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reds1 · 10-28-2018, 05:12 PM

Notes on 1949-50 All-Braeland Team

Starting Pitcher

Few pitchers have been as consistently excellent as has LHP Anastasio Rodríguez. He entered the United Leagues as a 20-year old in 1937, when he was selected 4th overall by the Brunswick Legends. Remarkably, Rodríguez leads the Leagues in only one career category – WAR (88.4). But that could soon change, as the 10-time all-star is just 33 years old and continues to pitch at a high level. This past season, he won his third Satchel Paige Award and was the clear choice for the All-Braeland Team in my view. It marks his 3rd selection overall and his first since 1942-43. But that’s not to say there weren’t other worthy candidates. Below is a comparison of Rodríguez with a couple of his (as it turns out) new teammates (league leading stats in bold):

• Anastasio Rodríguez – 22-8, 2.76 ERA, 33 GS, 274.0 IP, 116 K, 1.20 WHIP, 2.23 BB/9, 3.81 K/9, .272 BABIP, 2.80 FIP, 148 ERA+, 8.6 WAR.
• Bill Blair – 21-4, 2.87 ERA, 34 GS, 273.0 IP, 125 K, 1.05 WHIP, 1.98 BB/9, 4.12 K/9, .239 BABIP, 3.06 FIP, 143 ERA+, 7.5 WAR
• Jeremy Albury – 18-12, 2.74 ERA, 33 GS, 279.1 IP, 111K, 1.11 WHIP, 2.2 BB/9, 3.6 K/9, .245 BABIP, 3.06 FIP, 150 ERA+, 7.7 WAR

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Catcher

The competition was tough once again among catchers, all three candidates performed at a high level this season. But I went with 30-year old Aaron Skidmore (.310/.478/.454, 16-2B, 14 HR, 79 RBI, 141 BB, .931 OPS, 7.7 WAR, 1.059 EFF). The 9-time all-star won his second Top Fielder Award for his outstanding defense. That made the difference for me. This year, he was followed by two seasoned veterans:

• Kingston’s 31-year old Danny Trowbridge (.344/.447/.519, 34-2B, 15 HR, 74 RBI, 92 BB, .965 OPS, 7.0 WAR, .877 EFF)
• Cambria’s 32-year old Heung-su Park (.325/.412/.460, 30-2B, 12 HR, 58 RBI, 68 BB, .872 OPS, 6.0 WAR, .926 EFF)

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First Base

Veterans dominated the top candidates for first base as well. But this year, it was a rather easy choice. Kingston’s 35-year old Dean Bishop (.268/.405/.572, 34-2B, 39 HR, 144 RBI, 126 BB, .976 OPS, 6.8 WAR, 1.028 EFF) led the entire United Leagues in home runs (setting a new record in the process) and RBIs. He also won his 7th Top Fielder Award, more than any other player.

A couple of perineal all-stars were also in the running:

• Brunswick's 33-year old Stuart Bentham (.356/.434/.570, 39-2B, 30 HR, 111 RBI, 83 BB, 1.004 OPS, 6.5 WAR, .920 EFF)
• Embro’s 35-year old Jim Friend (.306/.428/.543, 33-2B, 24 HR, 117 RBI, 106 BB, .972 OPS, 5.8 WAR, 1.003 EFF)

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Second Base

New faces dominated the top performances at second base. Braeland City’s 24-year old Patrick Lidgate (.297/.410/.517, 33-2B, 21 HR, 74 RBI, 107 BB, .927 OPS, 7.0 WAR, 1.001 EFF) moved to 2B from CF this past season and didn’t miss a beat, building on his rookie performance and winning his first Top Fielder Award.

Two other players were considered:

• Stratford’s 37-year old Jake Walker (.345/.453/.466, 33-2B, 8 HR, 86 RBI, 110 BB, .919 OPS, 5.7 WAR, .927 EFF). This was Walker’s first season where 2B was his primary position, after 12 seasons at shortstop. He continued his outstanding performance at the plate, but struggled defensively, even though 2B is his strongest position.
• Fort Richmond’s 25-year old Nobuyoshi Yoshida (.301/.345/.441, 37-2B, 9 HR, 71 RBI, 38 BB, .786 OPS, 5.0 WAR, 1.058 EFF)

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Third Base

Here was the first real debate in this exercise so far. Ultimately, I went with Brunswick’s 28-year old Jorge Arredondo (.333/.418/.506, 31-2B, 18 HR, 98 RBI, 87 BB, .924 OPS, 6.6 WAR, 1.026 EFF). Arredondo enjoyed the best season thus far of his 8-year career and his steady defense gave him the edge over Dominic Dudding. Arredondo was primarily a shortstop until this past season.

