CF
RF
2B
SS
1B
LF
C
3B

SP
SP
SP
SP
CL

L
L
L
R
L
R
L
R

R
R
L
R
R

Lenny Green*
Gus Bell
Hank Thompson
Ernie Banks
Marv Throneberry
Gus Zernial
Johnny Roseboro
Don Hoak 

Carl Erskine
Tom Gorman
Don Mossi
Tom Sturdivant
Don Elston
 

IN: SP Carl Erskine, 2B Hank Thompson, 1B Joe Adcock, CF Lenny Green*, C Ed Fitz Gerald, RF Whitey Herzog
OUT: CF Richie Ashburn, CF Bobby Thomson, SP Art Ditmar

GM Lance Mueller is serious about addressing his pitching shortfalls.  The club was dead last with a 4.62 ERA last year, when only Tom Gorman (15-8, 2.81) could muster an ERA under 4.00.  The addition of Mossi last summer and Carl Erskine over the winter gives the rotation three former 20-game winners.  Closer Don Elston (11-2, 0.83) is coming off one of the best seasons ever for a reliever.

Offensively, the club ranked first in home runs for the fourth time in five years, but managed to finish just fifth in runs scored thanks to another weak year in OBP.  Expect the homer numbers to decline with the move to the South Side, but the OBP and run numbers to improve with the addition of rookie CF Lenny Green and veteran 2B Hank Thompson to the top of the lineup.

Watch for: Robin Roberts (11-19, 4.77) to return to the rotation by midseason, replacing either the aging Gorman or unsteady Sturdivant.

Outlook: Expect the Colts to be the most competitive team in a highly competitive division.  Mueller has improved his team on paper before, but it looks like this season could finally see the great leap that sees a division title in the Windy City. 

3B
CF
LF
2B
RF
C
1B
SS

SP
SP
SP
SP
CL

L
L
S
R
L
L
R
R

R
R
R
L
R

Bobby Brown
Sandy Amoros
Mickey Mantle
Granny Hamner
Irv Noren
Hobie Landrith
Frank Thomas
Luis Aparicio

Gene Conley
Lew Burdette
Bob Miller
Whitey Ford
Hoyt Wilhelm 

IN: 1B Roy Sievers, C Roy Campanella, SS Tony Kubek, MR Bill Fischer, MR Ray Herbert
OUT: LF Ralph Kiner, RF Harry Simpson, C Earl Averill, MR Seth Morehead

The Brooks won a league record 105 games and set a league record with a 2.98 ERA last season, and all the usual suspects return in 1960.  Gene Conley (27-6, 1.79) claimed his second Cy Young Award with perhaps the best pitching season in UL history.  Lew Burdette added 23 wins, and the bottom half of the rotation went a respectable 27-9.  Key additions this year are mostly role players off the bench.  1B Squirrel Sievers (.313-12-70) returns to the Frank after four seasons in the Bronx, and 37-year-old C Roy Campanella (.244-23-85) -- the UL's second overall pick ever -- returns to his original club after almost nine seasons with St. Louis and Los Angeles.

Watch for: Granny Hamner to win his fourth straight batting title.  The '57 and '59 MVP has collected 604 hits for a .357 in the last three seasons.

Outlook:  Brooklyn won the East by a massive 25 games last year, and their fourth straight division title this season is as close to a sure thing as any title defense could be.
 

1B
SS
LF
CF
RF
2B
3B
C

SP
SP
SP
SP
CL

L
R
R
L
R
R
R
R

R
R
L
R
R

Norm Siebern
Cass Michaels
Frank Robinson
Vada Pinson
Del Ennis
Ted Lepcio
Eddie Yost
Earl Averill

Bubba Church
Bob Rush
Hank Aguirre
Jim Bunning
Ray Narleski
  

IN: 1B Willie McCovey*, MR Bob Hooper, C Earl Averill, 3B Steve Boros
OUT: C Roy Campanella, MR Ray Herbert, MR Joe Black, SS George Strickland

No team allowed more runs that the Outlaws in 1959, but so abysmal has been LA's pitching in their first five seasons that the 795 runs allowed last year actually tied a franchise best.  The problem was that the offense petered out to a franchise low 684 runs (8th in the league).

Hank Aguirre (10-15, 3.73) should have an immediate impact in place of the ineffective Ray Herbert, and the offense should improve as well, as  the young 3-4 hitters Frank Robinson (.310-25-83) and Rookie of the Year Vada Pinson (.286-15-87) continue to mature.  But on the whole, L.A. marginal improvements won't add up to much in a talent-laden West division.

Watch for: 36-year-old hurler Bob Hooper to get a call-up from Triple-A Dallas.

Outlook:  New GM Peter Vays will have his hands full with a rebuilding project.  In the meantime, expect more of the same in Arroyo Seco, at least for now.
 

