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Prehistory -
The Cambridge Academics were established in 1978
by ex Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey. With the Boston location occupied by
the Bulger family's Red Barons club, and Fenway Park rezoned as a roller-rink,
the Yawkeys decided to make the move across the river to Cambridge.
There they built lovely Mt. Aubrun Park on land originally slotted to
become part of the sprawling Mt. Auburn cemetery.
It was a great location, easily accessed from
Storrow Drive and with plenty of parking, as the old fields of a defunct
highshcool near the park were reclaimed as lots. Close to the Charles
River and historic Harvard Square, it afforded a spectacular backdrop
of the Boston skyline beyond its towering leftfield wall.
The Yawkeys turned to esteemed baseball thinker
Max Venerable, a Cambridge native who had been close with the family
for years, to both run the front office and manage the team. At just
25, Venerable was one of the few baseball people available up to the
task of both front office and on-field work.
In the inaugural draft, Venerable went with a
bevy of talented veteran pitchers in the upper rounds, making Vida Blue
and Tom Seaver his first two choices, then turning to speedy and defensively
talented young hitters like 3B George Brett and 2B Davey Lopes. Venerable
used his picks to select some excellent prospects, as well, particularly
1B Pedro Guerrero and LF Richard Izaguirre, both of whom looked like
they would one day be stars. By the end, the Academics looked to be
a fairly good major league team with a very deep farm system that could
stay competitive for a while.
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Inaugural Draft: Rnd 1-20
Round 1 pick: P Vida Blue
Round 2 pick: P Tom Seaver
Round 3 pick: 2B Davey Lopes
Round 4 pick: 3B George Brett
Round 5 pick: P Don Sutton
Round 6 pick: P Bruce Sutter
Round 7 pick: P Luis Tiant
Round 8 pick: 1B Pedro Guerrero
Round 9 pick: LF Richard Izaguirre
Round 10 pick: 3B Pete Rose
Round 11 pick: C Lance Parrish
Round 12 pick: P Sparky Lyle
Round 13 pick: 1B Dale Murphy
Round 14 pick: RF Richie Zisk
Round 15 pick: P Paul Hartzell
Round 16 pick: CF Omar Moreno
Round 17 pick: P Don Aase
Round 18 pick: SS Don Kessinger
Round 19 pick: P Bill Lee
Round 20 pick: C Ernie Whitt
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Inaugeral Draft: Rnd 21-42
Round 21 pick: P Philip Nastu
Round 22 pick: LF Jim Wohlford
Round 23 pick: P Mike Torrez
Round 24 pick: 2B Bud Harrelson
Round 25 pick: LF Jerry Mumphrey
Round 26 pick: P Billy Burkett
Round 27 pick: P Jack Billingham
Round 28 pick: 1B Bob Beall
Round 29 pick: P Fred Norman
Round 30 pick: P William Cullins
Round 31 pick: SS Mark Belanger
Round 32 pick: CF Derrel Thomas
Round 33 pick: CF Cleo Ferro
Round 34 pick: P Emil Padilla
Round 35 pick: C Brian Milner
Round 36 pick: 2B Modesto Budde
Round 37 pick: RF Michael Tarantino
Round 38 pick: P Bernardo Mendez
Round 39 pick: P Clay Carroll
Round 40 pick: SS Oscar Davalos
Round 41 pick: 3B James Kuehl
Round 42 pick: 1B Doe Boyland
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1978
18 - 22, 3rd
Place (Pr: 13th 81 Pts.)
Cambridge went into the season with high hopes
for their stong pitching staff and speedy offense. Unfortunatly, it
was a tough season out of the gate as the Academics went 4-12 in the
first two weeks, putting them in a heady hole. Their hitters barely
managed to crack the mendoza line as a team and the pitching was inconsistant.
Things only got worse when C Lance Parrish sustained a nagging injuriy
that would limit his playing time for a good third of the season, and
the bullpen generally stuggled.
When OF Jerry Mumphrey began to hit very well
in AAA, Manager Max Venerable went out and made a deal with the high
flying Mt. Washington Peaks that sent RF Richie Zisk to New Hampshire
for two prospects: RF Tony Armas and MR Todd Stoddard. Although Zisk
was a respected power hitter, the Academics figured it would be good
to move his contract so they could be more active in the FA market,
and Mumphrey was itching to be called up. Zisk became MTW's cleanup
hitter, but continued to stuggle most of the season.
