While the American League has a very weak rookie class, and no one had a really good month in July, the National league had 4 good candidates for the Rookie of the Month award.
For the Mariners' Teddy Higuera, the title of Rookie of the Month in July is his first good news in the last couple of days, as he is now on the DL with a Ruptured Back Disk, which should sideline him for the remainder of the season.
Higuera, 26, was having his best month, with a 3-1 record and a 2,93 ERA. In 30,2 innings, he gave up 22 hits and 13 walks, against 27 strikeouts. The fourth player selected in the last Amateur Draft ends his season with a 9-9 record and a 3,35 ERA in 161 innings.
Baltimore Oriole Roger McDowell (1-2, 1,54) and Toronto Blue Jay Charlie Kerfeld (1-0, 1 save, 3,44) were also considered.
In the National League, Chicago Cubs' reliever Brian Fischer was named Rookie of the Month after helping his team build a good lead in the NL Central with 26 amazing innings. He gave up only 12 hits and 9 walks, while fanning 19 batters for a 1,73 ERA.
A first round pick in the last Amateur Draft (17th overall), Fischer is 8-3 for the season with a 2,87 ERA in 91 innings.
Fischer's teammate Terry Pendleton (,297-3-20) and the Pirates' Roger Clemens (4-1, 3,38) and Jim Presley (,308-6-18) also had strong months.
With a now healthy lead over the Astros, the Giants look to return to the playoffs. At mid season, it would appear it is the pitching staff that needs to take most of the credit. The good Giants teams of the 70's featured a solid hitting lineup lead by Cecil Cooper, George Brett and Joe Lahoud. The 80's version of the Giants features the big 3 starters, Lary Sorenson, John Fulgham and Joe Price. All three were selected to the all star team. Here's where the players rate midway through the season...
Pitchers:
Lary Sorenson..brought to San Fran from Montreal in the off season, he has gone 17-1 with a 2.43 era. GRADE A+
Joe Price...a first round pick of the Giants in 1980 (25th overall), Joe is having his best year GRADE A+
John Fulgham..came to San Fran from Oakland in the big George Brett deal, he's been relocated to the third spot in the rotation due to a high era ..............GRADE B+
Ray Burris..a free agent pick up..fairing as well as expected in the fourth starter spot..........GRADE C
Al Hrabosky..long time Giant is back in the closer position after starting throughout much of last year...GRADE A
Steve Ontiveros..first round pick last year (16th overall) has been everything expected and more GRADE A+
Manny Sarmiento..long time Giant (originally a Brewer) having another solid year as the back bone of the bullpen..
GRADE A
Gary Lucas...a drop in talent has slowed this veteran but still having a good year .....................GRADE B
Juan Agosto..came over from the Twins last year and managed to hold down a position in the pen............GRADE C
Jeff Twitty..another ex 'A, Jeff is having an average year again........... GRADE B-
Every Day Players:
Catcher, John Moore (.233/0/40)been a big disappointment
GRADE C
1B, Pedro Guerrero (.307/14/54)after a slow start, was just picking up the pace when he went down with a 8 week injury..He should be back for the playoffs....GRADE A
2b Tim Flannery..(.273/3/43)a Giants draft pick has yet to show the promise his ratings suggest.. GRADE B
3b Bill Madlock..(.294/16/74) former 'A is having a great year at third.................................GRADE A
ss Tony Fernandez..(.265/2/51/20 steals)sophomore season for the former Astro first round (6th overall) pick. Only 23, he is showing lots of promise ............GRADE B+
of Ron Leflore..(.276/0/18 with 37 steals)..At 37, Ron is perhaps in his last year at the lead off spot. He has dropped off a bit from last year but still can do the job... GRADE B
of Chili Davis..(.278/10/49)A talent drop seems to have helped Chili, putting up his best numbers to date..GRADE B
of Jim Rice..(.327/19/70)..Veteran Rice is having a career year along with Madlock (both in all star game...GRADE A+
Thats this years Giants...
Cubs GM Chris Hansen was a busy man as the trade deadline came to pass, striking two deals which will solidify the Cubs pitching staff for the post season as well as next season.
The first deal Hansen made was with the New York Yankees as the Cubs send their 2nd round pick in the upcomming draft for SP La Marr Hoyt. Hoyt is a solid SP who will look to be the #5 starter as well as spending time in the Cubs pen. He has had a disapointing season (2-8 6.07 era) but on the right team could prove to be a solid aquisition. Hoyt is signed through 1986 at a reasonable $2 mil per season.
