Record: 94-68 (+15)
9th in Batting - 1st in Pitching
15-win improvement was league's best and second best in club history.  Colts have yo-yoed from 6th to 1st to 4th to 1st.
Stud: Bill Singer (19-9, 2.23)
Dud: Hank Aaron (.218-16-58)
Top Performance: Colts pitchers authored four of the top six pitching performances of the year, led by Bill Singer, who tossed the club's first no-hitter on July 8 vs. San Francisco.

Congrats Sir, You're a Loser Again
What do we say here in Chicago, “it’s the same ol’ same ol’ same ol’ same ol’”. We win the West and lose the Series, for the seventh out of eight pennants…but hey, that’s consistency for ya.

The Colts’ bounce back to the top of the standings was certainly part of our hopes and plans but we’d expected the new-face offense to have had more of a hand in things. We did manage to score about 80 runs more than last year but both Hank Aaron and Felix Mantilla were fairly big disappointments.

Once again it was the starting pitching that made the difference.  Billy Singer sported his Cy Young style again, challenging for the Triple Crown while helping the starters notch a season ERA just a tick under 3.00. The rest of the rotation wasn’t too shabby either, with Friend, Wood, Bahnsen and Boswell all ringing up at least 13 wins each.  The bullpen was bit rocky, but Bob Johnson managed to lock down 31 saves for the year. On the offensive tip, Roger Maris definitely deserves a hardy pat on the back for being a cornerstone once again, despite missing nearly two months of the season. The young core also held their own, with May, Taylor, and Otis leading the way and the rest of the crew chipping in the best they could.

Yes, it was another gut wrenching defeat in the UL World Series, but at least this time we nearly lost it before nearly winning it as opposed to nearly winning it before losing it…look for the silver lining, right? And hey, the team will be basically unchanged going into 1973 and we think we’ve got a chance to repeat before giving up the ghost to the expansion draft.
 

Record: 89-73 (+3)
5th in Batting - 4th in Pitching
GM Aiton slashed payroll by $14M, but managed a third straight pennant and club records in attendance and revenue.
Stud: Andy Messersmith (19-6, 3.25)
Dud: Ray Fosse (.226-9-43)
Top Performance: Andy Messersmith fanned 11 Outlaws in a four-hit shutout on April 6.

Despite all the talk of the Weak East, the Monuments' march to their third consecutive pennant represents a triumph over adversity, in this, the Year of the Injury in Washington.  At full strength (like in July and May, when they went 38-19), the Mons looked unstoppable, but this was rarely the case.  Ace Don Wilson, and every single starting position player, bar catcher, suffered an injury of 2 weeks or longer, three of them (Hebner, Blomberg, Carbo) missed months rather than weeks.

Of those, both Carbo and Blomberg were on their way to career years before their seasons were cut short.  Carbo was hitting .336 with 23 homers in only 100 games and was a potential MVP candidate before a fractured ankle ended his campaign.  Blomberg was hitting .325 with 16 homers before he broke his hand, numbers that in Griffith Stadium represent monumental offensive campaigns.  Offensively, then, it was again a combination of seven reasonable hitters (well, six and a woeful Ray Fosse) and then CF Al Oliver, hammering 23 homers and driving in 100 for the second straight year.

The rest was about the arms - Drysdale and Strohmayer in the pen, Andy Messersmith winning 19 (... and so nearly 20), Rick Wise keeping his ERA under 2 for most of the year, the return of Wilson and a stoic Johnny Podres having his best year of the last three.  First signing of the off-season?  A new team doctor!
  

Record: 90-72 (+14)
2nd in Batting - 7th in Pitching
Second most improved team also cut its payroll and turned $11 million profit.  Third 90-win season in five years, ninth second place finish.
Stud: Reggie Smith (.281-34-114)
Dud: Don Sutton (8-11, 6.05)
Top Performance: Mickey Mantle homered twice and drov in five runs vs. San Francisco April 15.
  
 

Record: 84-78 (+2)
3rd in Batting - 7th in Pitching
Two franchises first under new GM John Horsch: led the league in attendance and third straight winning season.
Stud: Reggie Jackson (.253-31-101)
Dud: Jerry Reuss (8-5, 4.60)
Top Performance: Carl Yastrzemski had a 6-RBI day with three hits and a pair of walks vs. Brooklyn on Sept. 12. Bobby Bonds hit a homer hat trick vs. Los Angeles on Aug. 24.

Overall we had a poor season. I was hoping to finish slightly above .500 but injuries and poor hitting made it a rather difficult situation. We hit only .251 this year. Poor hitting and disappointing pitching contributed to our losing season. Pedro Ramos finished the season with a 4.07 era and overall our pitching was over 4.00. Poor hitting and crapping pitching ain't gonna win you games. Hopefully next year and the year following we can put some pieces together to make Detroit a winner.
 

