1959 PRESEASON PROGNOSIS

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Rossville Hornets

The Hornets were only a mediocre 78-76 in 1958 but appear
poised for a break-out season in 1959.
They possess a thundering offense with by far the best power in either division and a very good pitching staff.  It’s possible that every single
regular will reach or exceed 20 homers with Ernie Banks a good bet to lead the
league.  The team is solid
defensively everywhere but CF and that’s only when Duke Snider rather
than slick fielding Jimmy Piersall is in the lineup.  Despite the solid starting lineup, the
bench is also very good.  On the
mound ex-reliever Hoyt Wilhelm will move to the starting corps and be matched
with off season acquisition Warren Spahn.
Jack Meyer will be asked to assume the closer’s role held by
Wilhelm in prior years but he seems up to the job.  The rest of the staff is adequate to
good.

Frankfort Fortress

The Forts (or Farts as the team was often referred to last
year) could contend but more likely they will be in a three or four way battle
for second place as very little separates slots two through five.  The team has some problems at catcher
and shortstop but is fairly solid everywhere else.  They are a little behind the Hornets in
terms of power but not by much and Rocky Colavito should give Banks a run for
his money in terms of the HR title.
Dick (Dr Strange Glove) Stuart takes over as the regular first baseman
and the question is will he drive in more runs than he allows.  The bench is not strong and that could
be a season long problem.  Lefties
Johnny Antonelli and Don Mossi look like the class of the staff with Frank Lary
not far behind.  Off season trades
brought Bobby Shantz and Bob Rush to strengthen the bullpen and rookie Jim
Perry looks like a star waiting to shine.

West
Warwick Monarchs

The Kings have a decent offense and a pitching staff that
might be strong enough to contend but they cannot afford any big letdowns.  Nellie Fox and Eddie Kasko are a solid keystone combo offensively and defensively while
slugger Harmon Killebrew will try to hold down the hot corner and not give up
too many extra runs.  The outfield
is strong but could use a little more power.  They have five good starters led by Sad
Sam Jones but someone may lose out in the numbers game and wind up in the
bullpen.  That bullpen is led by Roy
Face and Don Elston and will be one of the strengths of the team.

Goshen Aces

The Aces could finish anywhere from second to fifth and
might even contend with a few breaks and a big let down by the Hornets.  The offense, led by outfielder Harvey
Kuenn, is right behind the Hornets and rookie Willie McCovey looks to put up
big numbers, but probably in limited play.
Centerfielder Bob Allison is solid but it doesn’t look like they
have too many other players who will be able to play everyday and contribute
substantially on both offense and defense.
The team has an excellent bullpen led by Don McMahon and a budding star
in rookie Bob Gibson but the starters have some problems, especially a tendency
to give up too many home runs.  If
they can keep that tendency in check, the Aces could well reverse their woeful
69-85 record of 1958.

Southport Saints

Second year man Vada Pinson seems poised for a break-out
season as the team possesses some very good hitters for average but it would be
nice if they had a little more power.
The outfield of Pinson, Tito Francona & Gus Bell is one of the best in the league.  Catcher Smokey Burgess can certainly hit
the ball but leaves a little to be desired on the defensive side.  Vern Law and Jim Owens are the leaders
of the pitching staff but will have some decent support from the likes of Dick
Donovan.  The bullpen will be
composed mostly of swing men who will start a few games, then relieve the rest
of the time.  The team lacks anything
approaching a standout closer.

South
River Gladiators

South River management saw
the advance of Father Time and decided to trade off some old stars such as Stan
Musial and Warren Spahn.  The new
look Glads don’t seem to have the horses to compete but stranger things
have happened.  They still have some
solid every day performers, especially Willie Mays, but it looks as if they
might finish last in the league in home runs which means offense will be a problem.  Second base will be a season long issue
as the manager will have to run in a series of no-hit feeble-fielding players
just to get through the season.
Bill White looks like a budding star at first base but spring training
injuries appear to have seriously weakened Frank Thomas, one of the stars of
the 1958 pennant winners.  Cal
McLish will lead the pitching staff and get decent help from Gene Conley after
the NBA basketball season is over but except for closer Stu Miller the rest of
the staff is not strong.

Route 66 Hot Rods

The Rods were the big overachievers of 1958 but they
stumbled badly the last two months of the season and on paper it certainly
seems like that trend will continue although you can never count out their
canny manager.  Last year’s
rookie sensation Orlando Cepeda should come back with a strong season and
he’ll get some help from Willie Kirkland.  The double play combo of Don Blasingame
and Luis Aparacio are flashy with the glove and can actually hit pretty
well.  The team has some good
potential for the future but it seems a stretch to ask for much in 1959.  On the mound they have arguably the
worst staff in the division.  Bob
Shaw and Glen Hobbie are decent starters, although Hobbie has some control
problems and Lindy McDaniel is a standout reliever.  However last year’s sensation, Ron
Kline, is unlikely to repeat and the rest of the staff is below par at
best.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Salzburg Bishops

The Prelates possess what is the best pitching in the
division by far and arguably the best in the league.  This should be enough to offset some
offensive problems and a serious lack of everyday players.  The manager will need to juggle the lineup
very creatively at four positions in order to maximize the team’s
potential.  Slugger Ted Williams
suffered a pinched nerve in his neck during the off season and will probably be
a shadow of his former self but third sacker Eddie Mathews promises to pick up
a lot of the slack. Catcher Sherm Lollar should be one of the best backstops in
the league and the team does possess very good overall home run power.  On the mound Camilo Pascual and Art
Ditmar plus swingman Roger Craig lead the staff while Bill Henry and Mike
Fornieles are a dynamite lefty/righty bullpen combo.

