Any of you who read ESPN the Magazine's Ultimate Standings will know how this works. I basically took their system and applied it to the CDL, ranking teams objectively in four categories: Bang for the Buck, Fan Interest, Postseason Success, and Current Team. I then ranked each of the owners in non-roster participation as best I could (please don't give me too much flak for it, aside from the top 10 and bottom five, it's not very easy to do, so I always tried to favor the senior owner when I didn't know either of the two I was comparing very well. Here are Nos. 26-21.
26. Toronto Blue Jays
Bang for the Buck: 23 - Fan Interest: 24 - Ownership: 23 - Postseason: 26 - Current Team: 26
Here they are, the worst franchise in the CDL. The Jays hiked their payroll over 25% this season and are still on pace for a 15-win decline despite ranking just outside 1984's Bang for the Buck top 10. Attendance, meanwhile, is down 6.5% and among the lowest in the CDL. The ownership is inexperienced and unproven within our current system. The Jays have never been to the playoffs and shouldn't see anything coming soon. The current major league team leaves a lot to be desired and is the worst in the league.
25. Kansas City Royals
Bang for the Buck: 26 - Fan Interest: 18 - Ownership: 12 - Postseason: 25 - Current Team: 25
The Royals don't have the excuse of expansion the Blue Jays do, but they have been just as snakebitten. Kansas City has the worst bang for the buck, currently getting 4 wins for every five million dollars they spend. Remarkably, the fans remain interested, as their 30,000+ attendance is commendable. Owner John Kopera has been here since the beginning, but rarely participates on the message board and has yet to improve his team. Like the rest of these teams, the Royals have never been to the postseason. This may be the worst team they have ever fielded now that Dawson is gone, and that is saying something.
24. Los Angeles
Bang for the Buck: 24 - Fan Interest: 25 - Ownership: 22 - Postseason: 12 - Current Team: 22
LA, again is an undesirable team. They are currently spending way too much, with a near-capacity team salary and complete failure to even approach the .500 mark. The fans have apparently caught on, as only about 20,000 of them are showing up per game and attendance is down a league-high 16% this season. Ach Sorry Dennis about that, the ownership has been around and is just starting to write more, maybe next year. The postseason success of the past regime may be the only thing that saved this team from humiliation. The current squad is mired in a tough division and needs some help from below if it is ever to contend again.
23. San Diego
Bang for the Buck: 25 - Fan Interest: 21 - Ownership: 14 - Postseason: 23 - Current Team: 20
The other NL franchise in southern California is only marginally better than the first. They spend their money wiser than only the lowly KC Royals. With California winning a few miles north, their fans are ceasing to care for them. The owner, however, has a good track record of posting on the message board. San Diego is another one of the cursed franchises that have never tasted postseason glory. Right now, they have a tough division (like LA obviously) and need a strong push from outside, a new impact player, to start competing again.
22. Seattle
Bang for the Buck: 18 - Fan Interest: 22 - Ownership: 24 - Postseason: 21 - Current Team: 10
The "other" expansion franchise is much better off than the first one. Seattle chose to cut payroll this year, but is still on target for a nifty .500 record, which would be an incredible improvement over last year's 65-97 team. The fans have yet to realize this, but as the team improves, so should the attendance. The owner, again, is untested in battle, but the Culberson regime set him up with some talent. In their eight years, the M's haven't made it past September (see "Crazy Eighths" for details). The current team could contend for the wildcard if it added some veteran talent.
21. St. Louis
Bang for the Buck: 11 - Fan Interest: 26 - Ownership: 8 - Postseason: 24 - Current Team: 24
I know there were probably some people reading this who thought they'd never see St. Louis' name here, but the Cards are here in the bottom 6 as expected. The money has not exactly been spent wisely, but with the league's third-lowest payroll, some bang has to be expected. The fans in St. Louis just plain don't care, as attendance is down 14% to an abysmal 16,500 per game after being the only town not capable of drawing 20,000 last year as well. Christian Trudeau is newish to the league, but his rookie of the month contributions and his posting habits boost the franchise rankings up. Again, St. Louis has never seen postseason action. The nine they send out right now are the worst in the national league.
