Battling Bucs : State By State Bucco History Part II

This is the continuation of my ATP (All Time Pirates) series but I have opted to change the name to make it a little more obvious what is covered in the topic. As a quick recap this is a running series of mine that digs into the Pirates past and takes a look at it from various different angles. This particular exercise is looking at it from the player's place of birth. Each US state, the District of Columbia and each foreign country will be investigated in the attempt to build a team. For more specifics check out the introductory post here.

In part II I will be covering position players from what I call class E locations. By class E locations I am referring to locations that have enough players to field a full 8 man lineup but not more than 15 which is the maximum I am going to list for any roster (lineup and bench combined). Basically that means that every position player to appear for the Pirates from one of these states will be listed. The first part covered the 35 locations that were unable to field their own lineup and this part will cover a total of 14 teams. Without further ado I present to you the rosters.
Alabama
Lineup
Tike Redman, CF
Jerry Hairston, LF
Tommy O’Brien, 3B
Gary Redus, 1B
Spud Davis, C
Fresco Thompson, 2B
John Powers, RF
Ben Sankey, SS
Bench
Hal Finney, C
Pat Veltman, C
Amos Otis, OF
Rimp Lanier, OF
Albert Hall, OF
Heinie Manush, OF
Notes: Tommy O’Brien was primarily an OF with the Pirates but he played 10 games at 3B with the team which gives him the most playing time at the position for an Alabama born Pirate. The bench is obviously stacked with outfielders but there is some versatility there as Otis played some 1B in the minors, Lanier played some 3B in the minors and Hall played some shortstop in the minors. In terms of Pirate career, Gary Redus and Spud Davis are the stars on the team with Tommy O’Brien and Tike Redman being the other decent contributors. Thompson and Hairston had short spells with the Pirates lasting less than 60 PA and Powers and Sankey played a bit longer with the Pirates but were non threats at the plate. The bench doesn’t feature much in terms of a Pirate career but Heinie Manush is a Hall of Famer thanks to what he did prior to finishing his career with the Pirates.
Arkansas
Lineup
Walter Schmidt, LF
Drew Sutton, 3B
Arky Vaughan, SS
Earl Smith, 2B
Fred Bennett, CF
Roy Wood, 1B
Jesse Gonder, RF
Bob Linton, C
Bench
Hal Smith, C
Notes: With so few players it is inevitable that some players are going to be playing out of position. Arkansas in particular has the unique issue of 5 of their 9 players being primarily catchers in Schmidt, E Smith, Gonder, Linton and H Smith. None of these players played any other position while with the Pirates but Earl Smith had some early career experience at 2B and Schmidt and Gonder occasionally played in the OF while in the minors. Roy Wood was primarily an outfielder for the Pirates but played 1 game at 1B making him the only player with Arkansas born player with experience there and Drew Sutton never played 3B for the Pirates but had plenty of experience at the position from earlier stints in his career. With so many guys out of position this is obviously a bad defensive team and the offense leaves a lot to be desired as well but one thing this club has going for them is a legit superstar in Arky Vaughan. Vaughan is one of the best Pirates in history and one of the three best in this particular group. Behind him, Earl Smith was a solid contributor with the Pirates and Walter Schmidt was with the team for a long stretch. Beyond those three only Jesse Gonder cracked 100 PA with the club. The rest of the players spent little time with the Pirates but Sutton, Bennett and Wood all hit fairly well. Linton and Smith competed for the catcher job as they were the only ones without experience elsewhere and Linton got the edge solely because Smith only played 4 games while with the Pirates.
Connecticut
Lineup
Ned Hanlon, CF
Rajai Davis, LF
Jack Leary, 1B
Jim Keenan, C
Tom Leahy, 3B
Pete Castiglione, SS
Ed Beecher, RF
Ron Wotus, 2B
Bench
Mike Sandlock, C
Nick Koback, C
Jim Donnelly, 3B
John McDonald, 2B/SS
Hi Ladd, PH
Pete Falsey, PH/PR
Notes: Jack Leary spent his Pirates career primarily as a 3B/OF but made 1 lone appearance at 1B and with the lack of options at the position that is enough for him to get the starting job. The rest of the infield also required some shuffling as Leahy split his time with the Pirates between catching, 3B and the OF but the makeup of the roster warranted him playing 3B. Castiglione was primarily a 3B with the Pirates but played quite a few games at SS as well and with 3B already filled he slides over there. Ron Wotus spent most of his time at SS but played a few games at 2B which is position that was open for him. Ladd and Falsey never played the field for the Pirates but Ladd was an OF for the rest of his pro career and Falsey I could find no record of him ever playing the field. As for the team itself, there isn’t a whole lot here, Ned Hanlon is probably the team’s best player as he was a solid league average regular for the Pirates for a few years in their early days. Pete Castiglione has the most PA with the Pirates of any of these guys but was a poor hitter who primarily relied on his defense to be a productive player and Jack Leary is the other positive contributor and with Hanlon probably one of the best two hitters on the team. As for the rest Kennan, Leahy and Beecher produced well in limited samples, Wotus was kept around for his glove and Davis received just 74 PA while with the Pirates.