The second deal sees the Cubs bring in 31 year old SP John Tudor from division rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals. For Tudor, the Cubs gave up life long Cub (and first person to pitch a perfect game in CDL history), SP Jim Barr, the 25 year old SP Oil Can Boyd, and the Cubs #1 pick in the upcoming draft. Barr has been virtually ineffective the past two seasons, and has one more season left on a $10.5 million dollar contract, so the Cubs not only got a solid #1 starter, but freed themselves of the much overpaid Barr.
"It was a bit difficult to give up Barr, since he's been with the team through thick 'n thin," said GM Chris Hansen. "But we're really looking forward to having Tudor here to make this run the last few weeks of the season."
The Cubs currently lead the NL Central by 8 1/2 games over the Reds and have the second best record in baseball. The deal should solidify and legitmize their pitching staff, which up to this point, has been the one glaring weakness of the team. Hitting, on the other hand, has been brilliant for the Cubs, who sent five players to the All Star game in July, including C Gary Carter, 1B Cecil Cooper, 2B Julio Cruz, SS Alan Trammell, and RF Dale Murphy. Things may be a bit more difficult as the team has lost Cruz for the next 5 weeks due to a fractured knee, but don't count the Cubs out. The Windy City faithful expect alot from this team.
With the Giants in complete control of the National League the Reds are struggling. The wild card race could be close, as Houston has won 1 less game than the Reds have. The Giants destroyed the Reds this year winning 10 of their 14 games. Fortunatly the Reds have no more games with the Giants. The Reds still have good depth, which should make a difference in August and September. The Reds have constantly had a starting pitcher on the disabled list. Injuries may finally catch up with some other teams.
The Reds picked up SP Orel Hershisier from the Giants
for their 1st & 2nd round rookies picks.
SP Jerry Reuss, the ace for many years, has not been
offered an extension. 3B Hebner will also be released.
LF Rich Chiles finally got an extension offer. His
fielding has declined this year and he will need to
work on that in spring training.
The Reds will be going into free agency with salaries
under 45 million. They expect to make some serious offers.
The owner normally spends over 65 million on salaries.
(Pittsburgh, Pa) Late last night, after the Cards lost another game, their 67th lost of the season, outfielder Dwight Evans and reliever Juan Berenguer were seen shaking hands with their teammates. They had learn that they had just been traded to the California Angels. That they were finally out of an organization that hasn't won more than 50% of their game in a season since 1975. That they were heading to a team leading its division.
Well, about half-an-hour later, they learned that they were staying in St. Louis, as the deal was made after the trade deadline. The proposed deal would have sent Berenguer and Evans to the Angels for young reliever Jeff Dedmon and the Angels' first pick in the 1986 Amateur Draft.
"Well, it's all my fault", said Cards' GM Christian Trudeau, "I was very busy in the final week leading to the trade deadline, and the final day was a nightmare, with most of day spent finalizing the deal that sent John Tudor to the Cubs. When that was over, we thought we had the time to finish that deal, but unfortunately, it took us too much time. I don't blame the league, there's a rule and we didn't respect it, end of story. It's just too bad because it was a deal we liked a lot, giving those veterans a chance to shine in the postseason spotlight, will giving us some more prospects."
It was also unfortunate that the team add the time to announce to Evans and Berenguer that they were traded before the deal was cancelled. Both seemed a bit troubled by the experience.
Evans, 33, already had playoff experience, with a Series title with the Cubs in 1978. He was traded to St. Louis in 1980 and since Pedro Guerrero left last year, he had to carry the Cards offense on his shoulders. "It's been a weird couple of hours" said Evans. "I like it here, the situation on the field isn't great, but I like the city. It would have been fun to help a team reach the playoffs, but hey, I'll continue to help the kids develop in here."
Berenguer, 30, has been a Cardinal ever since he was drafted in 1978. "I am a bit puzzled by all this. It's not fun to know that your boss is stuck with you, that he wanted to get rid of you, but couldn't. Trudeau came to talk to me, explaining that I'm still part of the plans here. Well, we'll see."
While those two guys were affected directly, the trade also had an effect on top prospect Jose Canseco. Just after dealing Evans to California, Trudeau phoned in Louisville to call up Canseco. He's hitting ,309 with 26 homeruns in AAA, and would have replaced Evans in rightfield. It will have to wait, as Evans is here to stay. Canseco was informed he was staying in AAA a bit too late, as he missed the team bus that had just left for the road trip. He was disappointed to stay in the minors, but the team wanted to take its time with Canseco, letting him get som more experience. He'll have to wait only one more month, as in September he'll join the Cards.