There was a glimmer of hope prior to the all-star
break when P Luis Tiant was named player of the week with two stellar
outings and new RF Jerry Mumphrey flirted with .400 for the first few
games he was in the lineup. But, after a All-Star game in which no Cambridge
player would be asked to participate, hopes began to fade again. Although
C Larry Parrish and 3B George Brett had begun to heat up, the rest of
the lineup was becoming pittiful and the starters were begining to wear
down.
GM Max Venerable made a desperation trade when
he sent P Tom Seaver to Montreal for 3B Craig Nettles, a pretty good
hitting 3B which would allow Brett to move over to short stop. But Nettles
slumped after the trade and provided little lift to what was fast becoming
the league's worst offense. The move did clear some payroll, however,
so not all was lost.
As the year rolled to a close, it became apperant
that the Academics had a lot of homework to do. There were some bright
spots, like the stolen base leaders 2B Lopes and CF Moreno or the stellar
and consistant SP Vida Blue, but overall the team was just not up to
task. They did not show much power and had some glaring holes in their
lineup. Closer Bruce Sutter could have nearly single handedly sunk the
Cambridge ship, however, with his erratic pitching. He would take 5
of the team's losses in the late innings.
Although the year was lost, the Academics had
to be pelased with the play of some of their youth. SP Don Aase's complete
game one-hitter in his second to last start against Springfield was
followed up with another scoreless outing the next week, making the
decision to move Seaver look like a not brainer. George Brett took to
short-stop without incident and broek out of an early slump to have
a solid season at the plate. 1B Dale Murphy showed signs of becoming
a true slugger and C Lance Parrish was a very good hitter when healthy.
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Academics Leaders
| BA: |
SS George Brett |
.281
|
| HR: |
1B Dale Murphy |
4
|
| RBI: |
SS George Brett |
26
|
| SB: |
CF Omar Moreno 2B
Davey Lopes
|
15
|
| R: |
2B Davey Lopes |
25
|
| 2B: |
2B Davey Lopes LF
Pete Rose |
10
|
| SLG: |
SS George Brett |
.425
|
| OBP: |
2B Davey Lopes |
.360
|
| ERA: |
P Vida Blue |
1.72
|
| W: |
P Luis Tiant |
4
|
| L: |
P Bruce Sutter |
5
|
| IP: |
P Vida Blue |
78.1
|
| K: |
P Vida Blue |
49
|
| BB: |
P Luis Tiant |
16
|
| HR: |
P Don Sutten |
8
|
| SV: |
P Bruce Sutter |
6
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Academics Award Winners
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Top Starter
SP Vida Blue
(
3-4, 1.72)
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Top Hitter
SS George Brett
(.281,
26 rbi)
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|
Best Fielder
CF Omar Moreno
(1
er, 2.59 rf)
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Best Rookie
SP Don Aase
(2-1,
2.23)
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Best Suprise
C Tim Hosley
(.293,1 hr)
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Best Reliever
RP Bill Lee
(2-0,
2.45)
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Stats -
Team Batting Stats
Team Pitching Stats
Team Fielding Stats
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Season Highlights
- Thursday 4/17/1978 :Trade with
Mt. Washington : Mt. Washington gets : RF Richie Zisk P Dave Tomlin
We get : RF Tony Armas P Tim Stoddard
- Sunday 4/20/1978 :
Luis Tiant pitches a 3-hit shutout against Springfield!!
- Monday 4/21/1978 :
Luis Tiant was named Player of the Week!
He won 2 games, with one shutout, pitched 15 innings
with an ERA of 1.80, fanning 7.
- Wednesday 4/23/1978 :
Dale Murphy scores 4 runs against Quebec
- Tuesday 5/6/1978 :
Trade with Montreal :
Montreal gets :
P Tom Seaver
We get :
3B Graig Nettles
- Saturday 5/17/1978 :
Dale Murphy has 4 hits against Springfield.
- Monday 5/19/1978 :
Don Aase pitches a 1-hit shutout against Springfield!!
- Monday 5/26/1978 :
Don Aase was named Player of the Week!
He won 2 games, with one shutout, pitched 15.2 innings
with an ERA of 0.00, fanning 10.
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1979
24 - 16, 1st
Place (Pr: 3rd 108 Pts.)