Georgia
Lineup
Dixie Walker, CF
R.C. Stevens, 1B
John Milner, LF
Brandon Moss, RF
David Ross, C
Tom Foley, 2B
Grady Wilson, 3B
Alf Anderson, SS
Bench
Bill Hall, C
Mackey Sasser, C
Bill Keen, 1B
Terry Harper, OF
Harry Simpson, OF
Moises Alou, OF
Coot Veal, PH
Notes: Grady Wilson only ever played shortstop with the Pirates but throughout the rest of his professional career he always split time between 3B and SS so he is covering 3B here as it’s a position of need. Coot Veal never played the field with the Bucs but was generally a shortstop elsewhere. Milner and Foley split time fairly evenly between a few positions but should be comfortable with their spots. The best player for this team is likely Milner who spent parts of 5 seasons with the Pirates and was a solid contributor from a corner position. Beyond him Dixie Walker was about a league average player for the team for a couple of years and R.C. Stevens showed off a lot of power in his short stint with the club. Outside of those three Brandon Moss had the most notable Pirates career and he struggled. As for the rest Foley was a decent utility player for a couple seasons, Ross a solid backup catcher, Anderson a competent shortstop who didn’t hit much and Wilson a cup of coffee player who got 10 PA. The most notable name of the bench is obviously Alou but that is due to what he did after leaving the Pirates.

Iowa
Lineup
Lee Handley, 3B
Johnny Rawlings, 2B
Fred Clarke, LF
Billy Sunday, CF
Jeff Clement, 1B
Gene Baker, SS
Danny Moeller, RF
Bill Wagner, C
Bench
Bob Oldis, C
Jerry McNertney, C
Cliff Knox, C
Jack Saltzgaver, 2B/3B
Paddy Siglin, 2B
Cliff Carroll, OF
Bill Hoffer, OF
Notes: The only player potentially playing even a bit out of position here is Gene Baker who was primarily a 3B but he did play some shortstop while with the Pirates so he should be able to handle the position. Fred Clarke is a true superstar for this team having spent parts of 15 seasons with the Pirates during his Hall of Fame career. Beyond him Lee Handley and Billy Sunday were useful regulars and Johnny Rawlings had a reputation of being a very good defensive player who was light with the bat. As for the rest Baker, Moeller and Wagner didn’t do much while with the Pirates but were productive enough not to be black holes in the lineup. Jeff Clement hit the worst of the starting 8 but showed some power which is why he is a hitting in the middle of the order. On the bench Saltzgaver has one of the better Pirate careers for a reserve player in this class but the rest played sparingly and didn’t hit at all. Bottom line this is a team with a superstar surrounded by useful but flawed players.
Kentucky
Lineup
Eddie Moore, SS
Jesse Tannehill, RF
Gus Bell, CF
Pete Browning, LF
Earl Grace, C
Charlie Eden, 3B
Earl Browne, 1B
Bill Niles, 2B
Bench
Dixie Howell, C
Fred Blackwell, C
Ben Shaw, 1B
Bill Sowders, OF
Corey Hart, 1B/OF
Notes: Eddie Moore is more of a 2B than a shortstop but he did play the position sparingly while with the Pirates. Charlie Eden was really an outfielder but was tasked with playing 2 games at 3B while with the Pirates so he moves there since the team is short on infield bodies. Jesse Tannehill actually spent most of his career as a pitcher but also played the field on occasion as an outfielder. The combination of Moore, Tannehill, Grace and Bell gives this team 4 solid hitters with 900+ plate appearances with the Pirates. Added to that quartet Browning and Eden hit well during their short Pirate careers making this one of the deepest lineups in this class. The bottom two in Browne and Niles appeared just briefly with the Pirates. On the bench Dixie Howell is a very solid backup catcher who would start for several teams in this group but the rest of the bench leaves a little more to be desired though it should be noted that Sowders like Tannehill was primarily a pitcher who played the outfield on occasion.