Tuesday 7/11/1985 :
These players were selected for the AL OOTP-Allstar Team :
P Bob Welch from Seattle
P Tony Brizzolara from California
P Don Robinson from California
P Paul Hartzell from Minnesota
P Bill Butler from Cleveland
P Larry Christenson from Oakland
P Ross Baumgarten from Boston
P Mark Huismann from Minnesota
P Bill Campbell from Boston
P Steve Howe from Oakland
C Johnny Bench from Seattle
C Ozzie Virgil from Boston
1B Eddie Murray from Seattle
2B Rick Burleson from Oakland
3B Tim Wallach from Boston
SS Milt Ramirez from Milwaukee
LF Joe Carter from Seattle
CF Dave Parker from Cleveland
RF Harold Baines from Boston
1B Thad Bosley from Minnesota
DH Jerry Hairston from Oakland
RF Claudell Washington from Detroit
CF Otto Velez from New York (A)
3B Mike Schmidt from New York (A)
SS Domingo Ramos from Boston
These players were selected for the NL OOTP-Allstar Team :
P Lary Sorensen from San Francisco
P Jim Wright from Houston
P Joe Price from San Francisco
P John Fulgham from San Francisco
P Bart Johnson from Philadelphia
P Doyle Alexander from Houston
P Craig Swan from Cincinnati
P Steve Ontiveros from San Francisco
P Jeff Reardon from New York (N)
P Dan Quisenberry from Pittsburgh
C Gary Carter from Chicago (N)
C Don Slaught from San Diego
1B Cecil Cooper from Chicago (N)
2B Julio Cruz from Chicago (N)
3B Bill Madlock from San Francisco
SS Alan Trammell from Chicago (N)
LF Kirk Gibson from Atlanta
CF Oscar Gamble from New York (N)
RF Tony Gwynn from Pittsburgh
1B Andy Thornton from Los Angeles
RF Dale Murphy from Chicago (N)
CF Jim Rice from San Francisco
RF Mickey Hatcher from Houston
SS Garry Templeton from Atlanta
3B John Castino from San Diego
Now we move into the true elite of the league, the six teams that have always been there, the forces of the league's past ten years, the teams that have strong owners, great fans, winning traditions, and that are currently fielding winning teams.
6. Houston
Bang for the Buck: 12 - Fan Interest: 8 - Ownership: 2 - Postseason: 7 - Current Team: 6
Leading off the best of the best is the first commissioner-owned team on our survey, Brian Marshall's always-competitive though often-snakebitten Houston Astros franchise. The Astros, like quite a few of the top franchises, win a lot of games but do it spending plenty of cash. The Houston faithful come in droves to the Astrodome, nearing forty five grand per contest for the nth year in a row. Brian Marshall is the CDL's co-commissioner and even before that was the NL President and a regular owner, but always one of the league's most active in participation both on the boards and in the league. The 1973 World Championship won by his on-base machine remains the pinnacle of Astros success, though the 1972 "Damn Osteen" team might have been the better one. Although Brian blames the Twins for his club's most agonizing moment, it may be the Giants who are at fault when it comes to explaining the record 7 second-place finishes by the 'Stros... the current club looks to make that eight.
5. Cincinnati
Bang for the Buck: 8 - Fan Interest: 3 - Ownership: 10 - Postseason: 3 - Current Team: 8
The league's "in" team right now, is the Cincinnati Reds, due to their recent success after years and years of what could be called failure. Now, they are winning plenty of games and spending their money in the best way to win them, and they aren't looking at a significant payroll hike for 1986 unless they go after a marquee free agent. The fans in Cincy love the Reds, and as of right now they have to be the National League's best fans. Owner Bob Miller is a CDL legend when it comes to winning in October, but his teams never caught fire until the 80's (and catch fire they did), and he is not the best of owners in terms of non-OOTP participation. The Reds, of course, have won three out of the last four World Serieses, helping out the NL's 8-2 record in the last ten seasons. This year's team looks primed to catch the Cubs or the Astros soon, but is of course currently half a game out of the playoff picture.
