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Makonnen · 10-03-2025, 05:55 PM

August 27th

The overview of the week is here.

Lots of things are coming into focus as we head into September--we have pennant races, award races, all of that. Even with 2 of the divisions well decided, only half of the overall playoff spots are decided.

#Awards

The House of David's Ernie Banks hit .483 with a half-dozen homeruns, taking home the NL Player of the Week Award. Another stellar week from Detroit's Ty Cobb netted him another AL Player of the Week Award, his 4th of the season. Cobb hit .500 with 6 homeruns over the week.

#The Wild Card Situation

The Wildcards are all up for grabs, as 8 teams in the NL are within 4 games of making the postseason that way. It's more settled in the AL, with Miami leading Los Angeles for the 2nd wildcard spot by 4 games.

TEAM SPOTLIGHT

We turn to everyone's favorite team to hate, The New York Black Yankees.

The Black Yankees are permanently in a win-now mentality, and this year is no different. They have a frighteningly good offense, but can struggle a lot on the mound, especially in the middle innings.

THE OFFENSE

The Black Yankees can rake. They are, of course, led by the irresistible Babe Ruth, but there really isn't an easy out in the group (and, due to a slight slump from Ruth and a surge from him, Lou Gehrig has actually overtaken the Babe in many of the key offensive measures). They are second in the league in homeruns, six everyday players have SLG over .500, six have OBP's over .350. They just have the ability to score a ton of runs.

#What's Going Right

Babe Ruth doing Babe Ruth things. The Bambino has an OPS of 1.118, 57 homeruns, 133 RBI, and 117 runs scored. His performance is even more remarkable when you consider that his BA has hovered around .275 most of the year--that's a lot of walks and a lot of power.

Lou Gehrig continues his role as Babe Jr, trailing the Bambino by about 50 points of OPS.
The Black Yankees have four players with over 40 homers: Ruth, Gehrig with 48, Mickey Mantle with 44, and Mike Schmidt with 40.

Eric Davis, who still struggles to play everyday, joins that group, giving New York 5 players with OPS over .900.

#What's Not Going Right

The quintet featured above have struck out over 800 times between them, led by Mantle's 179, but both Ruth and Gehrig are well north of 150 as well.

More meh than not going right, veteran Rogers Hornsby, brought in to solve the struggles for the Black Yankees at 2B, has been fine, but is hitting at a slightly lower level than he did for Portland.

Derek Jeter continues to be the weakest point in the lineup. But a SS with an OPS over .725 and solid defense is certainly nothing to be overly concerned with (and, the acquisition of HR Johnson at the trading break gives New York a young player to eventually take over from Hornsby or Jeter down the road).

THE PITCHING

The pitching isn't bad, but it isn't great. The back end of the rotation and the middle of the bullpen are especially concerning.

#What's Going Right

Andy Pettitte has been a great acquisition, sitting at 15-8 with a decent ERA.
Ron Guidry continues to pitch better than his surface numbers, but there are whispers that he is beginning to decline. Guidry continues to strike 'em out at a prodigious rate, but his record sits at only 8-7.

Goose Gossage has seized the closer role, with 15 saves and a WHIP barely over 1.00.

Hoyt Wilhelm, an expensive purchase at the trading break, has started well, perhaps offering a solve to the middle innings for New York.

#What's Not Going Right

The most likely candidate for the 3rd starter spot in the postseason is Dave Righetti who (a) makes it 3 lefties in a row behind Pettitte and Guidry, and (b) was injured for much of the summer.

Tony Brizzolara, Herm Wehmeier, and (based on minor league performance) Roy Evans have all shown initial promise to fill the back end of the rotation. They've all flamed out, and Red Ruffing has fared no better.

Aroldis Chapman lost the closer role to Gossage, despite amassing 18 saves. He has adopted well to an earlier role from the pen, so perhaps this is in the wrong section? But his initial performance was very rough.

