SPBI 1970 Newsletter

1970 Rookie Draft

The 1970 rookie
draft was once again held in Arlington,
Illinois on Sat. May 5th.
In one of the biggest turnouts 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.

Most of
us stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, and we decided to eat at the German place
again. The food was great, as were the “refreshments”.

Since this
draft started at 7am, we didn’t have the traditional pre-draft breakfast.
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.

Once 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.

After the
game John U. brought us to a nice Italian Restaurant (I forget the name), and
we stuffed ourselves on pizza and “refreshments”.

Most 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.

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 Dukes
did not make a trade in 1970. Let’s see how this strategy pays off J

Team

# Trades

Team

# Trades

Eagles

22

Mountaineers

4

Thunder

15

Peppers

3

Chiefs

11

Glaciers

2

Cubs

10

Saxons

2

Rats

9

Eels

2

Triangles

8

Ravines

2

Red
Streaks

7

Tourists

2

Forest Citys

6

Stars

2

Tigers

6

Spiders

1

Black Sox

4

Tunnel

0

Robustos

4

Dukes

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).

<<<<<<<<<< American League East
>>>>>>>>>>

Flushing Rats, Joe DeZarlo.
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 Hall
getting some starts as well. Mikkelsen and Hiller round out the bullpen, with
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 home 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 have 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: 105-57, 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 about 25
home runs. Carty will also hit about 25 home runs. Cardenal should get about 30
steals. Jim Perry and Wright are solid 1 and 2 starters, with Nash and Torrez decent
3rd and 4th starters.  Klimkowski is a workhorse in the bullpen.
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 will
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 decent
at #3 thru 5. Hamilton
will make a good closer, but otherwise the bullpen is a little shaky (although
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 runs
and steal 40 bases. Brown should add 25 home runs. The team on-base-percentage
is not great, so there will be many solo home runs. Blyleven, Drago and Roberts
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 are
workhorses in the bullpen, and McRae and Wagner round out a decent bullpen.

1969 Record: 45-117, 5th Place
American League East

1970
Prediction: 62-100

<<<<<<<<<< American League West
>>>>>>>>>>

Rossville
Cubs, Rick Ryan. Howard (45-50) and Powell (35-40) will
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 superb
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.
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 opportunities
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
is a decent #5. The bullpen is the weak point, with Gladding the best reliever
(his era will be around 4.00).

1969 Record: 105-57, 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 will
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-percentage
of .350 or better, so there should be plenty of runs. Peterson is a very solid
#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: 62-100, 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 role. There
is not much team power, with no real threat to hit 20 home runs. The pitching
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 fill
#4 while Janeski will round out the rotation at #5 with some shaky starts. The
bullpen is excellent with the righty-lefty combo of Selma and Lindblad. The rest of the bullpen
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 Melton
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 of 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 decent,
lead by Hoerner, Cumberland,
Lamb and Lyle.

1969 Record: 73-89, 4th Place
American League West

1970
Prediction: 61-101

<<<<<<<<<< National League East
>>>>>>>>>>

Evanston Black Sox, John Ungashick.
Conigliaro will hit about 40 home runs, with Mays, Mincher and Nettles adding
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 the
rotation. The bullpen is led by Campisi, Mingori, McMahon and Giusti.

1969 Record: 100-62, 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 Smokies).
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 strong
in middle relief. The rest of the bullpen fades quickly.

1969 Record: 87-75, 2nd Place
National League East

1970 Prediction:
74-88

Kansas
City
Red Streaks, Mike Boling (Chicago
Ravens). Colbert should hit 40 home runs, and Oliver will add 30. Stanley
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 Foster 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: 47-115, 5th Place
National League East

1970
Prediction: 63-99

<<<<<<<<<< National League West
>>>>>>>>>>

Hollywood Stars, Don Zminda.
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 staff
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 very
effective, led by McDaniel and Knowles.

1969 Record: 112-50, 1st Place
National League West

1970
Prediction: 104-58

Fairfax Peppers, Ron Peterson (Las Vegas Tarantulas).
Plenty of power and some speed as well. McCovey should hit 40 home runs, Gaston
30, Agee 25, and a few others between 15 and 20. Agee will add about 35 steals.
The rotation is very solid, with John, Jarvis, Dobson and Osteen. Hargan will
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 and
Hargan run out of gas. The rest of the bullpen is deep, but not as effective.

1969 Record: 95-67, 2nd Place
National League West

1970
Prediction: 94-68

Las Vegas Thunder, Mike See.
Jackson could approach
a 30-30 season. Rader will add 25-30 home runs. Clark and Cedeno will get 20-25
steals each, with Concepcion and Belanger adding 10-15 each. The rotation is
deep, but not spectacular. Hunter, Rooker, Stone, Wilson and Merritt will form
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 Forest 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 steals,
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 Frisella,
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
Legends). Sims will get about 25 home runs, with
Robinson and Walton adding about 20 each. Stroud should steal about 30 bases.
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