A computer problem made it impossible for me to select Rookies of the Months, but now everything is working and here are the winners for the first two minths of the season.
In April, the winners are Orioles centerfielder Garry Hancock in the American League and Padres catcher Don Slaught in the NL.
Hancock, 29 years old, hit for ,358 in 67 at bats, with 9 RBIs. He had a ,371 OBP and a ,418 SLG. He was a third round pick in 1978.
Hancock finished ahead of Twins 2B Wallace Johnson (,278-0-5) and Twins starter Jeff Heathcock (1-3 4,14).
Slaught, 24 years old, hit ,301-2-12 in 83 AB. He had a ,366 OBP and a ,422 SLG. A first round pick in 1982 by the Brewers, he was traded to san Diego prior to the season.
OF Chili Davis of the Giants (,294-2-6) and Tim Raines of the Phillies (,275-1-12) were runner-up.
In May, the winners are Twins starter Andy Rincon and Phillies outfielder Tim Raines.
Rincon went 3-3 with a 4,79 ERA in May, with 14 walks and 23 strikeouts in 41,1 innings. A second-round pick of the Angels in 1980, the 24 years old pitcher was traded to the Twins in the offseason.
He finished ahead of White Sox outfielder Dave Engle (,281-2-8) and Angels reliever Bud Black (0-1 0,73).
Raines, 23 years old, hit ,315/,371/,427 in May, with one homer, 7 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. The third player selected in the 1980 draft, he was traded by the Braves to the Phillies in 1982.
Runners-up were Don Slaught of the Padres (,321-1-14) and Cards starter Randy Lerch (1-3, 3,38).
Wednesday 6/14/1983 CHICAGO (A) - It was one of baseball sadest days. Chicago A)'s right-hander Steve Mccatty fell victim to a career ending injury in a game against Milwaukee on Wednesday. He complained about pain after throwing a pitch to Mickey Rivers, then suddenly collapsed. After being examined by several specialists the diagnosis is clear: Ruptured Disc Back. This season Mccatty compiled an ERA of 5.25, going 3-4 in 14 starts. He fanned 26 while giving up 85 hits in 84 innings. His career featured a record of 44-39 with an ERA of 4.27. Baseball will certainly miss this great player.
Monday 6/12/1983 NEW YORK (A) - Detroit's leftfielder Claudell Washington once again displayed his tremendous ability to make contact with that little white ball. He tore up New York (A)'s pitching staff with a 4 hit performance on Monday. His 1st hit was a RBI double off Dennis Martinez in the 1st inning. A 335 feet drive to left field marked his 2nd hit, a GRAND SLAM off Dennis Martinez in the 2nd inning. A pitch from Dennis Martinez in the 4th inning left his bat for a RBI triple. A single
in the 6th off Roger Weaver accounted for his 4th hit. That drive completed the cycle, causing a smile on his face! Claudell scored 2 runs, and he collected 8 RBI as well! This season has been a good one for him so far, as he has 72 hits in 224 at bats, resulting in a .321 batting average. He's now the 12th player in league history to hit for the cycle! Garry Maddox was the last player to hit for the cycle, doing it 5/28/1983.
Saturday 6/3/1983 DETROIT - Mike Nagy had his best stuff going, and Chicago A) hitters were chanceless. Detroit's right-hander fired a NO-NO, his 0th shutout of the season. Nagy 4-1) struck out 1 and walked 6, throwing 53 of 107 pitches for strikes. 'Giving my team a chance to win is the most important thing for me. I was able to do it today, and it's especially nice to do it in such fashion.' Larry Hisle helped Nagy at the plate, he finished 1 for 3, homering once, and collecting 3 RBI. Detroit scored 4 runs on 8 hits.
With the amount of posts the ATR has generated in the CDL's main forum, many CDL observers are saying the addition of the ATR trade reports have been a Godsend to the veteran online league. The CDL's Press Release Forum has not been buzzing with this kind of activity since the early days of the Quiz, and though some of the posts take exception to the reports, overall the feedback has been positive.
One CDL GM, who preferred I didn't use his name, said "The reports are very entertaining, but they are also somewhat controversial." Another anonymous GM said "I take those reports with a grain of salt. It's nice to see them but I usually don't agree with the analysis."
Oakland fans have been lighting up the cities sports call in lines for weeks now, unhappy with how the ATR is depicting their 1st place club. When asked about the ATR reports, Oakland GM Chris Daley (AKA Pulse) said "I don't think he looks enough at team needs, he just takes whats on the table at face value."
Phillies GM posted in the forum that he "really enjoyed (the ATR's) write ups and analysis, but please do your homework before questioning an owners motives."
