The Excellence Project - Baseball's Greatest

[Nick Soulis]

Season 30
April Review



Awards

Batter of the month: Hank Aaron - 1956 Braves (.326, 9 HR, 21 RBI, 21 R in April)

Pitcher of the month: Lefty Williams - 1916 White Sox (4-1, 1.13 ERA, 56K, 55.2 IP in April)

- The 2015 lost young arm Noah Syndergaard for two months after the starter strained his hamstring in a game against the Braves.

- Al Downing of the 1963 Yankees struck out an amazing 17 men against the 2009 Angels at Yankee Stadium. Twenty one year old Downing got the win and had it all going.


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Team Notes

1956 Milwaukee Braves - The Braves won their first nine games and 14 of their first 15 to have a start to remember. They have scored the most runs at 107 and Hank Aaron at 22 years old is hitting .326 with nine long ones. It has been the Braves pitching however that has made the real impact. The team has an ERA of 2.68 and the pen is at a miniscule 1.20. Still the Braves lost two of their starters for the long haul when Gene Conley and Ray Crone went down; Conley is gone for the entire season. Warren Spahn with his four wins is sure to pick up the slack, but the depth here isn't great. No one can deny however the type of ball this team has played out of the gate.

1963 New York Yankees - The Yankees won their first six games including a four game sweep of the 2015 Mets. Whitey Ford is 5-0 and is looking as smooth as expected while Al Downing has fired up the team with his arm including a 17 strikeout game. Steve Hamilton has done a nice job out of the pen with seven saves. Elston Howard leads the lineup with 18 RBI while Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle are provifing protection even as their averages are not great. New York has its limitations both in the field and on the bases but they still expect to win and compete. Knowing how to win with confidence goes a long way.

2015 New York Mets - The Mets have a simple formula that doesn't include scoring a lot of runs. In fact the Mets are hitting .209 as a team but still have found a way to win 12 games. Timely hitting has given them 25 home runs with Travis dArnaud hitting five of them. The Mets breathe on power pitching and they have thrown it well leading the league in strikeouts. Jason Niese will fill in for Noah Syndergaard but Thor will be back in midsummer. Matt Harvey has 45 strikeouts while Jacob DeGrom has 56. The Mets pen has been good as well with Sean Gilmartin taking over the closer role from Jeurys Familia. The Mets put their poor start behind them and now just need to hit a little more then what weve seen.

1916 Chicago White Sox - The Sox were lead by Lefty Williams on the mound who sported a 1.13 ERA with 56 strikeouts. While Williams has been special, Joe Benz has been roughed up for five losses and some have suggested a three man rotation for this team. Joe Jackson is hitting .333 with 17 driven in and always seems to be on base. Other then Jackson however, the team hasn't hit with frequency with even Eddie Collins up and around .260. One thing this team does do is play defense which often is half the battle. The Sox have not allowed a team to score over 10 runs in a single game against them but at the same time have not pulled the trick themselves.

1907 Chicago Cubs -It has mostly been a pitchers start to the season for this division but the Cubs haven't separated themselves. After sweeping the Giants at the Polo Grounds the team lost four in a row and later would lose six in a row to dig an early hole. Three Finger Brown hasn't had the movement on his pitches that youd expect and Ed Ruelbach as the role of closer has been battered. The Cubs only have 89 runs and have only three hitters over 10 RBI, they will need more production to get back to .500. As expected the Cubs lead the league in steals with 34 with Johnny Evers with 9.

2009 Los Angeles Angels - The starters have been poor for Mike Scioscia and the bullpen has been even worse. Scott Kazmir has lost his velocity and Jared Weaver along with John Lackey are a combined 6-6. The offense hasn't picked up the slack and Chone Figgins is hitting .167 from the leadoff spot while Kendry Morales is at .205 with 5 RBI in the 4th spot. Torri hunter has 19 RBI to co lead the team with Juan Rivera but finding a power bat in this lineup isn't going to be easy. The Angels lost 6 of 7 games to the Braves and lost 10 of 12 games to end the month. The Angels have drawn the most walks in the league.

