SPBI 1970 Newsletter
1970 Rookie Draft
The 1970 ro=
okie
draft was once again held in A=
rlington,
Illinois on Sat. May 5=
th.
In one of the biggest turnout=
s at a
SPB-I draft, 11 managers were in attendance; Gary Plunkitt, John Ungashick, Mike See, Dave
Lauer, Rich Applegate, Terry Baxter, Joe DeZarlo, Steve Ehresman, Rick Ryan,
John Turnbull and Don Zminda. <=
span
style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>
=
M=
ost of
us stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, and we decided to eat at the German p=
lace
again. The food was great, as were the “refreshments”.
<=
o:p>
S=
ince this
draft started at 7am, we didn’t have the traditional pre-draft breakf=
ast.
However, John U. took care of that with some Continental Breakfast action. =
The
draft went smoothly as usual, with a few draft-day trades to liven up the
action.
<=
o:p>
O=
nce the
draft ended we had a few minutes to get ready for the trip to Wrigley Field=
to
see the Cubs play the Nationals. It was a pretty good game, just a little
colder than we hoped for, but we still had a great time. We got some good
photos in front of the Wrigley Field sign.
<=
o:p>
A=
fter the
game John U. brought us to a nice Italian Restaurant (I forget the name), a=
nd
we stuffed ourselves on pizza and “refreshments”. =
span>
<=
o:p>
M=
ost of
us spent the rest of the night playing some head-to-head games in the other=
SPB
leagues we’re in. Of course we made the Dunkin run that night. We also
made sure we hit Johnny’s for some beef and sausage sandwiches before=
we
headed home.
<=
o:p>
1970
Trades
There were a total of 61 trades made in
preparation for the 1970 season. With 22 trades, Dave Lauer is the new
“Trader”. Mike See finished a distant 2nd with 15
trades. Steve Ehresman finished 3rd with 11. Rick Ryan finished a
disappointing 4th with 10 trades. Let’s all root for
“Trader Rick” to regain his title in 1971! The Tunnel and the D=
ukes
did not make a trade in 1970. Let’s see how this strategy pays off =
span>J=
Team
|
# Trades=
b>
|
|
Team
|
# Trades=
b>
|
&=
nbsp;
|
|
<=
o:p>
|
&=
nbsp;
|
|
E=
agles
|
22
|
<=
o:p>
|
M=
ountaineers
|
4
|
T=
hunder
|
15
|
<=
o:p>
|
P=
eppers
|
3
|
C=
hiefs
|
11
|
<=
o:p>
|
G=
laciers
|
2
|
C=
ubs
|
10
|
<=
o:p>
|
S=
axons
|
2
|
R=
ats
|
9
|
<=
o:p>
|
E=
els
|
2
|
T=
riangles
|
8
|
<=
o:p>
|
R=
avines
|
2
|
R=
ed
Streaks
|
7
|
<=
o:p>
|
T=
ourists
|
2
|
Forest Citys
|
6
|
<=
o:p>
|
S=
tars
|
2
|
T=
igers
|
6
|
<=
o:p>
|
S=
piders
|
1
|
B=
lack Sox
|
4
|
<=
o:p>
|
T=
unnel
|
0
|
R=
obustos
|
4
|
<=
o:p>
|
D=
ukes
|
0
|
=
1970
Predictions
I will make another stab at predicting=
the
outcome of SPBI. I was pretty accurate in 1969, so let’s see if I can
pull it off again (1969 team name in parenthesis if different).<=
/span>
<<<<<<<<<< American League Ea=
st
>>>>>>>>>>
Flushing Rats, Joe DeZarlo<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;mso-fareast-font-family:"MS M=
incho"'>.
The Rats have 4 players (Bench, Perez, Yastrzemski and Cepeda) who could hit
35-40 home runs, and 4 players (Brock, Campaneris, Otis and Yastrzemski) who
could steal 25-50 bases. Gaylord Perry, Culp, Dobson and Hand form a solid =
top
4 in the rotation. Hall and Monteagudo could share time as closers, with Ha=
ll
getting some starts as well. Mikkelsen and Hiller round out the bullpen, wi=
th
Brett and Bolin spot starting and mopping up.