Killebrew (hey, that name rings a bell) went on at length in the forum about how the ATR was destroying his livelihood when he stated bluntly "I must raise a much more serious objection and disagreement with the ATR viewpoint." During research for this article, two GM's I spoke to thought Killebrew (er, me) actually was the ATR. Hmmm :-).
Jeff Cobb, the Yankees GM, backs the controversial ATR: "I agree with most of what was said and look forward to more, keeps the pot stirred good or bad." He continued "Plus it adds something to an already great league."
Another GM who spoke on the condition of anonymity stated: "I really have not studied the trades that closely, but it's obvious a few are not agreeing with the reports. You'll never get everyone to agree on anything though, except that they hate taxes."
Even though my personal differences with the ATR have been stated several times, even I must admit the ATR has added a very unique & positive element to the 1983 CDL season. He has been a key contribute in one of the most entertaining CDL campaigns yet - let's hope we see a lot more of the ATR in the future!
Article by Paul Groening (AKA TwinsGM/Killebrew)
The ATR has returned to give you the skinny on all the latest happenings on the trade front. Sadly, the ATR realizes that after July 31, there won’t be any trades to write about until the season ends. But until then, let us fill everyone’s heart with joy…or anger and examine some more deals.
Montreal receives OF Danny Walton and C Fran Healy
Minnesota receives Montreal’s fourth round Amateur draft choice in 1984.
Well, I guess there isn’t much of a market for girls who can play baseball. Seriously, this deal brings some much needed bench depth to the Expos. Healy is a solid catcher and you could do a lot worse than Danny Walton as a pinch hitter. Collectively, these players only fetched a fourth round pick. If anyone can name a successful fourth round pick in the CDL, please let me know.
Winner: Montreal
Oakland receives SP Larry McWilliams
Pittsburgh receives Oakland’s first and second round Amateur draft choices
So, Candelaria ($8,000,000) is sent to San Diego for Kirby ($5,000,000), then Oakland turns around and get a similar pitcher to Candelaria in McWilliams for a first round pick and a second round pick. Then, McWilliams needs to be paid $8,000,000 next season. So, rather than have Candelaria and some picks at $8,000,000 a year, the Athletics have McWilliams and Kirby for $13,000,000 next season. I just don’t get it. Yet somehow all these crazy moves are paying dividends for the Athletics. The Pirates did well if they can convert these picks into useful players…and it also moves them another step closer to the first pick overall in the 1984 and probably 1985 Amateur drafts.
Winner: Pittsburgh (Under the theory that every deal must have a winner, even those where both teams are worse off.)
Baltimore receives SP Roger Nelson and C Ellie Rodriguez
Minnesota receives Baltimore’s fourth round Amateur draft pick in 1984
Is it just me or do I only comment on two types of deals, those involving Oakland’s run at contention and Minnesota trying to dump anyone who might be a decent player in an attempt to get the first pick overall. This is one of the latter deals. Not much to say here that hasn’t already been said.
Winner: Baltimore
Houston receives MR Mike Jeffcoat
San Francisco receives OF Don Reynolds and Houston’s fourth round Amateur draft choice
If I hadn’t passed on the last deal, I would have passed on this deal. Anyway, the Astros send an older OF who could be a solid contributor off the bench to their divisional rivals for a young reliever who might be average at best. Not the kind of deal that shakes up the CDL, but still a deal that teams make to improve the minor parts of their team.
Winner: San Francisco (Could go either way, really)
Houston receives: CF George Hendrick
Milwaukee receives: CF Mike Anderson, California’s first round Amateur draft choice and Houston’s second round Amateur draft choice.
A swap of good defensive center fielders. Hendrick is older, has more power and is signed to a better contract. Anderson is a solid player, but no one considers him star material, unlike Hendrick. Still, I cannot see how Milwaukee was able to swindle away a first and second round pick from Houston to make up the difference between those two outfielders. If the Astros don’t win it all this year, this could be a wretched deal for the Astros, instead of a bad one. The Brewers are slowly working on their rebuilding and a few more deals like this and it will be a short process.
Winner: Milwaukee
Sunday 5/28/1983 SEATTLE - Garry Maddox hits 'em where they ain't. Seattle certainly agrees as Kansas City's rightfielder unloaded five hits and hitting for the cycle. A pitch from Rawly Eastwick in the 6th inning left his bat for a solo homerun, landing 432 feet from home plate in center field. His 3rd cleared the based, a three-run double off Tom Hume in the 7th inning. His 4th hit, off Daryl Patterson in the 11th inning, was a solo homerun and
cleared the fence in left field. He had a single Garry
scored 5 runs, and he collected 5 RBI as well! His 5 hit performance increases his batting average to .298. He becomes the 11th player in league history collect at least a single, double, triple and a homerun in a single game. Ron Blomberg was the last player to hit for the cycle, doing it 4/27/1983.
