Whirled Ball: The Way Baseball Never Was

[Makonnen]

Team  W/L  Pct  GB  
 San Francisco Sea Lions  63-36  .636  --  
 Miami Cuban Giants  48-51  .485  15  
 Portland Sea Dogs  46-54  .460  17.5  
 Los Angeles Angels  45-53  .459  15.5  
 Chicago American Giants  45-54  .455  18
 Cum Posey Division | 23 July

#Chicago American Giants

In what may be a preliminary move to more significant changes, the American Giants moved Joe Lake into the starting rotation, sending last season's ace Tricky Nichols to the bullpen. The also moved AJ Minter out of the closers role, replacing him with Akinori Otsuka. For now, however, both Nichols and Minter stay with the WBL club.

Frank Thomas had himself a day, hitting 2 homeruns and going 5-for-5, but it wasn't enough as the American Giants fell to Detroit, 8-6.

#Los Angeles Angels

With Mark Ellis out for about a month, the Angels recalled Jay Bell from AAA. Bell will see some time at SS, with Bobby Grich returning fulltime to his 2B spot.

Elmer Smith replaced Pud Galvin at the end of the Angels' rotation for the time being. Smith has been struggling at the plate, so his time in the OF will probably be reduced, but Los Angeles does still plan to use have him hit on the days he pitches.

Mike Trout went deep twice, but it wasn't enough as the Angels fell to Cleveland, 7-5.

Kal Daniels and Ron Hassey each hit 2 out and the Angels' bullpen held on as Los Angeles topped Cleveland, 11-8. Then they battered the Spiders, 14-3, as Ichiro Suzuki had 5 hits, Hassey 4, and Daniels drove in 6.

#Miami Cuban Giants

José Canseco went deep twice, but Miami fell to Baltimore, 5-3.

#Portland Sea Dogs

Tom Zachary will miss over a week and, with Scott Terry's fate still unknown, is hurt enough to warrant a trip to the DL. Art Fowler was recalled to take Zachary's spot in the bullpen.

The news on Terry wasn't good: he'll be out for 9 months (Tommy John surgery) and the Sea Dogs recalled Heath Hembree from AAA.

#San Francisco Sea Lions

Turkey Stearnes went deep twice and Eddie Plank fanned 10 in 7+ innings, improving to 15-4 on the year in a 6-4 victory over the New York Black Yankees. And then it was Bobby Bonds' turn, as he hit his 27th and 28th homer of the year in another win over New York, this one by a margin of 7-4 as Bump Hadley won his 15th of the year.

[Makonnen]

Team  W/L  Pct  GB  
 Brooklyn Royal Giants  55-41  .573  --  
 Homestead Grays  53-44  .546  2.5  
 New York Gothams  50-50  .500  7  
 Philadelphia Stars  48-51  .485  8.5  
 Ottawa Mounties  47-51  .480  9
 Effa Manley Division | 23 July

#Homestead Grays

Moose Haas was returned to AAA with Bartolo Colón being recalled to the Grays' bullpen. Cliff Lee will miss up to a couple weeks with a stiff back, earning the lefty hurler a trip to the DL. Hal Carlson was recalled.

Josh Gibson bust out of a mini-slump in a big way, going deep twice and driving in 5, bringing him over 100 RBI's on the season. But Pops Stargell was the star, following an RBI double from Gibson with a walkoff 3-run shot in the bottom of the 9th in an 11-9 win over Kansas City.

#New York Gothams

Johnny Callison hit 2 out, but it wasn't enough as the Gothams fell to Houston, 8-3. Different day, same story: Buster Posey had 2 homers in a 7-4 loss to Brooklyn.

#Philadelphia Stars

Aaron Judge hit 2 out and Charles Rogan was a single short of the cycle as the Stars beat Birmingham, 9-7. Despite some struggles, Hardie Henderson improved to 12-7 on the year, with Bob Howry picking up his 14th save.

