Founded on my research for the “Minors vs Majors” chapter in my book, “Hardball Retroactive” paired with complementary articles “Minors vs. Majors: The Top Minor League Batters in the Expansion Era” and “Minors vs. Majors: The Top Minor League Pitchers in the Expansion Era“, the ensuing series will reveal the Minor League All-Star rosters for every MLB franchise based primarily on single-season statistics in Runs Created / 140 Games (batters) and Fielding Independent Pitching (pitchers).

Selection Criteria

• individual seasons in the Expansion Era (1961 – 2017)
• levels A through AAA
• ages 24 or younger (A and A+)
• age 25 seasons (AA and AAA)
• age 26 seasons (AAA)

 

Terminology

 

RC – Runs Created – using the basic formula devised by Bill James:

((H + BB) * TB) / (AB + BB)

Note: I utilized the basic formula as opposed to the Technical Version due to incomplete GIDP and IBB data.

RC/140 – Runs Created per 140 Games as Minor League ballplayers

RC / (G / 140)

FIP – Fielding Independent Pitching – “Fielding Independent Pitching converts a pitcher’s three true outcomes into an earned run average-like number. The formula is (13*HR+3*(HBP+BB)-2*K)/IP, plus a constant (usually around 3.2) to put it on the same scale as earned run average.

FIP is a component ERA inspired by the work of Voros McCracken on defense-independent pitching statistics, but has become more widely used because of the ease of computation – it requires only four easily-found box score stats, uses only basic arithmetic operations and has four easily-memorized constants. It was conceived of by both Tom Tango and Clay Dreslough, the latter of who called it Defense-Independent Component ERA.” (definition courtesy of Baseball Prospectus Glossary).

((13*HR+3*(HBP+BB)-2*K)/IP)+3.2)

 

Assessment

 

The Baltimore Orioles 

Mike Reinbach, the Orioles #1 selection in the 1970 January Draft-Secondary Phase, enjoyed a stellar 1972 season and paces “Charm City” with a 144.1 RC/140 during the expansion era. Playing primarily for Asheville (AA), Reinbach slashed .348 / .458 / .628 while tallying 31 round-trippers, 113 ribbies and 128 runs. Receiving merely 20 at-bats in a “cup of coffee” for Baltimore in ’74 and unable to crack an outfield that featured Don Baylor, Paul Blair and Ken Singleton, Reinbach headed to Japan where he batted .296 with 94 home runs for Hanshin (NPB).  Bobby Grich (#1, 1967) accrued 70.9 WAR over 17 MLB seasons with the O’s and the Angels. The six-time All-Star middle infielder captured four consecutive Gold Glove awards (1973-76) subsequent to scoring 124 runs, launching 32 long balls and compiling a .336 BA with a .632 SLG for Rochester (AAA) in 1971. Dave May (.303/25/93) topped the American League with 295 total bases and merited his lone All-Star invitation as a center fielder for the Brewers in 1973, nearly a decade after dashing through the Midwest League (A) with 111 tallies, 36 stolen bases and a .368 BA. Matt Wieters (#1, 2007), four-time All-Star backstop as a member of the Orioles, supplied a .355 / .454 / .600 slash line while splitting the 2008 season between Frederick (A+) and Bowie (AA). Merv Rettenmund compiled a .320 BA with Baltimore in 1970-71 and logged 13 years in the big leagues following a first-rate campaign with the Rochester Red Wings (AAA) three years prior encompassing a .331 BA with 22 jacks and 104 runs scored. Jim Fuller appeared in 107 games through parts of three seasons with Baltimore and Houston in the mid-Seventies after averaging 35 four-baggers and 108 ribbies as an Orioles farmhand from 1971 to 1973.

