A Road Through Baseball History (1871-
 

Hey people, some of you may remember me from my old thread http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...-baseball.html where I was mimicking baseball from the earliest times, real players, leagues, schedules and stats. It's been quite some time since I posted on that dynasty and mainly because my old computer went up in flames around Xmas 2009 so I got a new one and couldn't save anything off of it. Well, I am back and giving it another go around.

LET'S GET THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION UP AND RUNNING!!

1871 Team Rosters
 

Boston Red Stockings
SP: Al Spalding
C: Cal McVey
1B: Charlie Gould
2B: Ross Barnes
3B: Harry Schafer
SS: George Wright
LF: Fred Cone
CF: Harry Wright
RF: Frank Barrows

Chicago White Stockings
SP: George Zeittlein
C: Charlie Hodes
1B: Bub McAtee
2B: Jimmy Wood
3B: Ed Pinkham
SS: Ed Duffy
LF: Fred Treacey
CF: Tom Foley
RF: Joe Simmons

Cleveland Forest Citys
SP: Al Pratt
C: Deacon White
1B: Jim Carleton
2B: Joe Quest
3B: Ezra Sutton
SS: John Bass
LF: Charlie Pabor
CF: Art Allison
RF: Elmer White

Fort Wayne Kekiongas
SP: Bobby Mathews
C: Frank Selman
1B: Henry Kohler
2B: Tom Carey
3B: Pete Donnelly
SS: Wally Goldsmith
LF: Jim Foran
CF: Bob Armstrong
RF: Bill Kelly

New York Mutuals
SP: Rynie Wolters
C: Dick Higham
1B: Joe Start
2B: John Hatfield
3B: Charlie Smith
SS: Dickey Pearce
LF: Tom Patterson
CF: Dave Eggler
RF: Charlie Mills

Philadelphia Athletics
SP: Dick McBride
C: Fergy Malone
1B: Wes Fisler
2B: Al Reach
3B:Levi Meyerle
SS: John Radcliff
LF: Ned Cuthbert
CF: Count Sensenderfer
RF: George Bechtel

Rockford Forest Citys
SP: Cherokee Fisher
C: Cap Anson
1B: Denny Mack
2B: Bob Addy
3B: Chick Fulmer
SS: Pony Sager
LF: Ralph Ham
CF: George Bird
RF: Gat Stires

Troy Haymakers
SP: John McMullin
C: Bill Craver
1B: Clipper Flynn
2B: Ed Beavens
3B: Lip Pike
SS: Dickie Flowers
LF: Steve King
CF: Tom York
RF: Ned Connor

Washington Olympics
SP: Asa Brainard
C: Fred Waterman
1B: Everett Mills
2B: Tommy Beals
3B: Warren White
SS: Davy Force
LF: Andy Leonard
CF: George Hall
RF: John Glenn

Top 10 Players

1. Lip Pike (24 yr old, Troy)
2. Cap Anson (18 yr old, Rockford)
3. George Wright (23 yr old, Boston)
4. Deacon White (22 yr old, Cleveland)
5. George Hall (21 yr old, Washington)
6. Ross Barnes (19 yr old, Boston)
7. Fred Waterman (24 yr old, Washington)
8. Jimmy Wood (27 yr old, Chicago)
9. Levi Meyerle (24 yr old, Philadelphia)
10. Joe Start (27 yr old, New York)

1871 End of July: National Association
 

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/b...1endofjuly.png


Behind the superb pitching of 27 year old Rynie Wolters and the torrid hitting of catcher Dick Higham, the Mutuals look to have their sights looked on the first ever National Association title.


Batting Leaders
BA: George Wright (BOS) .433
Hits: Andy Leonard (OLY) 43
2B: Rynie Wolters (NYU) 10
3B: George Hall (OLY), Steve King (TRO) 5
HR: Cap Anson (RFC), Bub McAtee (CHA) 2
RBI: Dick Higham (NYU) 33
Runs: Dave Eggler (NYU) 32
SB: George Wright (BOS) 16

Pitching Leaders
ERA: Rynie Wolters (NYU) 2.49
Wins: Rynie Wolters (NYU) 16
Losses: Al Spalding (BOS) 12
SHO: Cherokee Fisher (RFC) 1
K's: George Zettlein (CHA) 15

1871 Final Standings: Mutuals capture inaugural title!
 

1871 Batting Leaders
 

1871 Pitching Leaders
 

1872 League Changes
 

-Rockford, Fort Wayne & Chicago CEASE OPERATIONS


Five New Clubs Set to Join Association

-Baltimore Canaries
-Brooklyn Atlantics
-Brooklyn Eckfords
-Middletown Mansfields
-Washington Nationals


UP next, I will be giving a preview of the upcoming 1872 season......