1959 LA Dodgers - The Dodgers won 4 of their last 5 and tried to turnaround a slow start. The Bums have scored the least runs in the league and haven't cashed in despite having the division's second best average. Sandy Koufax is a shocking 0-5 with an ERA well over 5 as his control and confidence are not nearly where they need to be. Johnny Podres has looked good but Don Drysdale as well has had some very rough starts prohibiting his team from getting on a winning run. The Dodgers only have 10 home runs as only Wally Moon seems to be hitting the ball well with a .341 average. A slow start is nothing to panic about, and the Dodgers may just be getting their feet wet for a much better month of May.

1921 New York Giants - The top runs scored in the league as well as the best average and OBP and it all means a last place position. That will tell you in some sense how bad the Giant pitching has been. The issue especially has been a lack of a fourth starter as the team has been murdered in those games; lefthander Rube Benton will give the rotation spot a new face. In truth the Giants have recovered from from an 0-5 start including a doubleheader sweep of the Cubs and a 15-5 win over the Angels. This is another team that the way they hit, for example Irish Muesel is currently at .337, they could move up the standings as the weather warms.

[Nick Soulis]

Season 30
May Review

DRYSDALE NO HITS METS



The fierce nature of Don Drysdale served him well as he handcuffed the 2015 Mets and overcame the late game pressures to complete a rare no hitter. Drysdale struck out 13 Mets and walked only three in a dominating performance for the 1959 Dodgers. The Dodgers won the game at CitiField by a score of 4-0.

"Today I went as hard as I could and as long as I could at the Mets" said Don, "The modern game isn't better than the classic game, I'm tired of hearing about that."



Awards

Batter of the month: Tom Tresh - 1963 New York Yankees (.318, 11 HR, 25 RBI, 32 R in May)

Pitcher of the month: Al Downing - 1963 New York Yankees (6-1, 66 IP, 91 K, 2.04 ERA in May)

- Frankie Frisch of the 1921 Giants will miss the remainder of the season with a torn labrum. A tough loss for the last place club.

- Yogi Berra is out for 2 months following a broken hand for the 1963 Yankees.

- Roger Maris was given a seven game suspension for charging the mound in a bench clearing fight between the 63 Yankees and 1907 Cubs.
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Team News

1963 New York Yankees - The Yankees turned the tide of the season with a four game sweep early in the month over the 56 Braves to overtake first place. The Yanks won 11 of their first 12 in May and finished it with 22 wins but the pennant race remains a tight one. Mickey Mantle has 17 home runs going into June and the Yankees offense is best in the league. Al Downing has been the real revelation with 10 wins and electric stuff on the mound. Whitey Ford is 8-2 and the Yanks starters ERA is a nice 3.15. The loss of Yogi Berra for the summer will hurt the leadership in the clubhouse but the Yankees are veterans that know how to win and are showing it early.

1956 Milwaukee Braves - After a very tough start to May the Braves turned things around and made a run at first place winning 12 of their last 13 games. Their sweep at Yankee Stadium has to haunt them but they have truly dominated the rest of the league. Young Hank Aaron is on fire with 17 home runs and 44 RBI in two months of action while Joe Adcock has done even better with 21 long balls. The Braves pick it better than anyone around and the starting duo of Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette are getting the job done. The top two teams seem to be running away with things but have every intention of fighting it out for the overall pennant.

2009 Los Angeles Angels - Average seems good enough for third place as a nice month of May bolstered the Angels. Mike Napoli has 13 home runs in the middle of the order but the team .244 average isn't great with the likes of Bobby Abreu hitting .235 at the age of 35; Tori Hunter is a .229. John Lackey has seven wins while Jared Weaver has struck out 89 batters. Kevin Jepsen has recovered from a bad spell in April and now has seven saves as the closer. There seems that there will be a mush in the middle of the standings for season 30, Mike Scioscia hopes his team can be at least "average", which may just be good enough.