The offensive proficiency of Don “Groove” Baylor, 1979 AL MVP, was on full display with Rochester (AAA) in ‘70 when he totaled 71 extra-base hits, 127 runs and 107 ribbies to complement a .327 BA. Al Bumbry (.337/7/34) secured 1973 AL Rookie of the Year honors after producing virtually identical totals (.345/10/57) in the upper minors during the previous campaign. Trey Mancini swatted 24 big-flies and delivered a .293 BA to finish third in the 2017 AL Rookie of the Year voting subsequent to furnishing a .341 BA with 43 two-baggers and 21 jacks as a member of the Frederick Keys (A+) and the Bowie Baysox (AA) two years earlier. Rich Dauer (.336/11/78 for Rochester ’76) and David Dellucci (.327/20/55 for Bowie ’97) savored a decade in the big leagues during their respective careers.

John Maine started three games in the 2006 postseason for the New York Mets and triumphed in 15 contests during the following campaign. Traded in January 2006 with Jorge Julio in return for Kris Benson, Maine posted a lowest single-season FIP (2.04) among Orioles farmhands with at least 100 innings pitched in the Expansion Era while fashioning a 0.882 WHIP along with 11.4 SO/9 between Delmarva (A) and Frederick (A+). Preceding a February 2008 deal to the Mariners in exchange for five players (including future star center fielder Adam Jones), Erik Bedard carved up the Carolina League with 130 strikeouts in 96.1 innings while supplying a 9-2 mark with a 2.15 ERA in 17 starts in ’01. Armando Benitez notched 20+ saves in seven successive seasons (1998-2004) five years after mowing down 15 batters per nine innings through the low minors. Mychal Givens accrued 16 relief victories along with a 2.93 ERA over two seasons (2016-17). A convert to mound work after three years as an infielder led to mediocre results, Givens earned a promotion to Baltimore with 15 saves, a 1.73 ERA and 12.5 SO/9 at Bowie (AA) in 2015. 2011 first-rounder Dylan Bundy instantly captivated fans and front office members with a 9-3 record and a 2.08 ERA through 23 starts as an Orioles farmhand in 2012. Bundy rebounded from a series of injuries to amass 13 wins with a 1.198 WHIP in 2017.

Starting Lineup	Age	Year	Teams	Levels	POS	RC140	BA	HR	RBI	OBP	SLG
Dave May*	20	1964	APP	A	CF	129.1	0.368	14	74	0.456	0.554
Bobby Grich	22	1971	ROC	AAA	SS	139.5	0.336	32	83	0.439	0.632
Mike Reinbach*	22	1972	AVL,ROC	AA,AAA	DH	144.1	0.348	31	113	0.458	0.628
Jim Fuller	20	1971	MIA	A	LF	127.5	0.326	33	110	0.438	0.611
Matt Wieters#	22	2008	FDK,BOW	A+,AA	C	128.8	0.355	27	91	0.454	0.600
Merv Rettenmund	25	1968	ROC	AAA	RF	127.6	0.331	22	59	0.459	0.588
Jim Rouse*	23	1963	ABD	A	1B	122.7	0.332	27	80	0.427	0.571
Leo Gomez	21	1987	HGR	A	3B	118.1	0.326	19	110	0.435	0.539
Bob Johnson	25	1961	ROC	AAA	2B	115.2	0.332	16	65	0.393	0.548
Bench	Age	Year	Teams	Levels	POS	RC140	BA	HR	RBI	OBP	SLG
Don Baylor	21	1970	ROC	AAA	OF	122.7	0.327	22	107	0.429	0.583
Jim Traber*	22	1984	CHR,HGR	AA,A	1B	122.6	0.354	18	85	0.424	0.549
Roger Freed	24	1970	ROC	AAA	OF	122.2	0.334	24	130	0.427	0.561
Austin Hays	21	2017	FDK,BOW	A+,AA	OF	121.8	0.329	32	95	0.365	0.593
Al Bumbry*	25	1972	ROC,AVL	AAA,AA	OF	120.4	0.345	10	57	0.398	0.527
David Dellucci*	23	1997	BOW	AA	OF	120.1	0.327	20	55	0.421	0.574
Luis Jimenez*	25	2007	BOW	AA	1B	118.8	0.328	22	79	0.399	0.591
Calvin Pickering*	21	1998	BOW	AA	1B	118.1	0.309	31	114	0.434	0.566
Chris Padget*	23	1986	CHR	AA	1B	118.1	0.324	22	96	0.419	0.542
William O’Connor*	21	1972	LOD,AVL	A,AA	OF	118	0.341	18	69	0.442	0.590
Yermin Mercedes	23	2016	DEL,FDK	A,A+	C-	118	0.345	20	77	0.404	0.570
Sherman Obando	24	1994	ROC	AAA	OF	117.5	0.330	20	69	0.379	0.603
Trey Mancini	23	2015	BOW,FDK	AA,A+	1B	116.6	0.341	21	89	0.375	0.563
Mike Fiore*	20	1965	TRI	A	1B	116.2	0.320	24	106	0.471	0.541
Rich Dauer	23	1976	ROC	AAA	2B	99.6	0.336	11	78	0.391	0.460