1872 National Association Preview
 

After seeing the New York Mutuals cruise to an Association title in the league’s inaugural year, there was a lot of turnover from the other clubs. In fact, three of them disbanded and five more jumped onto the wagon. Fort Wayne and Rockford have folded due to multiple contractual disputes form players. Meanwhile, the club from Chicago was left with no playable field after seeing their stadium destroyed by a deadly citywide fire. The new entrants include the Canaries of Baltimore, Maryland. Brooklyn, New York will be represented by two teams, the Atlantics and Eckfords. Another New York club, the Middletown Mansfields will try out their luck. Lastly, the Washington DC area sees a second club jump on as well, that being the Nationals.
Below I will be listing the projected starting lineup order for each team and doing a little preview of each club’s predicted fortunes.


Baltimore Canaries: A new entrant on the Association circuit, the Canaries went out and reeled in lanky third basemen Levi Meyerle who will hope to anchor a roster of capable talent. 36 year old Harry Wright will be the veteran presence as he keeps the CF starting nod.

LF: Harry Berthrong (.289, 17 RBI with OLY last yr)
CF: Harry Wright (.286, 41 R, 32 RBI with BOS last yr)
3B: Levi Meyerle (.347, 2 HR, 37 RBI with PHA last yr)
2B: Jimmy Wood (.219, 10 RBI with CHA last yr, injured for 3 months)
SS: Wes Fisler (.264, 22 RBI with PHA last yr, never played SS)
1B: Bub McAtee (.271, 2 HR, 24 RBI with CHA last yr)
RF: George Heubel (1 for 14 with PHA last yr)
C: Elmer White (.252, 24 RBI with CFC last yr)

SP: John McMullin (29 GS, 11W-18L, 4.30 ERA with TRO last yr)

Boston Red Stockings: A club that seemed to have a lot of talent last year couldn’t put it together on the pitching end. They led the league in runs scored, but allowed the second most which is why they earned a 5th place finish, 8.5 games out of first. The club didn’t even bother to bring back Al Spalding and were to swindle a deal with the Middletown club for the services of rookie Cy Bentley. Good news is that the middle of the lineup appears to be one of the best with Barnes, Wright and McVey. Bad news is the pitching will be a head banger all year for the club.

CF: Fred Treacey (.282, 1 HR, 21 RBI with CHA last yr)
1B: Fergy Malone (.313, 28 RBI with PHA last yr)
2B: Ross Barnes (.340, 33 R, 50 H, 4 3B, 41 RBI, 8 SB)
SS: George Wright (.365, 36 R, 54 H, 36 RBI, 21 SB)
C: Cal McVey (.268, 33 R, 34 RBI)
3B: Ed Pinkham (.277, 34 R, 7 3B, 15 RBI with CHA last yr)
RF: Caleb Johnson (.206, 20 RBI with CFC last yr)
LF: Pony Sager (.293, 4 RBI with RFC last yr)

SP: Cy Bentley (rookie)

Brooklyn Atlantics: Another newcomer to the Association, the Atlantics made headline news when established amateur circuit pitcher Al Spalding bolted from the Red Stockings to join the newly formed club as he was promised better fortunes. I’m not sure where these so called fortunes will emerge from as Fred Waterman appears to be the only threat on a weak offensive lineup. If Spalding falters or becomes disgruntled with management, 16 year old rookie hurler Jim Britt is waiting in the wings for his shot at stardom.

LF: Al Thake (22yo rookie)
2B: Jim Hall (20yo rookie)
C: Fred Waterman (.333, 40 R, 51 H, 5 3B, 1 HR, 42 RBI, 14 SB with OLY last yr)
SS: Mike McGreary (.275, 1 HR, 17 RBI with TRO last yr)
RF: John Glenn (.276, 29 RBI with OLY last yr)
3B: John Radcliff (.282, 22 RBI with PHA last yr)
CF: Jack Remsen (22yo rookie)
1B: Herman Dehlman (20yo rookie)

SP: Al Spalding (31 GS, 14W-17L, 3.78 ERA with BOS last yr)
P: Jim Britt (16yo rookie)

Brooklyn Eckfords: Another newbie to the league made some interesting moves in putting together their roster. They definitely have some guys that can mash the ball in Charlie Gould, Charlie Pabor and Tom York. The only question is how can they afford talent like that being an upstart club? Well, maybe they can’t, as rumors have started to circulate there may be financial troubles on the horizon.

RF: Candy Nelson (22yo rookie)
LF: Count Gedney (22yo rookie)
CF: Tom York (.359, 31 R, 40 RBI with TRO last yr)
1B: Everett Mills (.225, 29 RBI with OLY last yr)
SS: Jimmy Hallinan (.370, 21 RBI with KEK last yr)
C: Charlie Hodes (.281, 2 HR, 31 RBI with CHA last yr)
2B: Al Reach (.221, 24 RBI with PHA last yr)
3B: Jim Clinton (21 yo rookie)

SP: Martin Malone (20yo rookie)

Cleveland Forest Citys: Coming off a disappointing 6th place finish when they had a wealth of offensive talent, Cleveland will not be looking forward to the upcoming season as all of their offensive production bolted for new clubs. Perhaps, the club can hope their trio of talented pitchers (Bill Stearns, Al Pratt, and Cherokee Fisher) can keep them in enough games to compile some wins.