Going into the '79 season, the front office knew
that they had the basis of somthing good, but would have to be carefull
in finding the pieces to fill out the team. The FA class was full of
talent, and the Academics went at it with aplumb, signing a number of
players with an ear toward increasing their overall talent base rather
than finding that one high priced gem. They ended up adding 8 players
to their rosters, assuming 9 million in new contracts. Their most prolific
additions were LF Joe Rudi, who was given a two year deal to try and
jump start the offense, and P Rick Wise, a wiley veteran starter who
signed at a very reasonable 1.24 million dollar a year contract. RP
Bill Lee, who was outstanding for Cambridge the year befor, was locked
up though 1980 after testing the waters briefly.
With a #5 overall ammi pick, GM Max Venerable's
scouts went out and got a couple of great looking young arms in SP Dave
Stieb and SP Charlie Liebrant. They began the season in A ball, but
would move up all the way to AAA by the end of the season. They joined
a growing rank of prospects in the Cambridge farm system, which was
quickly becoming the best in the game.
Before opening day, the Academics managed work
on the youth movement in alternative ways, as well. Accepting a trade
offer, they would ship out veteran reliever Sparky Lyle to Providence
for a pair of arms: RP Aurelio Lopez and SP prospect Oscar Llamas. This
saved some cash for the team, and many scouts thought that Lopez would
be every bit as effective as Lyle. Indeed, the 30 year old right hander
wasted no time and pitched 1.1 scoreless innings in the opening day
victory against Springfield and settled into the setup role as expected.
The opening day win put the Academics on a roll.
Their pitching was brilliant, as they paced the NEBA in ERA over the
first quarter of a season. But, durring this time the also were among
the lowest scoring teams. They did not hit a home run untill their 12th
game, a losing effort against Tom Seaver's Montreal Royals, and did
not have a hitter with an average over .300 to that point. The Acs played
small-ball extremely well, however, counting on the speed of Lopes and
Moreno to score the few runs they would need to pace the Mass Bay division
in the early goings.
Even with the suprisingly good play of the Academics
out of the gate in 1979, much of the chatter centered in Somerville,
where young LF Richard Izaguirre was turning more than a few heads.
After a solid season the year before, the much hyped prospect really
turned it. He batted over .400 with 4 homers in his first 10 games in
'79, and that was enough for the power deprived Cambridge club to call
him up to see if he could do for the outfield what Joe Rudi has so far
failed to. He got his debut on 4/17, going 0-4 against Ottowa on the
same day that C Lance Parrish suffered a season ending injury in a plate
collision with Amos Otis.
Unfortunatly, Izaguirre would not stick at the
ML level. When his batting averge began to creep below .200, Venerable
decided it was in his best interests to get some more time in the minors.
Another young outfielder faired better, however, CF Bobby Brown. A fourth
round FA pickup, the speedy 24 year old took the place of Omar Moreno
when he was injured mid April. Despite a pentiant for costly errors
in the outfield, the kid hit well enough that Moreno was shopped and
eventually traded to Newport along with P Willie Cullens for 1B Richie
Hebner and OF Joe Wallis.
With that trade, the Acs lineup began to gel.Dale Murphy, wgo had stuck
out 22 times already, was sent to AAA to figure things out. Mumphrey
began to hit well enough to move to the #2 hole. And even as Hebner
slumped, SS George Brett and 3B Craig Nettles seemed to benefit from
his presance. The offense went form dead worst in the league to middle
of the pack, and saw solid efforts from LF Rudi and the interim catching
tandem of Hosely and Healy as well.
But as the offense got hot, the starting pitching began to show some
inconsistancy. Vida Blue did nto repeat his strong performance of '78,
though he did show flashes of brilliance, and Don Aase and Don Sutton,
who had been one of the top pitchers in the league for the first half,
had their troubels down the stretch. The most consistant starter turned
out to be LHP Jerry Reuss, a bargain basement pickup who became the
team's ace out of the five hole despite less than stellar endurance.
With a below averge offense and no real top notch starters, one would
wonder what it was that made the Academics the winningest team in the
NEBA in 1979. It can be summed up in one word: bullpen. The Acs got
ubelieveable consistancy from their setupmen Aurelio Lopez and Tim Stoddard.
Both were nearly unhittable each time out, and along with the closer
Bruce Sutter, who was perfect in save opportunities despite a so-so
ERA, this made Cambridge very tough to beat. Paul Hartzel, Donnie Moore
and Bill Lee did fine jobs in the middle innings, as well.