 

Starters	Age	Year	Teams	Levels	FIP	WLSV	ERA	WHIP	BB9	SO9
John Maine	22	2003	DEL,FDK	A,A+	2.04	13-4	2.28	0.882	2.3	11.4
John Stephens	19	1999	DEL	A	2.22	10-8	3.23	1.082	1.9	11.5
Erik Bedard*	21	2000	DEL	A	2.29	9-4	3.57	1.198	2.8	10.6
Jimmy Haynes	19	1992	KNC	A	2.44	7-11	2.56	1.222	2.8	8.8
Ed Barnowski	20	1964	STK	A	2.44	13-8	1.95	1.086	4.5	13
Relievers	Age	Year	Teams	Levels	FIP	WLSV	ERA	WHIP	BB9	SO9
Armando Benitez	20	1993	ABY,FDK	A,A+	1.36	18	1.34	0.910	3.1	15
Jake Bray	24	2017	DEL	A	1.44	18	3.88	1.255	2.5	14.5
Mychal Givens	25	2015	BOW	AA	1.66	15	1.73	0.946	2.5	12.5
Todd Stephan	24	1990	FDK	A+	1.96	17	1.32	0.963	3.5	11.2
Larry Shenk	24	1993	ABY	A	1.97	9	2.11	0.798	1.2	10.7
Bench	Age	Year	Teams	Levels	FIP	WLSV	ERA	WHIP	BB9	SO9
Brandon Erbe	18	2006	DEL	A	2.46	5-9	3.23	1.182	3.7	10.5
Scott Klingenbeck	22	1993	FDK	A+	2.55	13-4	2.98	1.338	2.3	9.5
Dylan Bundy	19	2012	FDK,DEL,BOW	A+,A,AA	2.55	9-3	2.09	0.921	2.4	10.4
Ryan Meisinger	22	2016	FDK,DEL	A+,A	2.04	5	1.58	1.065	2.5	11.4
Chris Britton	22	2005	FDK	A+	2.14	6	1.61	0.895	2.6	12.7
Gabe Molina	22	1997	DEL	A	2.17	7	2.18	1.000	3.2	11.8

 

Honorable Mention

Dealt to the White Sox in a six-player trade in January 1963 for Luis Aparicio and Al Smith, Pete Ward (.295/22/84) placed runner-up for AL Rookie of the Year honors in the same season. The corner infielder / outfielder laced 34 two-baggers and launched 22 moon-shots while manufacturing a .328 BA for Rochester (AAA) in ’62. Eight-time Gold Glove centerfielder Paul “Motormouth” Blair nabbed 60 bags, scored 126 runs and hit .324 with the Stockton Ports (A) in his age-19 season (1963). Boog Powell (.297/35/114) seized the 1970 AL MVP award following a runner-up finish in the previous campaign. Powell received a cup of coffee with the O’s in ’61 after slugging .593 with 32 long-distance dedications for Rochester (AAA). Cal Ripken Jr. aka “Iron Man”, two-time AL MVP and 1982 AL Rookie of the Year, averaged 30 doubles and 24 dingers in the upper minors (1980-81). Mike Young ascended three levels in ’81 on the strength of a .331 BA, 35 two-base knocks and 40 stolen bases. Arthur Rhodes yielded an ERA of 2.70 and whiffed 9.7 batters per nine innings for the Hagerstown Suns (AA) in ’91, then proceeded to register two decades of Major League service.

