Lezcano 'Lected
Sixto In On the First
BxBEACHVILLE, Ont. (Dec 1)—Slugging Boston Federals right fielder Sixto Lezcano was elected to the UL Hall of Fame today. The Arecibo, Puerto Rico native won 80 percent of votes on his first year on the ballot. He will be the fifth Boston Federal inducted into Beachville, where he will join childhood hero and Puerto Rican legend Orlando Cepeda.
Lezcano racked up 472 homers over a 18-year career and played in six World Series with three different teams. He had back-to-back 50-homer seasons in 1978-79, leading the Feds to three straight World Series appearances and their first title in 1980.
Those 1978-80 Federals teams were loaded with Hall of Fame-level talent, but on a roster with no fewer than 11 Hall of Famers and candidates (Darrell Porter, Joe Torre, Rennie Stennett, Bernie Allen, Rance Mulliniks, Sal Bando, Rich Coggins, Amos Otis, Lezcano, Don Wilson, and Rick Reuschel) Sixto was arguably the most important piece of the championship puzzle. He led the Feds in WAR in '78 and '79 and slugged a career-high .649 in an injury-shortened 1980 campaign in which he managed to hit 28 home runs in just 73 games.
When the big leagues came to Cuba in 1984, Leones GM Lance Mueller traded for Lezcano, making the Latin superstar the face of the club before he was reunited with GM Glen Reed upon joining the St. Louis Maroons in the middle of 1985. A three-time All-UL Team selection, Sixto was an excellent outfielder, with a gun for a right arm.
Lezcano is just the third primary right fielder elected to the Hall, joining Stan Musial and Roger Maris. Boston becomes just the fourth team with five Hall of Famers (Brooklyn, Los Angeles, St. Louis). The other four Federals inductees—Cepeda, Bob Friend, Rico Petrocelli, and Rick Rueschel—will all be in attendance at his induction ceremony next summer.
Rogers Inches Closer, Parrish Strong on First Ballot
Pitcher Steve Rogers got 72 percent on his third try. The Manhattan Gray Sox ace got 74 percent on his first ballot two year ago before regressing last year. Catcher Lance Parrish had a strong debut with 67 percent on his first ballot, while shortstop Garry Templeton got a less-strong 56 percent.
Don Sutton and Jim Palmer will be dropped from the ballot after both failed to win election in their 10th year of eligibility. Ernie McAnally faces a similar fate next year unless he can make the unlikely jump from the 65 percent he polled this year.
• Amos Otis dropped three points to 63 percent, his lowest tally in five ballots.
• Fellow center fielder Curt Flood moved in the opposite direction, getting 58 percent, his best showing in six years.
• Voters are still unsure how to assess relief pitchers, as evidence by Terry Forster's wild swings from 68 to 49, and back up to 58 this year. Joe Sambito outpolled Forster for a second time, with 64 percent.
• Rennie Stennett, Darrell Evans, Rich Coggins, and Bobby Grich are still mired well below the 60 percent line; Coggins and Stennett have just three more years of eligibility under the new seven-year limits that started in 1991.
• No new candidates will appear on the standard ballot next year.
Veterans Committee Marks 25th Anniversary
Next year marks the 25th anniversary of the Hall of Fame's founding in 1970 and for the first time, a Veterans Committee will meet to consider the merits of stars from the early years of the league.
Crazy Like a Fox!
Minneapolis Foxes Unveiled
“Foxy, I’m Not Running!,” Declares Defiant UL Beat Reporter Over the Shoulder of Bodyguard Jerry Lawler (Before Running)
By Sean “We’re Coming for You, Haugh!” Holloway, UL Beat Reporter
FRIDLEY, MN—Arriving moments before the scheduled start of the latest UL press conference side by side with my new intern, former professional wrestler Jerry Lawler, I was a bit surprised by the sparse turnout in the parking lot of the Sand Dunes Natural History Area, just miles away from the site of what will eventually become Pronto Pup Park. Watching our arrival was Minnesota’s excitable GM, Steve Haugh, and a dejected player dressed in what clearly was a San Francisco Spiders uniform, with duct tape covering the logos on the hat and jersey. Haugh sighed and returned the shovel upon which he had been leaning to his trunk, and rummaged around for a moment before reappearing, holding a handful of papers, along with a basket of strange flowers.
“Hi Shane, thanks for coming! I’m sure you know there has been a totally spontaneous grassroots campaign started by our new fanbase. We’ve carefully reviewed all of the letters that have poured in (waves papers), and I’m excited to announce that the unanimous choice for our new team name is… THE MINNEAPOLIS FOXES! To celebrate, I’ve brought a lovely bouquet of foxglove, feel free to come up and grab a handful as a souvenir! It’s a good thing I brought a lot, you can share them with your big friend.”
“I’ve asked one of our marquee players, the ageless Woody Fryman, to come along and show you what our new uniforms will eventually look like. You’ll have to use your imag ---”
“Actually skipper, I’m Travis. Travis Fryman.”
“Hush now Woody, daddy is talking.”
While Haugh was distracted by Fryman, I reached over to pick up a pile of the fan letters which Haugh had dropped while struggling to hold the basket of flowers at arm’s length. Shuffling through them, I was surprised that they were cold and slippery to the touch, all written in a strange but familiar bluish font. They also appeared to be identical, right down to the childishly drawn fox pawprint in the top right corner. I took a deep sniff of the pile.