2015 New York Mets - The Mets are tied for third and have done it as expected through their power arms. Jacob DeGrom has 121 strike outs while Matt Harvey has 101. The Mets have allowed the fewest runs in the league and relatively unknown Sean Gilmartin has dominated as a closer with 10 saves already; the Mets pen has been the stingiest in the game. All this and Noah Syndegaard is due off the DL is two weeks. So the no hitter by Drysdale puts the rest of the story in perspective as the Mets bats have frustrated. Yoenis Cespedes is hitting a shocking .188 while David Wright has seen more of the bench hitting .186. The Mets need an infusion, and its a shame for them no trades are allowed in the Excellence Project.

1959 Los Angeles Dodgers - Sandy Koufax before he was a star had some struggles, and this is the true case as he pitches for this team and holds a record of 0-9. In defense all Dodger pitchers have had hard luck as this team has scored the least runs in the league, even less then the Mets. The Dodgers have hit only 27 home runs as a team and Duke Snider is hitting .205 while Maury Wills cant get on base enough to steal bases and has only 7. The home park they play in may play a role in the lack of offense but losing to the top teams like the Yankees is becoming the norm. The Drysdale no no was magic, and this team in general has a reputation of getting it done when they need it.

1916 Chicago White Sox - Terrible month for the Sox who saw Showless Joe miss some time and the team dropped 19 games. Jackson is back at force in the middle of the order and has 30 driven in while the team leads all the league with 72 steals. The Sox have no bullpen and zero saves on the year. Eddie Cicotte is on the DL with a bad ankle and the rotaion behind Lefty Williams is really hurting. The Sox are 8-16 away from home but even so were swept in four games by the Braves with Hank Aaron tearing them apart. Crucial June will tell of if this team could fight for fourth or drop through the floor with even a last place finish.

1921 New York Giants - High Pockets Kelly may be the most dangerous man in the game and an MVP candidate. Kelly has 40 RBI and hitting .326 as the Giants hitting has not been the issue. New York has the best OBP in the game and Earl Smith is hitting .345. As is often the case, the contrast is on the mound where this team is missing quality. Nubby Barnes has been a disaster and as bad as he has been Art Nehf has been worse with a 6.21 ERA in 13 starts. Rosy Ryan will get a look by John McGraw as a starter. The loss for the season of leader Frankie Frisch shouldn't be overlooked, the Fordham Flash was the heart of the middle of the diamond for this team.

1907 Chicago Cubs - A sweep to the Angels and then losing 7 of their last nine in May and the Cubs are wondering what is going wrong. The club has no injuries and is talented but the likes of Mordecai Brown are 3-10 while Ed Ruelbach cant be depended on to close a game. Even the hitting is scratching it head as no one in the Cubs order is over .300 and the team is hitting .243, even the 69 stolen bases by the Cubs isn't leading the league. Frank Chance has to figure this out quickly but doesn't have all the options in the world. A team as proven as the Cubs really should one would think turn this thing around.

[Nick Soulis]

Season 30
June Review



Awards

Batter of the month: Joe Adcock - 1956 Milwaukee Braves (.347, 10 HR, 20 R, 27 RBI in June)

Pitcher of the month: Warren Spahn - 1956 Milwaukee Braves (5-2, 1.47 ERA, 39 K, .191 OBA, 55 IP)

- Jacob DeGrom strikes out 17 batters in a win against the 2009 Angels. The Mets lefthander is on an incredible pace for strikeouts so far this season.

- Shoeless Joe Jackson capped a 30 game hit streak in the month.

- Torii Hunter will miss the remainder of the season for the 2009 Angels after he suffered a bad concussion.
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Team Notes

1963 New York Yankees - The disabled list is really becoming crowded as the Yankees are barely hanging on to their lead over the Braves. Whitey Ford and Jim Bouton will miss extended time while Roger Maris will sit for three weeks. The Yanks still have 140 home runs and the most runs in the league with four players at least at 19; Mickey Mantle has 29. Al Downing is still lights out as the ace averaging over 10 strikeouts per nine; but depth in the rotation can now be a concern. Stan Williams is an impressive 12-3. Twelve of the 29 Yankee losses have come at the hands of lefthanders.