Chase Utley had himself a day: 2 homers, 4 runs, and 5 hits in a 12-5 win over Birmingham. Judge and Rico Carty also went deep as Steve Carlton evened his record at 9-9. Utley did it again later in the week with 2 more homers, but this time the Stars fell to Ottawa, 9-5.

[Makonnen]

Team  W/L  Pct  GB  
 Kansas City Monarchs  52-48  .5220  --  
 Indianapolis ABC's  50-50  .500  2  
 Houston Colt 45s  49-50  .495  2.5  
 Birmingham Black Barons  45-54  .455  6.5  
 Wandering House of David  44-54  .449  7
 Marvin Miller Division | 23 July

#Birmingham Black Barons

Charlie Morton was named to the final spot of the Black Barons' rotation.

Morton's first start was a bit of a disaster, a 12-5 loss to Philadelphia where the only bright spot was Richie Sexson's 2 homeruns.

#Houston Colt 45's

Tony Gwynn homered twice and Craig Biggio provided a walk-off dinger as Houston edged Indianapolis, 9-8. Later in the series, Jeff Bagwell matched Gwynn with his 25th and 26th of the season, leading the Colt 45's to a 9-3 win over the ABC's.

#Indianapolis ABC's

Eppa Rixey replaced The Only Nolan in the ABC's extended rotation.

George Foster homered twice as the ABC's topped Kansas City 10-1. Barry Larkin, Bob Bescher, and Luis Padrón also went deep, with Padrón improving to 14-3 with another fine outing on the mound.

Johnny Cueto improved to 11-5 with a 4-hit shutout of Houston, fanning 7 in the complete game victory. Oscar Charleston and Ed Charles went deep in the 3-0 win.

#Wandering House of David

Mark McGwire hit out 2, giving him 7 in 13 games, as the House of David topped Birmingham 8-6.

[Makonnen]

{ After a bit of a break, I'm going to handle this thread a bit differently. If any of you are following along, update by update, those will continue to show up at https://wbl.dmlco.com/wp/ , but I'm going to make one post per game-week here, pulling from those posts. }

TWIWBL 75: Year 2, Week 18

#AWARDS
Josh Gibson of the Homestead Grays hit .409 last week–which barely moved his overall batting average of .408. That, along with 5 homers and 12 RBIs earned him the NL Player of the Week Award. In the AL, one of the surprising cogs in the Detroit Wolverines‘ machine, Juan Beníquez, earned the Award, hitting .423 with 3 homers.

#PERFORMANCE

Your leading performers at bat and on the mound are available at https://wbl.dmlco.com/wp/2025/07/03/...ear-2-week-18/.

Steals and Speed
Seemed a good time to check in on some oddities in running the bases.

Let’s start with some players who perhaps should be running a bit less, led by the New York Gothams‘ recently acquired Don Buford, who has 21 steals, but has been caught 20 times. Houston’s Craig Biggio has been even worse, with only 10 steals in 26 attempts. Chicago‘s Eddie Collins has been gunned down 23 times, but has 45 swipes: not a great success rate, but far ahead of Buford and Biggio.

San Francisco’s Rickey Henderson has been caught the most times in the league, but with 73 steals against 25 caught stealings, his success rate remains decent.

On the other end of the scale, Indianapolis’ Bob Bescher has only been caught 10 times in 53 attempts; Kansas City’s Ozzie Smith is doing even better, with an 84% success rate (42 for 50 so far); and the Black Yankees’ Eric Davis has gone 37 for 42.

Ottawa‘s Carlos Beltrán has been thrown out only once in 26 tries but, interestingly, nobody with at least 5 steals has a perfect record on the basepaths.

#TEAM OF THE WEEK

We take a closer look at the Birmingham Black Barons here.

Birmingham was a bit of an expert’s favorite last season, selling hard at the all star break, and then making great moves in late August to slide into the playoffs. They were pretty active in the off-season, and while the jury is out on some of the moves, the Black Barons’ front office has earned some benefit of the doubt.

