Infield: Third baseman Jud Wilson was a hot-tempered Negro League star who is listed as a .351 career hitter. His nickname, “Boojum,” is supposedly based on what Satchel Paige said Wilson’s line drives sounded like. Guess you had to be there. (Some say it was pronounced buh-ZHOOM, which would make a little bit of sense.) John Wockenfuss (1974-85) was really a catcher, but he’s at first base on this team for a couple of reasons. First off, he was not a good defensive catcher, and he did play some first base. Secondly, the JWs have got a couple of pretty fair catchers besides Wockenfuss. And thirdly, he was a good hitter who needs to be in the starting lineup – something they never figured out in the majors, since somehow he only played in 100 or more games one time. He was a .260 hitter who drew a lot of walks, had enough power that he would have hit 20 home runs if given the chance. Wockenfuss had one of the strangest batting stances you’d ever want to see – drastically closed, twisted around, back to the pitcher and looking over his shoulder, feet close together and pointed at the catcher, with his bat cocked high. He was a good hitter who should have been given more of a chance. Second baseman Jake Wood (1961-67) had an interesting rookie year for the Tigers in 1961, leading the league in triples with 14 but also setting a major-league record (broken one year later) with 141 strikeouts. Wood wasn’t a great hitter or a great fielder, but he ran well and could drive the ball, and he could get some things done on the field. He will really only be a part-time starter, since John Montgomery Ward will see a lot of time in the infield on days when he’s not the starting pitcher. Shortstop Jack Wilson (2001- ) is a similar hitter to Jake Wood. He also led the league in triples once, and he hits .260-.270 but doesn’t draw enough walks or hit for enough power to make it a truly productive .270. But he’s a better defensive player than Wood.
Outfield: Center fielder Jimmy Wynn (1963-77) spent the best years of his career playing in the worst hitter’s park in baseball, in the most pitching-dominated era of modern baseball. This is part of the reason that no one really realizes how good he was. He batted .250, due in large part to the conditions in which he played, but he also hit home runs, stole bases and drew a huge number of walks. He was a small guy with lots of power and was known as The Toy Cannon. One of the most underrated players of the 1960s and ’70s. Left fielder Josh Willingham (2004- ) and right fielder Jayson Werth (2002- ) are still in mid-career, but they’ve shown enough to earn a shot at the starting lineup here. If either one of them drops off, there are competent outfielders on the bench ready to step in. Werth and Willingham are the same age, and are very similar players – .260-.270 hitters who draw some walks and hit with mid-range power.
Catcher: Jimmie Wilson (1923-40) was a mediocre hitter but a good defensive player and a very respected guy around the majors. He played in three World Series with the Cardinals, but he saved his best for last. At age 40, he was a coach with the pennant-winning Cincinnati Reds. Starting catcher Ernie Lombardi injured an ankle at the end of the season and his backup, Willard Hershberger, had committed suicide about a month earlier, so the Reds pressed Wilson into service in the World Series at age 40. He played six of the seven games, batted .353 and led the Reds to the championship.
Rotation: A couple of legendary Smokey Joes will anchor the rotation – Negro League star Smokey Joe Williams and Red Sox great Smokey Joe Wood (1908-22). Wood had a career record of 117-57 with an ERA of 2.03. Yes, yes, that career ERA reflects that he pitched in the dead ball era, but it also reflects that he was a pretty great pitcher. He injured his arm in mid-career and became an outfielder for the Cleveland Indians, and he was no slouch there either. There are those who would argue that Smokey Joe Williams, not Satchel Paige, was the greatest pitcher in the history of the Negro Leagues. He had a long, successful career, which reportedly included a 20-7 record in exhibition games against major-league all-star teams. At age 44, he still had enough gas to strike out 27 batters in one game, a 12-inning shutout of the Kansas City Monarchs. John Montgomery Ward (1878-94), like Smokey Joe Wood, was a pitcher for the first half of his career and then became a position player. He will see plenty of time in the JW infield when he’s not on the mound. As a pitcher, he won 164 games with a 2.10 ERA and pitched the second perfect game in baseball history. Bill James once wrote that Ward’s career as a pitcher is basically comparable to that of Hall of Famer Addie Joss, and that his career as an infielder is comparable to that of Maury Wills. He did all of that, then retired in his mid-30s to pursue a career as a lawyer, though he remained a major force in the background with John McGraw’s great New York Giants teams. He was also a key figure in the development of the first players’ union. Quite simply, he was one of the most fascinating figures in baseball history. Jake Weimer (1904-12) is another dead ball pitcher who had a career ERA of 2.23, which is the 12th-best in major-league history but third-best on this starting rotation. The No. 5 starter is Jered Weaver (2006- ), is in his prime and is one of the best pitchers in the game today. If he stays healthy, he is in the thick of an outstanding J.W. rotation. (His brother Jeff can have season tickets and cheer from the stands. We’ll call him if someone gets hurt.)