“THESE ARE DITTO COPIES OF THE SAME LETTER! I’D KNOW THIS SMELL ANYWHERE! Can’t your team even afford a photocopier?”
Haugh reached back into his trunk and appeared a moment later, wearing a fox mask and holding a police baton. As he lunged toward me, Jerry Lawler stepped between us and received a face full of foxglove flowers in the struggle. As we sped out of the parking lot, I was thankful that I had jumped into the driver's seat rather than Jerry, whose eyes seemed to be rolling up into his head rather strangely.
Mascot Change Research
Enrages Toppers Fans
by Andy Chaney
ATLANTA—What started as a crisp November morning erupted into pandemonium as fans chained themselves to the gates of Aaron-Antonelli Field in protest of reports of Atlanta ownership considering revamping the beloved “Toppy” mascot of the squad.
Local beat reporters were tipped off by market research participants who claimed the team was gauging interest in newer, more masculine blob mascots. Fresh off the lucrative 1994 season in which the Toppers fell just short of the World Series, the team was attempting to capitalize on the growing interest to sell more merchandise. The team, however, got far more than it bargained for.
As word spread on local radio that Classic Toppy might not be long for this physical realm, thousands of fans began appearing on the streets and highways marching in unison and demanding blood.
Reports are still unconfirmed as to where they acquired so many pitchforks and torches, but rumors persist that Boston Federals employees were seen dispersing weapons and propaganda literature along Atlanta streets, in hopes of fomenting insurrection.
Even mild-mannered baseball aficionados such as George Will chimed in, stating “not since Sherman marched over the skulls of Confederates has Atlanta so thoroughly been shamed and chastened. Nothing short of a congressional censure is appropriate at this time.”
Messages left on team voicemails were left unreturned, and players refused to comment on the matter when contacted.
Stanley Cup Distraction Denies Griffins!
Door Dash Delivery Debacle Destroys Detroit Dragons Dreams!
By Sean Holloway, UL Beat Reporter
Before the devastating injury to newly-acquired OF Larry Walker, the Griffins had an air of quiet confidence. The first goal was to just make the playoffs and then go from there. Once that was done, DET managed to slide by a tough BOS team only to end up with the Polar Bears who, in contrast to what their name says, were anything but cold in the seven game semi series. TOR seemingly had things locked down tight when it came to winning one-run games, setting a new UL record with 37 for the 1994 playoff season.
As I waited for the Griffins GM Sean Holloway to speak at his hastily assembled presser in Conference Room P at UL HQ, I had time to ponder how TOR could win 37 playoff games by one run and was enjoying the silence until event coordinator Martin Gore announced that the presser was about to begin.
Holloway, after screaming “Goddamn it, Haugh! I told you to stop trying to kneecap me!” to some guy in a fox costume, stepped up to the podium and explained that while he was proud of the fight in his team, he had firmly believed that the Griffins would have just enough to make it past TOR. Per Holloway, the Griffins had embarked on a new training regimen, one that involved a new supplement generously provided by EET. The supplement, Griffin Growth Hormone (GGH), was on the cutting edge of science for the industry, and GM Special Assistant Lance Mueller had ordered several boxes for what was hoped to be a deep playoff run.
“Alas!” stated Holloway. “When Mueller ordered, he completed the order form properly but mistakenly indicated the delivery address of the visiting dugout/locker room at Kiner Field. Apparently the Stanley Cup Playoffs had caught Mueller’s eye (and rightly so), and the GGH ended up in the Polar Bears clubhouse. With the GGH supplement in the form of a Nutrigrain bar, the Bears just ate that shit up! And who can blame them? Not only is GGH tasty, we also know from the P-Bears run that the stuff works!”
“Wait!” yelled a reporter. “If that’s the case, aren’t you ticked at Mueller?”
Holloway responded. “How can I be ticked at Mueller? He’s a righteous dude who loves hockey, and how can anyone argue with that? To ensure that this doesn’t happen again, though, we have entrusted all ‘supplement’ orders with Jade, Sky and Destiny. They already handle all the EET (and many other things to boot), so why not let them deal with the GGH as well? What could possibly go wrong?”
Another reporter shouted. “May we speak with the girls to get their thoughts?”
Explained Holloway. “If they were here, you sure could. But the girls are on an important assignment right now up north, where they are ‘assisting’ Eric ‘The Doctor’ Clemons with his second World Series picture with the 1994 WS trophy. Let’s see what he can come up with!”
Realignment Approved
Havana, Florida Move to East;
Detroit, Cleveland Go West
With the move of the San Francisco club to the Midwest, fans of the old NHL Norris Division began clamoring for a single division to house all five Midwestern UL teams. Having Chicago and Detroit—one of the biggest sport and civic rivalries in North America—split into two divisions was perhaps the biggest travesty of the current divisional system. And why not bring Cleveland along for the ride? After all, home plate at the new Cleveland Barons ballpark is a mere 92.23 miles from home plate at Kiner Field, according to analysis by the same amateur imagery analyst who discovered the new Minneapolis ballpark. That's 92.23 miles as the industrial runoff-poisoned-crow flies.