1969 Record: 90-72=
, 2nd Place
American League East
1970
Prediction: 107-55
Lincoln Tunnel, Greg Stillwagon (Lincoln Grays). Aaron and Killebrew can hit 40 hom=
e runs
each and will again challenge for the league lead. Johnson and Northrup will
add about 25 home runs each. Tovar should get about 30 steals. The Grays ha=
ve 4
solid starters in Nolan, Odom, Messersmith and Coombs, with Lemaster and
Moeller splitting time at #5. The bullpen is deep and effective with Carrol,
Lachemann, Garrett and LaRoche.
1969 Record: 105-5=
7, 1st Place
American League East
1970
Prediction: 85-77
Cascade
Glaciers, Marc Hollingsworth (Pocono Pelicans).
Carty and Carew will get on base, and Pinson will drive them home with abou=
t 25
home runs. Carty will also hit about 25 home runs. Cardenal should get abou=
t 30
steals. Jim Perry and Wright are solid 1 and 2 starters, with Nash and Torr=
ez decent
3rd and 4th starters. Klimkowski is a workhorse in the bu=
llpen.
Dukes and Pascual are closer material, but only have a limited number of
appearances.
1969 Record: 72-90=
, 3rd Place
American League East
1970
Prediction: 80-82
Schaumburg Saxons, Tim Johnson.
Not much team power, with Oliva (25) and Horton (20) the only players who w=
ill
hit double-figures. Kenney and Millan will get about 20 stolen bases each.
Blass and Downing are solid at #1 and 2, with Wise, Niekro and Robertson de=
cent
at #3 thru 5. Hamilton
will make a good closer, but otherwise the bullpen is a little shaky (altho=
ugh
it’s deep).
1969 Record: 70-92=
, 4th Place
American League East
1970
Prediction: 72-90
Blue
Ridge
Mountaineers, Steve Brunner. Harper should hit 30 home ru=
ns
and steal 40 bases. Brown should add 25 home runs. The team on-base-percent=
age
is not great, so there will be many solo home runs. Blyleven, Drago and Rob=
erts
are solid at the top of the rotation. Lockwood and Stoneman will be decent =
at 4
and 5. Hopefully Brabender will not get too many starts. Pina and Fischer a=
re
workhorses in the bullpen, and McRae and Wagner round out a decent bullpen.=
1969 Record: 45-11=
7, 5th Place
American League East
1970
Prediction: 62-100
<<<<<<<<<< American League We=
st
>>>>>>>>>>
Rossville
Cubs, Rick Ryan. Howard (45-50) and Powell (35-40) wi=
ll
supply the home run power, with a few others in double-digits. Davis will steal about 40 bases, and
Grabarkewitz will add about 20. Palmer, Bosman, Kaat and Reuss form a great=
top
4, and Short is a very respectable #5. Both Williams and Aker could be supe=
rb
closers, with Locker and Drabowsky very solid in middle relief. =
1969 Record: 97-65=
, 2nd Place
American League West
1970
Prediction: 99-63
Frankfort Tigers, Gary Plunkitt<=
/b>.
Hickman will hit about 35 home runs, with almost every other starter except
Harrelson getting 10-20 home runs each. There will be plenty of opportuniti=
es
for Hickman to drive in runs, as Buford, Harrelson, McAuliffe and Hickman
himself will all draw over 100 walks. Blair and Harrelson will get about 25
steals each. Gentry, Hands, Moose and Cloniger will be effective as the top=
4
starters. Wilson=
st1:City>
is a decent #5. The bullpen is the weak point, with Gladding the best relie=
ver
(his era will be around 4.00).
1969 Record: 105-5=
7, 1st Place
American League West
1970
Prediction: 94-68
Wabash Ravines, Bill Lanke.
Pepitone will get about 25 home runs, and Monday will steal about 20 bases.=
The
overall team on-base-percentage will be low, so the scoring opportunities w=
ill
be slim. A very solid rotation of Seaver (who should lead the league in ERA=
),
Siebert, Dierker, Kline and Hannan, with a host of other guys spot starting.
Perranoski is a solid closer, but the rest of the bullpen will be adequate =
at
best.
1969 Record: 72-90=
, 5th Place
American League West
1970
Prediction: 81-81
Elkhart Electric Eels, Lynn Miller.