Friday 5/26/1983 CALIFORNIA - California's centerfielder Jim Dwyer will miss about 11 weeks after he hurt himself badly in the 1st inning of the game between California and Milwaukee. He dove for a drive off the bat of John Mayberry, and immediately signaled that he's not OK after hitting the ground. Torn Rib Cage Muscle was the diagnosis
after x-rays were taken in a near by hospital. The message shocked team mates and team officials. His season features a batting average of .301 (50 hits in 166 AB), 5 doubles, 2 triples and 8 longballs. Dwyer collected 44 RBI and 31 runs as well.
Friday 5/19/1983 BALTIMORE - Baltimore's left-hander Charlie Leibrandt will not pitch again this year, suffering a serious injury in the game against Cleveland on Friday. After being examined by several specialists the diagnosis is clear: Torn Tricep Muscle. This season Leibrandt compiled an ERA of 5.02, going 2-5 in 11 starts. He fanned 31 while giving up 65 hits in 66.1 innings.
Wednesday 6/1/1983 :
American League-Pitcher of the Month :
Bill Butler (BAL) !!
He had a record of 4-1 in 7 games started, with an ERA of 1.76 and 1 shutouts.
American League-Batter of the Month :
Harold Baines (BOS) !!
He batted .397 in 116 AB, with 10 homers and 28 RBI.
National League-Pitcher of the Month :
Mike Torrez (HOU) !!
He had a record of 5-0 in 5 games started, with an ERA of 2.21 and 2 shutouts.
National League-Batter of the Month :
Reggie Jackson (HOU) !!
He batted .333 in 99 AB, with 12 homers and 32 RBI.
The Atlanta Braves aren't exactly the class of the National League... this year. But things are looking brighter at Fulton County Stadium than they have in years.
So how does an early 13-23 record, finishing last in their division four of the last six years, and not sporting a winning record since 1976 generate optimism? "I guess you could say that all of those years with bad records have led to some pretty good draft picks," said Braves GM Michael Senn. "We have as strong a crop of good young players as any team in this league has ever had."
Now the key is for those youngsters to produce. One who already has is Kirk Gibson. The 25 year old outfielder is sporting a .314 batting average, while hitting 11 homeruns, driving in 28 runs, and stealing 10 bases in his first 36 games. Last year, Gibson joined the 30/30 club, stealing 40 bases and mashing 30 taters. In his sophomore season, Gibson finished 3rd in the NL MVP voting. He is the cornerstone of the Braves future.
Also playing on the big club and expected to produce big numbers is second baseman Jerry Manuel. To this point, the highly touted Manuel has not lived up to his billing as a power hitting infielder, hitting 7 homeruns in each of his first two seasons.
The pitching staff for the Braves is full of fine young starters, headlined by new acquisition Dave Stewart. Stewart has outstanding control and just doesn't seem to give up many hits. His Achillies Heel to this point has been to give up the long ball, which is not a good thing in the batter friendly Launching Pad. He'll have to work on keeping the ball in the park to become a true dominator.
Storm Davis is another pitcher expected find a place near the top of the Braves rotation. Only 21, the youngster showed some composure last year, notching 5 wins for a pretty horrible Braves squad.
New to the staff this year is true rookie Jose Deleon, Atlanta's first round draft pick in this winter's draft. "He had a good spring, and when Dave [Stewart] got hurt, we felt that Jose could move into the rotation with ease," said Senn.
Braves management has been criticized of late for giving up ace Dennis Martinez to the New York Yankees in an offseason trade. As most will remember, Martinez and Stewart came to the Braves in a blockbuster trade last year that sent promising rookie Tim Raines to the Philadelphia Phillies. As Senn explains, the move resulted in the aquisition of the top 3B prospect in the league (Brook Jacoby) and helped out a struggling team financially. Martinez' 8 million dollar annual salary coupled with the 7 million price tag of Stewart was just too much for the small market team.
Joining Jacoby in AAA ball are a trio of top prospects: Vance Law, Kent Hrbek, and Gino Petralli. Law can play any infield position and has some good pop in his bat. Insiders say that he is in line to take over second base for the Braves if Manuel continues his slow production. Hrbek is a rare commodity-- a first baseman who can hit for average and power. Through 36 games in AAA, he is hitting .411. Petralli is one of the top catching prospects in the league, and looks to vastly improve the Braves behind the plate when his is ready to make the jump from AAA. All four players are progressing nicely in AAA, and should make the move to the big leagues by the end of the season. They will all certainly be in the Braves' opening day lineup next year.