So with Cleveland and Detroit joining their Midwest rivals Chicago, St. Louis, and the new Minnesota team, which two West Division teams to move East? The answer became obvious when one looked the map and realized that two "West Division" teams abut Atlantic waters. The Havana Leones began their existence in 1984 in the Gulf Division, but were incorporated into the West Division when the league reinstated its much-beloved two-division format in 1990. That was the same year the expansion Florida Flamingos—the brainchild of award-winning architect and international playboy Joao Lima—came into existence. The Pink Birds were plopped into the West because the other expansion team was based in Philadelphia. That decision set up a nice regional rivalry between the Leones and Flamingos, whose ballparks—Estadio Latinoamericano and Ponce de Leon Stadium—are separated by a mere 228 miles, as the Flamingo flies.
So the Florida-Havana rivalry will continue, only now the clubs will face divisional foes in their same time zone instead of having to stay up half the night to watch games on the West Coast.
1995 U.L. DIVISIONS
West East
Atlanta Boston
Chicago Brooklyn
Cleveland Florida
Denver Havana
Detroit Keystone
Los Angeles Manhattan
Minneapolis Montreal
St. Louis Toronto
Seattle Washington
Batting Average
Dave Nilsson DET .331
Carlos Baerga KEY .320
Tony Gwynn ATL .318
Bip Roberts MON .317
Ken Griffey Jr BRO .315
Kal Daniels BOS .313
Juan Gonzalez TOR .309
Barry Bonds STL .306
Larry Walker CLE .306
Dwight Smith DET .306
RBIs
Barry Bonds STL 135
Ken Griffey Jr BRO 130
Ryan Klesko DET 130
Tim Salmon KEY 123
Jim Thome BOS 120
Raffy Palmeiro STL 114
Bret Boone ATL 111
Eric Karros TOR 109
Howard Johnson HAV 106
Mike Piazza BOS 106
Infield Zone Rating
Cal Ripken Jr STL 17.7
Alan Trammell CHI 15.6
Jay Bell LA 10.8
Rey Sanchez LA 8.5
Jose Valentin ATL 8.2
Home Runs
Barry Bonds STL 52
Eric Karros TOR 48
Tim Salmon KEY 46
Ryan Klesko DET 43
Sammy Sosa BOS 43
Eric Davis CHI 41
Ken Griffey Jr BRO 41
Mickey Tettleton TOR 40
Howard Johnson HAV 39
Jim Thome BOS 39
bWAR
Ken Griffey Jr BRO 10.5
Barry Bonds STL 10.3
Eric Davis CHI 9.1
Sammy Sosa BOS 8.7
Jose Valentin ATL 8.4
Dave Nilsson DET 8.3
Rich Gedman STL 8.3
Ryne Sandberg WAS 7.9
Andy Van Slyke LA 7.4
Tony Phillips STL 7.2
Outfield Zone Rating
Eric Davis CHI 16.1
Ken Griffey Jr BRO 14.3
Stan Javier LA 13.6
Shane Mack HAV 11.4
Gar. Anderson SF 10.5
Earned Run Average
Pedro Martinez ATL 1.80
F. Valenzuela ATL 2.21
Mike Mussina FLO 2.23
Joe Magrane STL 2.24
Floyd Youmans LA 2.43
T. Mulholland CHI 2.50
Greg Swindell LA 2.67
Darryl Kile ATL 2.74
Ismael Valdez CLE 2.74
Jaime Navarro CLE 2.79
Strikeouts
Pedro Martinez ATL 340
Floyd Youmans LA 289
Fern Valenzuela ATL 274
Mike Mussina FLO 267
Dwight Gooden TOR 238
Steve Cooke CHI 235
Jon Lieber BOS 234
Scott Sanders DET 230
Jose DeLeon KEY 221
Donovan Osborne CHI 221
Wins
Mike Mussina FLO 22
F. Valenzuela ATL 22
Joe Magrane STL 21
Pedro Martinez ATL 19
Kirk Rueter KEY 19
Brian Anderson BOS 18
Kevin Brown BRO 17
Dwight Gooden TOR 17
Bruce Hurst LA 17
Darryl Kile ATL 17
pWAR
Pedro Martinez ATL 9.5
Mike Mussina FLO 7.1
Fern Valenzuela ATL 7.0
Dwight Gooden TOR 6.4
Bret Saberhagen BOS 6.1
Floyd Youmans LA 6.0
Jon Lieber BOS 5.2
Butch Henry KEY 5.1
Tom Glavine WAS 5.1
Darryl Kile ATL 4.8
Batter of the Month
APR Raffy Palmeiro STL
MAY Tim Salmon KEY
JUN Ken Griffey Jr BRO
JUL Barry Bonds STL
AUG Howard Johnson HAV
SEP Mike Stanley KEY
Pitcher of the Month
APR Mike Mussina FLO
MAY Mike Mussina FLO
JUN Pat Hentgen BOS
JUL Pedro Martinez ATL
AUG Fern Valenzuela ATL
SEP Bruce Hurst LA
Rookie of the Month
APR Aaron Sele KEY
MAY Jon Lieber BOS
JUN Jim Edmonds CLE
JUL Salomon Torres CLE
AUG Salomon Torres CLE
SEP Angel Miranda STL
Player of the Week
4/11 Kal Daniels BOS
4/18 Tim Salmon KEY
4/25 Shane Mack HAV
5/2 Jeff Bagwell KEY
5/9 Greg Colbrunn ATL
5/16 Ken Griffey Jr BRO
5/23 Andy Van Slyke LA
5/30 Matt Williams BRO
6/6 Ron Karkovice LA
6/13 Matt Williams BRO
6/20 Ken Griffey Jr BRO
6/27 Barry Bonds STL
7/4 Ken Caminiti MAN
7/11 Frank Thomas LA
7/18 Ron Gant TOR
7/25 Mike Piazza BOS
8/1 Eric Karros TOR
8/8 Bret Boone ATL
8/15 Barry Bonds STL
8/22 Eric Davis CHI
8/29 Bob Horner MAN
9/5 Dwight Smith DET
9/12 Kal Daniels BOS
9/19 Mike Stanley KEY
9/26 Carlos Baerga KEY
Toronto's season a mirror image of Brooklyn's. While the Superbas were red-hot into early August, Toronto started slowly. Their 42-38 record on Jun. 25 was good for 5th place in the East, nine games behind division-leading Detroit. The P-Bears were 59-21 the rest of the way, but it was not a linear ascent. The were 32-7 June 26-Aug. 11, the day they claimed a share of 1st place, which they held for 16 days. But a 1-7 slump saw them spiral out of the top three by Sept. 1, as Brooklyn reclaimed a top-three spot. But a 19-4 finish saw Toronto surge to a franchise-best 101 wins and their first pennant since 1991.