Santo will hit about 30 home runs, and Robinson and Dietz will get about 25
each. Johnson could get 20 steals. Six regulars could have an on-bas-percen=
tage
of .350 or better, so there should be plenty of runs. Peterson is a very so=
lid
#1, with Ryan, Cain, Fryman and Brunet filling #2 thru #5. Romo should get =
some
spot starts. Reed is solid in the bullpen, but the rest of the bullpen is a
little weak.
1969 Record: 62-10=
0, 6th Place
American League West
1970
Prediction: 73-89
Habana
Robustos, Marc Robinson. Once again, the Robustos will
platoon at almost every position. Kelly and Wills (two of the every day
players) will get about 30-35 steals. Foy will get about 25 is a reserve ro=
le. There
is not much team power, with no real threat to hit 20 home runs. The pitchi=
ng
staff is very deep, both starters and relievers. Simpson and McAndrew will =
be
very good at #1 and #2, with Bunning OK at #3. Then a bunch of guys will fi=
ll
#4 while Janeski will round out the rotation at #5 with some shaky starts. =
The
bullpen is excellent with the righty-lefty combo of <=
st1:place
w:st=3D"on">Selma and Lindblad. The rest of the bul=
lpen
will be decent.
1969 Record: 79-83=
, 3rd Place
American League West
1970
Prediction: 71-91
Dayton=
Triangles, John Turnbull.
There is some pop on this team, with Williams hitting 45 home runs, and Mel=
ton
and Stargell at about 35 home runs. The team on-base-percentage won’t=
be
very high, so the three big guns might not get as many rbi chances. Alou is=
the
only threat to steal, and he’ll get about 20. McNally and Carlton are two o=
f the
best lefty starters, with Krausse doing a decent job at #3. The rest of the
starting rotation will not be very effective. The bullpen is deep and decen=
t,
lead by Hoerner, Cumberland,
Lamb and Lyle.
1969 Record: 73-89=
, 4th Place
American League West
1970
Prediction: 61-101
<<<<<<<<<< National League Ea=
st
>>>>>>>>>>
Evanston Black Sox, John Ungashick.
Conigliaro will hit about 40 home runs, with Mays, Mincher and Nettles addi=
ng
about 30 each. There’s not much team speed, so the long ball will be =
the
weapon of choice. Johnson, Koosman, Phoebus and McGlothlin form a real solid
top 4 in the rotation, and Marichal might be relegated to #5; not too bad. =
The
bullpen is a little weak after Hall Lersch and Ellsworth.=
1969 Record: 75-87=
, 4th Place
National League East
1970
Prediction: 89-73
Asheville Tourists, Rich Applegate.
The Tourists have a good combination of power and speed. Bonds will hit 30 =
home
runs and steal 50 bases. Clendenon and Bando will add 20-25 home runs each.
Alomar will steal about 40 bases. The Tourists are another team deep in the
rotation and the bullpen. McDowell and Jenkins are top notch at #1 and #2.
Peters will do well at #3, and then a bunch of arms will fill the rest of t=
he
rotation. The bullpen is led by Campisi, Mingori, McMahon and Giusti. =
1969 Record: 100-6=
2, 1st Place
National League East
1970
Prediction: 83-79
Cleveland Spiders, Chris Williams.
Allen will get about 35-40 home runs, with Torre and Henderson adding about=
20
each. Henderson
should also steal about 20 bases. Bahnsen, Lolich and Veal are a strong 1-2=
-3,
with Cox and Chance decent at #4 and #5. Sanders and Richert are excellent
closers, and would win that job on almost any team. Lopez and Roland round =
out
a very good bullpen, although it’s not too deep.
1969 Record: 78-84=
, 3rd Place
National League East
1970
Prediction: 78-84
Lafayette Chiefs, Steve Ehresman (Tennessee Smokie=
s).
May will hit about 35 home runs, and Tolan will swipe almost 60 bases. Tolan
will also add about 20 home runs, as will Kaline. Cuellar is the ace of the
staff. May, Sutton, Nagy and Horlen will do an adequate job at #2 thru #5.
Grant is an excellent closer, with Baldwin, Granger and Humphreys very stro=
ng
in middle relief. The rest of the bullpen fades quickly. =
1969 Record: 87-75=
, 2nd Place
National League East
1970 Pre=
diction:
74-88
Kansas
City
Red Streaks, Mike Boling (Chic=
ago
Ravens). Colbert should hit 40 home runs, and Oliver will add 30. Sta=
nley
and Mota will steal about 10 bases each. The overall team on-base-percentage
will not be very high, so runs will be scarce. Pattin and Butler head up the rotation, with Foste=
r and
Kirby decent at #3 and #4. Shellenback is a solid middle reliever who will =
help
out as a spot starter. The bullpen is deep, but not spectacular. Ray,
Shellenback, Cook and Gura will do a good job, but the rest of the relievers
might struggle.