1956 Milwaukee Braves - The Braves had an up and down month but ended it with a sweep of the Mets and a five game winning streak. The Braves lost two out of three to the Yanks, but rely on their great defense and still feel they can take the pennant. Warren Spahn is having a tremendous season and was pitcher of the month while Joe Adcock took the award for best bat. Adcock has 72 RBI and 31 long ones as he has taken full advantage of the protection of Hank Aaron. Eddie Mathews has 25 long one at the top of the order for an atypical lead off man. Ray Crone coming back into the rotation from injury has given the team a boost.

2015 New York Mets - The Mets have won with their pitching and the return of Noah Syndegaard helped. The ace has turned out to be Jacob DeGrom but the entire staff takes credit for the 3.31 team ERA. The Mets have stayed healthy but have lacked consistency too often especially on offense. The team depends on the long ball as its 93 home runs will show but is last on getting on base. You just don't know what you will get with this team on a game to game basis but they cant argue with third place. David Wright has been reduced to only pinch hitting duty since his body cant keep with the grind.

2009 Los Angeles Angels - Torri Hunter is lost for the season and his defensive skills will be missed, as well as his leadership. Mike Napoli has 23 home runs and has become the hammer in the order along with Kendry Morales as Vladimir Guerrero is showing his age and rust with 4 home runs and a .250 average. Bobby Abreu also isn't helping with his time on the DL. The pitching has been good and the arms in the rotation are fierce competitors. Scott Kazmir has been a nice surprise while John Lackey is giving what youd expect. Chone Figgins needs to find another role hitting .201 at the leadoff spot. A sweep at the hands of the White Sox this month has made things uncomfortable in 4th.

1916 Chicago White Sox - The White Sox are playing good baseball again and are keen on pushing for the top four. The 276 runs scored one would think would be better as Eddie Collins and Joe Jackson are seeing the ball well; Jackson is at his customary .355. The team leads in steals with 99 are keeps the pressure on the defense. The pitching arms are thin but hanging in there, expect some arms to get close to 300 innings for this staff. Lefty Willams has put it all together with his 3.06 ERA and what some would say is a spitter. Three with the Angels and three with the Mets to start July will be crucial to staying in the race.

1959 Los Angeles Dodgers - A tough June for the Dodgers but all hope is not lost for a race for fourth. Most feel the talent on this team will eventually show as the likes of young Sandy Koufax have started to show a little life. Koufax and Drysdale have combined for 22 losses while Johnny Podres is 10-5 and the best leader of the staff. Anyway you slice it however it is this Dodger offense that has scored the fewest runs in the league and cant string together rallys. Too many solo home runs at Ebbets Field and nary a player hitting over .300, age is obviously a factor as Gil Hodges and Duke Snider are both striking out at an alarming rate. Maury Wills needs to do much better hitting .224 as a leadoff man. The Dodgers need to do it now as July makes its entrance.

1921 New York Giants -Very modest improvement for the Giants in June and a season ending injury to Frankie Frisch makes the Giant plight more difficult. The Giant hitting has been good even without a big bat in the middle of the order. The issue with the Giants is catching the ball and pitching it. Rosy Ryan has been a good ace at the top of the rotation but everyone behind him has been a disaster. Art nehf has lost his place and Nubby Barnes who striggled in April will get another look; the 5.09 team ERA says it all. The Giants have also walked the most men in the league with 196.

1907 Chicago Cubs - Too often we have seen the Cubs of the Frank Chance era underperform and once again they sit in the cellar at season 30. The Cubbies have not been able to come back in most games since Ed Ruelbach has been terrible in relief and too often the team has had to stick with a struggling pitcher. Mordecai Brown has already lost 14 games before July while Jake Pfiester has the most innings pitched and 10 wins; will their arms hold up? The defense and bats have been fine. A .319 team OBP needs to improve but the Cubs are 3rd in the league in hitting and definitely play better with leads. The 146 extrabase hits are last in the league. The Cubs need more, a better month with a clean bill of health is expected.