Toronto mashed a league-leading 261 dingers, led by Eric Karros (48) and Mickey Tettleton (40). CF Raul Mondesi led all rookies with 36 HR and 301 total bases. The rotation ranked 6th in ERA led again by Dwight Gooden (2.81, 238 K), while 37-year-old Scott Sanderson had his best ERA (3.54) and WHIP (1.22) since his 20s.
Despite improving by 32 games, the Feds ended the season on a bitter note, blowing a three-game lead with 10 games to go. The 99 wins set a franchise record as well as a career record for second-year GM Mark Waller, whose emphasis upon entering Beantown was the upgrade one of the worst pitching staffs to complement one of more prolific offenses.
Boston was the only club with rookies in top-2 SP and closer roles, and the results exceed all expectorations. Jon Lieber, the 3rd overall pick, was 15-11 with a 3.12 ERA, and led all rookies with 11 CGs, 234 Ks and 5.2 WAR. Billy Taylor, the 21st overall pick, was 41/42 (.976) in save situations and had 41 shutdowns to just 6 meltdowns, the best ratio in the league.
At the plate, the Federals unlocked their latent potential, with four regulars with OPS over .880, three of whom were under 25. Sammy Sosa, 24, hit 43 dingers, slugged .533 and was 4th in the league with 8.7 WAR. Jim Thome, 23, was the club RBI leader (120) and added 39 home runs and a .900 OPS. And third-year catcher Mike Piazza, 25, had his second .300-30-100 season. Kal Daniels, at age 30, was the old man of the group; the former Leone hit .313-32-92, and led the team with 38 stolen bases and the league with a .391 OBP. Other players of note: 2B Chuck Knoblauch, 25, had a .353 OBP and 3.9 WAR, and a pair of 34-year-old sentimental bozos—Joe Carter and Gary Gaetti—combined for 28 home runs and 100 RBIs.
Ever since most pundits declared Detroit's 1992 103-win and World Series winning season a fluke, said pundits have predicted the Flyin' Lions decline. And for the second straight year, the Griffins refused to obliged, again posting 90-plus wins and securing a third straight playoff berth. This year it was the pitching that bouyed the ballclub. Their 3.15 ERA was the best in franchise history, and the rotation featured three hurlers with ERAs at or below 3.00, though none ranked in the top-10 in ERA or pWAR, and none of them was ace Andy Benes (3.18), who posted career bests in ERA, innings, and WHIP. Rookie Scott Sanders was spectacular, with a 12-7 record, 2.80 ERA, and 230 Ks. Chris Nabholz' 2.82 ERA was his lowest since his ERA-title rookie year, and lefty Pete Schourek pitched a career-best 1.06 WHIP and 2.7 WAR despite missing most of the first two months of the season.
But the Griffs also had the fifth-best offense. They were first in batting average and OBP, 2nd in wOBA, and 3rd in OPS and bWAR. Dave Nilsson's .331-30-101 won the batting title. Ryan Klesko's 43 homers tied for 4th, and Dwight Smith was 10th in batting with .306. This trio's production offset an off-year by 1992 MVP Fred McGriff. The Crime Dog got off to a slow start, had a hot July (.313, .804 OPS), and then hit like a snowman after an abominable strain July 27 (.182 in 62 PA). Veteran shortstop Tony Fernandez was a key cog as well, hitting .295 with a .351 OBP and career-high 5.2 WAR.
At +23, Keystone was the third most-improved team in 1994, but fell under the radar compared to headliners Atlanta and Boston, who led their divisions most of the season. And 18-7 July had the club in the pennant race before an August swoon dashed their playoff hopes. Even still, a 12-3 finish gave Philadelphia its first winning team since the 1950 Whiz Kids, the year before the UL's founding.
The Starlings crop of young players all took forward strides. The offense flew from 15th to 6th. Third-year RF Tim Salmon, already christened "Mr Starling" at the age of 26 hit .267-46-123 and finished 3rd in HR and 4th in RBI. Twenty-five year old 2B Carlos Baerga led the league with 221 hits and 46 doubles and finished 2nd in the batting race at .320. New arrivals 3B Kevin Mitchell (.279-24-89) and C Mike Stanley (.326-20-41, 1.083) made big contributions.