That said, they are 7.5 games behind, and struggling a bit for sure, and it’s not clear that trading away a an all-star arm in Jim Whitney was the right move at the midseason break.

THE OFFENSE
It’s a bit weird. The Black Barons have a ton of power, with over 250 homers, second in the NL in that department. But that’s about it. They struggle to get on base, struggle to hit singles and doubles, and, at the end of the day, are only meh at what matters for an offense, scoring runs.

What’s Going Right
Hank Aaron continues to position himself right on the edge of superstar level, leading the team in OPS (.953), homeruns (39), and RBIs (77).

Behind Aaron, Eddie Mathews continues to be an offensive force despite struggling to hit over .230.

Newly acquired Ryan Braun is a monster at the plate given Birmingham a truly impressive top 3 in the lineup..

While not at the same level as those three, Jim Pagliaroni is among the better offensive backstops in the league and Albert Belle, brought in during the offseason to hit for power, has done exactly that.

A shade of last year: Richie Sexson was brought in over the all star break as a throw-in to the Braun trade. Sexson has 4 homeruns in his first 10 games with Birmingham.

Gene Tenace is demanding more playing time now that he’s back from injury, with an OBP over .400 and SLG over .500 in pretty limited action.

What’s Not Going Right
Even with 31 homers, Curtis Granderson is somewhat exemplary of what’s wrong with Birmingham’s offense overall: he’s hitting under .200 despite all those homeruns, with only 7 other extra base hits. Likewise, fan favorite JP Arencibia keeps hitting them out–12 dingers in 127 PAs–but doing little else at the plate.

Despite being given every opportunity to lock down the 1B job, Adrián González is not doing much. He’s performing better than last year, but an OPS under .800 is rough from a 1B in this league.

Similarly, despite Troy Tulowitzki‘s recent improvement, neither he nor Herman Long have been able to hold onto the SS job for long.

Cupid Childs is flashy, leading the team with 28 homers and the same number of steals. But closer examination reveals some weaknesses, with his OPS hovering barely over .700 and 19 caught stealings reducing the impact of those stolen bases.

THE PITCHING
The offense is better than last year, but the record is worse: an indication that not all is great on the mound for Birmingham.

What’s Going Right
Harley Young has moved into the closer role, and the first-time all-star has continued his dominance, with 6 saves, 6 holds, and an ERA under 3.00.

Alejandro Peña and Greg Maddux are both pitching better than their raw numbers might suggest. While both have losing records and ERA’s around 5.00, their WHIPs remain solid.

What’s Not Going Right
Even the above has caveats: Peña and Maddux have surrendered 68 homeruns combined, which is nearly unfathomable.

Juan Rincón has 12 saves, but has been pretty awful, losing his closer role and perhaps in danger of a trip to AAA–an ERA around 8.50 will do that.

While Bruce Chen has been better of late, he still sports an ERA near 6.00, and he and Rincón are both surrendering dingers at a Peña and Maddux like rate.

Nobody else has stood up in the rotation, with John Malarkey and Lefty Gomez being thoroughly meh to date.

#DIVISIONAL NOTES

We have our usual detailed highlights for each of the divisions

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

[Makonnen]

As always, full updates published at https://wbl.dmlco.com/

August 5th

TWIWBL 76.1 has all the news of the week. Here are some highlights.

We enter the dog days …

In addition to the natural clarification of the playoff races, August has 2 very important dates: 8/17 is the trading deadline and 8/23 marks the day rosters can be expanded.

#Awards

#July Awards

All hail Homestead‘s Josh Gibson, who hit .487 with 11 homeruns and 36 RBIs in July to win the NL Batter of the Month. For good measure, Gibson added 19 walks, giving him an OBP for the month approaching .600 (.598).

Los Angeles‘ Kal Daniels continues to deliver on his talent, hitting .371 with 12 homers and 30 RBI’s to take home the AL Batter of the Month.

