Infield: Negro League shortstop Chet Williams was a speedy .300 hitter for the outstanding Pittsburgh Crawfords throughout the 1930s, when he was teammates with Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson. His given name was Chester Arthur Williams, so one guesses he was named in honor of the 19th-century president. He was known as a scrappy, hustling ballplayer. First baseman Craig A. Wilson (2001-07) finished his career with 99 home runs, and at first you’d think that it was a shame no one carried him on the roster until he got #100 – but then you see that in the end he was struggling to hit .200 and he was striking out a ton, and you figure maybe they got everything out of him that there was to get. He hit double-digits in home runs five times, including a career-high 29 for the Pirates in 2004. Second baseman Curtis Wilkerson (1983-93) was a spare part who was one of the throw-in players the Cubs received along with Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams in the infamous trade that sent Jamie Moyer and Rafael Palmeiro to Texas. He couldn’t hit, but he could play passable defense all around the infield. Third baseman Craig Worthington (1988-96) was a power-hitting prospect for the Orioles who never panned out. He had 15 home runs and 70 RBI at age 24 but went downhill after that, and those totals account for almost half of his career homer and runs batted in.
Outfield: Center fielder Cy Williams (1912-30) was a prolific slugger, the first National League batter to hit 200 career home runs (he finished with 251). He led the league four times in home runs, aided in part by the cozy fences at the Baker Bowl, but he was a solid hitter in any ballpark – and he was such a well-known pull hitter that that “Williams Shift” was actually devised for him, not for Teddy Ballgame as most assume. For all of his power, he never did well in the MVP voting. He played into his 40s and was still good enough at age 42 to bat .471 (8 for 17) as a pinch-hitter. Negro Leaguer Chaney White played mostly center but will move to left field on this team. He was a .300 hitting speed burner who was known to slide with his spikes high. He was described as a friendly, soft-spoken gentleman off the field but a firebrand between the lines. Curt Walker (1919-30) will start in right field, but look for a spirited competition for all of the outfield spots, as there are three more on the bench who could form arguably as good an outfield as Walker, Williams and White. Walker batted .304 for his career, with enough gap power and speed to hit 117 triples in his career.
Catcher: Chris Widger (1995-2006) hit 13-15 home runs for three straight seasons. He was a .238 hitter who struggled with the strike zone, but when he made contact he had a bit of power.
Rotation: Lefty Clyde Wright (1966-75) went 22-12 for the Angels in 1970 (including a no-hitter), but he also had seasons of 11-19 and 9-20. He won 100 games in his career but lost 111. He also pitched for several years in Japan and was a popular player there despite a series of on-field temper tantrums and one unfortunate incident in which he and two other American players got into a fight with the entire East German hockey team in a Japanese club. Chien-Ming Wang (2005- ) is a Taiwanese pitcher who went 19-6 and 19-7 for the Yankees in 2006-07. Injuries have sidetracked him since then, but he's still trying. Carlton Willey (1958-65) hailed from Cherryfield, Maine, which we think is just up the road from Crabapple Cove. After several years with the Braves, he actually pitched pretty well for the moribund early Mets teams, but they were the Mets so his records weren’t good. He finished with 38 career wins and 58 losses. Carl Weilman (1912-20) was a 6-foot-5, 187-pound lefty who went 84-93 for the St. Louis Browns. His career ERA of 2.67 was well below league average (in the good sense of that phrase). Claude Willoughby (1925-31) matched Carlton Willey’s career mark of 38-58. He had two nicknames – Flunky, and Weeping Willie – and it’s hard to imagine that he liked either one of them.
Bullpen: Closer C.J. Wilson (2005- ) is a lefty who saved 52 games for the Rangers before switching to the rotation in 2010 and winning 15 games for the AL pennant winners. He’ll stay in the bullpen on the CW team for now. Charlie Williams (1971-78) was a functional reliever for the Giants. Carl Willis (1984-95) was a solid righty who had a couple of good seasons for the Twins after he developed a split-fingered fastball that some folks believed was actually a spitball. Charlie “Broadway” Wagner (1938-46) was a swingman who won 32 games for the Red Sox as a teammate during the Ted Williams years. Lefty Chris Welsh (1981-86) bounced around the majors for a few years. Lefty Curt Wardle (1984-85) got pounded for a few seasons with the Twins and Indians. Lefty Cy Warmoth (1916-23) was a teammate of Walter Johnson with the Senators.
Bench: Outfielders Claudell Washington (1974-90), Curt Welch (1884-93) and Chicken Wolf (1882-92) were all very fine players and will push for starting jobs. Wolf will be player-manager, so he’ll be busy enough to appreciate a smaller role on the field. Wolf had 197 hits and a .363 batting average in 1890. Claudell Washington batted .308 with 40 stolen bases at age 20 and looked like a budding star. He was never that good again, but he was still pretty good, finishing with 164 home runs, 312 steals and 926 runs scored. Curt Welch was a speedster and a terrific defensive outfielder who was famous in the 19th century for a play in which he stole home during an 1886 playoff game to win the championship for the St. Louis Browns. Chico Walker (1980-93) was a light-hitting outfielder who also played some second and third base. Considering the outfield depth on this roster, he’ll work as a utility infielder and hope for the best. Backup catcher Charlie White (1954-55) was a former Negro Leaguer who was teammate and roommate to Hank Aaron on the Braves.