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All Star Selections
P Tim Stoddard
SS George Brett
Academics Leaders
| BA: |
SS George Brett |
.318
|
| HR: |
3B Greg Nettles |
7
|
| RBI: |
SS George Brett |
25
|
| SB: |
2B Davey
Lopes
|
14
|
| R: |
2B Davey Lopez |
22
|
| 2B: |
SS George Brett |
11
|
| SLG: |
SS George Brett |
.535
|
| OBP: |
3B Greg Nettles |
.372
|
| ERA: |
P Jerry Reuss |
1.88
|
| W: |
P Jerry Reuss |
5
|
| L: |
P Vida Blue |
4
|
| IP: |
P Vida Blue |
60
|
| K: |
P Vida Blue |
37
|
| BB: |
P Don Aase |
24
|
| HR: |
P Don Sutten |
6
|
| SV: |
P Bruce Sutter |
12
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Academics Award Winners
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Top Starter
SP Jerry Reuss
(5-1, 1.88)
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Top Hitter
SS George Brett
(.318, 35 rbi)
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|
Best Fielder
RF Jerry Mumphery
(0
er, 2.46 rf)
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Best Rookie
CF Bobby Brown
(.250,
9 rs)
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|
Best Suprise
SP Don Sutton
(4-2, 2.45)
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Best Reliever
RP Tim Stoddard
(3-0, 1.13
)
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Stats -
Team Batting Stats
Team Pitching Stats
Team Fielding Stats
Playoff Recap:
The Academics matched up against Quebec in the first round of the playoffs.
Cambridge had been struggling some down the stretch, but they were hopefull
that the bat of Lance Parrish coming off the DL would boost them enough
to beat the Lions. Unfortunatly, this was not to be the case. In the
first two games, the Acs got great performances from Vida Blue and Jerry
Reuss, but the Lions broke out in the late innings and won both games.
Cambridge's offense looked highly anemic, and the deffense was putrid,
making 7 errors in the series. The final match was not close, as Quebec
drubbed out 6 runs against Don Sutton, and the Academics promising season
came to an abrupt halt.
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Pre-season :
- Trade with Providence :
We get :
P Aurelio Lopez
P Oscar Llamas
Providence gets :
P Sparky Lyle
- Free agent P Bill Lee has been signed
to a contract of $850,000 per year, for 2 years.
- Free agent P Andy Hassler has been
signed to a contract of $655,000 per year, for 2 years.
- Free agent P Steve Foucault has been
signed to a contract of $400,000 per year,for 2 years.
- Free agent RF Tom Grieve has been
signed to a contract of $575,000 per year, for 2 years.
- Free agent P Rick Wise has been signed
to a contract of $1,240,000 per year, for 2 years.
- Free agent RF Gary Thomasson has
been signed to a contract of $560,000 per year, for 3 years.
- Free agent LF Joe Rudi has been signed
to a contract of $3,140,000 per year, for 2 years.
- Free agent P Jerry Reuss has been
signed to a contract of $1,650,000 per year, for 4 years.
Season Highlights
- Thursday 4/10/1979 :
Trade with Brooklyn :
We get :
P Donnie Moore
P Joel Dehart
Brooklyn gets :
1B Bob Beall
- Thursday 4/17/1979 :
George Brett has 4 hits against Ottowa.
- Friday 4/25/1979 :
P Tim Stoddard will play in the OOTP-Allstar game!
SS George Brett will play in the OOTP-Allstar game!
- Thursday 5/1/1979 :
George Brett crushes 2 homers against Mt. Washington.
- Tuesday 5/6/1979 :
Trade with Newport :
Newport gets :
CF Omar Moreno
P Billy Burkett
We get :
1B Richie Hebner
CF Joe Wallis
- Saturday 5/10/1979 :
Vida Blue pitches a 2-hit shutout against Montreal!!
- Saturday 5/17/1979 :
Graig Nettles has 4 hits against Fall River.
- Monday 5/19/1979 :
Tim Stoddard sets a new season Team-Record for Games with 17!
- Sunday 5/25/1979 :
Bruce Sutter sets a new season Team-Record for Games with 18!
- Thursday 5/29/1979 :
Tim Stoddard sets a new season Team-Record for Games with 18!
- Saturday 6/14/1979 :
Rightfield Golden Glove Award Winner: Jerry Mumphrey!
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1980
23 - 17, 2nd
Place (Pr: 6th 105 Pts.)