Here are the other two possibilities:

• Downie’s 24-year old Dominic Dudding (.324/.395/.520, 37-2B, 19 HR, 105 RBI, 74 BB, .915 OPS, 6.1 WAR, .994 EFF)
• Embro's 24-year old Keon-chae Cho (.293/.347/.474, 21-2B, 19 HR, 87 RBI, 42 BB, 4.2 WAR, 1.016 EFF)

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Shortstop

New faces made up the candidates, but this really wasn’t a difficult choice. Cambria’s 30-year old César Ruíz (.310/.414/.541, 29-2B, 31 HR, 116 RBI, 97 BB, .955 OPS, 7.2 WAR, .963 EFF) came as advertised and was the top shortstop in the United Leagues. Only his defense was below average (as were the other candidates).

Here are the other two players considered:

• Pulberry's 24-year old Francis Jones (.331/.430/.502, 21-2B, 17 HR, 72 RBI, 88 BB, .932 OPS, 5.6 WAR, .947 EFF)
• Wolseley's 28-year old George Kimpton (.305/.385/.439, 32-2B, 13 HR, 101 RBI, 80 BB, .824 OPS, 5.1 WAR, .960 EFF)

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Leftfield

After a one-year absence, Wolseley’s 28-year old Carlton Hawking (.350/.480/.519, 44-2B, 14 HR, 89 RBI, 138 BB, .999 OPS, 6.7 WAR, .957 EFF) returns to the All-Braeland Team on the strength of his Award-winning offensive performance. It’s his fourth selection overall.

Two other players were considered as well:

• Stratford's 26-year old Roberto Ríos (.264/.431/.413, 24-2B, 14 HR, 56 RBI, 163 BB, .844 OPS, 5.8 WAR, 1.026 EFF)
• Sherburn’s 23-year old Noah Teale (.313/.395/.507, 36-2B, 16 HR, 97 RBI, 78 BB, 18 SB, .902 OPS, 4.4 WAR, 1.006 EFF)

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Centerfield

This was another straight-forward choice, as Coburg’s 24-year old Raymond Williams (.353/.421/.618, 31-2B, 29 HR, 112 RBI, 68 BB, 18 SB, 1.039 OPS, 8.4 WAR, 1.007 EFF) was easily the top player in the Eastern League this past season and is the top centerfielder overall.

His closest competitors were no slouches either:

• Downie's 24-year old Alfonso León (.328/.386/.506, 30-2B, 17 HR, 106 RBI, 62 BB, 8 SB, .892 OPS, 7.0 WAR, 1.020 EFF)
• Braeland City's 30-year old Ricardo Castellanos (.282/.374/.444, 21-2B, 12 HR, 60 RBI, 61 BB, .818 OPS, 3.5 WAR, 1.007 EFF)

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Rightfield

Some new faces were under consideration, but overall it was bit of a down year for rightfielders. These are the three players I looked at:

• Stratford’s 33-year old Nicky Willis (.296/.433/.467, 31-2B, 17 HR, 77 RBI, 130 BB, .900 OPS, 5.3 WAR, .964 EFF)
• Wolseley's 27-year old Howard Ockey (.307/.400/.426, 19-2B, 6 HR, 64 RBI, 69 BB, .826 OPS, 4.5 WAR, 1.066 EFF)
• Embro’s 23-year old Jose Maldonado (.300/.410/.476, 22-2B, 16 HR, 63 RBI, 90 BB, .886 OPS, 4.3 WAR, 1.015 EFF)

Willis is currently the top-rated rightfielder in the Leagues, although his defense leaves something to be desired. Ockey won his first Top Fielder Award and Maldonado is very good defensively as well. But ultimately, I went with 11-year veteran Willis. He makes his first appearance on the All-Braeland Team since 1944-45, when he was a leftfielder.