4. Baltimore
Bang for the Buck: 4 - Fan Interest: 4 - Ownership: 9 - Postseason: 5 - Current Team: 9
Last up for today is one of two teams that posted great numbers across the board, coming in the top ten in all five ranked categories, the Baltimore Orioles. Last year's team brought home 95 victories (incl. postseason) for less than fifty million dollars, and this year's payroll remains the same, though the results may be slightly worse. The O's are one of two teams with a perfect 100 in fan interest, but their 5% attendance drop this year knocked them down a few notches there. Steve Brisbois is a class act in the front office and the only AL GM to win a world series in the past ten years. This team has the best postseason record of any American league team East, West, North, or South of Minneapolis, once again being the only team to win (out of four that have tried) a championship this decade. This year's team has an uphill struggle in the second half, with AL champ Boston playing their best baseball and four other formidable Wild Card contenders.
That's all for today, three more teams knocked off their perches, with the Cubbies, the Giants, and the beertowners left in the game... a lot of people picked the Reds and O's to go fairly far, but they're gone. Any beef, lemme have it.
In what was one of the weakest month for rookie productions in the two and a half seasons in which those awards were given, Orioles' reliever Roger McDowell and Pirates' starter Roger Clemens came on top.
The rookie class in the American League had a terrible month, which almost has to be the case when a middle reliever has the best month. That said, Roger McDowell had an incredible month : a 1,57 ERA in 23 innings, two wins, only 14 hits and 4 walks allowed, while striking out 12 batters.
McDowell, 24, was the 23rd player selected in the last Amateur Draft. He has a 3-2 record and a 2,20 ERA in 32,3 innings this season. A ruptured elbow ligament kept him out of action for most of April and May.
Teddy Higuera (Seattle) had a decent month (1-4, 3,60), just like Oddibe McDowell (Chicago) ,303-2-11 in limited action.
In the National league, Roger Clemens won his second ROM award in the three months. While his 2-3 record doesn't look good, the rest of his numbers are amazing. In 50 innings, he had a 2,70 ERA, and gave up only 9 walks, versus 50 strikeouts.
For the season, he is 8-6 with a 2,55 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 130,1 innings. He's leading the CDL in strikeouts. However, he only has a slim chance of breaking the NL rookie strikeout record of 292 set by Burt Hooton in 1971.
Others receiving considerations : Atlanta's Tim Burke (1-1, 2,45, 5 saves) and Chicago's Brian Fisher (2-0, 1,82).
The bottom four teams left are some of the premier franchises on the market. They are definitely clubs representative of the best the league has to offer, and in a few cases I wish I had a more objective formula than this one to actually rank the teams, but it would be too much research to work without hard numbers. These next ten franchises all finished far and away better than the next best franchises, so perhaps ten is the ideal cutoff for the league's elite.
10. Pittsburgh
Bang for the Buck: 1 - Fan Interest: 19 - Ownership: 3 - Postseason: 10 - Current Team: 17
And we start off our discussion with the "elite" franchise that has by far the worst team this year -- had the rankings happened in another year, perhaps the Bucs would rank more towards where Chuck Groening has them. With the lowest payroll in baseball and a near .500 team, the Pirates have spent their cash wiser than any other, but will of course need to hike that salary pretty soon to remain competitive. The fans noticed the GM's attempt to dump all good players a few years ago, and their trust in the club has not fully recovered. Sam Stauder is the National League President, and he has done more for this league (redesigns, form hosting, etc.) than any other non-commissioner ever has. Pittsburgh trails only the Groenings in division titles won, but they have never won the big one (as both brothers have done twice) -- remember the Quiz, Game 7. This year's version is in transition, and the Pirates will soon be a very good team.
9. Minnesota
Bang for the Buck: 19 - Fan Interest: 12 - Ownership: 7 - Postseason: 2 - Current Team: 7
No! It can't be, it just can't be, but it is. The Minnesota Twins, the fabled Minnesota Twins, come in NINTH in the ultimate standings. This is not a knock on Paul or the family, but it's the way the cookie crumbles. The Twinkie management has not wisely managed their payroll the last few seasons, spending at capacity and not winning as they should (so much for market disparity). The fans recognize that the level of play in the great white north has dropped significantly, and titletown's faithful have stopped coming in large numbers to the park. Paul Groening, of course, is one of the legendary original owners and was very good for most of his tenure at writing up season previews and following Claude Osteen's career for us. The Twins have had more postseason success than any American League team--their 9 division titles and 6 pennants are league bests. This year's Twins team is on the rebound and will compete for the postseason with the Brewers.