Manager: Chicken Wolf, whose real name was William Van Winkle Wolf, will try to improve on the 14-51 record that he put up as manager of the Louisville Colonels in 1889.
Outfield: Center fielder Cy Williams (1912-30) was a prolific slugger, the first National League batter to hit 200 career home runs (he finished with 251). He led the league four times in home runs, aided in part by the cozy fences at the Baker Bowl, but he was a solid hitter in any ballpark – and he was such a well-known pull hitter that that “Williams Shift” was actually devised for him, not for Teddy Ballgame as most assume. For all of his power, he never did well in the MVP voting. He played into his 40s and was still good enough at age 42 to bat .471 (8 for 17) as a pinch-hitter. Negro Leaguer Chaney White played mostly center but will move to left field on this team. He was a .300 hitting speed burner who was known to slide with his spikes high. He was described as a friendly, soft-spoken gentleman off the field but a firebrand between the lines. Curt Walker (1919-30) will start in right field, but look for a spirited competition for all of the outfield spots, as there are three more on the bench who could form arguably as good an outfield as Walker, Williams and White. Walker batted .304 for his career, with enough gap power and speed to hit 117 triples in his career.
Catcher: Chris Widger (1995-2006) hit 13-15 home runs for three straight seasons. He was a .238 hitter who struggled with the strike zone, but when he made contact he had a bit of power.
Rotation: Lefty Clyde Wright (1966-75) went 22-12 for the Angels in 1970 (including a no-hitter), but he also had seasons of 11-19 and 9-20. He won 100 games in his career but lost 111. He also pitched for several years in Japan and was a popular player there despite a series of on-field temper tantrums and one unfortunate incident in which he and two other American players got into a fight with the entire East German hockey team in a Japanese club. Chien-Ming Wang (2005- ) is a Taiwanese pitcher who went 19-6 and 19-7 for the Yankees in 2006-07. Injuries have sidetracked him since then, but he's still trying. Carlton Willey (1958-65) hailed from Cherryfield, Maine, which we think is just up the road from Crabapple Cove. After several years with the Braves, he actually pitched pretty well for the moribund early Mets teams, but they were the Mets so his records weren’t good. He finished with 38 career wins and 58 losses. Carl Weilman (1912-20) was a 6-foot-5, 187-pound lefty who went 84-93 for the St. Louis Browns. His career ERA of 2.67 was well below league average (in the good sense of that phrase). Claude Willoughby (1925-31) matched Carlton Willey’s career mark of 38-58. He had two nicknames – Flunky, and Weeping Willie – and it’s hard to imagine that he liked either one of them.
Bullpen: Closer C.J. Wilson (2005- ) is a lefty who saved 52 games for the Rangers before switching to the rotation in 2010 and winning 15 games for the AL pennant winners. He’ll stay in the bullpen on the CW team for now. Charlie Williams (1971-78) was a functional reliever for the Giants. Carl Willis (1984-95) was a solid righty who had a couple of good seasons for the Twins after he developed a split-fingered fastball that some folks believed was actually a spitball. Charlie “Broadway” Wagner (1938-46) was a swingman who won 32 games for the Red Sox as a teammate during the Ted Williams years. Lefty Chris Welsh (1981-86) bounced around the majors for a few years. Lefty Curt Wardle (1984-85) got pounded for a few seasons with the Twins and Indians. Lefty Cy Warmoth (1916-23) was a teammate of Walter Johnson with the Senators.
Bench: Outfielders Claudell Washington (1974-90), Curt Welch (1884-93) and Chicken Wolf (1882-92) were all very fine players and will push for starting jobs. Wolf will be player-manager, so he’ll be busy enough to appreciate a smaller role on the field. Wolf had 197 hits and a .363 batting average in 1890. Claudell Washington batted .308 with 40 stolen bases at age 20 and looked like a budding star. He was never that good again, but he was still pretty good, finishing with 164 home runs, 312 steals and 926 runs scored. Curt Welch was a speedster and a terrific defensive outfielder who was famous in the 19th century for a play in which he stole home during an 1886 playoff game to win the championship for the St. Louis Browns. Chico Walker (1980-93) was a light-hitting outfielder who also played some second and third base. Considering the outfield depth on this roster, he’ll work as a utility infielder and hope for the best. Backup catcher Charlie White (1954-55) was a former Negro Leaguer who was teammate and roommate to Hank Aaron on the Braves.
Manager: Chicken Wolf, whose real name was William Van Winkle Wolf, will try to improve on the 14-51 record that he put up as manager of the Louisville Colonels in 1889.
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