10 years into its existence, the CDL expanded from 24 to 26 teams in accordance with Major League Baseball's historical expansion pattern, adding franchises in Toronto and Seattle. In this article, I will take a look at how these franchises have fared after seven full seasons, going into their eighth.
1977
Neither team received much of a core in the expansion draft, and they were left with precious little to work with, although they did receive the top two picks in the draft with uber-prospect Eddie Murray going to Seattle and ML-ready keystone sacker Lou Whitaker going to Toronto. Toronto's management went with a win-now philosophy much more so than Seattle's did. Toronto won 66 games in 1977, as did Seattle, but the Jays' management made the mistake of trading their first round pick for outfielder Billy North, a good but hardly great player.
1978
Both teams declined in wins in their second seasons. Toronto was based completely on speed, with eight players swiping ten or more bases, but their mediocre pitching staff could not support an offense that had not one ten home run hitter on the team. Seattle picked Bob Welch number three overall, and he turned out to be their best pitcher, but may have been a disappointment at merely 6-10 with a mid-3 ERA. They won 57 games but still failed to finish last in their division.
1979
The third season for the Mariners saw their initial strategy begin to pay off. After picking leadoff hitter extraordinaire Rickey Henderson in the first round, the triumverate of Henderson, Welch, and Murray led the Mariners to a 76-86 record, as Murray blossomed at .271, 18, 88, and Welch won 17 games. The Blue Jays, on the other hand, had only one major contributor under 30 years old (Sixto Lezcano), and their one first-round draft pick, Whitaker, was long gone and has never been a factor in the league. They had, by this time, made no progress at all in their (re)building.
1980
One small step (backward) for Toronto, one giant leap for Seattle. As the Blue Jays mired in last place (again; 12 games behind the next worst team at 51-111), the M's jumped to second, missing out on the playoffs by one measly game. The youth movement began with the picks of Ken Phelps and Bruce Hurst, and three more significant under-30 players were added, but the future didn't look exceptional with their third best prospect "fair" in getting hits. In Seattle, closer Daryl Patterson had a Cy Young caliber season, the bullpen held up a full year, and Rickey Henderson (21) and Willie Wilson (25) formed a young top-of-the-order tandem that could not be beat. The future was looking up.
1981
Sophomore Ken Phelps posts 43 homers and 116 RBI for a Toronto team that has no pitcher win ten games and a team ERA near five. The good news? They are out of last place for at least one season, and have four high-caliber starting pitching prospects. Seattle moves down a bit to 85 wins and the rest of the West moves up, as they drop to fourth. In other news the Cardinals lose 92 games despite a pythagorean record of almost .500, as their 81-81 1980 comes back to Earth, as owner Steve Ritter steps down. Murray drives in 102 runs as Wilson and Henderson each top 75 steals and four pitchers win ten games.
1982
With a team ERA of 4.96, Toronto moves back to last place and another high draft pick, as the no-power all-speed theory is turned on its head with two 30-hr and six 10-hr players. Seattle's pitching stays relatively steady but the offense falls apart in a bit of a down year, no worries.
1983
Aided by an offense rejuvenated by Andy Van Slyke and a change in ownership, Toronto finally wins 70 games, possibly a step in the right direction. Seattle bounces right back into the thick of things, but having been realigned into a tough division, they finish tied for third at 82-80. With a few exceptions, Seattle is still the younger team, and Murray's .297, 28, 135 campaign helps them through the season with a winning record. Both teams, however, are closer than they have been in a while, at only twelve games separating them.
1984
Lucky number 7? Hardly. Seattle seems to have peaked, and Toronto may have as well. Onto their third GM in three years, Seattle plummets to last with 65 wins during what may be a down season for every single player on the team. Toronto has no sense of direction, only one key player (Van Slyke) under 30, and a team ERA of five and a half. One interesting thing to note, however, is the respective career totals of Murray and Whitaker.
Murray: .280/.357/.471, 156 HR, 675 RBI, 1 ASG, all with Seattle.Hmmm...
