1991 Expansion: Virginia Beach Whales Dynasty

hsj · 07-12-2012, 11:46 AM

MLB to expand prior to 1991 season

The announcement was made by MLB commissioner Fay Vincent that MLB would be expanding in Memphis and Virginia Beach for the 1991 season. Both teams will compete in the Eastern division of the National League. Vincent also took the opportunity to realign the divisions for better geographical positioning, moving the Atlanta Braves to the Eastern division and sending both the Chicago Cubs and St-Louis Cardinals to the Western division.

Memphis has named its team the Blue Sox, consistent with the tradition of naming MLB team with their stockings but also a diminutive of the blues music, which Memphis is considered the birth place. Virginia Beach have opted for a more sea-related name and baptized the team the Whales. Former Chicago Cubs star Ferguson Jenkins was appointed general manager of the Whales, giving the team instant baseball credentials.

The expansion draft will take place in a month. All current MLB teams are required to protect 18 players with all players with under 3 years of service being automatically protected. A team will be able to lose no more than 4 players to the draft which will consist of 35 rounds for both teams. A coin toss determined that the Blue Sox would have the 1^st pick of the draft.

hsj · 07-12-2012, 11:48 AM

Expansion draft protection lists were made public causing much torment in New York City and Detroit. Much to the surprise of everybody, the Yankees chose not to use their protection rights on a man once considered the face of the franchise: Don Mattingly. When asked for comments, Donnie Ballgame expressed his utter disappointment with the Yankees with whom he had planned to finish his playing days. Mattingly stated that he was hoping one of the expansion teams would give him the chance to bring in his leadership and make the team a contender over the next few years.

Similar disbelief was shared in Detroit when Alan Trammell’s named was not found on the list remitted to MLB. Trammell took it philosophically saying that he wasn’t surprised that a 33-year old shortstop might not figure in the long-term plans on a contending team but could certainly interest a new upstart club.

Even if these legends command higher salaries than most expansion teams would like to commit to, it’s fair to say that it’s now not a matter of knowing whether Mattingly and Trammell will be changing teams but rather if they will play in Memphis or Virginia Beach.

hsj · 07-12-2012, 11:51 AM

In the end, it wasn’t Mattingly or Trammell that were the objects of the 1^st picks in the expansion draft. The Memphis Blue Sox made starting pitcher Kevin Gross the number one pick overall while the Virginia Beach Whale answered with a bullpen pitcher of their own which they hope they can convert to starting: Al Leiter.

Alan Trammell was selected by Memphis a couple rounds later while Don Mattingly put on his new Virginia Beach cap during the same round.

Whales GM Ferguson Jenkins said he was very happy about the 35-man harvest (17 pitchers and 18 positions players) he was able to crop from the expansion draft. Players listed here by position:

LHP Al Leiter
LHP Kenny Rogers
LHP Tom Browning
LHP Danny Jackson
RHP John Wetteland
RHP Ron Darling
RHP Wally Whitehurst
RHP Jeff Shaw
RHP Scott Kamieniecki
RHP David Weathers
RHP Pat Hentgen
LHP Dennis Rasmussen
RHP Tim Scott
RHP Heathcliff Socumb
RHP Andy Hawkins
LHP Chuck McElroy
LHP Denny Neagle

C B.J. Surhoff
C Mike MacFarlane
C Tom Pagnozzi
1B Don Mattingly
1B Ricky Jordan
2B Mark McLemore
2B Mike Gallego
2B Mariano Duncan
3B Ken Caminiti
3B Terry Pendleton
SS Ozzie Guillen
SS Walt Weiss
LF Brady Anderson
LF Tom Goodwin
CF Lance Johnson
CF Mike Devereaux
RF Dante Bichette
RF Joe Carter

Spring training is starting in a couple of months and it figures to be interesting to see who can make the roster once the real season begins !

joefromchicago · 07-12-2012, 12:12 PM

The Virginia "beached whales"? The sportswriters are going to have a field day with that one.

hsj · 07-16-2012, 11:00 PM

Didn't think of that one when I thought about the team name but it's hilarious! I like it even more...

hsj · 07-16-2012, 11:19 PM

Fortunately for the Whales, spring training has come and gone without any major injury incidents and everyone will be ready to play come opening day. Even though spring training are meaningless games for the standings, the 12-12 record compiled by the Whales was very encouraging, as starting pitchers looked like the team’s strength.

A few battles for roster spots and starting positions were going on during the spring and a few surprises came about. First, Mike MacFarlane did well enough with the bat and behind the dish to take the starting catcher’s job in front of BJ Surhoff and Tom Pagnozzi. Pagnozzi refused to be assigned to AAA so he will start the year on the roster but it’s rumoured that he’s currently being shopped around. With the short-term injury to Mike Scioscia, the Dodgers might be tempted to add Pagnozzi as an insurance policy.