8. Boston
Bang for the Buck: 9 - Fan Interest: 9 - Ownership: 7 - Postseason: 11 - Current Team: 3
The Crimson Hose, in a shocker, top the Twins -- I certainly didn't see this one coming, but a strong showing in each category led them to the top ten. The money has been distributed to the right people, and this year's Boston club may turn out to be the class of the American League. The Fenway Faithful are an excellent fanbase, and pack 40,000 into the stadium every year. Bill Heckel is one of the most reliable owners in the CDL and posts quite frequently for a CDLer on the message board. Much like the Pirates, Boston has three division championships and two pennants, but no World Series flags to show for their toils. This season, the team may finally get over the hump if they reach a beatable National League team in the championship.
7. California Angels
Bang for the Buck: 5 - Fan Interest: 1 - Ownership: 16 - Postseason: 17 - Current Team: 2
This up-and-coming team shows exactly the flaw in these rankings, the fact that a good showing for three months this year can vault them up from what would have been around 13 or 14, maybe as high as 10, but likely not. This year's team has made its fantastic run on a $55M payroll, down over 10% from last year and winning at an outstanding clip. The fans have definitely responded now that a winning team has been placed in Southern California -- attendance is up a resounding 20%, second best increase CDL-wide, to a league-high 54,409 per game as of this writing, so as of the moment, these truly are the league's most interested fans. The ownership is relatively new, but the van Dillen group has put together a damn solid team out of a franchise that had its only playoff appearance in 1980.
OK, breaking it up a little more because I think that the top three teams really are a step above the rest as of right now. Tomorrow are the next three, and three out of the sextet of Bob, Brian, Chris, Chuck, Matt and Steve will remain for the finals (which I'm thinking of putting off until Friday). It's anybody's guess!
Messersmith was one of the great pitchers during the early days of the Cdl. We were looking for more help in the starting rotation along side the Juan Marichal in the early 70's when Andy was allowed to become a free agent. He became my first big name free agent. As I recall, I believe it was a 9.75 mill contract for seven years(1971). While Messersmith was a great pitcher,he was also injury prone. In his first year with the Giants, he went 22-9 with a 2.08 era. The following 2 years, however, he endured season ending injuries. In 1974, he went 23-10 with a 2.78 era for the Giants again. In 1975, he was traded to the Brewers. I recall that the deal also included future star Milt Rameriz, at that time a minor league prospect. Coming to the Giants were steady reliever Gary Neibauer, starter Steve Stone (now back with the Giants) and playoff hero Tim Foli. This was perhaps the worst trade in Giants history..Within the same year, the Brewers shipped Andy to California.
Messersmith still holds the Giants team records for strike outs per game (16 on 6/18/1973) and strike outs in a season with 381 in 1974
Good luck to Andy, one of the CDL greats...
Chuck Groening
The Los Angeles Dodgers announce the unconditional release of Andy Messersmith. Andy was released to open the roster spot to activate Matt Young from the DL.
Andy was struggling this year, but had a wonderful career. Andy's career record was 190-158, with an ERA of 3.42. In 1978, Andy claimed a free agent contract from Cleveland for over 12 million dollars. He pitched for California, then Toronto, then Cleveland, and finished up with the Dodgers.
Total ERA : 3.42
Total Wins : 190
Total Losses: 158
Total Saves : 9
Total SHO : 14
Total CG : 40
Total K's : 3200
Total BB's : 1350
PLAYER HISTORY Traded from California to Toronto on 1/31/1977... Signed as a free agent by Cleveland on 2/7/1978 to a 4-year deal worth $12,100,000 per year... Won Pitcher of the Month award on 5/1/1979, going 6-0, 3.11... Signed as a free agent by Los Angeles on 2/3/1982 to a 2-year deal worth $4,500,000 per year... Injured on 4/18/1985 with a Spasms Back, out for 3-4 weeks...
15. Chicago White Sox
Bang for the Buck: 3 - Fan Interest: 17 - Ownership: 21 - Postseason: 14 - Current Team: 18
The south side of Chicago (that's the White Sox, right? I'm not up on my Illinois geography...) needs a shakeup and they need it bad, as the team hasn't been much of anything since Fritz Peterson's prime. After dipping the payroll to around forty million and staying out of last place, the Pale Hose have the honor of being one of the best spending teams in the league. It is clear by the lackluster fan support at Comiskey (if it wasn't from the standings) who the real team is in Chicago. Kyle Packard, of course, is an original owner in the CDL, but he is rarely active on the message boards and within the news system, although I'm not sure why I ranked him this low... probably should have been higher. Back in the Peterson era, the AL team in the Windy City went to a couple of World Series matchups, but failed to win either of them. As of right now, the White Sox are in a rebuilding phase.