DIVISION NOTES

Bill James Division
Cum Posey Division
Effa Manley Division
Marvin Miller Division

10-03-2025, 05:55 PM	#568
Makonnen All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 925	TWIWBL 79! WBL Year 2, Week 22 *August 27th* The overview of the week is here. Lots of things are coming into focus as we head into September--we have pennant races, award races, all of that. Even with 2 of the divisions well decided, only half of the overall playoff spots are decided. #Awards The House of David's Ernie Banks hit .483 with a half-dozen homeruns, taking home the NL Player of the Week Award. Another stellar week from Detroit's Ty Cobb netted him another AL Player of the Week Award, his 4th of the season. Cobb hit .500 with 6 homeruns over the week. #The Wild Card Situation The Wildcards are all up for grabs, as 8 teams in the NL are within 4 games of making the postseason that way. It's more settled in the AL, with Miami leading Los Angeles for the 2nd wildcard spot by 4 games. *TEAM SPOTLIGHT* We turn to everyone's favorite team to hate, The New York Black Yankees. The Black Yankees are permanently in a win-now mentality, and this year is no different. They have a frighteningly good offense, but can struggle a lot on the mound, especially in the middle innings. THE OFFENSE The Black Yankees can rake. They are, of course, led by the irresistible Babe Ruth, but there really isn't an easy out in the group (and, due to a slight slump from Ruth and a surge from him, Lou Gehrig has actually overtaken the Babe in many of the key offensive measures). They are second in the league in homeruns, six everyday players have SLG over .500, six have OBP's over .350. They just have the ability to score a ton of runs. #What's Going Right Babe Ruth doing Babe Ruth things. The Bambino has an OPS of 1.118, 57 homeruns, 133 RBI, and 117 runs scored. His performance is even more remarkable when you consider that his BA has hovered around .275 most of the year--that's a lot of walks and a lot of power. Lou Gehrig continues his role as Babe Jr, trailing the Bambino by about 50 points of OPS. The Black Yankees have four players with over 40 homers: Ruth, Gehrig with 48, Mickey Mantle with 44, and Mike Schmidt with 40. Eric Davis, who still struggles to play everyday, joins that group, giving New York 5 players with OPS over .900. #What's Not Going Right The quintet featured above have struck out over 800 times between them, led by Mantle's 179, but both Ruth and Gehrig are well north of 150 as well. More meh than not going right, veteran Rogers Hornsby, brought in to solve the struggles for the Black Yankees at 2B, has been fine, but is hitting at a slightly lower level than he did for Portland. Derek Jeter continues to be the weakest point in the lineup. But a SS with an OPS over .725 and solid defense is certainly nothing to be overly concerned with (and, the acquisition of HR Johnson at the trading break gives New York a young player to eventually take over from Hornsby or Jeter down the road). THE PITCHING The pitching isn't bad, but it isn't great. The back end of the rotation and the middle of the bullpen are especially concerning. #What's Going Right Andy Pettitte has been a great acquisition, sitting at 15-8 with a decent ERA. Ron Guidry continues to pitch better than his surface numbers, but there are whispers that he is beginning to decline. Guidry continues to strike 'em out at a prodigious rate, but his record sits at only 8-7. Goose Gossage has seized the closer role, with 15 saves and a WHIP barely over 1.00. Hoyt Wilhelm, an expensive purchase at the trading break, has started well, perhaps offering a solve to the middle innings for New York. #What's Not Going Right The most likely candidate for the 3rd starter spot in the postseason is Dave Righetti who (a) makes it 3 lefties in a row behind Pettitte and Guidry, and (b) was injured for much of the summer. Tony Brizzolara, Herm Wehmeier, and (based on minor league performance) Roy Evans have all shown initial promise to fill the back end of the rotation. They've all flamed out, and Red Ruffing has fared no better. Aroldis Chapman lost the closer role to Gossage, despite amassing 18 saves. He has adopted well to an earlier role from the pen, so perhaps this is in the wrong section? But his initial performance was very rough. DIVISION NOTES Bill James Division Cum Posey Division Effa Manley Division Marvin Miller Division __________________ Year II of the WBL on the Forums STARTS HERE. Baseball The Way It Never Was https://wbl.dmlco.com/ i9s: Curated, Bespoke MLE's for NeL Players. https://www.i9s.org/