Record: 87-75 (-11)
1st in Batting - 9th in Pitching
Six-year run of winning season is league's longest.  Attendance dropped 26%, but new GM Fully Fry cut costs and turned a $13M profit.
Stud: Sal Bando (.342-46-139)
Dud: Steve Carlton (15-11, 4.46)
Top Performance: Joe Torre was 4-for-5 with 2 homers and 4 RBIs July 26, and Sal Bando repeated the batting line two weeks later.
  
 

Record: 81-81 (-4)
4th in Batting - 6th in Pitching
GM Brendan Harris has increased attendance and revenues and finished in top three in each of his first three seasons.
Stud: Orlando Cepeda (.316-56-150)
Dud: Ken McMuller (.153-2-14)
Top Performance: Orlando Cepeda hit a homer hat trick, driving in 7 runs, against Manhattan on June 4.

No Streaks of Greatness… Just Skidmarks of Despair
Boston entered the 1972 season with pennant expectations.  Fan interest was in the 90s as the injury-wracked team that just missed the WS in 1971 was again healthy and joined by the bats of Colavito, Hinton, and Clemente.  As such, the Feds' .500 result can only be considered a disappointment for the fickle fans of Beantown.

Although the Feds mostly remained out of the hospital this year, and showed marginal improvement in many offensive and pitching categories, they simply failed to perform consistently or put together a run that could get them out of the hole they dug after dropping seven of their first nine games.  The team only put together one five-game win streak, in July, but then promptly dropped 11 of the next 14.  In the East's mid-season battle of who could care less, the Feds managed to trip over themselves every time they had an opening.

Perhaps the most unfortunate aspect of the mediocre record is that it fails to showcase the exemplary efforts of one of the league's most consistently great players, Orlando Cepeda.  After years of steadfast offensive production, the extra protection helped Cha Cha to finally break out, raising his average 35 points, his OPS 150 points, and his home run total by 16 to set a new HR record and fall just shy of a new RBI mark. Only the equally-exemplary performance of Joe Torre kept Cepeda away from an MVP, and because the two are both first-baggers, an Ullie.  Not to be outdone, C Manny Sanguillen, SS Dick McAuliffe, and 3B Rico Petrocelli all ranked among league leaders in offensive categories, and combined with "lesser-known" 2B Dick Howser (.293 BA/.755 OPS), this probably rates as one of the best infields in UL history.

From the mound, the view was a little different.  No starter varied outside of two games above or below the .500 mark, and all had ERAs in the 3s.  Middle relief continued to be a challenge; while Dick Selma did a yeoman's job from the right side, neither of the prospects acquired in the offseason demonstrated that they were ready for the big time.  The back end was a bright spot, as Al Hrbosky appears to be emerging as a solid closer (assuming the team could give him a chance) and Wayne Twitchell's great late-season callup performance gives Fed fans some hope that the team will close the door effectively in the future.

Looking forward, the Feds will probably need to help their relatively young pitching staff develop before making a run for the ring. GM Brendan Harris faces a strategic choice in 1973 -- whether to buy up the FA market again to make a run, or sell some talent in order to bolster the team's long-term development.
 

Record: 83-79 (+7)
10th in Batting - 3rd in Pitching
Club records in attendance and revenue, and third highest win total produced $10m profit.
Stud: Bob Moose (12-8, 2.03)
Dud: Dick Bosman (9-15, 4.68)
Top Performance: Bob Moose no-hit Atlanta on his third start of the season on April 11.  Fergie Jenkins two-hit the Colts with 10 Ks on July 18.

It's Better to Win Out than to Fade Away
On the surface, the Spiders had a successful season in 1972 -- at 83-79, it was the team's first winning record since 1968 and second-best record in the 10-year tenure of GM Jeff Tonole. Furthermore, the Spiders achieved this record with the league's lowest payroll, and with the team averaging more than 26,500 fans a game (88% of capacity) in the expanded and refurbished Seals Stadium, San Francisco was the most profitable team in the league. And yet, Spiders fans can't help but feel some disappointment. At the end of July, the Spiders were 17 games over .500 and just a game out of first place, contending for the West Division crown with the Chicago Colts and St. Louis Maroons. But the team fell apart in the last two months of the season, going 21-34 and finishing 11 games behind the division-winning Colts.

These Young Arms of Mine
The Spiders' collapse coincided with an injury to staff ace Bob Moose, who went down with a partially torn labrum in late July and didn't return until the final two weeks of the season, when the team had already faded from contention. Despite the injury, Moose had a strong year (12-8, 2.03 ERA, 1.12 WHIP), winning his second league ERA title (at the age of 24) and leading a young staff that allowed the third-fewest runs in the league. Fergie Jenkins also enjoyed a stellar season (16-9, 3.24, 1.10, 193 Ks), bouncing back from a 7-16 campaign in 1971. Closer Tug McGraw delivered more than 30 saves for the second straight year, and fellow lefties Paul Lindblad and Balor Moore were solid contributors out of the 'pen.