Evanston Elephants

The Pachyderms offense is well above average but they lack
home run power and are sorely lacking in left handed bats.  Two 11th hour trades brought
Bob Nieman and Pete Wisenant to bolster a pathetic bench but the moves cost
them standout reliever Bobby Shantz.
The team will rise or fall on the shoulders of Hammering Hank Aaron who
has initiated a vigorous off season workout regimen and is poised for a
potential triple-crown season.  Hank
is especially anxious to wipe out the stain of his embarrassing performance in
1958.  On the mound the keys to
success will be Don Newcombe and Early Wynn, both trying for big comebacks
after poor years in 1958.  Wynn
needs to keep his walks under control and Bob Friend also needs to
contribute.  The bullpen is a
problem and Tom Morgan needs to come through.  The pitching staff is thin and a
breakdown by any of the key pitchers could doom the team.

Los Angeles Surfers

The two-time defending champions could still repeat but the
team in 1959 is nowhere near as strong as it was the previous seasons.  Mickey Mantle could suffer a big falloff
and the team lacks the outstanding depth which characterized prior years.  Woody Held, Frank Malzone and Joe
Cunningham should be big contributors but they face a season long problem at 2B
and lack depth in the outfield.  The
pitching staff was especially hard hit with off season injuries and the big
three of Jim Bunning, Bob Turley and Robin Roberts look to be well below their
level of excellence in 1958.  They
have a lot of warm bodies in the bullpen but no standouts.

Hampton Road Cruisers

The Cruisers and Beavers could easily switch slots but
moving up any further will be a challenge.
Frank Robinson is solid whether he plays first or the outfield and they
have several other contributors such as Roger Maris, Moose Skowron and Elston
Howard.  Frank Bolling and Don
Buddin are a good double play combo defensively and
will hit enough to not be an embarrassment.  The rest of lineup is littered with part
timers, most of whom do not have the potential to excel.  Whitey Ford is once again the mainstay
of the staff but he’ll need big help from the likes of Danny McDevitt and Pedro Ramos.  Gerry Staley should be one of the top
closers in the league and Jim (Ball Four) Brosnan isn’t far behind but
the rest of the staff is well below par.

Portland Beavers

The Portland
offense is decent, although they seem to have an aversion to the base on
balls.  The infield is pretty solid
offensively and defensively but you can’t say the same for the outfield
which has no real standouts.  The
team leader should be third sacker Ken Boyer who along with first baseman Vic
Power could both contend for gold gloves.
Bill Tuttle is the only solid very day outfielder but he lacks home run
power.  The pitching staff has a lot
of warm bodies but not a lot of quality other than Bud Daley, Dave Hillman and
reliever Turk Lown.  The team should exceed last year’s
pathetic victory total of 56 but could also finish in the cellar once again if
the Flyers & Lakers get a few breaks.

Dayton Flyers

The Flyers offense is not good and the pitching staff a tad
above average at best which will make it hard for them to contend although they
should improve on last season’s 69 victories.  Except for Charley (Paw-Paw) Maxwell and
catcher Yogi Berra, the team sorely lacks power and first base will feature a
cast of thousands with no one particularly impressive.  Roberto Clemente is probably the best
pure hitter on the team but injuries will limit his playing time.  The pitching staff will have to carry
the team if they hope to move up in the standings and the big three of Bob
Buhl, pint-size Harvey Haddix and Jack Sanford are impressive but the rest of
the staff is thin and they lack anything even close to an effective
closer.

Minneapolis Lakers

Both the Lakers offense and pitching staff are ranked dead
last in all of SPB II so it’s tough to pick them anything but last.  They acquired legend Stan Musial in the
off season but he promises to be a shell of his old self and the best player on
the team might turn out to be the immortal Ed Bouchee.  Second baseman Tony Taylor is the only
standout in the infield but the outfield is very thin.  If Bouchee plays almost every day at
first that will push Musial to the outfield where is a serious defensive liability.  Mike
McCormick and Gary Ding-Dong Bell would be good 3rd or 4th
starters on other teams but will be asked to carry the main load with Minneapolis.  Way too many starts will go to the likes
of Paul Foytack and Johnny Buzhart.
Al Worthington is an OK reliever but there is nothing else of quality on
the staff.