10-28-2018, 05:12 PM	#475
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,864	Notes on 1949-50 All-Braeland Team Starting Pitcher Few pitchers have been as consistently excellent as has LHP Anastasio Rodríguez. He entered the United Leagues as a 20-year old in 1937, when he was selected 4th overall by the Brunswick Legends. Remarkably, Rodríguez leads the Leagues in only one career category – WAR (88.4). But that could soon change, as the 10-time all-star is just 33 years old and continues to pitch at a high level. This past season, he won his third Satchel Paige Award and was the clear choice for the All-Braeland Team in my view. It marks his 3rd selection overall and his first since 1942-43. But that’s not to say there weren’t other worthy candidates. Below is a comparison of Rodríguez with a couple of his (as it turns out) new teammates (league leading stats in bold): • Anastasio Rodríguez – 22-8, 2.76 ERA, 33 GS, 274.0 IP, 116 K, 1.20 WHIP, 2.23 BB/9, 3.81 K/9, .272 BABIP, 2.80 FIP, 148 ERA+, 8.6 WAR. • Bill Blair – 21-4, 2.87 ERA, 34 GS, 273.0 IP, 125 K, 1.05 WHIP, 1.98 BB/9, 4.12 K/9, .239 BABIP, 3.06 FIP, 143 ERA+, 7.5 WAR • Jeremy Albury – 18-12, 2.74 ERA, 33 GS, 279.1 IP, 111K, 1.11 WHIP, 2.2 BB/9, 3.6 K/9, .245 BABIP, 3.06 FIP, 150 ERA+, 7.7 WAR -------- Catcher The competition was tough once again among catchers, all three candidates performed at a high level this season. But I went with 30-year old Aaron Skidmore (.310/.478/.454, 16-2B, 14 HR, 79 RBI, 141 BB, .931 OPS, 7.7 WAR, 1.059 EFF). The 9-time all-star won his second Top Fielder Award for his outstanding defense. That made the difference for me. This year, he was followed by two seasoned veterans: • Kingston’s 31-year old Danny Trowbridge (.344/.447/.519, 34-2B, 15 HR, 74 RBI, 92 BB, .965 OPS, 7.0 WAR, .877 EFF) • Cambria’s 32-year old Heung-su Park (.325/.412/.460, 30-2B, 12 HR, 58 RBI, 68 BB, .872 OPS, 6.0 WAR, .926 EFF) -------- First Base Veterans dominated the top candidates for first base as well. But this year, it was a rather easy choice. Kingston’s 35-year old Dean Bishop (.268/.405/.572, 34-2B, 39 HR, 144 RBI, 126 BB, .976 OPS, 6.8 WAR, 1.028 EFF) led the entire United Leagues in home runs (setting a new record in the process) and RBIs. He also won his 7th Top Fielder Award, more than any other player. A couple of perineal all-stars were also in the running: • Brunswick's 33-year old Stuart Bentham (.356/.434/.570, 39-2B, 30 HR, 111 RBI, 83 BB, 1.004 OPS, 6.5 WAR, .920 EFF) • Embro’s 35-year old Jim Friend (.306/.428/.543, 33-2B, 24 HR, 117 RBI, 106 BB, .972 OPS, 5.8 WAR, 1.003 EFF) -------- Second Base New faces dominated the top performances at second base. Braeland City’s 24-year old Patrick Lidgate (.297/.410/.517, 33-2B, 21 HR, 74 RBI, 107 BB, .927 OPS, 7.0 WAR, 1.001 EFF) moved to 2B from CF this past season and didn’t miss a beat, building on his rookie performance and winning his first Top Fielder Award. Two other players were considered: • Stratford’s 37-year old Jake Walker (.345/.453/.466, 33-2B, 8 HR, 86 RBI, 110 BB, .919 OPS, 5.7 WAR, .927 EFF). This was Walker’s first season where 2B was his primary position, after 12 seasons at shortstop. He continued his outstanding performance at the plate, but struggled defensively, even though 2B is his strongest position. • Fort Richmond’s 25-year old Nobuyoshi Yoshida (.301/.345/.441, 