1969 Record: 47-11=
5, 5th Place
National League East
1970
Prediction: 63-99
<<<<<<<<<< National League We=
st
>>>>>>>>>>
Hollywood Stars, Don Zminda<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;mso-fareast-font-family:"MS M=
incho"'>.
Good overall team power is spread out a bit, with Carbo, Smith, White and
Fregosi all getting between 20 and 25 home runs. White will add about 25
steals, with Jones and Rodriguez getting about 15 each. The best pitching s=
taff
in SPBI, with Stottlemyre, Gibson and Ellis at #1 thru #3. Vance, Singer and
Zepp will split time at the final two slots. The bullpen is very deep and v=
ery
effective, led by McDaniel and Knowles.
1969 Record: 112-5=
0, 1st Place
National League West
1970
Prediction: 104-58
Fairfax Peppers, Ron Peterson (Las Vegas Tarantu=
las).
Plenty of power and some speed as well. McCovey should hit 40 home runs, Ga=
ston
30, Agee 25, and a few others between 15 and 20. Agee will add about 35 ste=
als.
The rotation is very solid, with John, Jarvis, Dobson and Osteen. Hargan wi=
ll
only need to add a few starts, so his good numbers might be reserved for the
bullpen. Lamb and Hargan are strong in the bullpen, but will be limited in
appearances. Wilhelm is solid and might end up being the closer when Lamb a=
nd
Hargan run out of gas. The rest of the bullpen is deep, but not as effectiv=
e.
1969 Record: 95-67=
, 2nd Place
National League West
1970
Prediction: 94-68
Las Vegas Thunder, Mike See<=
span
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Verdana;mso-fareast-font-family:"MS M=
incho"'>.
Jackson=
could approach
a 30-30 season. Rader will add 25-30 home runs. Clark and Cedeno will get 2=
0-25
steals each, with Concepcion and Belanger adding 10-15 each. The rotation is
deep, but not spectacular. Hunter, Rooker, Stone, Wilson and Merritt will f=
orm
the rotation. The bullpen is deep and effective, led by Wood and Tatum, with
McGraw and Colburn not far behind.
1969 Record: 95-67=
, 3rd Place
National League West
1970
Prediction: 87-75
Rockford F=
orest Citys, Terry Baxter.
There’s plenty of power and speed here. Petrocelli, Wynn, Robertson,
Foster and Murcer could all hit 25-30 home runs. Morgan should get 45 steal=
s,
with Wynn adding 25-30 and Murcer about 15. The rotation is effectively led=
by
Holtzman and Coleman. After that a host of starters will fill the remaining
slots, some not as good as the top 2. The bullpen is fairly deep, but gets a
little weak after Watt and Hilgendorf.
1969 Record: 94-68=
, 4th Place
National League West
1970
Prediction: 76-86
Kenosha Eagles, Dave Lauer=
.
Staub and Bailey could hit 30 home runs each. Bateman and Epstein should add
15-20. Bowa will get about 25 steals, and Staub should add 15. The rotation=
is
led by Morton, Niekro and Renko, with Segui an excellent spot starter and
Sadecki an adequate #5. The bullpen is deep and has some good arms in Frise=
lla,
Burgmeir, Scherman and Segui when he’s not starting. After that
there’s plenty of appearances, although not too effective.=
1969 Record: 63-99=
, 6th Place
National League West
1970
Prediction: 73-89
Amboy
Dukes, Al “doc” Schweitzer (Cooperstown<=
/st1:place>
Legends). Sims will get about 25 home runs, wi=
th
Robinson and Walton adding about 20 each. Stroud should steal about 30 base=
s.
Murphy, Billingham and Pappas will led the rotation, with Hardin, Fingers,
Kekich and Dunning filling in the other spots when they’re not in the
bullpen. The bullpen is not very deep, but is led adequately by Gullett and
Abernathy.
1969 Record: 66-96=
, 5th Place
National League West
1970
Prediction: 67-95