The Starlings' pitching also hatched, climbing five perches to 12th. William Van Landingham (16-11, 4.12) led all rookies in wins and was 2nd in WAR; sophomore southpaw Kirk "Woody" Rueter (REE-ter) was 19-4, 3.36 with a 1.22 WHIP; and veteran Scott Bankhead (12-9, 3.14) posted the lowest ERA and WHIP of his career. In the pen, closer John Dopson, after eight years at the back of the bullpen, led the league with 43 saves and 45 shutdowns.
Keystone finished just two games out of the Hex, and with most of their stars under 25, should be East Division contenders throughout the rest of the '90s.
The Superbas won 91 games, one more than last year's World Series year, but somehow finished in fifth place. As late as Aug. 7, the Bas had the second best record in the league (71-44) and a share of 1st place. But a seven-game losing streak plummetted them into a three-way scrum for the last two playoff spots and their catastrophic 9-15 September doomed them to 5th place behind Keystone. What went wrong? On the pitching side, 3-4 starter Steve Avery and Kelly Downs were a combined 1-5, 7.21; on the hitting side, Matt Williams OPSed .672, after OPSing .857 in the first five months. The most demoralizing bit may have been a 1-6 week in mid-September that included shutouts by four separate divisional rivals.
Despite the disappointment, there were some massive individual achievements. Ken Griffey Jr (.315-41-130) was 2nd in OPS, RBIs, and total bases and led the league in WAR for the second time in three years. Kevin Brown won a career high 17 games. And despite his late-season meltdown, the 24-year-old Avery led the club with a 2.85 ERA and notched his second straight 15-win campaign.
With six teams in rebuilding mode, the Barons have a slight head start, based on the core of players that won the Triple-A Governor's Cup last year plus the 1-2 double-whammy of top draft picks. All that young talent is starting to gel along the banks of Lake Erie (eww!).
The B's won 71 games, a 15-game improvement, the biggest one-year gain since 1964 (which was just before two pennants in three years). The biggest upgrade game in the hitting department. Cleveland's offense ranked 12th, which doesn't seem all that remarkable, but was the best showing since 1983. After all, this is a pitcher-friendly roster playing for a pitcher-friendly GM in a pitcher-friendly ballpark. Rookie Jim Edmonds was the breakout star; the 24-year-old led all rookies with 98 RBIs, .825 OPS, and 7.1 WAR—the third best bWAR in club history. The other rookie outfielder, RF Jeffrey Hammonds, was less flashy but still contributed 20 HR and 71 RBI. Third year infielder Eric Young had another solid year with 3.6 WAR at second base.
The pitching rotation featured three rookies, two of which performed admirably. Ismael Valdez, this year's #2 overall pick, led all rookies with a 2.74 ERA and 0.97 WHIP; and Salomon Torres had a 3.81 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 31 starts. Meanwhile 23-year-old Allen Watson took his lumps (2-16, 5.08). Yet another rookie, Pedro A. Martinez, was plugged into the closer role and responded well, with 36 saves and 3.76 ERA, though his 9 blown saves were 2nd in the league and 14 meltdowns tied for 6th.
The defense was solid again, attendance ticked upward, and the most highly anticipated hitting prospect since Griffey Jr is on the near horizon. A-Rod hit .316-6-14, .962 in 24 games in September and could see regular action in 1995.
The Dingy Hose had their most anemic offense since moving into the bandbox called Ferraro. Manhattan scored just 3.2 runs per game, a full run lower than their previous floor. Pair this with the league's worst pitching staff and you easily get to 98 losses, the most in club history. However, in the warped world of the '94 UL, that tied with 13th in the league, meaning five other teams were just as bad.
The season started well enough. At 25-32 on May 31, the Sox weren't exactly world-beaters, but they were only six games out of the Hex. Then the calendar flipped to June and the wheels came off. A nine-game losing streak was following by a six-game losing streak, then another six-game losing streak. All told, starting June 1, the team went on a 14-44 slide that had them 7.5 games out of eighth place in the East.
The bright spots were few and relative. Ed Sprague was the team WAR leader, with 2.9. He hit .246-28-54. Tom Brunansky was the #2 WAR guy; he hit .233-20-42. Veteran Bob Horner joined the team in mid-May and gave fans something to cheer for when his 8 home runs in August suddenly turned the media's attention on the all-time home run race (see Horner's Corner, below). The best pitching WAR belonged to Melido Perez, and he was 5-17, 4.71. As I said, few and relative.
The last time this team had a downturn—in 1990-91—they won 89 games and made the playoffs the next year. Don't be surprised if the '95 Gray Sox do the same. The rebuild is already in full swing. In 14 trades, Manhattan managed to acquire both established stars and a raft of picks. They added SS Barry Larkin, 3B Chris Sabo, 3B Gary Gaetti, LF Vince Coleman; SPs Pat Hentgen, Roger Clemens, Bill Wegman, and Mike Scott; and RPs Gregg Olson and Cris Carpenter. And the Sox have 19 picks in the seven-round 1995 draft, including nine in the first three rounds.
Father Time is catching up to the Washington Monuments. While new GM Jason Gudim has made some big moves in his two years—trading away fan favorites Bret Saberhagen and Wade Boggs could not have been easy—most of the roster is over 30 and on the wrong side of the development curve. However, the roster is loaded with national fan favorites (Ryne Sandberg, Teddy Higuera, Will Clark) and at least one sentimental bozo (Kirby Puckett), making further moves more difficult. LF Gregg Jefferies was the only regular and Tom Glavine the only starting pitcher under 29.