37-2B, 9 HR, 71 RBI, 38 BB, .786 OPS, 5.0 WAR, 1.058 EFF) -------- Third Base Here was the first real debate in this exercise so far. Ultimately, I went with Brunswick’s 28-year old Jorge Arredondo (.333/.418/.506, 31-2B, 18 HR, 98 RBI, 87 BB, .924 OPS, 6.6 WAR, 1.026 EFF). Arredondo enjoyed the best season thus far of his 8-year career and his steady defense gave him the edge over Dominic Dudding. Arredondo was primarily a shortstop until this past season. Here are the other two possibilities: • Downie’s 24-year old Dominic Dudding (.324/.395/.520, 37-2B, 19 HR, 105 RBI, 74 BB, .915 OPS, 6.1 WAR, .994 EFF) • Embro's 24-year old Keon-chae Cho (.293/.347/.474, 21-2B, 19 HR, 87 RBI, 42 BB, 4.2 WAR, 1.016 EFF) -------- Shortstop New faces made up the candidates, but this really wasn’t a difficult choice. Cambria’s 30-year old César Ruíz (.310/.414/.541, 29-2B, 31 HR, 116 RBI, 97 BB, .955 OPS, 7.2 WAR, .963 EFF) came as advertised and was the top shortstop in the United Leagues. Only his defense was below average (as were the other candidates). Here are the other two players considered: • Pulberry's 24-year old Francis Jones (.331/.430/.502, 21-2B, 17 HR, 72 RBI, 88 BB, .932 OPS, 5.6 WAR, .947 EFF) • Wolseley's 28-year old George Kimpton (.305/.385/.439, 32-2B, 13 HR, 101 RBI, 80 BB, .824 OPS, 5.1 WAR, .960 EFF) -------- Leftfield After a one-year absence, Wolseley’s 28-year old Carlton Hawking (.350/.480/.519, 44-2B, 14 HR, 89 RBI, 138 BB, .999 OPS, 6.7 WAR, .957 EFF) returns to the All-Braeland Team on the strength of his Award-winning offensive performance. It’s his fourth selection overall. Two other players were considered as well: • Stratford's 26-year old Roberto Ríos (.264/.431/.413, 24-2B, 14 HR, 56 RBI, 163 BB, .844 OPS, 5.8 WAR, 1.026 EFF) • Sherburn’s 23-year old Noah Teale (.313/.395/.507, 36-2B, 16 HR, 97 RBI, 78 BB, 18 SB, .902 OPS, 4.4 WAR, 1.006 EFF) -------- Centerfield This was another straight-forward choice, as Coburg’s 24-year old Raymond Williams (.353/.421/.618, 31-2B, 29 HR, 112 RBI, 68 BB, 18 SB, 1.039 OPS, 8.4 WAR, 1.007 EFF) was easily the top player in the Eastern League this past season and is the top centerfielder overall. His closest competitors were no slouches either: • Downie's 24-year old Alfonso León (.328/.386/.506, 30-2B, 17 HR, 106 RBI, 62 BB, 8 SB, .892 OPS, 7.0 WAR, 1.020 EFF) • Braeland City's 30-year old Ricardo Castellanos (.282/.374/.444, 21-2B, 12 HR, 60 RBI, 61 BB, .818 OPS, 3.5 WAR, 1.007 EFF) -------- Rightfield Some new faces were under consideration, but overall it was bit of a down year for rightfielders. These are the three players I looked at: • Stratford’s 33-year old Nicky Willis (.296/.433/.467, 31-2B, 17 HR, 77 RBI, 130 BB, .900 OPS, 5.3 WAR, .964 EFF) • Wolseley's 27-year old Howard Ockey (.307/.400/.426, 19-2B, 6 HR, 64 RBI, 69 BB, .826 OPS, 4.5 WAR, 1.066 EFF) • Embro’s 23-year old Jose Maldonado (.300/.410/.476, 22-2B, 16 HR, 63 RBI, 90 BB, .886 OPS, 4.3 WAR, 1.015 EFF) Willis is currently the top-rated rightfielder in the Leagues, although his defense leaves something to be desired. Ockey won his first Top Fielder Award and Maldonado is very good defensively as well. But ultimately, I went with 11-year veteran Willis. He makes his first appearance on the All-Braeland Team since 1944-45, when he was a leftfielder. __________________ United Leagues of Braeland