Next up: #20-16. I will continue these, hopefully daily, until I do the top five 3 one day and the top 2 the next. As soon as I am completed, I will explain my methods and post the full ranks for each categories. As with each of my articles, there is a comment thread (now opens in a new window).
Well, since there aren't many trades yet I thought it would be interesting to look at the best players currently on the trade block. After a short analysis I will rate the player on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest. Trade blocks listed go back to those posted March 25th through April 1st. I will not rate any of the Brewers' block since I am somewhat biased. So here goes...
St. Louis:
Closer Jay Howell - A solid closer who is only 29, Howell is just what any team in the top half of the CDL should take a long look at if they are need of a stopper. Howell should be able to close 40 games and have an ERA in the mid 2's. The only disadvantage is he's in the final contract year. Rated - 3.75
Boston:
Closer Bill Campbell - He could start as well as close if that's what you need him for. Contract does expire after this season and I'm sure he will want close to his current $5.25 million salary. At 36 he's a risk if signed longterm but could help out any team this year. Rated - 3
Pittsburgh:
RF George Bell - At 25 Bell is a solid outfielder rated good for HRs and average. He should be able to hit close to .300 with 35 HRs consistently within a couple seasons. Rated - 4.25
CF Jesse Barfield - Wow, Pittsburgh is loaded. Barfield won't hit for as high an average as Bell but he has the potential to put up huge HR numbers! He's also a better defensive outfielder. My only concern for him is that he hasn't developed his power yet and that is why he's still in the minors. Rated - 4
RF Candy Maldonado - Not a bad prospect who is a bit of a defensive liability. Maldonado has an average rating for average and HRs and a fair rating for walks. He has the potential to be a .260 hitter with 20 HRs every year. Rated - 2.75
LF Mike Greenwell - Very good all-around prospect. Plays average defense but makes up for it with a very good bat that will some day hit for a high average. Rated - 4.25
SP Bill Gullickson - He has the potential to be a very good #3 SP. He is still developing as is evidenced by his career ERA of 5.13. Rated - 3.75
SP Mark Gubicza - 22 year old already in the Pirate's rotation. Gubicza is proving he's ready with a solid 3.44 ERA this season. Still Gullickson may prove to be the better pitcher down the road. Rated - 3.5
SP Bill Swift - Very similar pitcher to Gubicza, Swift could turn out to be a good one. He's probably about a year away from a big league rotation. Rated - 3.25
Oakland:
SP Mike Scott - At 30 years old now is the time for Scott to fulfill his vast potential. With his ratings he should be a consistent 20 game winner and unfortunately the closest he ever has come is 14 wins. He's worth a gamble especially at an affordable $5 mill per year until 1988. Rated - 4
2B Rick Burleson - Great all around player who can play SS just as well as 2B. Burleson could flirt with a .300 season this year and could be a great acqusition for any contending team. Rated - 4
OF Jerry Hairston - Good hitter. Terrible fielder. Would be a perfect DH. Rated - 2.5
RF Gary Matthews - Another good hitter Matthews will hit for average and show some ocassional pop. He's a below average outfielder. Rated - 2.75
CF Jerry Mumphrey - Another good hitter, Mumphrey also plays defense extremely well in all 3 outfield positions. Rated - 3
C Butch Wynegar - Great defensive catcher who has a decent bat. Everyone in the CDL knows how important it is to have 2 good catchers and Wynegar is a good one. Rated - 2.5
Montreal:
CF Tony Armas - Armas plays all 3 outfield positions well and should provide a very solid bat into any lineup. He is off to his best start of his career this year hitting .311 with 11 HRs and being that he is 31 he is just entering his prime. Rated - 4
Houston:
SP Doyle Alexander - At 34 Doyle is pitching the best of his career. He obviously loves the astrodome as his numbers in Oakland indicate. Still Alexander is a quality arm that could put any team over the top. Rated - 4
San Francisco:
SP Orel Hershiser - After suffering a talent drop in Boston, Hershiser then saw a talent increase after the trade to San Francisco. He has the potential to be an ace however I think he'll be best suited as a #2. Still only 26 he still is developing. Rated - 4
After last week's article about the league's struggling franchises was met with critical acclaim, I decided to do a historical article about the good teams. But when NL President/Pirates owner Sam Stauder released his newest 1985 power rankings this past sim, the results were astounding. Though the Scoop does not know Stauder's doubtlessly complex formula for determining the ranks, we can assure our readers that the disparity they represent is for real. The top two teams are thirty points ahead of the third best. Within the next thirty points, there are a good fourteen teams. It is clear by looking at Stauder's rankings that there are but two teams this spring in the CDL, and they are tearing up their respective leagues. The Scoop has no west coast bias, but the San Francisco Giants and the California Angels are flat out playing some of the best baseball in the 17-year history of the CDL.
These two teams, however, rank with the 1977-8 Giants (215-109), and last year's Reds among the best clubs fielded in league history. While the first Giants dynasty (1974-1980) was owned by the same man who captains the current squad, there has been some turnover. There are no holdovers from a decade ago, and only John Stearns, who rarely plays these days, remains from the record-setting 1977 squad. That team was led by aging pitchers Dick Bosman, Vincente Romo, Barry Lersch, and Mike Hedlund. Cecil Cooper and Joe Lahoud anchored a potent offense. But this isn't a historical article as so many of mine are, despite the fact that this league has the richest history of any OOTP league out there, and I'm a firm believer that we should appreciate our good fortune to have it. This is about today. This is about power, dominance, roots, and dynasties. This is about why the Giants and the Angels have nearly eight times the power points of the lowly Toronto Blue Jays, who are mired forever in the doldrums of the league.
Why are this year's giants (small s, naturally) so good? To scratch the surface, let's take a look at where else they are at the top, besides the division standings. Despite ranking sixth in the National League, the Giants are third with 247 runs, only trailing Chicago and Atlanta, with no other team within twenty runs of them. No outright dominance here. The Giants do, however, lead the NL in average, OBP, and are second behind Atlanta in OPS. The Angels have slightly less impressive offensive statistics, ranking relatively tied for fourth with their 274 runs, and leading the league in no categories at all. The pitching stands out, especially in California. Jimbo Van Dillen has assembled a staff in the American League that is posting National League numbers. Only the Rangers (with 197) have under 200 earned runs, while the Angels top the league with 170! Opponents are hitting .228 against the Halos, the team that also has the fewest walks allowed. San Francisco has a virtually identical pitching staff to Houston, one that has compiled a 2.85 ERA while walking only 2.00 batters per nine innings. The Giants have also notably allowed only 11 unearned runs, as compared to California's 25.
Out of the two clubs, the Scoop thinks that California is much more likely to come down to Earth, as this Giants team may be the greatest club ever assembled in the CDL (I challenge you to name a better one), and while California has significant producers currently overachieving (see Jack Clark, Dave Smith), San Fran can expect a better performance out of League MVP Pedro Guerrero. In addition, while San Fransico's 11-7 one-run game and 3-4 extra innings records are average at best, California is 11-5 in one-run games and five for five in extra frames. However, both these teams have dynasty potential, as California has no players over 30 logging significant playing time except catcher Milt May, who has a capable 26-year-old backup in the wings. San Francisco, of course, is run by the class of the GM's in this league, and will reload as necessary if they ever begin to falter.