Whitaker: .233/.288/.320, 15 HR, 157 RBI, 0 ASG, 3 teams
Wednesday 4/26/1985 ATLANTA - Jeffrey Leonard hits 'em where they ain't. Los Angeles certainly agrees as Atlanta's centerfielder unloaded six hits, adding to his reputation of being one of the best pure hitters in the game. Number 2 in the 4th inning accounted for a RBI double. A pitch from Chuck Cary in the 7th inning left his bat for a solo homerun, landing 347 feet from home plate in right field. He had singles in the 1st inning , in the 5th inning , in the 8th inning (one RBI) Jeffrey did drive in 3 while scoring one run on his own. He's having a very good season so far, batting .391. Atlanta scored 16 runs on 19 hits.
Monday 4/24/1985 MONTREAL - Montreal's left-hander Atlee Hammaker will not pitch again this year, suffering a serious injury in the game against Cincinnati on Monday. Montreal wasted no time and rushed him to an hospital. Team officials were informed later that Hammaker had suffered a Torn Ligament Elbow. In 5 starts this year Atlee struck out 26 batters in 31.1 innings of work. His ERA is 4.88, his record 3-1. He's 3rd in the National League in wins!
Sunday 5/1/1985 :
American League-Pitcher of the Month :
Dave Rozema (BOS) !!
He had a record of 3-0 in 5 games started, with an ERA of 0.92.
American League-Batter of the Month :
Thad Bosley (MIN) !!
He batted .355 in 62 AB, with 8 homers and 28 RBI.
National League-Pitcher of the Month :
Bart Johnson (PHI) !!
He had a record of 5-1 in 6 games started, with an ERA of 1.13 and 2 shutouts.
National League-Batter of the Month :
Jeffrey Leonard (ATL) !!
He batted .387 in 106 AB, with 6 homers and 24 RBI.
"Give me one more year"
That's what St-Louis GM / owner is telling when asked when the team will finally compete again. 1975 is the last time the Cards played over ,500. In the three years since Trudeau came aboard, the team had seasons of 68, 69 and 60 victories. They were in average 34 games behing the leader.
But still there's some hope. The team has some of the best prospects in the game, starting with Jose Canseco and Kevin Mitchell. They also have good young starting pitchers, like Doc Gooden.
"Give me one more run"
That's what the Cards' pitchers are saying, about the worst offensive in the game. The trade of Pedro Guerrero before the 1984 season left the Cards with very few good offensive players.
But the future looks bright. Canseco and Mitchell, with lesser prospects Darren Daulton, Kelly Gruber, Scott Fletcher and Greg Gagne, could rellay change the team. Greg Walker, the key in the Guerrero deal, is also expected to get better.
"Give me one more prospect"
That's what Trudeau will be saying to other GMs, while trying to trade some veterans. There are not many left, but closer Jay Howell and outfielder Dwight Evans could go.
"Give me one more beer"
That's what the Cardinals' fans will keep saying for another year, while trying to forget how pathetic their team is...
Unlike a fine wine, baseball players don't get better with time, and this season in Chicago, father time may be the biggest opponent. The Cubs missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 1979. They're 4 years removed from their 1980 title and their starting pitchers, once regarded as the best in the CDL, are aging quickly, but don't count them out just yet.
Last season's Cy Young winner and Cub's ace Larry Dierker is now 38 years old. Despite his age, he has posted a 23-3 and a 25-6 record in his past two seasons. He says that this may be his best season yet, but it's going to depend on his ability to stay healthy and keeping his pitch count down. The man one regarded as "Glass" Dierker by GM Chris Hansen, has devoted himself to staying healthy and has not found himself on the DL since the 1978 season. Due to the fact that Dierker is 38 and in what will probably be his last season with the Cubs, if the Cubs are not in the race come late July, look for him to be dealt for a prospect or pick.
Cubs second senior citizen is SP Jim Barr. At 37, Barr's age began to show last season, as he posted his first losing season since 1977 and an era almost two points higher than a season earlier. Barr still has the control that won him 21 games in 1981, but lacks the velocity to dominate hitters as he once did. The two-time all-star and first person to throw a perfect game in the CDL is signed through next season, but there has been rumors of retirement coming from the Barr camp.
At 36, Mike Caldwell is the youngest of the Cubs top 3 starting pitchers, and seems poised to make this 'his' team in 1985. The two time all-star and 1982 Cy Young Award winner posted a 16-9 record last season and looks to continue his consistent performance in 1985. Like Barr, he is signed through next season, but the front office doesn't see him going anywhere. He's a great teacher to the young Marty Bystrom, who after a disappointing 84 campaign, definitely needs some instruction.