Bats Out of Hell
So how does a guy with a 2.03 ERA end up with 8 losses and 5 no-decisions? A lack of run support from the third-worst offense in the league. The Spiders ranked 11th in both on-base percentage and extra-base hits, so they had no table setters nor gap hitters to drive them home. OF Larry Hisle was the Spiders' only noteworthy source of power, leading the team with 34 HRs (fourth most in the league) and 86 RBIs, but his .231 BA, .305 OBP, and 156 Ks (fourth most in the league) took a bit of luster off the power numbers. Other players worth noting included the first-base platoon of John Mayberry and Lee May, who combined for 33 HRs and 110 RBIs, and OF Lou Brock, who won the UL's stolen base crown for the 10th straight year and reached a milestone by scoring the 1,000th run of his career.

Tomorrow's Gonna Be a Brighter Day
The outlook for the Spiders in 1973 looks promising. The pitching staff should remain intact, and some promising position players from the team's AAA affiliate in Portland (which finished second in the International League in 1972) should help bolster the offense. In particular, 3B Darrell Evans came up midway through the '72 season and hit .279/.369/.488 with 18 HRs and 46 RBIs in 90 games, while IL MVP Richie Zisk (.348/.416/.575 with 18 HRs and 76 RBIs in AAA) got some playing time in the San Francisco outfield in September and is expected to be in the Spiders' starting lineup on Opening Day 1973.
 

Record: 79-83 (+9)
12th in Batting - 2nd in Pitching
Best record in four years despite third year of lowest run production in the league.
Stud: Jim Palmer (14-13, 2.43)
Dud: Ron Hansen (.185-4-39)
Top Performance: J.R. Richard sewed up the strikeout title with a 9 K, one-hit shutout of the Gray Sox in his last start of the year on Sept. 27.

Rook Both Ways
If rookies were allowed to speak, the Barons neophytes would be telling two very different stories…

Young Guns = Charlie’s Sheen
Phenom J.R. Richard was the only rookie starter on hand to begin the season, but by mid-April, three-fifths of the starting rotation was held by tenderfoot twirlers. Although Richard, Rick Reuschel, and Burt Hooton are highly touted youngsters, very little was expected of them so soon. But these three helped the Barons nail down a leaguewide 2nd best pitching staff. Richard in particular showed ace potential, winning a league high 19 games (tied w/ two others), ROY honors as well as some CY support. Fireballer J.R. also led all tossers with 225 Ks while still wearing his “trainee” badge. Reuschel and Hooton each had losing records, but kept ERAs reasonable. The bullpen also got a juvenile jolt from lefty Tom House and late-blooming rookie All-Star selection Ed Sprague.

Child -Proof Lumber
The offense had as many entry-level hands on deck, but with much more expected results. Infielders Rennie Stennet and Freddie Patek showed that they may not be long (or short) term solutions to an infield in constant flux. Outfield novices Ben Oglivie, Hal McRae and Jorge Orta were also disappointing, but will likely be given the time to grow into their potential. With the rookies' help, the Barons overall offense was the stinky butt of the league once again.

Old Mold Still Stinks
But it wasn’t just the rookies running hot-and-cold; the dichotomy spread to the (albeit still pretty youthful) veterans as well. Starters Jim Palmer and Frank Reberger were as good as any 1-2 punch. Palmer repeated his All-Star feat, but fell a few songs short of defending his Cy Young performance. Sophomore Steve Mingori notched 25 saves in his debut as closer, earning an All-Star invite.

Offensively, there were very few bright spots. Center fielder Elliott Maddox, the squad’s only bat-wielding All-Star, led the team in 13 offensive categories while earning his second straight Gold Glove Award. The Cecil Cooper/Bob Watson
first base tandem was also effective, combining for 21 HR and 91 RBI.  Second-year infielder Don Money showed he may be more than just a utility guy, improving upon his rookie year across the board.
 

Record: 78-84 (-11)
8th in Batting - 5th in Pitching
GM Vays slashed payroll and turned his first profit in three years, but the Outlaws' streak of winning seasons ended at six.
Stud: Ken Singleton (.331-21-89)
Dud: Ron Hunt (.181-2-26)
Top Performance: Fritz Peterson threw the league's only 10-inning shutout, a three-hitter against Chicago, on July 14.