After thier quick exit in the TLCS in '79, the
Academics front office looked over the roster and realized that they
were close enough to make a good run at it the following year. They
made a payroll clearing trade with Fall River in November that would
get rid of their two biggest FA aquisitions of 1979, LF Joe Rudi and
P Rick Wise, along with OF Joe Wallis. Coming over in the block-buster
were SS Gary Templeton and RP Roger Moret, both of whom combined made
about the same per year that Wise would have. Venerable felt that they
had some young players who could effectivly fill the vacated spots on
the roster, and this move would clear some payroll for a big FA hitter,
who the fanbase was pining for.
As it turned out, the fans did nto have to wait
long at all. After taking offers form Manhatten and Boston, CF Gorman
Thomas decided Cambridge had the best outlook for 1980, and inked a
6.8 million dollar contract that would go through 1982. Venerable heralded
the slugger as the perfect hitter for the Acs, and predicted that his
bat would help the offenese become one of the best in the league. With
a roster that was more or less set from last year but was to be be bolstered
with internal solutions likeLF Izaguerre (who was going to get a shot
to prove himself at all costs after a disapointing cameo in '79), SP
Dave Stieb and C-1B Dale Murphy, Venerable did not feel the need to
sign any more major FAs that year.
In the ammi draft, the scouts picked up a speedy
OF named Mookie Wilson and Dave Smith, a young, hard throwing reliever.
Neither were percieved to make an impact right away, but they were seen
as fairly developed already. This was an atribute that Venerable thought
would be needed, as half the roster would test the FA market following
the season.
On opening day, the Fall River Brawlers had three
ex-Academics in their starting lineup (Rudi, Bellanger and Wallis).
They haunted Cambridge as Rudi smacked the go-ahead hit and the Brawlers
won late in a close game. The next game was even more troubling, as
P Don Sutton got kicked around for two innings befor leaving the game
with a shoulder strain that would land him on the DL for two weeks.
More injuries soon hit, as young minor league phenom Richard Izzaguirre
recieved another setback when he broke his foot in the outfield on a
routine flyball. He would not return to the Academics that year.
But the injuries seemed to light a fire under
the Acs. They got great pitching from Vida Blue, who had seemingly put
'79 behind him, and rookie Dave Stieb. The offense had bashed 11 homers
by the time they had hit their first the year before, but this was no
thanks to Gorman Thomas, who slumped through the first 12 games and
didn't pick it up untill the final week of the year. OF Mookie Wilson
was called up to replace Izaguirre in left field and did an ok job by
playing dazzling defense. P Bill Lee and P Donnie Moore both had good
spot start while waiting for Sutton to come back from the DL. Cambridge
was in 1st place when the All Star break arrived.
Just before the break, Venerable turned his first
major deal of the season, sending P Don Sutton, P Andy Hasseler and
utility player Tom Grieve to Staten Island for P John Denny and infielder
Bill Solderholm. Denny was seen as a slight upgrade over the inconsistant
Sutton. Although Don had been a good pitcher the year bfore, his penchant
for giving up the longball made him a time-bomb in any big game; not
a good thing for a playoff bound club like Cambridge.
Denny, although in the last year of his contract,
had posted two fine seasons already, with ERAs of 1.72 and 2.51. Cambridge
thought he would be an excelent starter in post season play, and it
wouldn;t be long befor they had inked him to a four year extension.
Solderholm was a decent infielder with some pop who was signed though
1981. With Nettles and Lopes both destined to be lost after the season,
his moderate contract for the help he could provide beyond 1980 was
welcome.
The All Star game featured 5 Academics, as Lopes,
Nettles, Hebner, Blue and Stieb all were elected to represent the TL
in a losing effort. Hebner was on a tear at the time, and after being
named player of the week prior to the break, he proceeded to smash grand
slam in the first game of the second half. Hebner would go on to lead
the Academics in most offensive categories, and would sign a 2 year
contract extension in mid May. The Academics also made a key pickup
of free agent LF Roy White in a one year deal to shore up their team,
allowing the struggling Mookie Wilson to return to AAA. White was a
pretty good hitter who had a plus eye and could bat high in the order.
But the second half was not nearly as kind to
the Acs as the first had been. They went on a four game skid in early
May and saw the Springfield Blue Birds tear past them in the standings
with time running short. The offense was still pretty good, but the
bullpen was begining to lose games. Tim Stoddard, who had been so good
the year before, coughed up leads like they were stuck in his throat
with increasing regularity, and was relegated to mop-up duties. The
Academics pen had tough time with lefties, as, aside from Sutter, none
of their relievers held LHB to under a .300 average except Rogelio Moret,
who righties hit over .400.