Ken Caminiti was the front runner the starting 3b base but Terry Pendleton had other ideas. Hitting in the .360s for the spring with stellar defense, he will start the year in the lineup with Caminiti being a power bat off the bench.

Finally, Mariano Duncan surprised by getting the backup infielder gig ahead of both Mike Gallego and Walt Weiss who had horrendous springs and were sent down to AAA.

In the rotation, Andy Hawkins had a solid enough spring (2.20 ERA) to get a rotation spot ahead of Scott Kamieniecki. As for the bullpen, Kenny Rogers was this spring’s biggest disappointment posting an ERA over 10.00. Tim Scott and Jeff Shaw were almost equally ineffective and were also sent down to AAA.Better news for Wally Whitehurst who has shown enough control and ability to miss bats to be awarded the closer role.

Going into opening day, the Whales roster looks like this:
Rotation:
Danny Jackson
Ron Darling
Tom Browning
Andy Hawkins
Dennis Rasmussen

Bullpen:
Wally Whitehurst (closer)
Al Leiter
John Wetteland
Chuck McElroy
David Weathers
Pat Hentgen

Position Players:
Mike MacFarlane
BJ Surhoff
Tom Pagnozzi
Don Mattingly
Mark McLemore
Mariano Duncan
Terry Pendleton
Ken Caminiti
Ozzie Guillen
Brady Anderson
Joe Carter
Dante Bichette
Lance Johnson
Mike Devereaux

hsj · 07-17-2012, 04:09 PM

Sports Illustrated published their MLB predictions today and surprisingly, both expansion teams were not identified to finish in the NL East cellar. The Whales were predicted second to last place with a harvest of 72 wins, 9 games ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies. The prediction was even more bold with respect to the Memphis Blue Sox who were predicted a .500 season good for 4^th place in the division!

The Pittsburgh Pirates and reigning world champ Cincinnati Reds were identified as pennant winners in the NL while the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox are considered favourites in the AL.

The Whales start their season at home on April 8 against the New York Mets. The opening day lineup to face Mets ace David Cone has been determined as follows:

2b Mark McLemore
SS Ozzie Guillen
CF Lance Johnson
RF Joe Carter
1b Don Mattingly
C Mike MacFarlane
3b Terry Pendleton
LF Brady Anderson
SP Danny Jackson

hsj · 07-18-2012, 04:37 PM

Joy was in the air in Virginia Beach tonight as the Whales were hosting the New Mets for the first game in their history. Things got off to an atrocious start for Whales fans when Howard Johnson hit a 2-run, 2 out homerun in the first off Danny Jackson to propel the Mets in the lead. The Whales answered with their first run in history (scored by Ozzie Guillen off a Don Mattingly fielder’s choice) to keep the game close.

The Whales tied the game and even took the lead 4-2 on doubles by Lance Johnson and Terry Pendleton. Then, Mattingly again shined in the bottom of the 5^th by hitting the Whales’ first homerun, a 3-run blast off David Cone to blow the game open and give Virginia Beach a 7-2 lead.

Keeping Danny Jackson in for the 6^th inning almost proved suicidal when the Mets answered back with 3 runs of their own, 2 coming on another homerun, this time by Rick Cerone, at which point the score was 7-6. It was then up to the bullpen to close this out for the Whales. Chuck McElroy put the Whales in a very precarious position, loading the bases with none out in the 8^th. Young fireballer John Wetteland was then called upon to stop the bleeding and delivered the performance of the night, striking out Kevin Elster before forcing PH Kevin McReynolds to commit himself in a double play.

The magic night ended with a perfect ninth inning from Wally Whitehurst to send Whales fans home with a huge smile on their faces. Danny Jackson gets credit for the first win in team history even though he posted a 10.13 ERA in the process! Don Mattingly gets player of the game honours with a 4-RBI performance.

hsj · 07-18-2012, 04:46 PM

When Tom Pagnozzi refused to be assigned to AAA following the end of spring training, it was clear it was only a matter of time before he would be traded out of Virginia Beach. When Dodgers’ catcher Mike Scioscia was injured for a few weeks, GM Ferguson Jenkins smelled an opportunity.

As it turned out, it was announced just after the opening day win than Pagnozzi had been shipped to Los Angeles in exchange for 1b Eric Karros, currently playing at the A level in the Dodgers’ organization. When asked about Karros, Jenkins said he was a very good hitting prospect and he could be the heir apparent to Don Mattingly in the long run.

Karros was assigned to A-ball Honolulu while the Whales recalled Ricky Jordan to the big leagues, a chance he had well earned in spring training.