14. Detroit Tigers
Bang for the Buck: 16 - Fan Interest: 11 - Ownership: 19 - Postseason: 13 - Current Team: 11
This Tigers team is a solid franchise that just missed out on being in the top half of the entire league. They cut payroll drastically in 1985, going down 14%, one of the wider margins in the league. The Tigers faithful fill Tiger stadium when there is a winning product on the field, but the slight decline in talent from last year has lead to a concurrent decline in attendance: not deadly, but down. Manuel Martinez is a solid GM who has been around the league for a while and fielded a few decent teams. Detroit's postseason success mirrors that of the White Sox, as they have been to, but never won, the World Series. Last year's Tigers team posted ninety wins, but with the revitalized Minnesota team in their division, the 1985 club may be hard pressed to do the same.
13. Oakland Athletics
Bang for the Buck: 13 - Fan Interest: 13 - Ownership: 10 - Postseason: 20 - Current Team: 13
Had these standings been compiled back when Daryl Woodford was in charge, the A's might not rank as a first-division team. Though the payroll remained about the same relative to the league average drop, the Athletics' winning percentage has taken a similar dive. Probably hoping to see a repeat of last year, the Oakland faithful have been coming in at over 40,000 per game, up 5% from last year. "Pulse" is a great team builder and an active participant, only hurt in these rankings by a lack of seniority. Oakland just made their first postseason last year under the new management, but may continue to make the playoffs for a long, long time... no matter what the ATR says. This squad was in the doldrums for a while this season, but seems to have hopped back up onto its feet.
12. Philadelphia
Bang for the Buck: 10 - Fan Interest: 15 - Ownership: 25 - Postseason: 9 - Current Team: 12
Astute CDL fans had to be wondering when they were going to be seeing the Philadelphia Phillies, because for such a long time, they were Dick Allen and nothing else. But now, new ownership has spent what cash they have spent well (dipping in payroll by a good 20% yet still looking for a substantial win increase). The fans are finally coming back, and despite how much they are loathed by the rest of the country, and whether or not they like the Phillies, they do come out in support, as attendance is up a league-high 22% to 24,000--still not a lot, but a start. The Phillies have a new owner, and he seems to be doing the right job with this bunch. This ranking is helped out a lot by the 1971 championship banner the Phillies put up in their only trip to the postseason--ever. This year's bunch is above average, but also in what is widely regarded to be the league's easiest division.
11. New York Mets
Bang for the Buck: 7 - Fan Interest: 6 - Ownership: 20 - Postseason: 19 - Current Team: 14
Contrary to real life, in the CDL it is the Mets who are the apple of the Big Apple's eye. Once again contrary to real life, the Mets have invested a relatively high payroll (about $60M, up 10% from 1984) very well, nabbing three wins for each two million they spend, about twice as good as our friends in Kansas City. The fans in New York absolutely love the team, and they come out in droves to the tune of 50,000 per game. Les Dagen isn't so much new as he is inactive (although I'm sure he sends in his lineups, I also know that every single one of you does that on a regular basis). There was a twelve year drought from 1972 to 1984 (by the way Matt, fix that owner page) in postseason performances. The 1985 club is coming off of a division title and should be able to repeat.
That's it for today. Hope you enjoyed reading it, don't be afraid to comment (I want to see someone try to guess the top 5 or 10!), and see you tomorrow.
While others are attempting to make the owners of the CDL squirm by order them like files in a cabinet, the Original Poison Pen of the CDL is back in action, ready to review your trades with a scrutiny stricter than anything you could imagine. Well, enough introductions, on with the Show!
Houston receives SP Doyle Alexander and MR Bill Swaggerty
Oakland receives C Jeff Reed and Houston’s first round Amateur draft choice in 1985.
Doyle Alexander gets shipped back to Houston again and returns to his ace form. Obviously, the Astros’ management knew something no one else did, but what did he see. Swaggerty has also provided competent relief for the Astros this year, which is a lot more than he ever did for the Athletics. In exchange for these two arms, the Athletics received Jeff Reed, who appears to be an average catching prospect, but nothing to write home about and a late first round Amateur draft choice, which was converted into CF John Cangelosi. Cangelosi is the only thing that makes this deal even reasonable for Oakland, since with his speed and ability to get on base, he could be a fine leadoff hitter someday.