Bullpen: Closer John Wetteland (1989-2000) came up as one of the Dodgers’ young guns, but he had trouble fitting into the staff at that point, so following the 1991 season he was traded to the Reds, who then turned around and shipped him to the Expos. Over the next seven years – pitching for Montreal, the Yankees and Texas – he was probably the best reliever in baseball, saving 252 games, putting up a 2.38 ERA and striking out more batters (550) than he put on base (352 hits, 155 walks). When the Yankees won their first World Series of the Jeter Era in 1996, Wetteland saved all four victories and was named Series MVP. (The World Series clincher was his last game as a Yankee. He left as a free agent after the season and his set-up guy took over the closer role. Some guy named Mariano Rivera. Not sure if he ever amounted to anything.) John Wyatt (1961-69) was a pretty fair closer himself as that role was evolving in the 1960s. Pitching mostly for the A’s and the Red Sox, he saved 103 games. Jay Witasick (1996-2007) was a set-up man for a long time, and at the peak of his career he was pretty darn good. Jamie Walker (1997-2009) was a lefty who came in to get one or two outs at a time. John Wasdin (1995-2007) had some decent seasons, but he put a lot of runners on base and gave up a lot of home runs. Jim Willoughby (1971-78) had a couple of good years for the Red Sox in the mid-1970s, and he pitched in three games without allowing a run against The Big Red Machine in the ’75 World Series. In 1976 he had a 2.82 ERA in 99 innings for a team that finished four games over .500, but he still had a 3-12 record, which is some kind of bad luck. They called Jim Weaver (1928-39) “Big Jim.” He was 6-foot-6, 230 pounds. That would be big today. Back in the 1930s, he must have looked like King Kong. Pretty fair pitcher, too, with a career record of 57-36 and a 3.88 ERA.
Bench: Outfielder Jimmy Wolf (1882-92) was a good player, a .290 hitter with speed. His given name was William Van Winkle Wolf, and his nickname was “Chicken.” Outfielder Johnny Wyrostek (1942-52) was .270 hitter with some gap power, but with the starters looking pretty good, and with Chicken and Smokey Joe Wood ahead of him in line for playing time, he won’t do much more than pinch hit. Infielder Jimmy Walsh (1910-15) was a pretty decent line drive hitter. Jemile Weeks (2011- ) is a diminutive second baseman who had an impressive rookie year with Oakland in 2001 - a .303 average with 26 doubles, eight triples and 22 steals in fewer than 100 games. If he continues to build on that, he will crack the starting lineup on this team. Backup catcher John Wathan (1976-85) was a mediocre hitter who suddenly started stealing bases at age 30. He finished his career with 105 steals in 141 attempts, which is pretty good for a catcher.
Manager: Jimy Williams managed the Blue Jays, Red Sox and Astros. He had a winning record with all three teams, and was fired by each of them. He’ll be getting plenty of advice, solicited or otherwise, since Jimmie Wilson, John Wathan and Chicken Wolf were all managers as well, and since John Montgomery Ward will definitely have some input. They'll stay busy shuffling Wood and Ward between the rotation and the field and keeping three catchers busy.
Outfield: Center fielder Jimmy Wynn (1963-77) spent the best years of his career playing in the worst hitter’s park in baseball, in the most pitching-dominated era of modern baseball. This is part of the reason that no one really realizes how good he was. He batted .250, due in large part to the conditions in which he played, but he also hit home runs, stole bases and drew a huge number of walks. He was a small guy with lots of power and was known as The Toy Cannon. One of the most underrated players of the 1960s and ’70s. Left fielder Josh Willingham (2004- ) and right fielder Jayson Werth (2002- ) are still in mid-career, but they’ve shown enough to earn a shot at the starting lineup here. If either one of them drops off, there are competent outfielders on the bench ready to step in. Werth and Willingham are the same age, and are very similar players – .260-.270 hitters who draw some walks and hit with mid-range power.
Catcher: Jimmie Wilson (1923-40) was a mediocre hitter but a good defensive player and a very respected guy around the majors. He played in three World Series with the Cardinals, but he saved his best for last. At age 40, he was a coach with the pennant-winning Cincinnati Reds. Starting catcher Ernie Lombardi injured an ankle at the end of the season and his backup, Willard Hershberger, had committed suicide about a month earlier, so the Reds pressed Wilson into service in the World Series at age 40. He played six of the seven games, batted .353 and led the Reds to the championship.