The Braves lineup next year could sport 8 starters all under the age of 28. Shortstop Garry Templeton would be the old man of the group, at 28. Aside from Gibson, the Braves outfield will include Jeffrey Leonard and Lonnie Smith, both solid outfielders who just signed 5 year contracts with Atlanta.
So, don't expect big things from the Braves this year. .500 would be an accomplishment for the team Atlanta currently fields. But, you heard it hear first folks-- come to the ballpark for some exciting ball in 1984, and go ahead and reserve your season tickets for 1985.
The ATR never sleeps when there are deals to be evaluated. Volume 5 promises to bring the same hard hitting action it always does, but first I should issue a statement about Volume 4. I was accused of poor fact-gathering, which is most likely true. The deal between Philadelphia and Minnesota is perhaps even worse for the Phillies, since they are sacrificing draft picks, which allow you to develop, young, cheap talent, for an older player that Philadelphia lacked the money to pay for. Anyway, on to the show.
Philadelphia receives 2B Jorge Orta
Minnesota receives Philadelphia’s first round Amateur draft choice
Talentwise, this is a fair exchange. Orta, while 33, is still one of the best second basemen in the CDL, despite only average glove work. To get a player of this talent, a first round draft choice is a fair price. The Twins made out well on this deal, since unless Philadelphia puts it all together next season, this could be a fine draft choice. The question is should a team coming off a 100 loss season expect that adding two good players to their lineup is going to be the magic cure. If Johnson and Orta both have excellent seasons, they are probably worth 12 to 15 wins. That would put the Phillies between 73 and 76 wins this season. I think hoarding draft picks and adding a few more young guys to the lineup could have built the Phillies a long lasting dynasty…but that is something we shall never know.
Winner: Minnesota
Boston receives LF Ralph Garr
Minnesota receives MR Phil Hennigan, Boston’s third round Amateur draft choice in 1984 and fourth round Amateur draft choices in 1984 and 1985.
I like this deal for Boston. There is a point in the draft where the returns diminish so much, you are just cluttering your minor league system. Stockpiling picks like these won’t help the Twins much in their rebuilding. On the other hand, dumping Garr allows the Twins more salary cap flexibility and a greater chance at a high draft choice, since almost none of the current Twins are capable of contributing on offense (mourn for Billy North) Boston is a team that is moving to the ready to compete phase after a long rebuilding, so adding a veteran like Garr to push them over the top in the AL East is the kind of move that a team on the rise is expected to make. And luckily for Boston, the price was certainly right.
Winner: Boston
Cleveland receives LF Gene Richards and San Francisco’s second round Amateur draft choice in 1984
San Francisco receives Cleveland’s first round Amateur draft choice in 1985
This is one of the better deals inspired by Wild Card Fever. Wild Card Fever has gripped the CDL, giving teams that never thought they could compete without the potential of 100 win season, reason to think they could sneak into the playoffs where anything can happen. Richards has an acceptable bat for an outfielder if he hits at least .280, something he can do, but it not guaranteed to do. He’s fast and has average defense. On a good offensive AL team, he is an ideal 9th place hitter. The Indians have a real chance at contending, since no one has established themselves as the true team to beat in the AL so far and if Richards and Hill hit like they should, the Indians could surprise and win the AL East. The Giants get a first round draft choice, but give up a second. A solid exchange for them, but they seem to be a contender one day and a rebuilding club the next. This could come back to haunt them in the future.
Winner: Cleveland
San Diego receives SP John Candelaria
Oakland receives SP Clay Kirby
The right place at the right time can get you some really nice things in life…like John Candelaria. Kirby is an average starter with a big contract. Candelaria is an underachiever with an even bigger contract. I think the Candyman is one of the two pitchers most likely to have a season much better than his last couple. He moves to the National League to a team that should be better than most of the teams he has ever toiled on (Oakland has not been a great place to pitch for anyone these last couple of years.) and to a park that is friendlier to pitchers. While Candelaria the pitcher is the same man, the factors around him will make him look much better. Still, Oakland had to clear some salary and they could have done worse than Clay Kirby.