Don Drysedale was in what could most generously be called a funk until July hit, with some even calling for Brooklyn‘s ace to be moved to the bullpen. Instead, he went 5-0 in the month with a 1.81 ERA to take home the NL Pitcher of the Month Award.

Memphis‘ Stubby Overmire was named the AL Pitcher of the Month, going 3-0 with a 1.36 ERA in the year, finding some of the form that led to his ERA crown last year.

Drysedale’s teammate John Briggs just keeps proving his doubters wrong. The 21 year old CF took home the July Rookie of the Month Award in the NL, hitting .366 for the month with 8 homeruns, 17 RBI’s, and 20 runs scored. Another CF–Detroit‘s budding superstar Turkey Stearnes–took home the honors in the AL, hitting .337 with 9 homeruns and 25 RBI’s in the month.

For once, there wasn’t much controversy with the awards. Gibson, whose 1.651 OPS led the league for the month, was a clear choice, meaning Houston‘s Jeff Bagwell–second at 1.375–could understand the decision not going his way.

Birmingham‘s Hank Aaron, and Cleveland‘s Lance Berkman and Ron Blomberg each had 13 homers on the month, with Blomberg driving in a ridiculous 39 runners. But Daniels had the higher OPS, and certainly was a defensible choice.

Drysedale was the only hurler with 5 wins in July, and Overmire and he were 1-2 in ERA. So, overall, solid selections across the board.

#Weekly Awards

Stearnes’ hot streak also earned him the AL Player of the Week Award, as he hit .500 with 5 homers in the first week of August. In the NL, a .536 average with 3 homers earned Brooklyn’s Jackie Robinson the Player of the Week Award in the NL.

#Team Spotlight

This week, it's the division leading Cleveland Spiders. Full writeup here.

The Spiders don’t lead the league in anything, but they are also top 6 or 7 in everything. Add some very bright lights–Tris Speaker, Ron Blomberg, and Lance Berkman especially–and you have a hard team to beat. The question is if they can maintain it–they also feel like a team that could be broken by the wrong injury.

THE OFFENSE

It’s a bit uneven, but there is plenty of firepower here.

#What’s Going Right

It really all revolves around the big 3, with Tris Speaker, Ron Blomberg, and Lance Berkman each sporting an OPS over 1.000. Speaker leads in all the slash stats, while Blomberg has 41 homers and 117 RBIs. Berkman has chipped in with 38 dingers and 95 RBIs, more than enough to lead most teams.

Ed Bailey, brought in via trade during the all star break, remains a top end offensive catcher, slashing 258/344/617.

Evan Longoria, who struggled most of last season, has seized the 3B role, and is one of 5 batters with over 20 homers (3 more–Arky Vaughan, Larry Doby, and Chuck Knoblauch–are in double digits).

Johnny Bates has 41 SB, despite some struggles otherwise offensively.

#What’s Not Going Right

C Louis Santop, an all star and media darling last season, is slashing 207/252/375. He’s only 20 and remains the franchise’s future behind the plate, but the drop in impact is noticeable. This, of course, was the primary motivation for the decision to bring in Ed Bailey.

John Ellis and Chuck Knoblauch–both key players last season–are struggling to push their OPS over .700 this season.

THE PITCHING

It’s … solid. There is a lot of talent here, but not a lot of star power, something that could prove an obstacle in the postseason.

#What’s Going Right

Bill Steen (10-6, 5.02) and Cy Young (10-6, 5.16) both hold identical records, and seem very dependable in a eat up some innings and get the ball to the bullpen sort of way. Young clearly has the talent to do more than that, but has yet to put it together.

Speaking of talent … Bob Feller (7-3, 4.82) keeps flashing it, averaging nearly 12 strikeouts per 9 innings and forcing himself into the starting rotation.

Terry Adams (20 saves) is excellent at closer, and Cory Gearrin (3-0, 2.41) is one of the better setup arms in the league.