If these two teams are to meet in the World Series, I can see either team winning. Don Robinson and Tony Brizzolara can each win three games if given the chance, and California has the offense to get enough run support off of San Fran's superior pitching staff (note: this is not a knock on Cali's staff, but only Houston can even compare with this current group of pitchers in the Bay Area). Yet with six pitchers (five who can start) rated 9 or 10 in avoiding runs, the Giants can go so deep into the pen without missing a beat that I can't see any team that will prevent this team from hanging up their third flag unless they are taken down in the early stages of the playoffs by a Chicago, a Cincinnati, a Houston, or another team that catches lightning in a bottle. Ron LeFlore gives them part-time speed, and they have an incredible defensive squad.
That's just my view, and if you want to voice your opinion, there is a comment thread again on the message board. While you're there, check out the surveys, why don't you.
Yankees' closer Todd Worrell and Phillies' third-baseman Rick Schu were named Rookies of the Month.
Worrell, 25 years old, saved 8 games in May, while winning one game in 11 appearances. He gave no runs in 13,1 innings. He gave up only 6 hits and 5 walks, while fanning 9 batters.
The 6th player selected in the last Amateur Draft has 14 saves and a 2,86 ERA this season.
Worrell finished ahead of two Mariners : shortstop Ernest Riles (,284-1-12) and pitcher Teddy Higuera (1-2, 3,29).
In the National League, Rick Schu was the best rookie with his ,313/,358/,424 line. He collected 13 RBIs in 99 at bats.
Schu, 23, was a 3rd round pick in 1984. He's hitting ,308 for the season with a hoemr and 23 RBIs.
Starting pitchers Roger Clemens of the Pirates (3-2, 2,45) and Charles Hudson (3-1, 2,93) were also considered.
Wednesday 6/1/1985 :
American League-Pitcher of the Month :
Bob Stanley (DET) !!
He had a record of 3-0 in 6 games started, with an ERA of 1.65.
American League-Batter of the Month :
Mike Schmidt (NY) !!
He batted .283 in 106 AB, with 13 homers and 23 RBI.
National League-Pitcher of the Month :
Joe Price (SF) !!
He had a record of 3-0 in 7 games started, with an ERA of 1.45.
National League-Batter of the Month :
George Bell (PIT) !!
He batted .333 in 105 AB, with 6 homers and 23 RBI.
Now that it's 1985, almost every CDL team has had their moment in the sun. The Reds, Cubs, Orioles, Giants, and Twins all have multiple championships to their credit, and only four out of the original twenty-six teams in the league have yet to reach the playoffs at least once. In the National League, Atlanta, St. Louis, and San Diego have never tasted the spotlight, while only Kansas City remains flagless in the American League. The last article sparked a little conversation in the forum, but I don't know how much this one will. Anyway, I will be looking at the closest each of the four frachises has come to hanging up a pennant at their stadium.
Kansas City is the only team amongst these four to still be under original ownership, and the closest they have ever come to a pennant is third place, finishing there six times. While the 1971 team set the team's wins record, the team of a decade later that finished a mere five games back might have been the best team Kansas City ever fielded. GM John Kopera fielded a team with an excellent offense, one that led the American League in home runs, and the team had a capable front of the rotation in Scott Sanderson. All-world outfielder Andre Dawson set the pace with his .306, 37, 112 season and also stole 22 bases in an outfield that swiped 69 as a unit. Had Scott Sanderson not gone down to bone chips in late May, it's doubtless that he could have won an extra five games over the course of the next six weeks and that the Royals could have been bathing in champagne during the first week of October, but as it stands, Royals Stadium is as barren as ever and with the team in last place, there is little hope for the near future.