07-12-2012, 11:46 AM	#1
hsj Bat Boy Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 14	1991 Expansion: Virginia Beach Whales Dynasty MLB to expand prior to 1991 season The announcement was made by MLB commissioner Fay Vincent that MLB would be expanding in Memphis and Virginia Beach for the 1991 season. Both teams will compete in the Eastern division of the National League. Vincent also took the opportunity to realign the divisions for better geographical positioning, moving the Atlanta Braves to the Eastern division and sending both the Chicago Cubs and St-Louis Cardinals to the Western division. Memphis has named its team the Blue Sox, consistent with the tradition of naming MLB team with their stockings but also a diminutive of the blues music, which Memphis is considered the birth place. Virginia Beach have opted for a more sea-related name and baptized the team the Whales. Former Chicago Cubs star Ferguson Jenkins was appointed general manager of the Whales, giving the team instant baseball credentials. The expansion draft will take place in a month. All current MLB teams are required to protect 18 players with all players with under 3 years of service being automatically protected. A team will be able to lose no more than 4 players to the draft which will consist of 35 rounds for both teams. A coin toss determined that the Blue Sox would have the 1^st pick of the draft.

07-12-2012, 11:48 AM	#2
hsj Bat Boy Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 14	Legends not figuring on protection lists! Expansion draft protection lists were made public causing much torment in New York City and Detroit. Much to the surprise of everybody, the Yankees chose not to use their protection rights on a man once considered the face of the franchise: Don Mattingly. When asked for comments, Donnie Ballgame expressed his utter disappointment with the Yankees with whom he had planned to finish his playing days. Mattingly stated that he was hoping one of the expansion teams would give him the chance to bring in his leadership and make the team a contender over the next few years. Similar disbelief was shared in Detroit when Alan Trammell’s named was not found on the list remitted to MLB. Trammell took it philosophically saying that he wasn’t surprised that a 33-year old shortstop might not figure in the long-term plans on a contending team but could certainly interest a new upstart club. Even if these legends command higher salaries than most expansion teams would like to commit to, it’s fair to say that it’s now not a matter of knowing whether Mattingly and Trammell will be changing teams but rather if they will play in Memphis or Virginia Beach.

07-12-2012, 11:51 AM	#3
hsj Bat Boy Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 14	Expansion Draft In the end, it wasn’t Mattingly or Trammell that were the objects of the 1^st picks in the expansion draft. The Memphis Blue Sox made starting pitcher Kevin Gross the number one pick overall while the Virginia Beach Whale answered with a bullpen pitcher of their own which they hope they can convert to starting: Al Leiter. Alan Trammell was selected by Memphis a couple rounds later while Don Mattingly put on his new Virginia Beach cap during the same round. Whales GM Ferguson Jenkins said he was very happy about the 35-man harvest (17 pitchers and 18 positions players) he was able to crop from the expansion draft. Players listed here by position: LHP Al Leiter LHP Kenny Rogers LHP Tom Browning LHP Danny Jackson RHP John Wetteland RHP Ron Darling RHP Wally Whitehurst RHP Jeff Shaw RHP Scott Kamieniecki RHP David Weathers RHP Pat Hentgen LHP Dennis Rasmussen RHP Tim Scott RHP Heathcliff Socumb RHP Andy Hawkins LHP Chuck McElroy LHP Denny Neagle C B.J. Surhoff C Mike MacFarlane C Tom Pagnozzi 1B Don Mattingly 1B Ricky Jordan 2B Mark McLemore 2B Mike Gallego 2B Mariano Duncan 3B Ken Caminiti 3B Terry Pendleton SS Ozzie Guillen SS Walt Weiss LF Brady Anderson LF Tom Goodwin CF Lance Johnson CF Mike Devereaux RF Dante Bichette RF Joe Carter Spring training is starting in a couple of months and it figures to be interesting to see who can make the roster once the real season begins !

07-12-2012, 12:12 PM	#4
joefromchicago Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 3,725	The Virginia "beached whales"? The sportswriters are going to have a field day with that one. __________________ American-Ethnic (and Canadian) Namesets Historical Minor League Schedules 1870s City/Team Nickname Randomizers "It's Usually Sunny in Philadelphia" weather mod Negro League Schedules

07-16-2012, 11:00 PM	#5
hsj Bat Boy Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 14	Virginia Beached Whales Didn't think of that one when I thought about the team name but it's hilarious! I like it even more...