The pitching, in particular, regressed in '94, finishing 13th in runs allowed, its worst showing since 1982. Both Kevin Tapani and Randy Johnson's ERAs bloated by a over a run to 4.06 and 4.79, respectively. Johnson and 36-year-old free agent Charlie Lea co-led the league with 18 losses. The bullpen was worse, ranking 15th compared the the rotation's 13th. First round pick Bryce Florie was a bright spot, notching 18 saves with a 3.86 ERA in 53 appearances.
Ryne Sandberg hit .293 and had a 7.9 WAR and led the team in most offensive categories. At age 34 and with gradually declining salaries through 1997, he may be the club's best trade capital. Looking ahead, Washington has the 5th best minor league system, including the #3 overall prospect, C Mike Lieberthal and the #15 prospect SP Sterling Hitchcock.
A team that started the season with mid-table expectations hit a midsummer slump, which initiated a teardown, which contributed to the longest losing streak in UL history. The Canoeists were 41-39 on June 25, then fell into a 1-18 descent that turned out to be just their second worst slump of the year. Larry Walker, Bret Boone, Junior Felix, and Luis Gonzalez were all sent packing in a flurry of deadline trades, and then performance on the field went from bad to worse. Montreal was 15-65 from June 26 on and lost 24 straight through Sept. 19 before winning four of their last seven.
The pitching was the biggest problem, ranking next-to-last in runs allowed and dead last in starting pitching. Ron Robinson's 3.83 was the only ERA under 4.00, and Jack Armstrong led the club with a measly eight wins. The offense fared slightly better; Bip Roberts finished 4th in batting (.317) with his eighth straight .300 season.
Despite Atlanta's greatest pitching season of all time, what made them the winningest team in three decades was not their pitching, but their dramatically improved offense. Atlanta was already a historical good pitching team last year, with a league-best 3.3 runs per game and a 118 RA+. But the offense improved from 17th to 3rd this year, an almost unheard of 14-spot leap, thanks to some deft trades and development boosts.
The biggest move was the acquisition of Wade Boggs, which paired alongside Tony Gwynn, gave the Red Blobs to two greatest hitters in UL history by career average. And Boggs did not disappoint, batting .346 and posting a 5.8 WAR despite missing the last two months to injury. The club got massive contributions from SS Jose Valentin (24), C Charles Johnson (22), and LF Manny Ramirez (22), and CF Rondell White (22). Valentin was a top-5 defensive infielder and led the club with 8.4 WAR. Johnson was a top-3 defensive catcher and hit 21 HR and 66 RBI. Manny hit 29 HR and 69 RBI and surpassed 3.0 WAR for the first time. and White led the club with 32 HR and 92 RBI and posted a 5.4 WAR. One of the many amazing things about this team is that if you take away Gwynn and Boggs, the other six regulars are all 25 or under.
Of course, we must spend some words describing the Hilltoppers' pitching. Their 2.7 runs against, 2.57 team ERA were the best and 1.07 WHIP 2nd best in UL history. Pedro Martinez's 0.74 WHIP, .209 OOBP, and .475 OOPS set a new single-season records. His 1.80 ERA ranks 5th best all-time and the best since 1970. His 12.3 K/9 is 4th best, but his 12.6 last year set the record. And his 340 strikeouts is tied for 11th all-time, but the most in the five-man rotation era and the most since Whitey Ford in 1966.
Back to the team level, Atlanta had three pitchers in the top 10 in ERA, wins, and WAR, so we should say something about Fernando Valenzuela and Darryl Kile. Fernie, of course, won the Cy Young last year while leading the league with a 2.28 ERA. This year, he led the league with 22 wins trimmed his ERA seven points to 2.21, trimmed his WHIP two points to 0.96, and increased his strikeouts to 274. In short, Valenzuela is an improved Cy Young winner. Kile, a 25-year-old righthander, was 17-7 with a 2.74 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 4.8 WAR. His last three ERAs (4.79, 3.10, 2.74) show that he is one of the fastest-developing young hurlers in the game.
Some other tidbits. With a historically excellent rotation, the bullpen does not get a lot of recogniation. But check this out: Atlanta's 2.54 ERA also ranked 1st, Arthur Rhodes had a 1.69 ERA and 2.1 WAR in 63 appearances, middle reliever Mike Maddux 1.84, and Steve Howe had 33 saves with a 2.97 ERA.
If we are comparing the '94 Hilltoppers with the '63 Superbas, the only other team to win at least 100 games, we find some similarities and differences. At the aggregate level, Brooklyn had a +2.3 run differential to Atlanta's +1.8. Brooklyn's R+ and RA+ (indexed measures of runs per game compared to league average, which is 100) were 121 and 132 compared to Atlanta's 120 and 128.
Like Atlanta, Brooklyn's offense featured two of the best hitters of all-time, Mickey Mantle and Granny Hamner. Mantle would hit .340 the year and averaged 110 RBI per 162 games. Hamner hit over .350 three years in a row and had a .323 career average and close to 2600 hits. But that '63 lineup also got key contributions from Hall of Fame 2B Felix Mantilla, 1B Jim Gentile, and RF Al Kaline.