Rotation: A couple of legendary Smokey Joes will anchor the rotation – Negro League star Smokey Joe Williams and Red Sox great Smokey Joe Wood (1908-22). Wood had a career record of 117-57 with an ERA of 2.03. Yes, yes, that career ERA reflects that he pitched in the dead ball era, but it also reflects that he was a pretty great pitcher. He injured his arm in mid-career and became an outfielder for the Cleveland Indians, and he was no slouch there either. There are those who would argue that Smokey Joe Williams, not Satchel Paige, was the greatest pitcher in the history of the Negro Leagues. He had a long, successful career, which reportedly included a 20-7 record in exhibition games against major-league all-star teams. At age 44, he still had enough gas to strike out 27 batters in one game, a 12-inning shutout of the Kansas City Monarchs. John Montgomery Ward (1878-94), like Smokey Joe Wood, was a pitcher for the first half of his career and then became a position player. He will see plenty of time in the JW infield when he’s not on the mound. As a pitcher, he won 164 games with a 2.10 ERA and pitched the second perfect game in baseball history. Bill James once wrote that Ward’s career as a pitcher is basically comparable to that of Hall of Famer Addie Joss, and that his career as an infielder is comparable to that of Maury Wills. He did all of that, then retired in his mid-30s to pursue a career as a lawyer, though he remained a major force in the background with John McGraw’s great New York Giants teams. He was also a key figure in the development of the first players’ union. Quite simply, he was one of the most fascinating figures in baseball history. Jake Weimer (1904-12) is another dead ball pitcher who had a career ERA of 2.23, which is the 12th-best in major-league history but third-best on this starting rotation. The No. 5 starter is Jered Weaver (2006- ), is in his prime and is one of the best pitchers in the game today. If he stays healthy, he is in the thick of an outstanding J.W. rotation. (His brother Jeff can have season tickets and cheer from the stands. We’ll call him if someone gets hurt.)
Bullpen: Closer John Wetteland (1989-2000) came up as one of the Dodgers’ young guns, but he had trouble fitting into the staff at that point, so following the 1991 season he was traded to the Reds, who then turned around and shipped him to the Expos. Over the next seven years – pitching for Montreal, the Yankees and Texas – he was probably the best reliever in baseball, saving 252 games, putting up a 2.38 ERA and striking out more batters (550) than he put on base (352 hits, 155 walks). When the Yankees won their first World Series of the Jeter Era in 1996, Wetteland saved all four victories and was named Series MVP. (The World Series clincher was his last game as a Yankee. He left as a free agent after the season and his set-up guy took over the closer role. Some guy named Mariano Rivera. Not sure if he ever amounted to anything.) John Wyatt (1961-69) was a pretty fair closer himself as that role was evolving in the 1960s. Pitching mostly for the A’s and the Red Sox, he saved 103 games. Jay Witasick (1996-2007) was a set-up man for a long time, and at the peak of his career he was pretty darn good. Jamie Walker (1997-2009) was a lefty who came in to get one or two outs at a time. John Wasdin (1995-2007) had some decent seasons, but he put a lot of runners on base and gave up a lot of home runs. Jim Willoughby (1971-78) had a couple of good years for the Red Sox in the mid-1970s, and he pitched in three games without allowing a run against The Big Red Machine in the ’75 World Series. In 1976 he had a 2.82 ERA in 99 innings for a team that finished four games over .500, but he still had a 3-12 record, which is some kind of bad luck. They called Jim Weaver (1928-39) “Big Jim.” He was 6-foot-6, 230 pounds. That would be big today. Back in the 1930s, he must have looked like King Kong. Pretty fair pitcher, too, with a career record of 57-36 and a 3.88 ERA.
Bench: Outfielder Jimmy Wolf (1882-92) was a good player, a .290 hitter with speed. His given name was William Van Winkle Wolf, and his nickname was “Chicken.” Outfielder Johnny Wyrostek (1942-52) was .270 hitter with some gap power, but with the starters looking pretty good, and with Chicken and Smokey Joe Wood ahead of him in line for playing time, he won’t do much more than pinch hit. Infielder Jimmy Walsh (1910-15) was a pretty decent line drive hitter. Jemile Weeks (2011- ) is a diminutive second baseman who had an impressive rookie year with Oakland in 2001 - a .303 average with 26 doubles, eight triples and 22 steals in fewer than 100 games. If he continues to build on that, he will crack the starting lineup on this team. Backup catcher John Wathan (1976-85) was a mediocre hitter who suddenly started stealing bases at age 30. He finished his career with 105 steals in 141 attempts, which is pretty good for a catcher.
Manager: Jimy Williams managed the Blue Jays, Red Sox and Astros. He had a winning record with all three teams, and was fired by each of them. He’ll be getting plenty of advice, solicited or otherwise, since Jimmie Wilson, John Wathan and Chicken Wolf were all managers as well, and since John Montgomery Ward will definitely have some input. They'll stay busy shuffling Wood and Ward between the rotation and the field and keeping three catchers busy.
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