Winner: Houston
Los Angeles receives 3B Eric Soderholm
Milwaukee receives Los Angeles’s first round Amateur draft choice in 1985
Well, I wish I could convert an aging third baseman into a future top of the rotation starter, like the Brewers did. The Brewers were able to select Rick Aguilera with the pick received for Soderholm. While Aguilera was shelled in his initial stint in the Majors, I have no doubt he will be one of the better pitchers in the CDL by the late 1980s. As for the Dodgers, I can’t see the reasoning behind this deal. They were clearly not a contender in the rough and tough NL West, so trading precious youth for a 3B, who has turned out to be a stiff, isn’t the way to build LA into a winner. Especially when you have a 25 year old 3B in Nick Esasky, who could provide the same level of offense as Soderholm for a lot less money.
Winner: Los Angeles.
Atlanta receives 3B/1B George Brett and MR Mark Clear
Oakland receives 1B Ken Hrbek, SP Jose Deleon and Atlanta’s fifth round Amateur draft choice in 1987.
Well, John Fulgham, Chili Davis and Bill Madlock brought Brett to town and Brett was part of the cast that won the only division title in Oakland history and now he is cast off for a lot less than he cost. Brett is probably the premier offensive player in the CDL at the moment, well him or Pedro Guerrero. To get him for a solid, but undeveloped 1B prospect and a good pitching prospect in Deleon is a steal. If Dave Stewart could give up only 40 HR, instead of the 66 he gave up last season, the Braves could easily put the longest (tied with others) playoff dry spell away. This is exactly the type of trade a young and up and coming team needs to make when they make their first push for the playoffs. Adding a great player for some of their young talent so that their efforts are not wasted. As for getting Mark Clear in the deal, well, that’s just gravy.
Winner: Atlanta (Seriously, is it really the ATR if Oakland wins?)
Boston receives SP Ed Lynch
San Francisco receives SP Orel Hershiser and Boston’s first round Amateur draft choice in 1986.
Some people will think that I dislike Ed Lynch because he has been shelled almost every time out this year. But, I disliked him long before this. There are some pitchers in the CDL who have a really good ERA rating, but for some reason, lack the other ratings to produce an ERA that one would expect. Lynch has always been one of those guys in my book. Trading a first round Amateur draft choice and Orel Hershiser for Lynch is not my idea of a good deal, but it could be a deal that turned out a lot worse. The draft choice will be low, somewhere in the 20s and Hershiser, is a good pitching prospect, but is 26 and in AAA.
Winner: San Francisco
Kansas City receives SP Jim Deshaises, OF Darryl Motley, OF Danny Tartabull, OF Dan Pasqua, 2B Jeff Perconte, SS Dick Schofield
Pittsburgh receives RF Andre Dawson, SS/2B Julio Franco and Kansas City’s second round Amateur draft choice in 1986
A team can only put so many outfielders in the same lineup. And a team has only 9 slots to fill in a batting order. So, I never think that trading two very good players for a pile of players is the way to go. Dawson is a true impact player in the CDL, one of the best right fielders around. Franco is a middle infielder with a great glove who can hit his weight and add some power. That’s another player that you want to use one of your lineup slots on. Throwing in a high draft pick, my guess is around 30th overall, for this pile of players seems excessive. Let’s examine the pile and see what we find. Jim Deshaies has all the ability to be a poor man’s Dave Stewart and I don’t think that is a compliment. Perconte and Schofield are what happens if you took a giant meat cleaver to Julio Franco and made him two players, each retaining some of his skills, but some of his skills evaporating on the cutting board. Both could be useful on the major league level, but only a limited capacity. Now, to the outfielders. The best of the three outfielders is Danny Tartabull, who could develop into a good player if his power and patience come around. Motley has the potential to be a decent corner outfielder with a decent batting average and power. And Dan Pasqua has a lot of power, but not a lot else to go with it. Of course, since none of these guys are any good in centerfield with the glove, one of them must sit at all times. (Well, Pasqua could play 1B, but one would assume that Glenn Davis is destined to be the Royals 1B of the future.) That’s the problem with trading a good player for a bunch of mediocre players, you need to find places to play them all, which means that they will take up more at bats, but contribute less. I doubt this is a deal that the Royals faithful will look upon kindly.
Winner: Pittsburgh
In this issue, we cover the Indians, the Braves, the Yankees, the Rangers, and the Expos, not necessarily in that order.
20. Cleveland
Bang for the Buck: 21 - Fan Interest: 16 - Ownership: 26 - Postseason: 15 - Current Team: 21
Cleveland should be higher, but anyone can see the one factor that really bumped them down--I subjectively went against my mathematical formula and bumped them above St. Louis and Seattle because of this. The old regime under Jeff St. Pierre never really spent their money well. The Indian faithful, however, still come to the stadium and support their beloved tribe. The ownership, as alluded to, is absolutely brand-new, the newest in the league, and this moved them down. They have had a modicum of success, winning their fans two division titles. Right about now, they have potential hall of famer Dave Parker (crosses fingers) but little else.