Cambridge was two games back of the Blue Birds
when they met up in a single late season game. In a playoff like atmosphere,
the Academics turned to John Denny, but in his first start since signing
the $28 million dollar extension, he was unable to contain Springfield's
one-two punch of 3B Bob Horner and C John "Bad Dude" Stearns.
The fearsome tandem clubed a homer each and sent 7 runs home. Allowing
6 springfield's runs, Denny took the loss. To Cambridge's credit, a
late rally made it close. Cambridge lost just 7-5, but the three games
they would need to make up to tie Springfield for the Mass Bay would
prove to be insurmountable.
But even as Bruce Sutter blew his second save
opportunity on that last atbat of the season, it was clear that the
Academics had been close. Their 23-17 finnish was third best in the
TL behind Springfield and Quebec. They had gotten excelent years from
Hebner and Vida Blue, who would win the Cy Young award with his 7-1
record and 1.85 ERA. SP Dave Stieb had shown flashes of brilliance at
23, and the bullpen had some very bright spots in Aurelio Lopez and
Donnie Moore. With Nettles and Lopes out the door, there would be a
shake up in '81, but for a year in which they finished four games out
in the division, the Academics were feeling pretty good about the future.
|
All Star Selections
P Dave Stieb
P Vida Blue
1B Richie Hebner
2B Davey Lopes
3B Graig Nettles
Academics Leaders
| BA: |
SS George Brett |
.318
|
| HR: |
3B Greg Nettles |
7
|
| RBI: |
SS George Brett |
25
|
| SB: |
2B Davey
Lopes
|
14
|
| R: |
2B Davey Lopez |
22
|
| 2B: |
SS George Brett |
11
|
| SLG: |
SS George Brett |
.535
|
| OBP: |
3B Greg Nettles |
.372
|
| ERA: |
P Jerry Reuss |
1.88
|
| W: |
P Jerry Reuss |
5
|
| L: |
P Vida Blue |
4
|
| IP: |
P Vida Blue |
60
|
| K: |
P Vida Blue |
37
|
| BB: |
P Don Aase |
24
|
| HR: |
P Don Sutten |
6
|
| SV: |
P Bruce Sutter |
12
|
Academics Award Winners
|
Top Starter
SP Vida Blue
(7-1,
1.85, 44 k)
|
Top Hitter
1B Richie Hebner
( .320, 7,
27 rbi)
|
|
Best Fielder
2B Davey Lopes
(.984, 3 er, 22 dp)
|
Best Rookie
SP Dave Stieb
(4-3,
3.88, 53 ip)
|
|
Best Suprise
RP Donnie Moore
(2-0, 1.29, 21 ip)
|
Best Reliever
RP Aurelio Lopez
(3-1,
1.93, 20 k)
|
Stats -
Team Batting Stats
Team Pitching Stats
Team Fielding Stats
Top Prospects (rank, name, age):
- 1 Richard Izaguirre 22
- 2 Pedro Guerrero 23
- 3 Emil Padilla 21
- 4 Charlie Leibrandt 23
- 5 Joel Dehart 20
- 6 Dave Stieb 22
- 7 William Cullins 23
- 8 Oscar Llamas 20
- 9 Dave Smith 25
- 10 Mookie Wilson 2
The Academics farm system was ranked 1st overall thanks mostly to great
pitching depth at the lower levels. LHP Charlie Liebrant was their most
developed starter, but Emil Padilla was striking peopel out in A ball
with so much authority that many thought he could become an ace in a
few years. Richard Izaguirre spent most of the year on the DL, his future
very much in question. 1B Pedro Guerrero had a fine year in A balll
and was slated to move up to AA the next year.
|
Pre-season :
- Trade with Fall River :
Fall River gets :
LF Joe Rudi
P Rick Wise
CF Joe Wallis
3B James Kuehl
We get :
SS Garry Templeton
P Roger Moret
- Free agent SS Rick Auerbach has been signed to a contract of $345,000
per year, for 2 years.
- Free agent CF Gorman Thomas has been signed to a contract of $6,500,000
per year, for 3 years.
- Free agent P Ray Burris has been signed to a contract of $325,000
per year, for 3 years.
Season Highlights
- Monday 4/14/1980 :
Vida Blue pitches a 2-hit shutout against Boston!!
- Friday 4/18/1980 :
Richie Hebner has 4 hits against Portland.
