January 1, 1939
Let's meet the top players, pitchers, and prospects in baseball as the New Year begins.
Code:
NO PLAYER TEAM AGE POS LY AVG HR RBI
1 Josh Gibson POR 26 C 1 .383 39 135
2 Ted Williams OAK 20 LF NR .380 22 55
3 Joe DiMaggio SAC 24 LF 4 .331 33 109
4 Buck Leonard NYY 31 1B 2 .336 43 144
5 Bob McBryde WAS 26 C 5 .330 17 92
6 Harlond Clift DET 26 3B 3 .303 27 100
7 Jimmie Foxx KC 31 1B 8 .302 39 122
8 Arky Vaughan CHW 26 SS 12 .358 18 95
9 Dave LaPointe HOL 25 CF 7 .348 11 98
10 Joe Gordon SAC 23 2B NR .287 32 118
11 Hank Greenberg MIL 28 1B 13 .359 32 132
12 Earl Averill STL 36 CF 10 .329 19 93
13 Charlie Keller STL 22 RF NR .292 11 56
14 Johnny Mize DET 25 1B 9 .330 32 131
15 Lou Gehrig PIT 35 1B 6 .327 29 95
16 Chuck Klein POR 34 RF 11 .370 30 146
17 Ray Dandridge POR 25 3B 15 .307 4 55
18 Mule Suttles WAS 37 LF 16 .317 33 150
19 Willie Wells WAS 30 SS NR .316 20 103
20 Buzz Boyle BOS 30 LF 19 .310 9 66
- Some younger stars are moving toward the top of this list, while some veterans who have occupied the top spots for years, players like Chuck Klein and Lou Gehrig, are beginning to slide. Gehrig's lower ranking is more explainable than Klein's; Chuck's 1938 season wasn't much different from his best years ever.
- One notable absence from this list: Chicago Cubs 1B Hal Trosky (.315-44-129).
Code:
NO PITCHER TEAM AGE LY W-L ERA K
1 Satchel Paige BOS 32 1 12-16 3.25 209
2 Gene Schott KC 25 3 16-11 3.65 122
3 Tommy Bridges PHI 32 2 10-11 3.86 166
4 Ray Brown CHW 30 5 8-15 3.23 153
5 Whit Wyatt SF 31 6 13-9 3.37 121
6 Bob Feller NYG 20 7 22-7 2.38 278
7 Cliff Melton SD 26 4 18-11 3.00 150
8 Valentyn Santos NYG 24 NR 15-9 3.95 134
9 Dutch Leonard SD 29 9 12-11 3.93 67
10 Ed Brandt BOS 33 8 21-9 3.24 157
11 Spud Chandler LA 31 10 15-16 3.98 126
12 Johnny Allen SEA 34 11 14-15 3.66 196
13 Stephen Jennings CHC 27 12 16-10 3.17 138
14 Bill Swift SAC 30 15 18-14 2.88 66
15 Grady Price CHC 32 NR 18-9 3.94 129
16 Fred Barnes SAC 30 14 14-7 3.08 122
17 Mace Brown PHI 29 NR 11-11 4.39 85
18 Junior Thompson KC 21 NR 10-8 3.88 105
19 Enrique Hernandez PHI 28 13 8-15 4.42 138
20 Ricardo Morales SEA 32 20 14-14 3.94 106
This list, frankly, amazes me.
- Carl Hubbell went 22-7 with a 4.09 ERA. Sure, that ERA is high, but there are several pitchers with comparable figures, and only one of them had a winning record. I think Carl's one of the 20 best pitchers in the league.
- If it's ERA you're looking for, why not choose Detroit's Del Ellis? He finished the season with a 2.43 ERA in 230 innings, and went 15-9. How does that not qualify him for this list?
- Jim Turner of the Senators went 20-12 with a 3.24 ERA in 1938. He was on this list a year ago. Does a season like Jim had in 1938 truly justify moving him off the list for 1939?
- And then there's the case of Pat Caraway, who hasn't been on this list in years. Over the past five years, he's gone 107-38, won two AL Most Outstanding Pitcher Awards, and recorded ERAs of 3.10, 2.81, 2.98, 3.68, and 3.11. Yeah, he pitches for Portland, and my grandmother would probably win ten games a year for the Beavers. She wouldn't post WHIPs and ERAs like Pat does, however.
I'm supposing this list is based more on ratings than it is on performance. Trust me; guys like Caraway and Ellis are every bit as highly rated as many of the pitchers on the list.
Anyway, I'm through ranting now. Here are the ten best prospects in the game:
Code:
NO PROSPECT TEAM AGE POS
1 Ted Williams OAK 20 LF
2 Bobby Doerr BOS 20 2B
3 Hal Newhouser LA 17 P
4 Lou Boudreau STL 21 SS
5 Barney McCosky CHW 21 CF
6 Pedro Alba POR 19 P
7 Junior Thompson KC 21 P
8 Frankie Kelleher BKN 22 LF
9 Leon Day KC 20 P
10 Jack Kramer CLE 20 P
You've already seen what kind of half-season
Teddy Ballgame had for the Oaks.
Doerr hit .332 with a .396 OBP, six homers and 66 RBI in 97 games for the Red Sox this year.
Newhouser won only five of 14 starts for AA Scranton-Wilkes Barre, but he posted a 1.98 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP.
Boudreau began the year at AA Omaha and moved up to AAA Rochester; he hit over .300 at both levels and fielded magnificently.
McCosky demonstrated the ability to get on base (.323, .389 OBP) and make things happen with his speed (17 steals) in 68 games for the Pale Hose.
Alba won 14 games, dividing his year between Class AA and Class AAA. He still needs to refine his control, but he's very young.
Thompson, the Athletics' first round pick in June, burst onto the scene in a hurry. He and
Day give the A's two of the best young arms in the game.
Day abused Class A hitters, going 18-2 with a 1.98 ERA and whiffing 228 hitters in 191 innings.
Kelleher continues to rake as he moves up the ladder; he hit .344-6-66 for AAA Montreal.
Kramer looked good at AA Tulsa, pitching to a 2.18 ERA.