The 1985 bunch led by Kirk Gibson, Garry Templeton, and Fernando Valenzuela is probably the best group that Atlanta has ever fielded, but the season has yet to be finished, so I cannot write about them. Until now, the Braves hadn't competed since the days of the San Fran/Houston dynasty, when their pitching-heavy staff led them to a third place finish in the old NL West. GM John LeBlanc had assembled the best pitching staff in the majors with his starting corps of Rudy May, Gary Peters, Ken Holtzman, and Chuck Dobson, in addition to the best top 3 any team east of Minnesota has ever trotted out of the pen in Lindy McDaniel (1.78), Dave Hamilton (1.42), and closer Jim Roland (2.66, 42 SV). Despite all this, Chuck Groening's Giants plated 100 more runs and beat the Astros in a one-game playoff. No impact player was younger than 25, and few were below 30, so the run turned out to be a flash in the pan.
The 1971 Cardinals lost a playoff game to the Phllies (who only made one playoff themselves), and that was their closest call, but I wasn't here until 1972 after this team had lost its two best pitchers, so I'm writing about the 1975 club that led the division all the way until the last sim, where they fell apart, going 4-6 in their last ten while the Pirates managed a 9-1 record under new GM Sam Stauder. Much of the difference this year could be attributed to Pittsburgh's 35-22 record in 1 run games as opposed to St. Louis' 32-31 mark, a difference of 6 games. Jim Lefebvre's .255, 30, 112 numbers and the big three of Steve Carlton (17-9, 2.51), Vern Ruhle (21-9, 2.40), and Jim Nash (17-9, 2.63) all having superior years helped the Cardinals to a second place finish in a down year for superstar Dave Parker. Dennis Blair (15.2 IP, 1.72 ERA) was great down the stretch, and Chris Speier and Biff Pocoroba helped solidify a rather weak lineup, but the thing that did this team in was the preseason trade of Ross Grimsley (25-8, 2.38) to the Giants.
Last and unfortunately least are the San Diego Padres, whose 85-win 1978 campaign in which they finished 22 games behind the division champion Giants and another fifteen behind the second place Reds marked the high point for the franchise. Outfielder Bobby Murcer and catcher John Ellis led a weak offense that could barely support their pitching staff (i.e. Clay Kirby 5-13, 2.80). They did what most traditionally bad franchises do, they rode a freak up year for their bullpen and an ace starting pitcher in 19-7, 2.13 Grant Jackson as far as they could, which turned out not to be very far at all. Completely lacking in any sort of power or any sort of impact player excepting Don Slaught or John Candelaria, the Padres are mired in a rut and there is, of course, little optimism in San Diego that the Giants can be taken down any time soon.
I created a thread on the message board and may continue to do so each sim if any interest is shown in my articles.
Well, with trading slowed to a crawl, the ATR has decided to start a draft retrospective series. Starting with the 1970 draft today, I will look at the top five picks in each draft and see what kind of impact these supposed stars have had on the league and their teams.
This idea came to me when I saw that Steve Busby has won 300 games, not the first pitcher in the CDL to be credited with 300 wins, but the first player to actually win 300 games in the CDL. That is an amazing accomplishment.
Anyway, let’s look at what fruits the first Amateur Draft in CDL History brought.
(Note: All draft orders are based on previous record. Ties might come out the other way, but I’m working with the history that we have.)
1. Milwaukee – Wow, it’s hard to believe that before 1983, that the 1969 Milwaukee Brewers were the worst team in CDL history. With the selection they earned for taking their beatings like the men they weren’t, the Brewers chose SP Bert Blyleven. Blyleven ended up being a very astute pick by GM Skutley. While Blyleven’s overall career was mediocre at best, his true value is in what he brought to the Brewers. If I am not mistaken, Blyleven was the centerpiece of the deal that brought Steve Busby to Milwaukee. The full deal was Blyleven and LF Paul Blair for SPs Steve Busby and Charlie Hough. For that alone, Blyleven might be one of, if not the best first overall pick in CDL History.
