 |
| T.C. Tigers: Strengthening their stripes for long haul. |
My Traverse City Tigers won the A.L. West in 1988, almost two seasons ago, the script switched last season with the Mexico City Chihuahuas & Detroit Stars doing numerous deals in the off-season (entering 1989) that left the Tigers in the dust -- the Tigers made two deals; Trading Tim Raines to the Steel City Sluggers for Harold Baines & trading Doug Jones off to the Manhattan Gas Hornets for a #1 Draft Pick.
I regretted trading Jones almost immediately, part of my draft strategy, in drafting John Wettleland (and reliever Scott Belinda) was to form a deep bullpen -- otherwise I may have drafted Marquis Grissom or one of the starting pitchers in Kenny Rogers, Kevin Tapani & Wilson Alvarez, which starting pitching has become a problem for me.
Here is my opening series at home against the Detroit Stars, seven games.
GAME #1
DETROIT 2, TRAVERSE CITY 1
Jack Daugherty hits a clutch solo HR in the top of the 7th, to help seal the victory for the Stars. Ed Whitson gets the win, allowing only 3 hits & a run in 7 innings of work. Greg Maddux pitched good in a losing effort, allowing 2 ER's & 6 hits in 6.1, with 4 K's.
Daugherty went 2-for-3, HR, RBI.
GAME #2
DETROIT 5, TRAVERSE CITY 2
Another strong start by a Tiger starting pitcher -- This time in Jack McDowell, who went 7.1 innings, allowing only 3 hits, ER, with 4 K's. Charlie Hough was all over the place for Tigers, and had to be pulled 4.2 innings through with an injury (Out for 5 days).
Johnny Ray went 3-for-4, with a two-run double for T.C.; while Jack Daugherty added 2 more hits & a run for Detroit. Craig Lefferts locks down his first Save.
GAME #3
TRAVERSE CITY 7, DETROIT 4
T.C. jumped to 5-0 start after 2 innings -- but Detroit does everything they can in an attempt of a comeback.
Harold Baines hit his 1st HR of the season, while Paul Molitor went 3-for-4, with 3 RBI & a run. Joe Carter and Lance Johnson added 2 hits for the Tigers.
Melido Perez was a mess for Detroit, allowing 7 hits & 5 runs in 1.2 innings. Eric King, on the other hand, for T.C. was good, allowing 7 hits & 2 ER's in 6 innings -- getting the win. Stan Belinda collects his 1st Save of the season.
GAME #4
TRAVERSE CITY 4, DETROIT 3
In his very first at-bat in the Mid-West Winter League, Travis Fryman sends a two-run HR over the center field wall; Fryman was the 2nd Overall pick taken in the 1990 MWWL Draft behind Germantown's Frank Thomas.
Paul Molitor added 2 more RBI (5 for the season) & Joe Carter got his 4th double of the season.
Lance Johnson likes doing everything in 3's with 3 runs, 3 hits & 3 stolen bases. The game was 3-3 with Johnson on first, he stole second & third -- setting up Molitor to hit the walk-off single off of Rob Dibble.
John Kruk hit a two-run HR in a losing effort. Dibble gets the loss, while Joe Boever gets the win.
 |
| Whitson was automatic for the Detroit Stars. |
GAME #5
DETROIT 3, TRAVERSE CITY 1
Paul Molitor earned a day off for his game-winner the night before, while his replacement Travis Fryman went 3-for-4, with another HR, this one a solo shot -- but that would be Tigers' only run.
Ed Whitson pitched another solid game, he is now 2-0, with a 1.29 ERA -- he allowed a few more hits than last game with 7, allowing only one earned run in 7.1 innings. Craig Lefferts logs his 2nd Save. David West gets the loss for the Tigers.
No scoring happened for either team after the 3rd inning.
GAME #6
TRAVERSE CITY 5, DETROIT 4
The Detroit Stars outhit the Tigers 11-6, with John Kruk going 3-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI & a run. Jack Daugherty added two more hits, and is batting .400 for the Stars. Vets Dave Parker & Brett Butler also had two hits each for Detroit.
Greg Maddux pitched another good game, and seemed to escape trouble whenever trouble was brewing -- going 6.2 innings, allowing 8 hits & a run, with 6 K's; Maddux is now 1-1, with a 2.08 ERA in two starts.
Brad Arnsberg almost gift-wrapped the game to Detroit, until newly-acquired Norm Charlton (acquired in the Jose Rijo trade) came in and saved the day, for his 1st Save of the season.
Greg Brock and rookie Sandy Alomar, Jr. hit HR's for T.C.