The Cubs starting staff won't be dominate, but with a little bit of support from the "Fantastic Four" (1b Cecil Cooper, C Gary Carter, SS Alan Trammell, and RF Dale Murhpy) the starting pitching staff should be adaquate enough to help the Cubs contend with the defending champions, the Cincinnati Reds.
American League
East
Boston and Baltimore are two of the CDL’s top teams, both making the ALCS last year, with Boston en route to losing the World Series to Cincinnati. Cy Young Award winner Steve Rogers heads up a brilliant trio of pitchers including Dennis Eckersley and Charlie Liebrandt who could all win twenty games this year. Hitters Tim Wallach and Harold Baines lead the division champion Red Sox, but Boston also has a talented core group of relief pitchers. Both teams should make the playoffs. Rounding out the division are the thoroughly mediocre Yankees, the building Toronto Blue Jays (who need Ken Phelps to reach the Mendoza line in order to do anything), and the seemingly pitching-less Cleveland Indians. Prediction: Baltimore wins division; Boston takes wild card.
Central
Last year saw the Minnesota Twins bounce back into contention after a sub-par 1983, but there’s no reason to believe that Alvin Davis and a steady staff can’t lead this group back to the playoffs. Steve Busby and Scott Sanderson form what may be the most formidable duo in the league, but the rest of the rotation is either aging or not ready for prime time, and the offensive keys are all 33 or older. Detroit has a few boppers and is a nice team, but may lack the pitching to compete again. Chicago has a great young core, but may be two or three years away. Kansas City’s management seems to want quantity over quality in their pitching staff, and they should expect another 90 losses. Prediction: Minnesota edges out Milwaukee.
West
Oakland suddenly rose out of the doldrums in 1983, and proved it no fluke with 99 more wins in 1984. With George Brett and little else, they may fall back down in 1985. California has Don Robinson and a great offense, so if they can score enough runs to support their other pitchers, they can win the division. No matter how great the relief may be, Texas’ lack of power might keep them in the middle of the pack. Seattle has Joe Carter to build on, but little in the way of help for 1985. Prediction: California makes a run and Oakland fights for the wild card.
National League
East
New York and its above average offense and consistent pitching staff should set the pace for this weak division. With Gibson and a bit of support in the lineup, Atlanta should have an up year with an easy schedule, but anything higher than .500 would be a shock for any of the other teams in this division, unless Philadelphia’s young hitters can put it all together and win 82. Montreal will be down in the dumps unless they get someone other than Falcone that can put together a half-decent season for them on the mound. Prediction: New York takes the division again with ease, and none of the other teams contend for the playoffs.
Central
The Central division has two of the top franchises in the CDL. The Cincinnati Reds, of course, are on top, with their three world championships in four years. Craig Swan and Jerry Ruess could each win 20+ games and send the Reds back to the Series. The Cubs, of course, also have three world championships in the CDL’s 16 years, and their GM is among the most respected and determined in the league. Ageless Larry Dierker and Fab Four Gary Carter, Allan Trammel, Dale Murphy, and Cecil Cooper could very well lead to a division title. Pittsburgh and St. Louis are both rebuilding, and both have far too many holes to compete in 1985, although Pittsburgh is probably closer. Prediction: Cincinnati wins the division but fails on the three-peat.
West
You can never keep a Groening down. After being down in the dumps for a bit, the Giants are back on top with the CDL’s best player in Pedro Guerrero. With their pitching staff, San Francisco should be back to the top of the division. Houston, on the other hand, is a well-managed bunch with many good players, but few great, unless Wade Boggs completely busts out this year. San Diego’s youth might push them into third place in the division, but Los Angeles’ best hitter is 38 yet still tops his age in errors annually. Prediction: San Fran and Houston will battle to the death, and the Giants should wind up on top with both in the playoffs.
Playoffs
American League
Baltimore over California (4)
Minnesota over Boston (6)
Baltimore over Minnesota (5)
National League
San Francisco over New York (5)
Cincinnati over Houston (7)
San Francisco over Cincinnati (6)
World Series
San Francisco over Baltimore (4)
Awards
American League
Babe Ruth: Alvin Davis (.295, 35, 140)
Cy Young: Steve Rogers (24-8, 2.30)
Rookie: Rick Aguilera (16-9, 3.15)
National League
Babe Ruth: Pedro Guerrero (.375, 40, 150)
Cy Young: Roger Clemens (21-12, 1.85)
Rookie: Clemens