Of course, his career as a player was less than first pick overall caliber. For Milwaukee, the best he could do as a pitcher was a 16-19 season in 1971 with a 3.83 ERA. Still, he was 22 years old and filled with potential. Then, he was swapped to Atlanta, where he didn’t last the season, instead going to Houston for SP Rudy May and MR Larry Lintz, who was a decent pitcher in his own right. Blyleven may have been the key piece of the puzzle that put the 1973 Astros over the top in the playoffs and World Series. He followed that campaign with a pair of good seasons in 1974 and 1975, (19-11 with a 2.92 ERA in 1974 and 21-10 with a 2.35 ERA and an eye-popping 387 Ks in 1975) An injury in 1976 appears to have kept him out half the season and limited his effectiveness for the rest of his career. Finally, Blyleven was brought down in 1978 by a career ending injury with career totals of 103-90 W-L record, an ERA of 3.39 and 2,103 strikeouts in 1775.2 innings.
2. New York (A) – With Blyleven off the board, the Yankees had the second selection in the draft. They chose OF Ken Singleton. For his career, Singleton was a solid contributor, playing in one All-Star game and appearing in 1726 regular season games for the Yankees and Royals. His career totals are not all that impressive, a career .245 batting average, 185 Home Runs and 733 RBI, but it is unlikely that every player taken in the top five of a draft will be a star. Singleton never had the opportunity to play in the postseason, a dream that almost every player has. The one time that he changed uniforms was in 1977 when the Yankees packaged him with SPs Dock Ellis and Mike Norris for RF Pete Rose and P Cecil Upshaw. Rose and Upshaw were both excellent players that led the Yankees to their sole playoff appearance in 1978, so Singleton did have some impact in terms of pushing his organization to the playoffs. Overall, Singleton appears to be a decent selection who never reached the upper levels of his talent, a fate I assume befalls more high draft picks than any of us want to think.
3. Oakland – OF Jeff Burroughs is the first player who can fairly be considered a bust in terms of a high draft pick. He didn’t meet the minimum standard to be listed in the CDL directory of retired players. It is always a bad sign when your first round pick doesn’t amass 1,000 AB in his career. In 1972, the first year I can find records of his career, he was 21 years old and in A Ball, where he was crushing the ball. Unfortunately, he fell victim to the worst fate of all, the talent drop. His talent rating for Hitting for Batting Average was Poor. He started to regress as a hitter in 1973, having only his prodigious power to fall back on. He alternated good and average A Ball seasons until 1976, when after losing some of his power, he was promoted to AA where he put up pedestrian numbers for a 26 year old corner OF in AA. This was where Burroughs stayed until 1980. He retired following the season, never seeing the Major Leagues.
4. Philadelphia – The Phillies received an immediate boost in the 1970 draft by selecting SP Ken Forsch. Forsch is the first player in the draft still active in 1985, as he currently resides in the Free Agent pool, awaiting his retirement. Ken Forsch has won 208 games in his career, with an ERA of 3.10. He is a potential candidate for the Hall of Fame in the near future with numbers like that. As I said before, he started his career strong, going 18-9 with a 2.82 ERA in 1970, which was good enough to win the 1970 NL Rookie of the Year award. The next season, Forsch was the ace of Phillies staff as they won their only World Series. Forsch continued to be a vital cog in the Phillies staff for many years until he was traded to the Brewers in 1976 for CF Ron Leflore. Leflore never quite panned out for the Phillies, so losing Forsch hurt the Phillies. Forsch continued to be a solid pitcher for the Brewers, until he left via free agency for Pittsburgh. He last only a season and a half in the black and gold before he was shipped off to St. Louis along with SS Don Money and CL Rollie Fingers for 3B Tucker Ashford and SP George Stone. Most likely there was a draft pick or two added to this deal. Forsch has a last hurrah in 1982 going 12-10 with a 2.42 ERA. After that, Forsch had a so-so season for the Cardinals and a poor one for the Giants. Forsch might end up being the best player taken in 1970 on what he has done in his career.