GAME #7
DETROIT 6, TRAVERSE CITY 3
Melido Perez was much more effective in this start for Detroit, allowing 6 hits & 3 ER's in 7 innings, with 4 K's. John Wettleland (starting for the injured Charlie Hough) was lousy, allowing 8 hits & 6 ER's, with 3 BB's in only 3.1 innings!
Julio Franco had 3 hits, while Vince Coleman went 2-for-4, with 3 RBI & a steal for Detroit. Rob Dibble got his 2nd Save, tying teammate Craig Lefferts.
Mel Hall went 2-for-4, with a HR & 2 RBI for the Tigers.
The Detroit Stars win the series, just edging the Tigers 4-3 -- in a fun series.
Entering 1990 / The Off-Season
Here is a quick look at the off-season changes for my Tigers...
 |
| Molitor: The Tigers' offensive anchor. |
PLAYERS RETURNING
C - Sandy Alomar, Jr.
1B- Greg Brock
2B - Johnny Ray
3B+ - Paul Molitor
SS+ - Felix Fermin
SS - Bill Spiers
OF+ - Joe Carter
OF- Lance Johnson
DH/OF - Harold Baines
OF- Dante Bichette
SP- Greg Maddux
SP- Charlie Hough
SP- Eric King
SP- Neal Heaton
P- Luis Aquino
P- John Wetteland
RP- Stan Belinda
RP- Juan Agosto
RP- Terry Leach
RP- Brad Arnsberg
For the most part, Alomar, Heaton & Belinda are newcomers to the team -- Alomar & Belinda barely played in 1989, and Neal Heaton was acquired in a trade for reliever Ken Dayley just before the trade deadline during the season.
 |
| Boone was Tigers' starting backstop from 1988-1989. |
DEPARTURES
C- Bob Boone
C+- Jody Davis
C+- Phil Lombardi
C- Rick Dempsey
1B- Pete O'Brien
2B+- Brad Wellman
2B+- Rene Gonzales
OF - Cecil Espy
OF- Thad Bosley
OF- Henry Cotto
OF- Stan Jefferson
OF- Claudell Washington
OF- Joel Youngblood
P- Brian Holton
SP- Andy Hawkins
SP- Dave Schmidt
SP- Walt Terrell
The MWWL has a great way of keeping & releasing players, the worst you are, the more players you keep, the better you are, the less. I had no problem releasing any of these players, the only one that came closest was Pete O'Brien -- since my first base depth is bad; O'Brien was acquired during my playoff push in the 1998 season. Funny thing is that I own Joel Youngblood on my NXPL 1981 Detroit Tigers.
 |
| Fryman: Wearing a familiar-looking uniform in T.C. |
1990 DRAFT (*-non-rookie free agents)
3B+- Travis Fryman
1B+- Jeff Conine
2B- Mickey Morandini
1B- Ricky Jordan*
C- Greg Myers*
RP- Joe Boever*
P- Wally Whitehurst
OF- Mel Hall*
P- David West*
C- Damon Berryhill*
2B+- Luis Sojo
OF-Wes Chamberlain
P- Dave Burba
P- Alan Mills
3B/1B- Scott Cooper
3B+- Craig Wilson*
With the addition of Travis Fryman to the team, means Molitor's days at third base are numbered. The plan is to move Molitor to first base, until Jeff Conine or whoever is ready by 1993. Joe Carter may have to be trade bait -- hit 151 HR's & 566 RBI from 1990-1994; Carter's defense will be decreasing, and with no room at first with Molitor taking over there in the next season or two -- plus the fact that Harold Baines will be constant DH for years to come, that leaves Carter out of options for the Tigers' future.
 |
| Rijo was sent packing to Montana. |
OFF-SEASON (Post-DRAFT) TRADE
The Tigers traded starting pitcher Jose Rijo, (who will be solid through 1994) to the Montana Cutthroats in exchange for starting pitcher Ken Hill & reliever Norm Charlton; plus an exchange of draft picks between the two franchises, and the Tigers tossed in Dale Sveum for the even-players rule for in-season dealings. Rijo & Greg Maddux made a nasty, 1-2 combination at the top of my rotation, the only problem is that we had nothing on the horizon; Hill may not have been anywhere as good as Rijo, but he puts up respectable numbers from 1991-1997, in which Rijo hits the wall in 1994. With my team not where I wanted it to be, it made Rijo dispensible for the Tigers -- in which Hill would by us time, have a longer duration with the team, plus adding a reliever in Charlton that will tighten up my bullpen. Joe Carter may be able to bring in another starting pitcher, and then the next couple drafts will make a more solid rotation -- the bullpen will be coming around much quicker than the rotation.
It's going to be interesting to see how and where the 1990 MWWL Season takes my Traverse City Tigers, if all go right, the team should be a powerhouse no later than the mid-1990's, even with the league expanding in 1993.
No comments:
Post a Comment