Al Smith (1.88 in 11 appearances) has had a very impressive start to his career, and is a potential impact left handed arm in the pen.

#What’s Not Going Right

Of the starters, only Feller has an ERA under 5.00, and that’s only over 6 starts. Yordano Ventura (5-6, 5.59) and Pat Malone (5-8, 5.45) have each struggled to find their form.

Ron Reed continues to not live up to his billing, although he seems to have stabilized as of late.

#DIVISIONAL NOTES

TWIWBL notes for each division at

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

[Makonnen]

Full servings of tea at https://wbl.dmlco.com/wp/

August 12th

https://wbl.dmlco.com/wp/2025/08/27/...ear-2-week-20/ for the full weekly rundown, some highlights:

The trading deadline is only a week away, so that becomes a bit of the focus for both this week and next.

For more info than anyone else wants about what each team hopes for from the trade deadline, a full rundown is here.

#Awards

Ottawa‘s Gary Carter had 6 homeruns and a .450 average last week, earning him the National League Player of the Week honors while over in the AL, Player of the Week accolades went to Los Angeles‘ Kal Daniels. Daniels, who is having a borderline MVP candidate season, went 14-for-25 on the week, raising his overall batting average to .353.

#Game of the Week

So so close to the no no.

Pitching on short rest, Indianapolis‘ Johnny Cueto delivered 5 hitless innings in a start against Ottawa … then Clay Carroll added 2 more, and Rob Murphy another. Which meant Rob Dibble came in for the bottom of the 9th with the ABC’s leading 7-0 and throwing a combined no-hitter. Dibble got Roberto Alomar to groundout, Larry Walker to whiff … and then gave up a long fly ball to Gary Carter that just barely cleared the outfield fence, ruining the shutout and the no-no.

IND 7 (Carroll 1-2) @ OTT 1 (Radbourn 11-10)
HRs: IND – Dunn (33), Charleston (30), Votto (26); OTT – Carter (44).
Box Score

Team Spotlight

Full details on the surprising Brooklyn Royal Giants here.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, would have predicted a double digit lead in the Effa Manley Division for Brooklyn this season. But here we are.

The Royal Giants’ success is a product of a great pitching staff and just enough offense, anchored by a few breakout performances. And there is room for improvement: not only can they hold onto their division, this is a team that could impress in the postseason.

THE OFFENSE

It's not a great offense, but it has some true high points, and seems to have just enough to keep the runs coming.

#What's Going Right

First, the breakout: Mike Piazza has exploded, leading the team in almost all offensive categories, with a 307/338/677 slash line, 42 homeruns and 98 RBIs. For a catcher not named Gibson, that's great output, and it's a fantastic return after Piazza's struggle last season.

Almost as surprising has been the excellence of Ron Cey at the hot corner, whose 963 OPS is third on the team, behind Piazza and the true heartbeat of the Royal Giants, Jackie Robinson. Robinson leads the team in OBP, has 32 steals, and is involved in almost every key rally for the team while moving between 1B and 2B. Robinson and Beals Becker provide a good bit of speed, with each having over 30 steals at decent success rates.

John Briggs faced a lot of doubters heading into this season, but he's performed excellently in CF.

Dan Brouthers has an OPS of .960 in part-time duty at 1B and, honestly, keeps wondering why the Royal Giants won't just commit to him long term.

8 players have at least 20 homeruns (Piazza, Duke Snider, Becker, Cey, Robinson, Pedro Guerrero, Briggs, and Roy White).

#What's Not Going Right

Pedro Guerrero was brought in to add punch to the offense, and while he's picked it up of late (one of the points of possible improvement mentioned above), his 784 OPS still leaves a lot to be desired.

Duke Snider is doing Duke Snider things, which means a lot of power--his 30 homers are second on the team--but not a lot else.

SS has been a challenge all year, with neither Dick Bertell nor Germany Smith proving a solution. Vern Stephens' overall numbers aren't great, but he's slashing 317/328/633 since coming to Brooklyn over the all-star break.