07-16-2012, 11:19 PM	#6
hsj Bat Boy Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 14	Whales Spring Training and Roster Fortunately for the Whales, spring training has come and gone without any major injury incidents and everyone will be ready to play come opening day. Even though spring training are meaningless games for the standings, the 12-12 record compiled by the Whales was very encouraging, as starting pitchers looked like the team’s strength. A few battles for roster spots and starting positions were going on during the spring and a few surprises came about. First, Mike MacFarlane did well enough with the bat and behind the dish to take the starting catcher’s job in front of BJ Surhoff and Tom Pagnozzi. Pagnozzi refused to be assigned to AAA so he will start the year on the roster but it’s rumoured that he’s currently being shopped around. With the short-term injury to Mike Scioscia, the Dodgers might be tempted to add Pagnozzi as an insurance policy. Ken Caminiti was the front runner the starting 3b base but Terry Pendleton had other ideas. Hitting in the .360s for the spring with stellar defense, he will start the year in the lineup with Caminiti being a power bat off the bench. Finally, Mariano Duncan surprised by getting the backup infielder gig ahead of both Mike Gallego and Walt Weiss who had horrendous springs and were sent down to AAA. In the rotation, Andy Hawkins had a solid enough spring (2.20 ERA) to get a rotation spot ahead of Scott Kamieniecki. As for the bullpen, Kenny Rogers was this spring’s biggest disappointment posting an ERA over 10.00. Tim Scott and Jeff Shaw were almost equally ineffective and were also sent down to AAA.Better news for Wally Whitehurst who has shown enough control and ability to miss bats to be awarded the closer role. Going into opening day, the Whales roster looks like this: Rotation: Danny Jackson Ron Darling Tom Browning Andy Hawkins Dennis Rasmussen Bullpen: Wally Whitehurst (closer) Al Leiter John Wetteland Chuck McElroy David Weathers Pat Hentgen Position Players: Mike MacFarlane BJ Surhoff Tom Pagnozzi Don Mattingly Mark McLemore Mariano Duncan Terry Pendleton Ken Caminiti Ozzie Guillen Brady Anderson Joe Carter Dante Bichette Lance Johnson Mike Devereaux

07-17-2012, 04:09 PM	#7
hsj Bat Boy Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 14	Predictions and Opening Day Lineup Sports Illustrated published their MLB predictions today and surprisingly, both expansion teams were not identified to finish in the NL East cellar. The Whales were predicted second to last place with a harvest of 72 wins, 9 games ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies. The prediction was even more bold with respect to the Memphis Blue Sox who were predicted a .500 season good for 4^th place in the division! The Pittsburgh Pirates and reigning world champ Cincinnati Reds were identified as pennant winners in the NL while the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox are considered favourites in the AL. The Whales start their season at home on April 8 against the New York Mets. The opening day lineup to face Mets ace David Cone has been determined as follows: 2b Mark McLemore SS Ozzie Guillen CF Lance Johnson RF Joe Carter 1b Don Mattingly C Mike MacFarlane 3b Terry Pendleton LF Brady Anderson SP Danny Jackson

07-18-2012, 04:37 PM	#8
hsj Bat Boy Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 14	Opening day - Whales Win! Joy was in the air in Virginia Beach tonight as the Whales were hosting the New Mets for the first game in their history. Things got off to an atrocious start for Whales fans when Howard Johnson hit a 2-run, 2 out homerun in the first off Danny Jackson to propel the Mets in the lead. The Whales answered with their first run in history (scored by Ozzie Guillen off a Don Mattingly fielder’s choice) to keep the game close. The Whales tied the game and even took the lead 4-2 on doubles by Lance Johnson and Terry Pendleton. Then, Mattingly again shined in the bottom of the 5^th by hitting the Whales’ first homerun, a 3-run blast off David Cone to blow the game open and give Virginia Beach a 7-2 lead. Keeping Danny Jackson in for the 6^th inning almost proved suicidal when the Mets answered back with 3 runs of their own, 2 coming on another homerun, this time by Rick Cerone, at which point the score was 7-6. It was then up to the bullpen to close this out for the Whales. Chuck McElroy put the Whales in a very precarious position, loading the bases with none out in the 8^th. Young fireballer John Wetteland was then called upon to stop the bleeding and delivered the performance of the night, striking out Kevin Elster before forcing PH Kevin McReynolds to commit himself in a double play. The magic night ended with a perfect ninth inning from Wally Whitehurst to send Whales fans home with a huge smile on their faces. Danny Jackson gets credit for the first win in team history even though he posted a 10.13 ERA in the process! Don Mattingly gets player of the game honours with a 4-RBI performance.

07-18-2012, 04:46 PM	#9
hsj Bat Boy Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 14	Tom Pagnozzi Traded! When Tom Pagnozzi refused to be assigned to AAA following the end of spring training, it was clear it was only a matter of time before he would be traded out of Virginia Beach. When Dodgers’ catcher Mike Scioscia was injured for a few weeks, GM Ferguson Jenkins smelled an opportunity. As it turned out, it was announced just after the opening day win than Pagnozzi had been shipped to Los Angeles in exchange for 1b Eric Karros, currently playing at the A level in the Dodgers’ organization. When asked about Karros, Jenkins said he was a very good hitting prospect and he could be the heir apparent to Don Mattingly in the long run. Karros was assigned to A-ball Honolulu while the Whales recalled Ricky Jordan to the big leagues, a chance he had well earned in spring training.