Louisiana
Lineup
Jacob Brumfield, CF
Warren Morris, 2B
John Peters, SS
Eddie Williams, 1B
Alex Presley, LF
Johnny Jeter, RF
Matt Alexander, C
George Strickland, 3B
Bench
Xavier Paul, OF
Jimmy Woulfe, OF
Bob Oliver, OF
Notes: This team had one glaring issue and that is none of the players eligible for this team had ever caught a professional game before. Deciding who to make catch wasn’t easy and I ultimately decided on Matt Alexander because even though he played almost exclusively outfield while with the Pirates he was a career utility guy who played all over the field and it is usually that type of guy who serves as a team’s emergency catcher. Another minor issue is George Strickland primarily being a shortstop but the move to 3B shouldn’t be that hard. As for the team itself, Warren Morris had by far the longest Pirates career, but aside from his rookie season never did much. John Peters and Alex Presley are actually probably the best players on this team as they hit at a near league average rate over a few hundred plate appearances. Jeter, Brumfeld and Williams all hit fairly well and gives this lineup some length even if its lacking high end talent. Matt Alexander was primarily a defensive replacement in the OF as evidenced by him playing in 103 games for the Pirates and collecting only 27 PA but he absolutely crushed it in those 27 PA (1.000 OPS). Finally Strickland had more than 600 PA with the Pirates but was primarily kept around for his good defense at shortstop. The bench obviously doesn’t offer much flexibility but Paul had a nice Pirates career relative to most of the other bench options in this class.
Maryland
Lineup
Al Rubeling, 3B
Buttercup Dickerson, LF
Bob Robertson, 1B
Babe Phelps, RF
Billy Kelly, C
Jack Merson, 2B
Ted Beard, CF
Vic Barnhart, SS
Bench
Tom Quinn, C
Trench Davis, OF
Jake Miller, OF
George Spriggs, OF
Notes: Merson and Rubeling were both primarily 2B with the Pirates who played a little 3B as well and with no other infielders one had to slide over to cover third and I chose Rubeling. Babe Phelps was originally slated to be the starting catcher but his to be backup Billy Kelly was significantly better than any of the OF options so I looked for a way to get both on the field and it turns out Phelps played some outfield earlier in his career before joining the Pirates. This team is really built around Bob Robertson who had a very nice career with the Pirates back in the 70s. Beyond him Babe Phelps is likely the best player and easily the second best bat. Rubeling, Kelly, Merson and Dickerson all had 200+ PA in their Pirates career and all were solid contributors at the plate in that time making this a good lineup 1 through 6. Beard and Barnhart don’t bring much to the table offensively and weren’t even defensive stand outs but they had respectable enough careers that they aren’t horrible options for the back of the lineup. On the bench there really isn’t much with Spriggs being probably the best player and likely starting RF had I not chose to move Phelps out from behind the plate.

Minnesota
Lineup
Mike Kingery, LF
Mike Restovich, RF
Ike Davis, 1B
Joe Marshall, 2B
Walt Moryn, CF
Steve Lombardozzi, 3B
Tony Brottem, C
Gene DeMontreville, SS
Bench
Gary Hargis, PR
Wayne Nordhagen, OF
Notes: As some of you may recall Lombardozzi spent some time on the 2015 Pirates but never ended up playing an inning in the field. Throughout the rest of his career he played all over the place but this team in particular needed a 3B as no one had played there for the Pirates. Joe Marshall played in only 10 games with the Pirates with only 1 being at the 2B position but he is the only one with any time there. Gary Hargis pinch ran for the Pirates once in 1979 and that was his only appearance in the MLB but down in the minors, he filled a utility role playing all over the diamond but primarily the middle infield. Looking at this team it’s a bit of a mess with the best player probably being Ike Davis. Davis didn’t do much with the Pirates in 2014 but he played most of the season and was decent with the bat. The only other player to collect more than 100 PA with the Pirates was Mike Kingery and he was poor at the plate and in the field for the Pirates. Amongst the others Joe Marshall had a nice 23 PA with the club and DeMontreville, Moryn and Restovich weren’t completely awful in their short stints either. Brottom provides a good glove behind the plate and Lombardozzi provides some versatility even if they really didn’t hit for the Pirates. On the bench Hargis only had that one PR appearance and Nordhagen compiled just for 4 PA.