- Monday 4/21/1980 :
Richie Hebner was named Player of the Week!
He batted .500 in 24 AB, with 1 HR and 3 RBI.
- Wednesday 4/23/1980 :
Trade with Staten Island :
Staten Island gets :
P Andy Hassler
1B Tom Grieve
P Don Sutton
We get :
P John Denny
3B Eric Soderholm
- Friday 4/25/1980 :
P Dave Stieb will play in the OOTP-Allstar game!
P Vida Blue will play in the OOTP-Allstar game!
1B Richie Hebner will play in the OOTP-Allstar game!
2B Davey Lopes will play in the OOTP-Allstar game!
3B Graig Nettles will play in the OOTP-Allstar game!
- Wednesday 4/30/1980 :
Free agent Roy White has been signed to a contract of $900,000 per
year, for 1 years.
- Saturday 5/3/1980 :
John Denny has been signed to a contract extension, $7,000,000 per
year, for 4 years.
- Thursday 5/15/1980 :
Richie Hebner has been signed to a contract extension, $6,090,000
per year, for 2 years.
- Thursday 5/15/1980 :
George Brett sets a new single Extra-Inning Game TL-Record for Hits
with 5!
George Brett has 5 hits against Montreal.
- Monday 5/26/1980 :
Gorman Thomas was named Player of the Week!
He batted .412 in 17 AB, with 2 HR and 8 RBI.
|
|
1981
26-14, 1st Place - (Pr:
1st 121 Pts.) NEBA CHAMPS!
In '81, the Academics, having reaped of the influx of
money supplied by the NEBA's new international satellite TV channel,
spent a healthy seven million dollars on 5 free agents. They upgraded
in LF, where the fearsome bat of Ken Singleton would reside through
1982. He had been a bane for the Academics during his years in Providence,
and they were able to sign him early for a surprisingly moderate sum
of 3.13 million. They also inked RF Laymon Bostock, who they hoped would
be an upgrade over Mumphrey in the lineup against right handed pitching,
and the speedy infielder Rodney Scott to try and replace Lopes in the
leadoff slot.
A preseason trade finally ended the Dale Murphey saga
in Cambridge. The big 1st basemen had never gotten over his knack for
striking out at a very high rate. He would be best remembered for a
pinch hit homer to tie up a game in early 1980, one that would later
be won by the Acs. Murphey was swapped out to Quebec for reliever Lance
Rautzhan and a pitching prospect. A lefty, Rautzhan had saved 9 games
for the Lions in 1980 and looked to solve the bullpen's woes against
lefties.
In the first game of the year, however, he couldn't get
a batter out on either side of the plate, and was instrumental in a
tough loss to the Red Barons. This would eventually be looked at as
one of the worst trades in Cambridge club history, as Murphy would become
a fine hitter with Quebec. The bullpen continued to be a problem spot
for the Academics all year, as Aurelio Lopez and Tim Stoddard, along
with Rautzhan, were often ineffective.
However, they flakey bullpen was mostly offset by the
mashing offense that the Academics had put together in '82. Gorman Thomas
showed that his player of the week honor in late '81 was not a fluke,
as he led the charge for the first half. He would be joined by Brett,
Singleton and Rodney Scott as All Star hitters, and Diamond Don Aase
would get his first AS birth after a good first half as well.
With most of their pieces in place, the Acs made a trade
to replace one of their only weak links. After a great start to his
career, he led the team in hitting 1978, Lance Parrish had become a
inconsistent presence in the lineup. He showed some signs of coming
around, as he notched 5 homers in '81, but his average was still under
.200 and he led the team in Ks. With the rest of the lineup so proficient,
GM Max Venerable decided to cut bait and traded backup SS Gary Templeton,
C Ernie Whitt and P Paul Hartzel to Staten Island for C Gary "Kid"
Carter. Carter would solidify the bottom of the Cambridge lineup and
vault it to the top of the league.
August started off with a bang as Ken Singleton had back
to back two homer games and set a number of single game records for
the Acs. He was beginning to look like he might be the Babe Ruth winner,
as he seemed to drive in multiple runs every game and was leading the
league in most major offensive categories. Although some of the other
hitters began to slide, most notably 1B Richie Hebner who would surprisingly
finish the year as the Academics's worst every day hitter, the pitching
heated up a bit. Don Aase continued to be dominant, and Blue and Denny
started to warm up as well.
Even the bullpen was looking strong as the stretch approached,
although it took the demotion of pitchers Lopez and Rautzhan to do it.
