MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Location: file:///C:/5308D573/1959PRESEASONPROGNOSIS.htm Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" 1959 PRESEASON PROGNOSIS

1959 PRESEASON PROGNOSIS

 

AMERICAN LEAG= UE

 

Rossville Hor= nets

The Hornets were only a mediocre 78-76 in 1958 but app= ear poised for a break-out season in 1959.&nbs= p; 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 sin= gle 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 t= he mound ex-reliever Hoyt Wilhelm will move to the starting corps and be match= ed with off season acquisition Warren Spahn.&= nbsp; 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 bat= tle for second place as very little separates slots two through five.  The team has some problems at catc= her and shortstop but is fairly solid everywhere else.  They are a little behind the Horne= ts in terms of power but not by much and Rocky Colavito should give Banks a run f= or his money in terms of the HR title.  Dick (Dr Strange Glove) Stuart takes over as the regular first basem= an and the question is will he drive in more runs than he allows.  The bench is not strong and that c= ould be a season long problem.  Lef= ties Johnny Antonelli and Don Mossi look like the class of the staff with Frank = Lary not far behind.  Off season tr= ades brought Bobby Shantz and Bob Rush to strengthen the bullpen and rookie Jim Perry looks like a star waiting to shine.&= nbsp;

 

West Warwick Monarchs<= o:p>

The Kings have a decent offense and a pitching staff t= hat might be strong enough to contend but they cannot afford any big letdowns.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>  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 outf= ield is strong but could use a little more power.  They have five good starters led b= y 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 Harv= ey 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 th= ey 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 s= tar in rookie Bob Gibson but the starters have some problems, especially a tend= ency to give up too many home runs.  If they can keep that tendency in check, the Aces could well reverse their woe= ful 69-85 record of 1958.   

 

Southport Saints

Second year man Vada Pinson seems poised for a break-o= ut season as the team possesses some very good hitters for average but it woul= d 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.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>  Catcher Smokey Burgess can certain= ly hit the ball but leaves a little to be desired on the defensive side.  Vern Law and Jim Owens are the lea= ders of the pitching staff but will have some decent support from the likes of D= ick Donovan.  The bullpen will be composed mostly of swing men who will start a few games, then relieve the r= est of the time.  The team lacks a= nything approaching a standout closer. 

 

South River Gladiators<= o:p>

South River managem= ent 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 thin= gs have happened.  They still hav= e 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 playe= rs just to get through the season.  Bill White looks like a budding star at first base but spring traini= ng 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 af= ter 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 year̵= 7;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 Blasi= ngame 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 sensatio= n, Ron Kline, is unlikely to repeat and the rest of the staff is below par at best. 

 

 

NATIONAL LEAG= UE

 

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 so= me offensive problems and a serious lack of everyday players.  The manager will need to juggle th= e lineup very creatively at four positions in order to maximize the team’s potential.  Slugger Ted Willia= ms suffered a pinched nerve in his neck during the off season and will probabl= y 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 backstop= s 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 br= ought 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 bu= t the team in 1959 is nowhere near as strong as it was the previous seasons.  Mickey Mantle could suffer a big f= alloff 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 a= t 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 th= eir 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 t= hey have several other contributors such as Roger Maris, Moose Skowron and Elst= on 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 wit= h part timers, most of whom do not have the potential to excel.  Whitey Ford is once again the main= stay 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 Portl= and 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 outfie= ld which has no real standouts.  = The team leader should be third sacker Ken Boyer who along with first baseman V= ic Power could both contend for gold gloves.&= nbsp; 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&#= 8217;s pathetic victory total of 56 but could also finish in the cellar once again= if the Flyers & Lakers get a few breaks.&= nbsp;

 

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) Maxwe= ll 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 b= est pure hitter on the team but injuries will limit his playing time.  The pitching staff will have to ca= rry 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 i= n the off season but he promises to be a shell of his old self and the best playe= r 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<= /sup> 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 qualit= y on the staff.   

  

 

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