[Nick Soulis]

Season 30
July Review



Awards

Batter of the month: Mickey Mantle - 1963 Yankees (.381, 15 HR, 24 R, 28 RBI in July)

Pitcher of the month: Rosy Ryan - 1921 Giants (5-2, 2.01 ERA, 44.2 IP, 32 K in July)

- Yoenis Cespedes is the latest victim of post concusion syndrome and the Mets slugger will miss the remainder of the season.

- Hector Lopez smacked three home runs in one game at Yankee Stadium against the Mets. Lopez has hit 15 home runs on the season.
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Team Notes

1963 New York Yankees - The Yankees continue to play the best baseball in the division winning 17 games and controlling first place by three games. The Yanks have two 16 game winners in Al Downing and Stan Williams, Whitey Ford is out for another month with shoulder pain. The Yankees offense is first in runs and Mickey Mantle has 44 home runs going into August. There are no easy outs in this lineup as they have a league lead 188 home runs. The Bombers are 38-18 at Yankee Stadium.

1956 Milwaukee Braves - Twenty seven games over .500 and still only three behind the league lead the Braves feel they are right where they want to be. The Braves are first in defense and have a 3,50 ERA that is good in this hitting division; Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette lead the charge. Joe Adcock was the first man to drive in 100 runs while both Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews have driven out 31 bombs. August sees the Braves play the Yankees seven times, and the pennant has come down to these two teams.

2015 New York Mets - The Mets got back Noah Syndergaard and the pitching staff is still tops in the league with even Bartolo Colon contributing. A .233 team average is ugly but the Mets know if they can can score 3 to 4 runs they have a great chance; the long tern injury to Cespedes really cripples this offense. In an amazing stat, Daniel Murphy has only 13 RBI in 195 atbats. The Mets did sweep the first place Yankees in the middle of the month and are holding firm on third. Only any given day their arms can beat you.

2009 Los Angeles Angels - Two losing months in a row now for the Angels as they see their lead on 4th shrink to 2 games. The Angel starters have barely been acceptable and the pen has a 4.47 ERA. Kendry Morales and Mike Napoli are hitting the ball far if not for a high average while Vlad Guerrero has been shut down with a strained shoulder. The Angels were swept at Dodger Stadium and looked lost in fifth place but quickly came back and swept the Cubs to get back and finish the month strong.

1959 Los Angeles Dodgers - The battle between the two LA teams has heated up. The Dodgers have gotten hot at the right time and Johnny Podres has become the ace with a 14-5 record and living up to his title as a big game pitcher. Sandy Koufax has already lost 12 games and hasn't found command yet. The Dodgers do need to score more runs as Gil Hodges leads with 65 RBI but is hitting only .240. Seven games with the Cubs in August should help prepare the team for the six battles against the Yankees at the end of the month.

1916 Chicago White Sox - The Sox sit four games out of fourth place and still feel they have a shot. They have stolen 130 bases as a team and do it the hard way in a league that loves the long ball. Eddie Cicotte is back and the starters are pushed as the pen has only four arms and no saves. Lefty Williams does have 171 strike outs. Eddie Collins is hardnosed as the leadoff man and Joe Jackson has slumped a bit of late but is still hitting .347. Still the Sox don't do enough damage and lost 6 of 7 games to end the month, in the process they were shut out twice and never scored over 3 runs.

1921 New York Giants - Behind Rosy Ryan there just isn't to a man a single player that can hold his own on the mound. The team ERA is worst in the league at well over 5 and they have allowed 257 base on balls. The Yankees scored 33 runs in a three game series against them. The offense gets on base at a best .341 clip and has scored 476 runs, third best in the league. There is not much hope left for the Giants who are 20 games under .500 and have won only 19 games at the Polo Gounds.

1907 Chicago Cubs - The Cubs have laid down a bit winning only 8 games in the heat of July. No one on the team has even close to 50 RBI and the Cubs just can not match the firepower of the rest of the league with 360 runs scored in four months. The likes of Evers and Chance play hard, but neither can get their averages above .275. The great arms of the Cubs frankly have been average; Three Finger Brown has lost 17 games and has a sore 4.45 ERA. The next two months must feel like a mountain to these Cubs, who have had this era of its franchise struggle like many from the early era.