CF
LF
3B
C
RF
SS
1B
2B

SP
SP
SP
SP
CL

L
R
L
L
L
R
L
L

L
L
R
L
R

Richie Ashburn
Hal Jeffcoat
Eddie Mathews
Yogi Berra
Roger Maris
Harvey Kuenn
Norm Cash
Don Blasingame

Billy O'Dell
Harvey Haddix
Don Drysdale
Bud Daley
Russ Kemmerer
 

IN: CF Richie Ashburn, 1B Norm Cash*, 3B Dick Williams, C Frank House, MR Seth Morehead
OUT: 1B Frank Torre, RF Whitey Herzog, SS Willy Miranda

After years of focusing on the mound, Baron GM C. Benson Qualls shifted his attention to the plate, where in 1959 he found a paucity of taters, ribs, and runs.  Enter the great Richie Ashburn, who sets the table like no other. Richie comes courtesy of the fattest contract of the newly minted free agent signing period. Speaking of Cash, Qualls added a heaping helping of power and walks through the draft in the form of 1B Norm. Add these guys to a lineup that already featured Mathews, Maris, and Berra, and you're looking at one of the most thumping sides in the league, and certainly the most left-leaning.

On the mound, diaper dandy Don Drysdale returns to the UL after a season at AAA, looking better for the experience and mostly just happy he missed the injury-fest that claimed significant time from every Cleveland starter save Harvey Haddix. Kitten reports for duty after having just missed his sixth-straight 250-inning season.  Ace Billy O'Dell has star quality, as exhibited by three straight years of declining ERA and WHIP.

Outlook: A dominant offense (against righties) and effective bullpen augur for a significant upgrade over last season's total of 69 wins.
 

2B
CF
LF
1B
RF
C
SS
3B

SP
SP
SP
SP
CL

L
R
R
L
L
L
R
R

L
R
R
R
L

Nellie Fox
Al Kaline
Hank Aaron
Jim Gentile*
Harry Simpson
Ed Bailey
Rocky Bridges
George Kell

Johnny Antonelli
Herm Wehmeier
Lou Brissie
Bob Buhl
Cloyd Boyer

IN: 1B Jim Gentile*, RF Harry Simpson, 1B Joe Collins, 1B Frank Torre, MR Moe Drabowsky, MR Billy Muffett, SS George Strickland, MR Joe Black
OUT: SP Vinegar Bend Mizell

The departure of founder owner Mark Allen marks the end of an era in the River City.  Allen lead the Colonels from a half-decade at or near the bottom of the league to a UL championship in 1958.  New GM Ben DeGrass inherits the league's second best pitching staff, featuring the dominant trio of Johnny Antonelli (20-10, 2.90), Herm Wehmeier (18-17, 3.42), and Lou Brissie (19-17, 3.62), acquired from Cleveland last spring.

The Colonels loaded up on free agents, inking no fewer than 11 new contracts, the four biggest of which were for relief pitchers (Billy Muffett and Brooks Lawrence will share set-up duties).

Outlook:  The Colonels won 75 games despite the second worse offense.  Look for rookie slugger Jim Gentile and Harry "Suitcase" Simpson to inject some new life into the Colonels lineup and lead the club back over .500.

1B
2B
CF
RF
LF
3B
SS
C

SP
SP
SP
SP
CL

L
R
L
L
L
R
S
L

R
L
R
L
R

Joe Cunningham
Davey Williams
Dusty Rhodes
Charlie Maxwell
Jim King
Frank Malzone
Maury Wills
Charlie Lau
 
Pedro Ramos
Johnny Podres
Joey Jay
Art Ceccarelli
Don Gross

IN: LF Frank Howard*, CF Bobby Thomson, C Charlie Lau
OUT: MR Clem Labine, SS Tony Kubek

The “Sound” of silence filled the clubhouse as Clem “You’re paying me how much?!” Labine cleared his locker for a trip to San Francisco.  Regardless of his performance in his new town, few in Detroit will miss the money-hungry reliever, mostly due to Don Gross (6-2, 1.71, 18 SV).  Many fans are hoping the new the reliever corps, comprised of Ike De “La Soul” lock, Sisler, Jones, Meyer, and Grim fare better than Detroit’s past bullpens.  Although the corps looks solid on paper, one knows what that usually means in the heat of the game.  The starting four doesn’t change from last year, with Pedro Ramos (23-10, 3.28) leading a quartet younger than 30.  Ramos, Podres, Jay, and Ceccarelli are not Brooklyn’s fearsome foursome, but they should guarantee that the Griffins at least stay competitive.

Offensively, the starting eight also differ little from last year, with the main change being the emergence of the recently re-signed Charlie Maxwell, who has been plugged into the #4 spot in the hopes of generating runs.  Dusty Rhodes (.326-.400-.420), though, will continue to anchor the line-up that features more platooning (a signal Holloway has stopped drinking and started 12-stepping?).  In the off-season, the Griffins’ manager repeatedly stated “I’m down wit OBP! (yeah, you know me!)”, which either means he loves Naughty By Nature or is simply against K-dogs.  But in a move that is sure to continue the drama in Detroit, GM Holloway awoke one morning to find that DET somehow had signed CF Bobby Thomson as a free agent.  Obviously we now know that rumors of Holloway’s new-found sobriety were just that.