Ray Dandridge remains a 21 year old who struggles with WBL pitching, but his future remains bright in spite of his current sub .700 OPS.

Overall, the team needs to get on base a bit more: only Cey, Robinson, Briggs, and Brouthers have OBPs over .350.

THE PITCHING

This is easily the strength of the team, and it's only gotten better for Brooklyn over the season, as Fernando Valenzuela's emergence has given them an excellent rotation, front to back, complemented by a very strong bullpen.

#What's Going Right

The Big Three for Brooklyn are as impressive as nearly any in the league, led by the brilliant Smokey Joe Williams and the surprising Orel Hershiser. Williams' record isn't great at 10-9, but he and Hershiser both sport sub 4.00 ERA's with excellent secondary numbers.

The third of the group is Don Drysedale, who was struggling mightily over most of the first half of the season, but has shaved 1.5 runs off his ERA since the start of July. Five consecutive wins in there have improved his record to 10-5.

Valenzuela's emergence has been quite spectacular, and the lefty is now firmly entrenched in the rotation.

Eric Gagne could be the best closer in the WBL, with 25 saves and a 2.52 ERA, and Trevor Hildenberger has been fantastic as his setup.

#What's Not Going Right

Sandy Koufax keeps lingering on the edge of brilliance, but he lost his place in the rotation to Valenzuela and while he's been solid out of the bullpen, it still feels like his eventual role is as a starter.

That's about it: Burleigh Grimes, Terry Forster, and Dave Von Ohlen have all been mediocre, but that's certainly better than not going right.

#Divisional Notes

TWIWBL's for each division at

Bill James Division
Cum Posey Division
Effa Manley Division

No idea what happened to the Marvin Miller Division writeup. Sometimes things get lost ...

[Makonnen]

All the deets here.

August 19

#Awards

Homestead‘s Andy Van Slyke hit .500 with 7 homeruns over the past week, earning him the NL Batter of the Week Award. Over in the AL, it’s a familiar name, as Detroit‘s Ty Cobb rode a .556 average and 8 RBIs to the AL Player of the Week Award.

#Team Performance

Very little has changed.

San Francisco still dominates the league, with 80 wins, a .650 winning percentage, and a 21 game lead in the Cum Posey Division. The Sea Lions have a decent chance at clinching the division before the end of August.

Cleveland still leads the New York Black Yankees in the Bill James Division, now by 3 games, with both teams exceedingly likely to make the postseason.

The surprising Brooklyn Royal Giants lead Homestead by 9.5 games in the Effa Manley Division, with Philadelphia still within touch.

And then there is the Marvin Miller Division, where last-place Birmingham is only 3.5 games behind first place Kansas City, with everything to play for over the last month-plus of the season.

TEAM SPOTLIGHT

This Week, it's the Houston Colt 45's, read the whole thing here.

Houston is just an odd team right now. Solid starting pitching, good speed, a strong ability to get on base ... but very little power, a horrendous bullpen, and some very unsettled positions, at least at present.

THE OFFENSE

The most important thing is how young this team is. Only Jorge Posada (36) and Jim O'Rourke (29) are on the far side of the magic age of 27, and and George Brett and Jim Wynn (23), Carlos Correa (22), and Pete Hill (19) are well under it.

#What's Going Right

Jeff Bagwell, Carlos Correa, and Tony Gwynn all have OPS over .900, although Gwynn's has fallen since an earlier flirtation with a .400 BA. Bagwell looks to be on the very edge of stardom, but it is Correa, who is slashing 326/404/553, who may be the biggest surprise.

Jim Wynn has 27 HRs, second on the team to Bagwell's 28.

Jim O'Rourke has bounced back from a disappointing first season, slashing 258/362/500 in a super-utility role.

Mention must be made of Paul Goldschmidt, who has 8 homers in under 100 PAs, making the most of his limited chances.

