal Royals as all our replacement players were ready to go! All stats are in projections first, then career stats second.

Last year's pennant winner Reading is projected to take home the crown again. The offense will be lead by 2B Rennine Stennett (.353/.379/.491, 11 HR, 83 RBI; .329/.350/.458, 21 HR, 148 RBI) who lead the league in hits last season. The rotation will be a strong are too, with RHP Pete Donohue (12-5, 2.58 ERA, 128 K; 21-13, 2.83 ERA, 215 K) the reigning ERA champion and a really strong number 2 in RHP Don Drysdale (8-8, 3.64 ERA, 178 K; 20-15, 2.88 ERA, 289 K).

The toughest competition will come from Boise and Albuquerque. Reigning MVP Dave Parker (.335/.385/.646, 33 HR, 105 RBI; .339/.372/.606, 48 HR, 235 RBI) will look to complete his third straight season at the top of the RBI leaderboard again. CF Paul Hines (.309/.382/.485, 15 HR, 87 RBI; .296/.346/.465, 24 HR, 171 RBI) will be another solid force on offense with a dangerous trio in the rotation of LHP Sandy Koufax (9-6, 3.68 ERA, 248 K; 19-14, 2.89 ERA, 383 K), LHP Danny McDevitt (11-5, 3.28 ERA, 195 K; 21-9, 3.16 ERA, 258 K), and LHP Jeff Pfiester (14-5, 3.74 ERA, 163 K; 22-11, 3.19 ERA, 288 K). Albuquerque boasts RF Chuck Klein (.313/.388/.583, 29 HR, 101 RBI; .325/.373/.519, 37 HR, 188 RBI; .325/.373/.519, 37 HR, 188 RBI) in the middle of their order, with a top two in the rotation of LHP Dupee Shaw (11-6, 2.96 ERA, 249 K; 22-11, 3.55 ERA, 350 K) and LHP Eppa Rixey (13-6, 3.22 ERA, 138 K; 21-14, 3.16 ERA, 216 K).

A little behind them are Houston and Norwich. RF Fred Schulte (.272/.379/.522, 22 HR, 99 RBI; .283/.328/.463, 27 HR, 161 RBI) anchors the Houston lineup with RHP Mordecai Brown (12-7, 3.45 ERA, 152 K; 26-9, 3.37 ERA, 244 K) and the second year RHP Claude Hendrix (9-5, 3.17 ERA, 152 K; 9-8, 2.37 ERA, 133 K) atop the rotation. Norwich doesn't have the strongest team, but the two-way sensation LHP/LF Babe Ruth (.291/.371/.622, 29 HR, 75 RBI; .283/.342/.608, 29 HR, 70 RBI / 10-5, 2.88 ERA, 118 K).

Portland will likely finish over .500, but they will be far out of a playoff spot. The second year duo of 2B Pete Browning (.364/.471/.572, 17 HR, 80 RBI; .319/.414/.523, 19 HR, 105 RBI) and 1B Prince Fielder (.289/.341/.515, 27 HR, 110 RBI; .296/.367.495, 19 HR, 77 RBI) could easily take the next step this season and surprise the lead. The rotation needs some work, but the Beavers are on the upswing.

At the bottom, Dayton will join us below .500. The offense isn't the strongest, but RHP Dolf Luque (10-8, 2.93 ERA, 184 K; 25-9, 2.65 ERA, 197 K) is a dominate top of the rotation piece who could end up being an interesting trade candidate.

Interesting enough, we have a top hitter in LF Al Wingo (.356/.424/.493, 4 HR, 67 RBI; .309/.378/.383, 1 HR, 74 RBI) looking to lead us to 18 wins this season. Interesting enough, he's the #2 ranked LF in the entire league. Him, 2B Joe Gerhardt (6th) and CL Mike Fornieles (7th) are the only guys not ranked 8th in the league.

April
 

Team Record
April: 4-20
Overall: 4-20

League Note
I've decided that in a way to keep things interesting, every 10 years the league will expand. Both teams will draft normally, but one will trade every single player they selected to the current replacement players team, becoming the new replacement team. It will be interesting to see how the Royals adjust after being freed from their constraints. In that year only, they will also get every pick the unlucky expansion team would have gotten in the Amateur draft.

Team Summary
Umm, who saw this one coming? 4 WHOLE WINS! I think the real life break really helped these replacement players out! So the question is, how are we winning these games?

Step in Al Wingo and his absolutely monstrous season at the plate. Hitting .409/.495/.570 (170 OPS+) with a homer, 20 RBI's, and eight steals, Wingo has been the 9th most valuable hitter in the entire league and his 0.8 WAR easily paces all hitters on the team, considering only bench player Chuck Tanner (0.1) sits in the positives with him. The pitching has had a little help with Moe Drabowsky (0.7) who has been more or less productive. He's a nearly league average pitcher (99 ERA+) with a 2-3 record, 4.73 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, and 39 strikeouts in 5 starts. After leading the league in losses two years in a row, he's looking to shake that burden off this season. Jim Owens and Mike Moore are both 0-5, but sit with positive WAR's of 0.4 and 0.3 respectively. There ERA's (6.94, 7.00) and WHIP's (1.74, 2.00) paint a much uglier pitcher and they've struck out 28 and 20 a piece. A trio of relievers Jakie May (0.3), Joe Grzenda (0.1), and Mike Forneils (0.1) sit in the positive, although May's 19.2 innings is much more substantial then the 4.1 and 2.1 that the latter two own. Roger Craig (0.1) is now starting, but had 6 innings out of the pen and a 1.50 ERA before getting hurt and returning.