The pitching featured the legendary trio of Burdette, Conley, and Ford, who had WARs of 10.9, 10.6, and 9.0 and combined for a 67-17 record. Pedro, Fernie and Darryl have WARs of 9.5, 7.0, and 4.8 and combined for a 58-19 record.
Brooklyn's big three:
Conley, Burdette and Ford rank 4th, 5th, and 8th in career WAR.
Burdette won 305 games and nine UL titles, and two World Series MVPs, and had the Playoff MVP named after him.
Conley won 309 games, four Cy Youngs, eight UL titles, two World Series MVPs, won 20 games eight years in a row, was once 26-3, and had the best career ERA in UL history (2.74).
Ford won 263 games, one Cy Young, and six UL championships, including a final one at age 39 with the 1968 Manhattan Gray Sox.
Atlanta's big three:
Pedro is 22 years old and already has 41 wins, a 2.05 ERA, 823 strikeouts, and 21.0 WAR. Only Gooden had better numbers by age 22. Conley didn't debut until he was 23, Ford was 24, and Burdette was 25. In short, Pedro has 41 more wins at his age than the Burdette-Conley-Ford trio combined.
Fernie is 33 years old and won his first Cy Young last year. He is 177-121 with 68 WAR and has won five Ullies.
Kile is 25, has a career losing record (36-41), a 3.50 ERA, and 10.5 career WAR, and one All-Star appearance.
As for age, the following Hilltoppers are 25 or younger: Charles Johnson, Manny Ramirez, Pedro Martinez (22); Greg Colbrunn, Jose Valentin (24); Bret Boone, Darryl Kile (25).
Brookyn's youngest key players were 28 (Mantilla and Gentile). Burdette and Hamner were 35, Ford 34, Amoros and Landrith 33, and Mantle 31.
After last year's (relatively) disappointing 87-win season, the Dark Reds rebounded to familiar territory: 98 wins for the 6th time in 11 years. The bounce was equal parts offense and pitching, as both improved a couple spots to 4th and 6th.
Barry Bonds (.306-52-135) is the fifth batter to win back-to-back HR and RBI titles, and his two-year HR tally of 101 is second only to Craig Robinson. Former Monuments Gold Glove catcher Rich Gedman (.290-25-79) had his best WAR season (8.3) as did iron man 2B Tony Phillips (7.2), who has played in 1,917 out of a possible 1,928 games since becoming a regular in 1983.
Joe Magrane (21-4, 2.24, 1.04 WHIP) put up Cy Young numbers (in any other year) and Dave Schmidt started 32 games for the 9th time in 10 years. The bottom of the rotation featured some new faces. Shawn Hillegas was 9-6 in 22 starts, including a no-hitter on May 1; and 24-year-old Angel Miranda—a 2nd round pick in 1993—was 10-3, 2.44, third in WAR among rookie hurlers and posted a 0.95 WHIP in 18 starts, including 6-1 down the stretch, when he allowed two or fewer runs in his last six starts. Alejandro Pena led all relievers with a 2.9 WAR, despite a league-high 12 blown saves.
Back-to-Back HR and RBI Titles
Yrs ΣHR ΣRBI
Craig Robinson MAN 1977-78 129 274
Barry Bonds STL 1993-94 101 259
Tom Grieve DEN/MAN 1974-75 96 268
Bob Horner DET 1981-82 95 271
Orlando Cepeda BOS 1972-73 94 256
The Outlaws extended their league-record playoff run to 14 years—barely. L.A. won just 88 games, fewest since 1980, and didn't clinch until the penultimate day of the season. In the Year of the Pitcher, L.A.'s staff ranked just third, with only two of the top 16 ERAs. Meanwhile, the run production shrank from 4.3 to 3.7 per game, and the team had a losing record in both extra-inning and one-run games for the first time in six years.
Ace Floyd Youmans had a career-best 2.43 ERA and led the staff with 289 Ks; Greg Swindell (15-13, 2.63, 1.07 WHIP) bounced from last year's off-season and 35-year-old southpaw Bruce Hurst set career marks with 17 wins and 2.92 ERA. In the pen, closer Todd Frohwirth had his third straight 30-save campaign. The offense was midtable in almost every category. Rey Sanchez led the team with a .286 batting average, Frank Thomas with 33 HR and 97 RBI, and Andy Van Slyke stole 41 bases and was 9th in WAR. The question is, do the Outlaws have enough gas to get past St. Louis and Atlanta and return to the World Series for the first time since 1991?
After last season's great leap forward—26 more wins—1994 was more about consolidation. Last year, the Flamingos briefly flirted with the pennant race but finished five games out of the Hex; this year they were on L.A.'s heels and were not eliminated until Sep. 29, finishing just two games behind the Outlaws. The overall metrics were unchanged: a mid-tier offense paired with a top-third pitching staff. The big story at Ponce de Leon was the emergence of Mike Mussina as an elite ace. Moose went 22-5, 2.23 with 267 Ks; he led the league in wins, shutouts (6) and innings pitched (270.2). Those are Cy Young numbers any other season, but in the Year of the Pitcher that might only get him 3rd place in Cy voting. Pete Smith also turned the corner (3.21 after 5.40 last year) and 32-year-old Jay Tibbs (3.03) had his first sub-4.00 ERA in a decade.