#What's Not Going Right

Jorge Posada struggles offensively, with an OPS under .750. Not horrific for a backstop, but not good.

Pete Hill continue to show power, but his .765 OPS won't cut it in a WBL OF. BUT, Hill is 19, so you could also see this as part of what's going right.

George Brett and Craig Biggio both continue to show flashes of great talent, along with long periods of low production. But with the departure of HR Johnson, the team seems committed to each of them for the future.

Andrés Galarraga bounced down from an excellent first season, earning himself a trip to AAA.

THE PITCHING

A real challenge: there are some truly top end performances here in Ramsey and Clemens, and then a lot of potential. And lets not even discuss the bullpen.

Some of the same comments as with the position players: Oswalt is the aged veteran of the crew at 27, so this is a very young staff (and that doesn't even account for teenage phenom Leon Day at AAA).

#What's Going Right

Toad Ramsey is putting together one of the best seasons in WBL history, sitting at 13-9 with a a3.19 ERA and 217 strikeouts. The knuckleballer has been absolutely dominant, with a 6.6 WAR on the mound so far.

Roger Clemens has been excellent, matching Ramsey in wins with a very impressive 3.60 ERA of his own.

Andrew Chafin has been excellent in the bullpen, as have (in very limited action so far) Jim Kern and Roberto Osuna (Kern is a special surprise, after being torched last season).

Ice Box Chamberlain seems to have recovered from injury, posting a 3.41 ERA over his 7 starts.

#What's Not Going Right

Roy Oswalt and Stephen Strasbourg are just frustrating, mixing good outings with horrible one, with both of them posting ERA's over 6.00.

The bullpen has been quite poor, especially since Tug McGraw--fairly effective as a closer--hit the DL.

John Franco and Chafin are the only arms left from the start of the year, with Brad Lidge, Kent Tekulve, and Billy Wagner all having moved back to AAA (and, in Tekulve's case, out of the system entirely).

DIVISION NOTES

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

And, finally THE TRADES.

Full writeup, with some commentary on who fleeced whom, is here. Over 50 players and almost 20 draft picks changed hands in the frenzy.

Some highlights ...

Hoyt There it Is!

P Waite Hoyt, 5th round pick from NYY to CAG for P Hoyt Wilhelm, IF Jorge Orta, 4th round pick.

The New York Black Yankees address a bullpen need by acquiring Hoyt Wilhelm from the Chicago American Giants, in exchange for young starter Waite Hoyt. Chicago will also send young IF Jorge Orta to New York, and the 2 teams exchanged draft picks, with New York getting a 4th and Chicago a 5th rounder.

It's an odd trade for New York, as it's not clear that Hoyt (Wilhelm) adds more to their bottom line of wins more than Hoyt (Waite). Chicago probably wins this one, just on the SP > RP evaluation. Orta should have a WBL career, but is not enough to balance the deal.

Now & Later

IF Paul Konerko, P Akinori Otsuka, OF Lenny Dykstra, 3rd round pick from CAG to BBB for P Sam Streeter, IF Trea Turner, 5th round pick.

Chicago officially closed the door on their performance for this season, sending 1B Paul Konerko and his .988 OPS along with Akinori Otsuka and his 1.07 WHIP to Birmingham, receiving P Sam Streeter and prospect Trea Turner in return. Chicago will also send OF Lenny Dykstra and a 3rd round pick, with Birmingham surrendering a 5th rounder to make it all work.

Konerko and Otsuka being on the wrong side of 30 makes this acceptable, and Chicago probably got peak value for them in a long-term starter and the talent of Turner. Birmingham is thrilled, as this addresses two of their most pressing needs for a playoff push: 1B and bullpen help.

The Wolverines Commit

P Gene Conley, P Bill Drake, P Emil Yde, OF Hub Collins from DET to BAL for SS Bobby Wallace, P Connie Johnson.