Mississippi
Lineup
Matt Lawton, 2B
Dave Clark, 1B
Dave Parker, RF
Reb Russell, 3B
Culley Rikard, LF
Charlie Hayes, SS
Adrian Brown, CF
Steve Pegues, C
Bench
N/A
Notes: With only 8 players this is another team where I had to get a bit creative in fielding a lineup. The roster has no one who ever played a game for the Pirates at catcher or at shortstop and the only player to ever play at 1B or 2B was Dave Parker who I decided to steadfastly refuse to remove from the outfield. Covering the shortstop position I chose Charlie Hayes because he was the only true infielder on the team and had actually played that position before. Steve Pegues receives the honor of trying to catch because well he the worst hitting option I had to choose from and he was slow which led me to believe he’d be harmed the least by the move. Covering 2B is Matt Lawton because that is where he started his professional career. At the infield corners I have Dave Clark and Reb Russell because both had played 1B before in a limited capacity and Russell slides over to 3B simply because he seemed to me the better bet to succeed there thanks to his size. Despite all the shuffling this actually is a good solid lineup hitting wise as only Steve Pegues collected fewer than 400 PA while with the Pirates. Dave Parker is a legitimate cornerstone to build a team around and Lawton, Clark and Russell were all solid regulars while with the Pirates. Charlie Hayes is probably stretched defensively at shortstop and didn’t hit a ton with the Pirates but wasn’t terrible and Culley Rikard provided the Bucs with a solid season in 1947. Brown and Pegues aren’t the greatest regulars but even they were respectable at the plate while with the Pirates.
Oklahoma
Lineup
Lloyd Waner, CF
Johnny Ray, 2B
Paul Waner, RF
Willie Stargell, 1B
Fern Bell, 3B
Jordy Mercer, SS
Howie Goss, LF
Roy Jarvis, C
Bench
U.L. Washington, SS
Jeff Salazar, OF
Mark Ryal, OF
Jeff Banister, PH
Notes: This is one legitimately terrifying lineup for opposing pitchers. Paul Waner and Willie Stargell are two true superstars for this team to build around and then you add in Lloyd Waner and Johnny Ray and you have as scary a top 4 as you are probably going to see on any team in this exercise. I was tempted to keep the dream outfield of Stargell and the Waner boys together, but really needed Stargell at 1B so I reluctantly moved him there. At 3B the options were slim with no one having played more than 2 games at the position so I went with Fern Bell who though he was primarily an OF played 1 game for the Pirates at 3B. Jeff Banister only had the one pinch hit appearance with the Pirates but was primarily a catcher in the minor leagues giving this team a bench capable of covering for all the regulars. I have already commented on just how amazing that the top 4 in the lineup is but I will add that Fern Bell had a very solid 1939 campaign with the Pirates and Jordy Mercer is of course a solid option at the shortstop position. Goss and Jarvis only played sparingly with the Pirates and weren’t great but with such a stable top 6 they are respectable enough options at the back end. On the bench the options are less than stellar but Bannister can spell the catcher and 1B with Washington spelling the rest of the infield and Ryal and Salazar handling the outfielders so at the very least there are options to keep the regulars rested.
South Carolina
Lineup
Pokey Reese, 2B
Marv Rackley, CF
Reggie Sanders, RF
Walter Barbare, SS
Willie Randolph, 3B
Syd Smith, RF
Doug Strange, 1B
Johnny Riddle, C
Bench
N/A
Notes: Since this is another team with only 8 players it requires a bit of shuffling but not to a huge extent. Walter Barbae was primarily a 3B with the Pirates but is the only one of the 8 to have played SS so he slides over to cover the position. Doug Strange is another player who was primarily a 3B but he was the only one to have any time at 1B so he has to move across the diamond. With the two guys who were regular 3B forced to play another position Wille Randolph a regular 2B is the only other player to have played 3B for the Pirates so he moves to cover there. Finally Smith and Riddle were both catchers for the Pirates but Smith played some OF early in his career so he slides out there. Sanders is the best player on the team and he was just a solid regular for the Pirates for one season. Beyond him Reese, Barbare and Strange are the only others with at least 100 PA. Barbare had a nice stretch and Reese was useful but Strange was terrible at the plate. As for the rest Rackley was decent in his small sample size but the rest not so much.