The Outlaws started the season looking to win now and maybe even making some trades to bring in more bats.  Quickly the season was destroyed by key injuries in positions where the Outlaws had no depth.  The bad start killed the mood of the fans (per the attendance numbers) but not the mood of the GM.  The Outlaws started making deals to compete next year.  The key trades that we hope will bring promise of a new day are bringing in Ron Santo to help a very bad offense and a first round pick so perhaps we can pick up another guy for next year.

Even in a year with lots of bad performances, the team had some highs to write about:
-- Fritz Peterson - went 18-9 on a bad team with a 2.73 ERA and 1.04 WHIP.  He still seems to have a lot left at age 30.
-- Larry Dierker - had another solid season with 17 wins.  Not sure too many have taken notice but he is 26 and has 120 career wins.  In the era of the 5 man rotation he could be the first to challenge the 250 win mark.  But I guess we are getting ahead of ourselves, which is what happens when you are managing a bad team.
-- Darrell Porter - has quickly come up through the system and made an impact.  This year the catching job was turned over to him full time and he responded with a .369 on base percent and 18 homeruns.
-- Ken Singleton and Ken Henderson form the best duo of Kens in the league.  Singleton has become a hit machine with a .331 batting average and on top of that he walked 90 times and hit 40 doubles and 21 homeruns making him one of the best all-around hitters in the league.  Henderson has become a power threat with his 34 homeruns which is no small feat in Arroyo Seco.

Anyway, the team has some star power that we hope to build on next year.  A full year, fingers crossed, with Santo, Demeter and Hunt added to this lineup should make it formidable.  The pitching is thin but still pretty good.  Now if only the fans would show up so we would have some money to spend.
 

Record: 79-83 (+5)
6th in Batting - 10th in Pitching
Sox improved, but lost $11M after payroll exploded and attendance plummeted.
Stud: Vada Pinson (.292-18-81)
Dud: Tom Seaver (12-15, 4.78)
Top Performance: Vada Pinson homered twice, drove in six runs, and score four runs vs. Dallas on May 27.

As GM Eric Holthaus settled into his second year at the helm in Yankee Stadium, a few things became clear.  The Gray Sox return to the postseason was going to take a bit longer than just a season or two.

Sporting one of the oldest lineups in the league, the elderly Sox did manage to improve upon their mediocre showing in Holthaus's first year -- but at a price.  Salary became bloated, as the Sox traded away performers for salary dumps and prospects.  Fans stayed away in droves as club management ignored public opinion and talk radio continued to lament the loss of fan favorite Ron Santo and slugger Joe Torre, twice MVP since his Manhattan departure.  Not that it would have mattered much anyway.

Sox pitchers had a rough year, and negated any improvements that occurred in the wake of the big departures.  The Sox bullpen was near the bottom of the league in ERA, and stud starters Tom Seaver and Phil Niekro tanked in very forgettable seasons.  Gray Sox nation hit a nadir on July 17th when, during a postgame interview after an embarrassing 15-4 loss to rivals Boston, Holthaus went on a tirade, throwing his chair, his microphone, and just about anything else he could get his hands on.  As he stormed out of the press room, he exclaimed "I'm doing my best, a**holes!  Can't you see that?"  This burst of emotion apparently released something in the team as the team went on to a 24-14 record over the next 6 weeks following the incident.

The team's fledgling youth movement began at the trade deadline, and newcomers Billy Grabs and "Beltin' " Bill Melton went on to post respectable closes, and newly acquired closer Ken Tatum was lights out for the last two months of the season.  Rumor is the trend will continue with many Sox veterans on the chopping block in the offseason.
 

Record: 67-95 (-20)
7th in Batting - 11th in Pitching
Texans have finished 2nd or 3rd four times, and each time they dropped on average of 15 wins and two positions in the standings the next season.
Stud: Rod Carew (.344-10-68)
Dud: Gaylord Perry (10-18, 4.88)
Top Performance: None in top 50.

Record: 61-101 (+3)
10th in Batting - 12th in Pitching
30% jump in attendance was not enough to prevent record third straight year of red ink.
Stud: Frank Robinson (.277-19-53)
Dud: Ray lamb (3-10, 5.19)
Top Performance: x

The more things change . . .
In 1971, the Screaming Bats finished 11th in runs scored and 12th in runs allowed. In 1972, the Screaming Bats finished 11th in runs scored and, well, you get the idea. Those stats mask all the work done in between, accumulating draft picks and drafting young offensive dudes. But none of that work is close to bearing any fruit. There was a period in the season where the offense was seventh in the league and scoring at a rate half-a-run-a-game better than the prior year, but all that gave way in a flurry of injuries and downgrades, second-round pick and opening day center fielder Johnny Grubb being the prime example. Ditto on the pitching side, where the worst staff also suffered the most injuries, assuring another season at the foot of the table. Here's to hoping a bunch more draft picks and the eventual move of Frank Robinson will help turn the Brooklyn battleship around.
 

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