5. (Tie) Chicago (N) & San Diego – The Cubs selected 2B Bobby Grich and won the World Series in 1970, while the Padres selected CF Cesar Cedeno in 1970 and have never made the playoffs. Despite this, for quite a long while it was painfully clear that Grich was a bust of a pick and Cedeno was a fine pick. Grich, for his career, has struggled to hit .200, but was named to one All-Star game in his nomadic travels throughout the CDL. He excels at defense and drawing walks, but is often too limited offensively to be a quality player on a playoff team, though he did win three World Series with Reds and one with the Cubs as a part time player. Cedeno’s career can be seen as being very similar to that of Ken Singleton’s, only with 400 more stolen bases and playing his early career in San Diego instead of New York.
I think the lesson that we should all learn from this look back, is that a high draft pick does not equal a quick fix for the drafting team. And the players taken at the top of the draft may never be stars or regulars or even reach the major leagues.
Below is a list of players who made an impact on the CDL, but were taken lower in the draft.
LF Don Baylor
RF Leroy Stanton
SP Don Gullett
SP Steve Kline
RF Elliot Maddox (Round 2)
CF Mickey Rivers
RF Greg Luzinski
CL Al Hrabosky
SS Milt Ramirez (Round 3)
C Milt May
Sometimes, the best players are taken later in the draft.
Sadly, while this is entertaining to write, I didn’t get to write anything mean or nasty, betraying the spirit of the ATR. Well, maybe you will make some deals so I can get back to writing scathing commentary.
Sunday 5/7/1985 BOSTON - Milwaukee's right-hander Steve Busby had already some highlights in his career, and today he added a historic one as he picked up his 300th career win. Busby went 7.2 innings. He allowed 0 earned runs, giving up 4 hits while striking out 2 and walking none. He has enmassed 2392 K's in 4010 career innings so far, and posts a 2.09 lifetime ERA. 'It's hard to believe that I did it. I want to thank my family, my friends and my teammates!' He has won 20 games 11 times in his career, setting a career high with 32 wins in 1974. He joins Claude Osteen (343) and Sam McDowell (325) in the 300 win club. The Hall of Fame is already waiting for this great player.
Friday 5/5/1985 BOSTON - Milwaukee's Dusty Baker showed a smile on his face after he got his 2000th career hit against Boston on Friday. Along with his 2000 hits, Dusty collected 136 homeruns and 907 RBI in 17 seasons. 'I still remember my first hit. But the one today is something special. I'll definitely keep that ball!' His hit in the 3rd inning was a single off Kevin Gross.
Thursday 5/4/1985 MILWAUKEE - Dave Winfield got a standing ovation from 53183 fans in Milwaukee, who witnessed his 2000th career hit. His best year so far was 1983 where he hit .325 with 20 homeruns and 112 RBI. 'I guess I'll celebrate a bit today. But the most important thing is winning, and my whole career I gave everything I could to help my team.' His hit in the 1st inning was a double off La marr Hoyt.
Centerfielder Oddibe McDowell of the Chicago White Sox and starting pitcher Roger Clemens of Pitssburgh Pirates were named Rookies of the Month for April in the American and National League, respectively.
McDowell, 22 years old, was the 15th player selected in the last Amateur Draft. He took the CDL by storm, hitting an incredible ,375/,431/,875 in 64 at bats. He hit 6 homeruns, collected 17 RBIs and stole 5 bases.
He easily outpaced two Mariners : starter Teddy Higuera (4-2, 3,47) and shortstop Ernest Riles (,267-1-18).
Meanwhile, Clemens had a 3-1 record in 6 starts. In 43,2 inings, he had a 2,47 ERA. He gave up 32 hits and 15 walks, while striking out 49 batters, most in the CDL. The 22 year-old righty was the second player picked in the 1984 Amateur Draft.
His teammate Jim Presley (,300-3-16) and Giants' pitcher Steve Ontiveros (1-0, 1,78, 1 save) were also considered.