Tennessee
Lineup
Phil Garner, 2B
Bill Madlock, 3B
Lefty Davis, LF
Clyde McCullough, C
Do Johnston, 1B
Johnny Gooch, RF
Jack Farmer, SS
Tom Saffell, CF
Bench
Michael McKenry, C
Joe Oliver, C
Aubrey Epps, C
Bubber Jonnard, C
Hank Sweeny, 1B
John Raynor, OF
Notes: Another team overflowing with catchers and the top 3 in this case McCullough, Gooch and McKenry are all probably good enough that they should be starting for this team but I only found a way to get two of them out there. Gooch played exclusively catcher in his major league career but spent some of his early time in the minors in the outfield. The only other person out of position is Jack Farmer who is really a 2B by trade but needs to slide over to fill the shortstop position which he did play for the Pirates sparingly. Garner and Madlock are the best two players on the team as they were above average regulars for the Pirates for multiple season. Gooch, McCullough and Johnston all compiled more than 1,000 PA for the Pirates and were decent yet below average hitters during that time. Johnston and Davis didn’t have as much time with the Pirates as the previously mentioned guys but were solid offensive contributors as well. That leaves Farmer who was good for the Pirates in a limited sample and Saffell who was not so good in a bit larger sample. On the bench the non McKenry and Oliver players have a combined 40 PA between them but McKenry is a solid backup catcher and Oliver though he hit awful is probably at least useful.
Washington
Lineup
Ed Kirkpatrick, 2B
Jim Mosolf, CF
Travis Snider, RF
Ryan Doumit, C
Woody Jensen, LF
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Matt Hague, 3B
Mike Edwards, SS
Bench
Travis Ishikawa, 1B
Earl Smith, OF
Marv Rickert, OF
Hunky Shaw, PH
Notes: No one on this team had ever played shortstop for the Pirates before but Mike Edwards did at least play it elsewhere so he slides over from his usual 2B position. However, with Edwards is moving off of 2B no one else on the team has ever played there so looking through their history I found that Ed Kirkpatrick who is typically a 1B/OF with some catching mixed in played 1 game at the 2B position and also had 2 games at the 3B position for the Pirates. The need is at second so he slides there. Like a never ending chain though there is now no one who has ever played 3B for the Pirates but I recalled Matt Hague getting some work there in the minors so he slides over to there from 1B to cover. Of the players eligible here Ryan Doumit most likely had the best career with the club and he is supported by others such as Kirkpatrick, Snider and Jensen who posted respectable hitting lines with the Pirates. Mosolf was also a good hitter with the Pirates but in a much smaller sample. Overbay was better than most of us probably recall but was still bad for a 1B and Hague and Edwards both struggled mightily with the stick. On the bench Travis Ishikawa has an essentially identical line to Overbay but in about a third the at bats so that is why he lost out. Smith and Rickert each had about 20 PA with the Pirates and did nothing in them while Shaw had only 1 and never played the field though he was a 3B/OF down in the minors.
Power Rankings
14. Minnesota
Several of these teams are not good but Minnesota is clearly worse than all the rest. The team's starting 8 didn't even crack 1,000 plate appearances with the Pirates which is far and away the least amount of any of the 14 states mentioned above. The best player on the team is probably Ike Davis and clearly that isn't a good sign for a team supposedly made of all time great players. There is just nothing in the way of high end or even moderate talent here and what players are here were mediocre at best.
13. South Carolina
South Carolina is one of the teams that are just barely capable of filling a lineup and has no reserves present so right away that is a strike against them. The factor which ultimately lands them so low on the list is the top of their roster including Reggie Sanders, Walter Barbare and Pokey Reese and while those guys are fine complimentary pieces they aren't enough to head a team even in this admittedly watered down competition level.
12. Louisiana
Another team barely scrapping by but what makes it even worse is the lack of a legitimate catcher. I'm certain Matt Alexander will do his best to hold down the fort but thrusting a utility player into a full time catcher role is of course going to have major consequences on the defensive side. Also hurting the team is the fact that John Peters, Alex Presley and Warren Morris don’t really make a strong top end of the roster and the depth behind them is marginal. The presence of a few players on the bench did give them an edge over South Carolina though.