The offense was again focused on speed, with 168 stolen bases (2nd), led by Roberto Alomar's 56. The 25-year-old $15 million second baseman struggled in his first year in South Florida batting .266 with a .725 OPS, 50 and 115 points under his career averages. Ivan Calderon also had an off-year, slugging just .762 after last year's .914; and Mark McGwire's OPS likewise dropped 66 points to .737. The bright spots included SS Kevin Elster's 2.9 WAR and Ruben Sierra's .800 OPS.
After years of climbing—from Semi Series loss to World Series loss to World Series win—the Colts looked like the new power in the West, with several key pieces still young and developing. Instead, Chicago took a giant step backwards, winning just 83 games, 14 less than last year and its lowest win total since '88. The decline was so sudden and so dramatic that Colts management ran GM Steve Haugh out of town—following assault allegations involving a furry club—and he landed with the hapless San Francisco Spiders. So what went wrong?
In a word: offense. The team dropped from 5th to 11th in run production. Alan Trammell's OPS dropped 100+ points to .641, Gary Sheffield's 93 points to .775, and Albert Belle's 155 points to .788, and Benito Santiago's a stunning 215 points to .563. On the other hand, Sheffield (24) and Belle's (26) drops look like simple off-years, and young hitter John Olerud (25) continues to develop. Also, CF Eric Davis had his second best season, hitting 41 home runs and producing 9.3 WAR.
Chicago again was a top-3 pitching staff (aided by the league's best defense). All five starters had ERAs 3.30 or under. Terry Mulholland (16-6, 2.50) had a career year, leading the team in wins and ERA. Steve Cooke, at the tender age of 24, had another stellar campaign (15-9, 3.02), and newcomer Donovan Osborne was effective (3.29, 1.05 WHIP) while leading the staff in innings.
In the final analysis, 83-77 is not a horrible record, and the new Colts GM will have a lot of star-level players to work with.
This was the year the Leones were supposed to make a move and fight for a playoff berth. After four straight fourth place finishes, averaging 4.5 games out of the Hex, Havana added several big-dollar signings, including six-time All-Star CF Lenny Dykstra, two-time All-Stars SS Scott Fletcher and LF Dan Pasqua, and former Boston ace Roger Clemens. A 44-27 start found Havana in 2nd place, 3.5 games ahead of St. Louis and L.A. But two straight losses at Sportsmans Park, followed by home sweeps at the hands of San Francisco and Detroit signaled the beginning of a decent that would land the team in sixth place. Havana was 33-56 from mid-June.
Dykstra had the worst OBP (.335) and OPS (.690) of his career, Dan Pasqua had his lowest SLG (.440) and the offense slumped to its lowest output in eight years (3.8 R/G). Under .500 at the trade deadline, GM Lance Mueller dealt Clemens and C Mike Stanley to Manhattan and Keystone for draft picks.
On the plus side, Shane Mack (.297-23-75, .815) and Howard Johnson (.277-39-106, .850) again produced 6.0+ WAR seasons. HoJo tied for 9th in both HR and RBI and Mack ranked 4th in outfield defense. Sergio Valdez had an off season (4.05) but as the only starter under 30 figures to be a key part of future rotations as the club shifts focus into rebuilding mode.
A crumbling stadium around a crumbling team is the best way to describe the '94 Spiders campaign. The Arachnids not only suffered their 12th losing season in 14 years, but lost a club record 102 games. The club's future at Seals Stadium was already in question when a major earthquake on June 4 damaged the "Queen of Concrete." The club hired former Chicago Colts GM and World Series winner Steve Haugh to clean up the mess, both literally and figuratively. Haugh's first move was dealing longtime SS Barry Larkin to Manhattan.
Rookie LF Garret Anderson hit .287 with a 3.0 WAR, but youngsters 3B Travis Fryman (.753 OPS) and CF Bernie Williams (.677) both regressed a bit. The young pitchers showed signs of progress, with 26-year-old Tommy Greene (3.70) and 25-year-old Kevin Foster (3.80) leading the staff in ERA, while 25-year-old Frank Castillo led with 202 strikeouts.
Denver continued the teardown that it started last season, dealing away SP Bill Swift, 2B Jeff Kent, LF Luis Polonia, and CL Norm Charlton and netting 2B Delino DeSheilds, LF Luis Gonzalez, SP David West, and several draft picks.
The 14ers lost a franchise record 103 games thanks largely to the second-worst offense. 2B Mark McLemore and C Rick Wilkins' development stalled, and the youngers CF Brian Hunter, C Mike Matheny, and 3B Robin Ventura all looked overmatched at the big league level. Utility man Kurt Stillwell hit .285 and put up 2.0 WAR and veterans Ozzie Smith and Tim Raines hit 2500 and 2000 career hits, respectively. New pitchers Charles Nagy and David West showed some promise, and RP Bryan Hickerson (1.22 in 50 games) was a pleasant surprise and garnered the club's lone All-Star appearance.
After a 17th place overall finish last year, Seattle finished dead last in 1994 thanks to a 14-game losing streak that coincided with Montreal's 24-game skid. Historically known as a hitting team in a hitter's dome, the R's offense hit rock bottom this year, finishing last with 3.0 runs per game. Alvin Davis (.258-17-85) was the only hitter with more than 8 HR and 63 RBI.
A major rebuild is likely in the offing, with several big stars ending contracts—Willie McGee, Chris Brown, Rickey Henderson, and Alvin Davis—and two of the first nine picks in the draft.