Outlook:  While Holloway has done an admirable job at turning the Griffins into a mediocre ball club, odds are that the team simply cannot keep up with the Superbas’ supercharged line-up due to the fact that the Holloway’s baseball acumen is no match for Glennie “my infant children will outthink your sorry ass” Reed’s.  Look for the team to put up a fight but face stiff competition from a resurgent Cleveland, New York, and Washington, a team that – due to its 104 picks in the last rookie draft – is loaded for bear.

CF
RF
SS
LF
1B
2B
3B
C

SP
SP
SP
SP
CL

L
L
R
L
L
L
R
L

L
R
R
R
L

Bill Virdon
Gene Woodling
Gil McDougald
Dick Kokos
Bill White
Billy Goodman
Willie Jones
Joe Garagiola

Billy Pierce
Jack Sanford
Bob Monbouquette
Roger Craig
Billy Hoeft
  

IN: SS Gil McDougald, 2B Billy Goodman, SP Mickey McDermott, MR Frank Smith
OUT: 1B Stan Musial, MR Bill Fischer, MR Billy Muffett, SP Art Houtteman, RF Vic Wertz

If all you have to do is load up on former Washington Monuments, then St. Louis looks a winner.  The great Gil McDougald now mans the shortstop position for the Maroons, with old WAS running mate Billy Goodman at the second sack.  That's not Banks-Thompson, nor even Lopez-Bressoud, but it's in the top-half of UL DP combinations. What's more, Kokos and Woodling remain as the best corner OF pair anywhere.  Puddin' Head's in a contract year at third base, and with solid role players everywhere else, the Maroons bring a potent offense.

It's on the mound where doubts begin to creep in. Billy Pierce is among the best pitchers in UL history, and Sanford's a serviceable #2, but after that, it's anybody's guess. Smith is hoping he can get quality innings out of Monbouquette and Craig, both former first-round picks.

Outlook: It hasn't paid to bet against Smith's side, who've never finished lower than third. But this could be the year that changes.  That's because despite being solid on offense and defense, and having a great ace in Pierce, the rest of the rotation is questionable, and the division is brutal.
    

LF
2B
CF
1B
SS
3B
C
RF

SP
SP
SP
SP
SP
CL

R
R
L
R
R
R
L
L

R
R
R
L
L
L

Roberto Clemente
Hector Lopez
Larry Doby
Orlando Cepeda
Eddie Bressoud
Bobby Adams
Joe Ginsberg
Wally Moon

Bob Friend
Billy Loes
Bob Purkey
Vinegar Bend Mizell
Joe Gibbon*
Jackie Collum 

C
2B
CF
1B
RF
LF
3B
SS

SP
SP
SP
SP
CL

R
R
R
L
R
L
R
R

R
R
R
L
R

Bob Sarni
Chico Carrasquel
Jim Lemon
Ted Kluszewski
Rocky Colavito
Wes Covington
Harmon Killebrew
Clete Boyer*

Bob Porterfield
Ewell Blackwell
Toothpick Sam Jones
Herb Score
Clem Labine
 

2B
SS
CF
1B
LF
RF
C
3B

SP
SP
SP
SP
CL

R
R
R
L
R
L
R
L

R
R
R
R
R

Jerry Lumpe*
Ron Hansen*
Willie Mays
Bob Skinner
Ralph Kiner
Duke Snider
Johnny Romano*
Preston Ward

Stu Miller
Don Larsen
Bob Shaw
Art Ditmar
Bob Chakales 

IN: LF Ralph Kiner, 1B Stan Musial, 3B Ron Santo*, SS Ron Hansen*, C Johnny Romano*, SP Art Ditmar, SP Art Houtteman
OUT: SP Carl Erskine, 2B Hank Thompson, 1B Joe Adcock, MR Moe Drabowsky, C Charlie Lau, C Frank House, 3B Steve Boros

Coming off their first losing season, the Monuments are in full-on rebuilding mode.   The trade of ace Carl Erskine left GM Doug Aiton with only one legit starter, Stu Miller, and even he is coming off the worst year of his career (9-20, 4.09).  It doesn’t help that Aiton also lost four of his best hitters  – Thompson, Goodman, Adcock, McDougald – to free agency and trades.

On the flip side, the Mons used a bundle of draft picks to reload with a group of talented rookies, three of whom – Lumpe, Hansen, and Romano – find themselves in the Opening Day lineup. Also look for highly regarded rookie third sacker Ron Santo to make an immediate impact on a team starving for run production (645 runs scored in ’59, last in the UL).

Watch for: Newly acquired Art Houtteman, Ned Garver, and anyone else who can throw the rock anywhere near the plate to get a shot in a starting rotation that looks to get rocked more than a Gremlin with busted shocks.

Outlook: One word, dismal. With a starting rotation that was 30-41 last year, and a lineup filled with unproven rookies and youngsters, Washington not only looks to suffer through another losing season but possibly one of the worst seasons by any team in league history.