11. Connecticut
On the surface there are no glaring flaws with Connecticut's team. In the context of this group the starting 8 all seem like respectable options but the issue is they aren't really any better than that. The entire roster is basically just useful with the top of it featuring guys like Ned Hanlon, Pete Castiglione and Jack Leary who would all be useful guys for the middle of a roster but don't really have much appeal as top end options. The lack of a true black hole is what helps them stay above the previous states.
10. Georgia
Just like Connecticut this team is merely just fine with nothing really standing out about them. There isn't anyone in the starting 8 who is an obvious gaping hole but most of the middle and low end of the lineup is just barely competent while the top guys like John Milner and Dixie Walker are complimentary players at best. The lack of high end talent or even really medium talent is the true separator here.
9. Washington
Another team in the mold of Connecticut and Georgia in that it is a semi-legitimate one but not really a good one. The starting 8 is filled with players who are competent and there is even a usable bench behind them but the talent just isn't there for this group to rank any higher. Ryan Doumit and Travis Snider were fine players while with the Pirates but they aren't really the type who are going to lead a team anywhere. They finish at the top of the mini pack of three thanks almost solely to having spent significant more time as Pirates.
8. Mississippi
Now we move on to a bit different of an issue. The starting 8 here offensively is probably one of the three best in this part however there is no bench for this team and there are 7 outfielders in the starting lineup which of course isn't going to lead to great defensive results. Dave Parker is our first legitimate star on a team and with a pair of solid contributors in Reb Russell and Dave Clark behind him along with a decent rest of the roster this team should be able to hit fairly well but they just aren't going to be able to field and are going to be hurt by the lack of depth.
7. Arkansas
Arkansas is similar to Mississippi in that the lineup in theory is a very solid one but there are a ton of people playing out of position and little depth for this club to rely on. Arky Vaughan is a tremendous player and is arguably the best in this class and should at least be in everyone's top three. Walter Schmidt and Earl Smith compliment him well but now we aren't getting into the issue and that is that both of those guys are catchers and there are 2 more in the lineup along with the lone bench option also being a catcher. Simply put even with a solid lineup this team just isn't going to be able to field well enough for them to rank any higher than this.
6. Alabama
Alabama is the start of teams ranked 4-6 who all follow the template of having their players in a reasonable defensive alignment along with having a lineup that has some depth even if it lacking star power. Gary Redus and Spud Davis aren't going to be mistake as franchise saviors but having the pair of them as the best players on a relatively deep team isn't a terrible thing and along with the fact they can actually play people pretty much where they should be its enough for them to crack the top 6.
5. Maryland
There is no star here but Bob Robertson is a solid big leaguer who is a credible option for best player on the team. Behind him is a nice solid roster headed by the likes of Babe Phelps and Al Rubeling. It is a solid roster 1-8 with a usable bench, respectable top end talent and no crazy defensive issues which is just enough to earn the Maryland roster a top 5 ranking.
4. Kentucky
Kentucky is very similar to Alabama and in fact their top two players Eddie Moore and Earl Grace are probably roughly even with Alabama's but what sets them apart is the strength of their supporting cast. Every bat in their lineup aside from their 2B Bill Niles is a quality hitter who shouldn't be easily over looked. What prevents them from going any higher is the fact that none of their hitters are anyone a team is really going to game plan around and make certain that he doesn't beat you.
3. Iowa
The Iowa team has a true star in Fred Clarke which gives them a leg up on a lot of the competition but what truly separates them from the rest is the caliber of players behind Clarke. In a lot of ways the Iowa roster is like the Kentucky roster if you were to drop a legitimate star on it. Lee Handley and Billy Sunday are solid ball players behind Clarke and the rest of the roster fills out nicely.
2. Tennessee
Now we move back to a team that is truly lacking a star but has two very good regulars in Phil Garner and Bill Madlock leading the charge. Behind them Davis, Gooch, McCullough and Johnston gives the lineup some good length and solid overall talent. This is really just a strong overall team and one that should have no problems contending with and even beating a lot of the other teams even if they do have stars on them.
1. Oklahoma
There was never any doubt which team was going to claim the top spot here. The top 4 in this lineup with the Waner boys, Johnny Ray and Willie Stargell is just unfair at this level of competition. Add to the fact that Howie Goss, Fern Bell and Jordy Mercer are quality options that lengthen the lineup and the fact there is a usable bench and this was simply no contest. I fully expect this lineup to be the best one up until at least Class B.