19. Texas
Bang for the Buck: 22 - Fan Interest: 14 - Ownership: 18 - Postseason: 8 - Current Team: 19
The AL West contains four above average teams who spend cash, and unfortunately the Rangers should only get about 80 wins again this year. The fans, of course, love the competition and everything, and the ballpark is packed with 40,000 people a game. Gabe Rivers had gigantic potential as an owner and was an early CDL News contributor, but has fallen off since then, still in negative posts on the message board. Texas' one championship (when they were the Senators) back in the very early days of the league bumps them up a bit in our rankings, but it's still a title and deserves to be commended. Right now, the Rangers might not be looking at another for a while.
18. Atlanta
Bang for the Buck: 2 - Fan Interest: 23 - Ownership: 15 - Postseason: 22 - Current Team: 15
Atlanta may not be the model franchise, but they have an excellent core of young players and should have a five year plan. The only reason they're up here is because they haven't yet had to pay their young players--when Kirk Gibson is resigned this year, the Bang for the Buck will go way down. The fans, hopefully, will start caring so that the Braves can make some money, but that may not happen. Michael Senn is a consistent owner who has been around the league for a while. The Braves, of course, have never made the playoffs, and really haven't had much historical success. Right now they can't compete with the league's best, but in a few years they should be good to go.
17. Montreal
Bang for the Buck: 20 - Fan Interest: 10 - Ownership: 11 - Postseason: 16 - Current Team: 23
Montreal is a bit of a snakebitten franchise, but that doesn't keep them down too much. Out of the free-spending bad teams, they are the best at spending their cash, but they are barely top-20. The fans are among the best in the league, but how long can that last? Brian McFall took over for Eric Whats-his-name of CDL Weekly fame if I remember correctly, and has participated quite admirably. The team hasn't had much success in October, but at least they've been there. Right now Montreal is back into a rebuilding phase, but in a weak division should be able to field nine competitive players within the next five years if Atlanta doesn't do so first.
16. New York Yankees
Bang for the Buck: 17 - Fan Interest: 20 - Ownership: 13 - Postseason: 18 - Current Team: 9
New York is that team that has always been there, but never been there. They spend their money better than only one of this years "other" contenders. The fans, ironically considering real-life situations, don't seem to care too much about this always competitive team. Jeff Cobb is a legendary OOTP owner with about 15 different teams, but he is also the only one of the CDL's owners never to use the news system (or at least owns the only team that has never done so). The Yankees, for all their success, have never been in a good division, and also were at one time among the worst teams in baseball. Right now, however, they have a strong club that could compete for the crown in any other division, I'm sure.
The comments on this article can stay in the old thread. Thanks for the positive feedback, guys. Tomorrow I hope to have the summaries of four very similar teams and the CDL's ultimate paradox. Tuesday will bring four of the best spending teams, three top ten owners, two teams with rabid fanbases, and the most storied franchise in league history. On Wednesday check out three teams tearing up right now, two with great playoff history, and the team with this year's best fans. Thursday is the finale, a non-sim day, be sure to see whether or not a commissioner takes the prize!
I was searching the Top 100 Prospects list today, doing some research for an article idea I had about minor leaguers. I noticed that the top two minor league hitting prospects, Kevin Mitchell for STL and Glenn Davis for KC both have great power numbers, but zeros for getting hits. So I thought I'd start chronicalling their careers, to see when they magically get better.
Kevin Mitchell is in A ball right now, hitting .219 with 6 HR. Sure doesn't look like a good start to what ought to be a fine career.
Glenn Davis is currently in AA ball, batting .169 but with 30 HRs in only 63 games. He sure looks like he is either hitting them over the fence, or not hitting them at all!
So, which one will take the next big step. I'll keep my eyes on them, and keep you updated.
The struggling LA Dodgers have called up Jay Tibbs, last year's second round draft pick to start tomorrow's game in place of the injured Matt Young.
The 23 year old Tibbs has been improving rapidly at AAA Albuquerque, with a 5-3 record, but an impressive 2.71 ERA.
Kirk McCaskill, this year's first round draft pick may be called up soon to get some experience with the big club, as his 10-1 AAA record in only 12 starts is getting some attention. The Dodgers are trying to let him get a full year at AAA under his belt, but with their abysmal record, a lot of youngsters may be getting late season tryouts.