Winner: San Diego
Cleveland receives C Marc Hill
Pittsburgh receives C John Harrell, MR Bob Reed, Cleveland’s first round Amateur draft choice in 1984 and San Francisco’s first round Amateur draft choice in 1984
The Indians appear to be going for it this season. Hill was a pricey addition, but he is one of the premier catchers in the CDL. If Hill holds his value over the next few years, this deal will look good for the Indians. From Pittsburgh’s perspective this deal was a little puzzling. Hill is only 31 and would most likely be the starting catcher for the next good Pirates’ team. On the other hand, acquiring Tim Laudner made Hill expendable and they did receive two quality prospects for him. Harrell, an original Indian was a throw-in so the Pirates would have a warm body to catch this season and Reed is just some deadweight salary that goes away after this season, but by moving him, it helps the Indians stay in the black this season. A deal that should be fruitful for both teams.
Winner: Pittsburgh
ATR takes a week off, but the trades never do. With the season a month old and parity having descended upon the CDL, let’s examine some of the trades that have made this possible.
California receives 2B Paul Molitor.
Minnesota receives CF Omar Moreno, SP Andy Rincon and California’s first round Amateur draft choice in 1983.
The Minnesota Fire Sale continues. It is odd for a team in a fire sale to trade away a 26 year old middle infielder, but if you can get the kind of package that Minnesota did, it is probably worth. The first round draft choice was converted into Spike Owen, a shortstop with doubles power and a willingness to take a walk. He was probably the best shortstop in the last draft, despite being selected 13 places below Tony Fernandez. Rincon looks like he should be a solid number 2 or number 3 starter in the future, despite some less than spectacular early returns. Omar Moreno has speed and a decent bat, but is stretched defensively in Centerfield and offensively in one of the Outfield corners. A solid fourth outfielder with a big contract, but not really a major part of the deal. Paul Molitor looks like he has the ability to be one of the best middle infielders in the league, but has only put together one good season so far and 1983 does not appear that it will be two. Still, while the Twins get the better end of the deal, these are the type of deals that contenders need to make, where they convert a large quantity of talent that isn’t at useful positions into a player or two that fills an immediate hole.
Winner: Minnesota
Philadelphia receives MR Larry Burchart
Minnesota receives San Francisco’s second round Amateur draft choice in 1983
This is the kind of deal that the Twins could not lose. Burchart never played for the Twins, but signed a free agent contract in the offseason. Then, before the season started, the Twins converted Burchart into a second round Amateur draft choice. The Phillies received a good player for their pick, but would not it had been easier and more beneficial to sign Burchart out of the Free Agent pool themselves. (As an aside, Burchart has been one of the few bright spots on the Phillies this season.) Nonetheless, moves like this from the Twins will make them an even more formidable contender once they resurface from their rebuilding.
Winner: Minnesota
Houston receives LF Rick Monday
Minnesota receives Houston’s third and fourth round Amateur draft choices in 1983
Monday is a fine outfielder, but is 37 and lefthanders eat him alive. Still, it seems likely that the Twins could have gotten more value for him than two draft picks at the bottom of the draft. Monday, if used properly by the Astros, could be a key cog in their offense this season…though, considering the goals of the Twins this season, do they need a 37 year old outfielder to try and lead them to victory. (Though, at this point, the AL Central is wide open as the favorite Brewers have had a surprising early season collapse/fire sale (to be detailed in ATR Volume 7).
Winner: Houston
San Diego receives SP Doug Rau
Pittsburgh receives C Tim Laudner and San Diego’s third round Amateur draft choice in 1984
Doug Rau is a league average starter, maybe a little bit below. He’s had some good seasons, but seems to be as good a bet to turn into a pumpkin as he is to keep the magic going. Tim Laudner is a talented young catcher, but another casualty of the Don Slaught deal with Milwaukee. The question is, if you have 40th best prospect in the CDL to be the catcher of your future, why do you trade for Don Slaught, the 61st rated prospect in CDL, then trade away Laudner. To think this entire situation could have been avoided if John Ellis was willing to resign with the Padres. (And does John Ellis really think that there will be a big market for him this offseason…I don’t think so either.)
Winner: Pittsburgh
Oakland receives CL Gary Nolan
Minnesota receives Oakland’s second round Amateur draft choice in 1984 and third round Amateur draft choice in 1983.
See Philadelphia/Minnesota above. Nolan goes from being an above average starting pitcher to an average closer. The reasoning for this is that there are not that many great starting pitchers, but there are a good number of great closers in the league, so what makes someone a good starting pitcher does not necessarily make them a good closer. Still, Nolan has some severe endurance problems and placing him in high leverage relief might be a better spot for him, though I think there would be great temptation to get 5 innings every five days out of him, if I were his manager.
Winner: Minnesota (More free talent, though to be honest, I would rather have Nolan than the picks)