Batter	Age	Year	Teams	Levels	POS	RC140	BA	HR	RBI	OBP	SLG
Matthew Tyner	22	1981	HGR	A	3B	114.9	0.301	31	77	0.384	0.598
Curt Motton	26	1967	ROC	AAA	OF	114.8	0.323	18	70	0.435	0.558
Mike Young#	21	1981	CHR,MIA,ROC	AA,A,AAA	OF	113.8	0.331	15	79	0.421	0.522
Ken Gerhart	22	1983	HGR	A	OF	112.2	0.273	31	86	0.384	0.549
Harry Berrios	22	1994	FDK,ABY,BOW	A+,A,AA	OF	111.6	0.342	19	106	0.429	0.519
Paul Blair	19	1963	STK	A	OF	110.2	0.324	16	77	0.400	0.506
Boog Powell*	19	1961	ROC	AAA	1B	110.1	0.321	32	92	0.389	0.593
Pete Ward*	24	1962	ROC	AAA	OF	110.1	0.328	22	90	0.411	0.534
Cal Ripken	20	1981	ROC	AAA	3B	109.7	0.288	23	75	0.383	0.535
Jason Fransz	24	2005	DEL	A	1B	108.6	0.308	22	111	0.372	0.563

 

Pitcher	Age	Year	Teams	Levels	FIP	WLSV	ERA	WHIP	BB9	SO9
Randy Perez*	20	2000	DEL	A	2.60	10-9	3.56	1.169	1.9	7.2
Arthur Rhodes*	21	1991	HGR	AA	2.61	7-4	2.71	1.130	4	9.7
Robert Patrylo	20	1967	MIA,ELM	A,AA	2.63	10-7	1.43	1.061	3.6	8.8
Del Hill	24	1964	STK	A	2.20	6-2	2.33	0.954	2.9	11.7
Jim Hoey	23	2006	DEL,FDK,BOW	A,A+,AA	2.22	33	2.29	1.115	3.2	12.9
Rommie Lewis*	19	2002	DEL	A	2.23	25	2.15	0.986	2.5	9.8

 

References and Resources

Baseball-Reference

Bill James Baseball Abstract

Seamheads – Baseball Gauge

About the Author

I am a New Jersey native with a passion for baseball, statistics, computers and video games who enjoys spending quality time with his family.

“Hardball Retroactive”, published in June 2018, is available in paperback and digital (Kindle) format at Amazon.com along with digital eBook format at GooglePlay.com. 

“Hardball Retrospective” is available in digital format on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, GooglePlay, iTunes and KoboBooks. The paperback edition is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and CreateSpace. Supplemental Statistics, Charts and Graphs along with a discussion forum are offered at TuataraSoftware.com.

Don Daglow (Intellivision World Series Major League Baseball, Earl Weaver Baseball, Tony LaRussa Baseball) contributed the foreword for Hardball Retrospective. The foreword and preview of my book are accessible here.

“Hardball Retrospective – Addendum 2014 to 2016” supplements my research for Hardball Retrospective, providing retroactive standings based on Wins Above Replacement (WAR) and Win Shares (WS) for each “original” team over the past three seasons (2014-2016). Team totals from 2010 – 2013 are included for reference purposes. “Addendum” is available in paperback and digital formats through Amazon, Barnes and Noble and CreateSpace.