On to the bad:

Perhaps the worst (best?) player in this universe has to be DIck Schofield. His pitiful batting line (.136/.198/.170) and even worse fielding (-8.1 ZR) give him a total of -1.2 WAR already. His -5 OPS+ is extremely impressive and I think his .368 OPS is the line of an AL reliever who only bats because the game is in the 18th inning and all the warm bodies on the bench have been used. Impressively, no one else on offense is worth less then -0.5. Preston Ward (-0.3) is hitting .264/.304/.368, which doesn't totally suck, but he's struck out 27 times and his awful as a first basemen. Last year's bright spot Joe Gerhardt (-0.2) has started off on the wrong foot, hitting just .257/.302/.339 (63 OPS+) with 2 homers, 13 RBI's, and just 4 steals. Felix Mantilla (-0.3) leads the team in homers with 3, but his .176/.239/.306 line limits any remaining production. Recently sent to the reserve roster was Joel Davis, who's -0.7 WAR is worst of all pitchers. He was 0-4 in 5 starts with a 12.57 ERA, 3.36 WHIP, and an impressive 3.0 (27/9) K/BB ratio. Reliever Herm Wehmeier (-0.6) is giving him a run for his money, working to an 8.36 ERA and 2.21 ERA. Surprisingly though, a majority of our pitchers have non-negative WAR's,

League Summary:
Boise has gotten off to a torrid start, opening a 4 game lead on the field. Interesting enough, Dave Parker (.301, 4 HR, 24 RBI) hasn't been the main reason. Catcher Ed Crane (.397, 5 HR, 13 RBI) seems to be in the midst of a breakout season, and Paul Hines (.357, 5 HR, 13 RBI) and Lew Fonseca (.346, 5 HR, 29 RBI) have supplemented him well. Jerry Denny's (.314, 8 HR, 31 RBI) power has more then made up for Parker's slight decline as well. The pitching has been solid as well, as the three headed lefty monster of Sandy Koufax (3-1, 3.13 ERA), Jack Pfiester (3-1, 2.43 ERA), and Danny McDevitt (1-0, 3.13 ERA) have kept the Hawks in nearly every game.

Albuquerque and Dayton are in a tough race for second, 4 and 5 games behind the Hawks respectively. 1B Don Hurst (.423, 9 HR 34 RBI) is just three average points away from a triple crown as he anchors the Isotopes lineup in the clean up spot and came home with the Batter of the Month award. Chuck Klein (.290, 5 HR, 17 RBI), like Parker, has taken a step back, and they need him to produce to put themselves in the pennant race. Dupee Shaw (3-0, 1.94 ERA) has carried the rotation on his shoulders, as co-Ace Eppa Rixey (2-2, 5.18 ERA) has massively under-performed. Luckily, 26-year-old righty Mel Stottlemeyer Jr. (3-2, 2.43 ERA) seems to have been able to replicate his production. The Dragons are lead by Tom Thresh (.316, 7 HR, 20 RBI) and a solid supporting cast of LF Norm Laker (.364, 1 HR, 11 RBI), Bernie Williams (.314, 4 HR, 13 RBI), 1B Nick Swisher (,316, 5 HR, 16 RBI), and Paul O'Neil (.311, 1 HR, 18 RBI). Dolf Luque (4-0, 2.57 ERA), who took home Pitcher of the Month, and Jerry Reuss (3-1, 3.11 ERA) have been brilliant, but the bottom three in the rotation all have ERA's above 5, 6, and 7.

Mediocrity sits in with Houston, Reading, and Norwich, who all sit at .500 (12-12). Some bright spots for the Buffaloes include a resurgent Frank Chance (.366, 3 HR, 19 RBI), Spud Davis (.360, 2 HR, 17 RBI), Mordecai Brown (2-3, 2.92 ERA), and Claude Hendrix (2-2, 2.87 ERA). Star Fred Schulte (.227, 3 HR, 20 RBI) has disappointing and the young lefty Andy Pettite (3-2, 6.25 ERA) looks lost on the mound. There's hope for the future as Rookie of the Month Charlie Ferguson (.337, 0 HR, 16 RBI) was solid at the plate, but awful on the mound (0-2, 8.18 ERA). The Phillies have had trouble scoring runs, but Bubbles Hargrave (.342, 3 HR, 11 RBI) and SS Arthur Irwin (.333, 2 HR, 11 RBI) haven't been downright awful. The rotation has taken a step back, where the elite combo of Don Drysdale (3-2, 3.55 ERA) and Pete Donohue (2-2, 3.92 ERA) hasn't been nearly as effective. The Navigators are known for two-way star Babe Ruth (.282, 8 HR, 14 RBI, 2-1, 3.64 ERA), but don't have much behind him. Ray Benge (1-2, 4.03 ERA) fell back to his 2000 form and David Cone (2-2, 5.65 ERA) is beyond washed up. Al Oliver (.304, 5 HR, 21 RBI) is the lone alternate offensive weapon.

Just 1 game behind at 11-13 sit the Portland Beavers. Despite superstar Pete Browning (.426, 8 HR, 31 RBI) and rising star Prince Fielder (.340, 6 HR, 20 RBI) the team is more or less devoid of top shelf talent and power (next highest sits at 2 homers). Lefty Fritz Peterson (4-0, 2.36 ERA) has been a surprise, but his growth has been offset by the struggles of ace Fred Bebee (0-2, 4.50 ERA).