Dave Smith was called up and worked wonders in the late innings, and
Stoddard and Sutter showed their stuff again. With ten games left, the
Academics were well in first place in the Mass Bay, but so was Boston.
The Red Barons had really seen their team come together
in '81. They featured two ace pitchers in Blyleven and Fulgham, and
a solid lineup centered around CF George Hendrick. The Barons had played
Cambridge 9 times in July, winning 6 of the contests, and it looked
like it would be down to the wire as to which of these two teams would
end up on top. But down the stretch the Academics got hot. They put
together a 5 game winning streak, including a two game sweep against
Ottawa, the eventual Northern division champs. Meanwhile, the Red Barons
dropped six of their last ten, and the Academics cruised to their second
Mass Bay crown.
At the end of the year, it was clear that the Academics
had the guns to got deep into September. The top five hitters in their
lineup were all over the offensive leader boards. Clean up hitter CF
Gorman Thomas (.306, 11 hr, 34 r, 28 rbi) and leadoff 2B Rodney Scott
(.269, 32 r, 17 sb) were #1 and #2 in runs scored, and LF Ken Singleton
(.327, 12, 36) was #1 in RBI. RF Laymon Bostock (.339 avg) won the batting
crown and SS George Brett (.326, 12 2b, 27 rbi) was not far behind.
Even the lower half of the order was pretty fearsome, as 3B Solderholm,
C Carter and 1B Hebner combined for 17 homers, and off the bench Jerry
Mumphrey hit .375 in 64 AB. As a team, Cambridge was first in the NEBA
in runs scored and homers.
Although their pitching was not as dominant, they had
Vida Blue (5-4, 2.85) and two six game winners in Dave Stieb and Don
Aase. The bullpen had come together fairly well, also, led by CL Bruce
Sutter (10 sv, 1.26 era) who was 10 for 12 in save opportunities but
also got good work from RP Tim Stoddard (2.37 era) and RP Donnie Moore
(3.39 era). Rookie Dave Smith had been brilliant, as well, and would
be trusted with close games in the post season despite his inexperience.
The Academics were in much better shape for the playoffs than they had
been in '79, when they were swept handily by Quebec.
And indeed, this time the brooms were in Cambridge hands.
The Academics routed Ottawa, beating them even more soundly than was
expected. George Brett and Ken Singleton were both on fire and hit well
over .400 in the TLRS, and the pitching, with an exclamation point on
Vida Blue's near shutout, was solid. The Acs outscored the Owls 24-5
in the three game sweep, and went on to face Hartford with an air of
confidence.
In the New England Cup series, they were met with stiffer
resistance. Relying on their bullpen to save each of the four games
they would play, the Academics may not have had the same outcome had
Hartford's Larry Hisle, who hit .427 on the year to set a new NEBA record
for batting average, not been on the DL. But still, a sweep is a sweep.
The bats were good again, but the MVP honors were given to Bruce Sutter,
who saved every game of the series.
The Academics had become the first TL team to win a New
England Cup, and the town went crazy. It was the first baseball championship
in the Commonwealth since 1918, Many noticed the reversed numerology
and wondered what cosmic forces had made it so. Still, all numbers aside,
this team was simply built to win, and for a change, the machine worked.
|
All Star Selections
P Don Aase
2B Rodney Scott
SS George Brett
LF Ken Singleton
CF Gorman Thomas
Academics Leaders
| BA: |
RF Laymon Bostock |
.339
|
| HR: |
LF Ken Singleton |
12
|
| RBI: |
LF Ken Singleton |
25
|
| SB: |
2B Rodney
Scott
|
14
|
| R: |
CF Gorman Thomas |
22
|
| 2B: |
SS George Brett |
12
|
| SLG: |
CF Gorman Thomas |
.612
|
| OBP: |
CF Gorman Thomas |
.421
|
| ERA: |
P Jerry Reuss |
2.14
|
| W: |
P Don Aase / P Dave Stieb
|
6
|
| L: |
P Vida Blue |
4
|
| IP: |
P Vida Blue |
75.2
|
| K: |
P Vida Blue |
62
|
| BB: |
P Don Aase |
15
|
| HR: |
P Vida Blue |
6
|
| SV: |
P Bruce Sutter |
10
|
Academics Award Winners
|
Top Starter
SP Don Aase
(6-1, 3.33)
|
Top Hitter
LF Ken Singleton
(.328, 12, 36)
|
|