Detroit addressed two needs in a deal with Baltimore, sending struggling P Gene Conley (who is in search of a reboot to their career after an amazing start last season), promising young Ps Bill Drake and Emil Yde along with OF Hub Collins to Baltimore in exchange for SS Bobby Wallace and P Connie Johnson.

I mean ... Detroit loves this for the immediate future. The key here is whether Yde, and especially Drake, ever amount to anything. This does remove any question about the infield of the future for the Black Barons, with Eddie Murray, Miller Huggins, Cal Ripken, Jr. and Manny Machado all but assured of starting roles.

Stars and Sea Dogs move a lot of Bodies

SS Jim Fregosi, P Mark Melancon, OF Harry Hooper, IF Rafael Palmiero from POR to PHI for OF Bobby Abreau, P Dave Stieb, P Jaret Wright, P LaTroy Hawkins, SS Pat Meares, 2nd round pick.

Philadelphia, eyeing a potential playoff run, went shopping in Portland. They added a long-term solution at SS (Jim Fregosi), a much-needed bullpen arm (Mark Melancon), and some OF depth in the struggling Harry Hooper. That haul cost them 3 pitching prospects in Dave Stieb, Jaret Wright, and LaTroy Hawkins, as well as SS Pat Meares, and a 2nd round pick. The teams also swapped high-ceiling-but-blocked prospects, with Portland receiving Bobby Abreu and Philadelphia Rafael Palmiero.

Abreau for Palmiero is a wash. Of the rest, it's sort of a classic now/later proposition. Fregosi and Melancon step directly into key roles for the Stars, but Hawkins, and especially Stieb, do look like excellent long term prospects.


The Black Barons Upgrade

IF Bobby Grich, 3rd round pick from LAA to BBB for P Vic Willis, C Gene Tenace, 1st round pick.

Birmingham came into this trade period looking for a SS; they left with a 2B (who can play SS). In a bit of a surprise move, they convinced LA to part with Bobby Grich, sending Vic Willis, Gene Tenace, and a 1st rounder to the Angels, who also sent a 3rd round pick back their way.

Grich is a huge pickup for the Black Barons--an all star caliber who can get on base and play both middle infield positions is exactly what the doctor ordered in Birmingham. They gave up a lot--Tenace is excellent, some think Willis will eventually be a number one starter, and of course, the #1 pick is a lot. But it seems Birmingham is convinced they have a shot in the playoffs this year, and you can't fault the ambition.

First Round Picks On the Move, or Freeman at Last, Freeman at Last

P Joe Beggs, 2nd round pick from BAL to KCM for OF Earl Averill.

IF Freddie Freeman, IF Eddie Miller from SFS to LAA for P Joe Nathan, IF Wally Joyner, 1st round pick.

Baltimore found a potential CF for the future in Earl Averill, who came over from Kansas City for a Joe Beggs and a 2nd round pick.

One of the more promising talents in the WBL may have found a home, as Los Angeles sent a 1st Round Pick, closer Joe Nathan, and Wally Joyner to San Francisco for Freddie Freeman and minor league SS Eddie Miller.

Both of these make some sense, as both Freeman and Averill were totally blocked where they were (Freeman by Jimmie Foxx and others, Averill by Willie McGee and Cool Papa Bell). Freeman should immediately see playing time in LA, while Averill looks to be in the mix for next season.

The Black Yankees Find their SS of the Future?

P Sparky Lyle, IF Elliott Maddox, P Carlos Rodón, 2nd round pick, 4th round pick from NYY to HOU for IF Grant Johnson.

They hope so, sending Sparky Lyle, Elliott Maddox, pitching prospect Carlos Rodón, and a 2nd and a 4th round pick to Houston for Grant Johnson, who will rotate in with both Derek Jeter and Rogers Hornsby for now.

It's a lot to give up, for sure. But Johnson is only 25, and an established WBL performer who will solve the Black Yankees' long term needs at either 2B or SS. Lyle is solid, and fills a very strong need for Houston, but the rest of what they gave up was future potential, which is cheap for a team whose goal is to win now.