C: Tom Foley (.239, 22 RBI with CHA last yr)
RF: George Ewell (1 for 2 in 3 games)
SS: Jim Holdsworth (21 yo rookie)
CF: Art Allison (.329, 49 H, 22 RBI)
2B: Wally Goldsmith (.261, 16 RBI with KEK last yr)
3B: Frank Selman (.241, 21 RBI with KEK last yr)
LF: Henry Burroughs (.324, 13 RBI with OLY last yr)
1B: Charlie Bierman (2 for 5 in 2 games with KEK last yr)

SP: Bill Stearns (19 G, 3W-9L, 3.97 ERA with OLY last yr)
P: Al Pratt (29 GS, 13W-16L, 3.53 ERA)
P: Cherokee Fisher (25 GS, 11W-13L, 3.51 ERA with RFC last yr)

Middletown Mansfields: Can the club be competitive with so many rookies taking the field? Dick McBride will be the man depended upon to keep the club in games.

3B: Steve Bellan (4 for 11 in 13 games for TRO last yr)
C: John Clapp (20yo rookie)
CF: Frank McCarton (17yo rookie)
1B: Tim Murnane (19yo rookie)
2B: Eddie Booth (20yo rookie)
LF: Jim Tipper (22yo rookie)
SS: Ham Allen (25yo rookie)
RF: Billy Arnold (21yo rookie)

SP: Dick McBride (24 GS, 12W-10L, 3.52 ERA)

New York Mutuals: The reigning Association champs saw their leading hitter Dick Higham leave town and that will definitely leave a big void at catcher. In better news, top pitcher Rynie Wolters looked better than ever in exhibition games according to local fans and the club is also fired up about rookie pitcher Candy Cummings.

3B: Harry Schafer (.319, 44 R, 52 H, 1 HR, 42 RBI, 20 SB with BOS last yr)
CF: Dave Eggler (.337, 49 R, 59 H, 32 RBI, 16 SB)
1B: Joe Start (.339, 1 HR, 28 RBI)
LF: Jim Foran (.276, 2 HR, 14 RBI with KEK last yr)
C: Nat Hicks (26yo rookie)
2B: John Hatfield (.276, 1 HR, 27 RBI)
SS: Bill Boyd (19yo rookie)
RF: Joe Simmons (.279, 23 RBI with CHA last yr)

SP: Rynie Wolters (33 GS, 23W-9L, 2.78 ERA)
P: Candy Cummings (23yo rookie)
P: Frank Fleet (13G, 1.71 ERA)

Philadelphia Athletics: Nobody seems to match up with the Athletics in terms of offensive talent as they are LOADED at every position on the field. They brought in league batting leader Dick Higham, coaxed Lip Pike into joining, and brought in 2B Andy Leonard to sure up the infield. Perhaps, they forgot one thing, THEY HAVE NO STARTING PITCHER! Will the Association allow this to happen or will some team provide them some relief.

1B: Andy Leonard (.382, 40 R, 58 H, 39 RBI, 17 SB with OLY last yr)
3B: Scott Hastings (.296, 29 RBI with RFC last yr)
2B: Lip Pike (.265, 28 RBI, 15 SB with TRO last yr)
C: Dick Higham (.392, 60 H, 44 RBI with NYU last yr)
RF: Gat Stires (.282, 1 HR, 23 RBI with RFC last yr)
LF: Ned Cuthbert (.289, 1 HR, 19 RBI)
CF: Count Sensenderfer (.321, 24 RBI)
SS: Denny Mack (.271, 23 RBI with RFC last yr)

Troy Haymakers: After logging a last place finish a year ago, the Haymakers made an attempt to revamp the roster by bringing in a proven pitcher in George Zettlein and adding an offensive powerhouse in Cap Anson. Nonetheless, it will be an uphill battle to make any positive ground for the upcoming season.

2B: Charlie Smith (.287, 35 R, 2 HR, 21 RBI with NYU last yr)
RF: Ned Connor (.228, 20 RBI)
1B: Cap Anson (.357, 33 R, 2 HR, 24 RBI with RFC last yr)
C: Clipper Flynn (.336, 25 RBI)
LF: Steve King (.302, 34 RBI)
3B: Mike Brannock (.203, 15 RBI with CHA last yr)
CF: George Bird (.292, 1 HR, 27 RBI with RFC last yr)
SS: Ed Beavens (.313, 10 RBI)

SP: George Zettlein (28 GS, 16W-12L, 2.88 ERA with CHA last yr)

Washington Olympics: After finishing a game under .500 with a 15-16 record, the Olympics kept much of their core team intact including bringing back pitcher Asa Brainard.

1B: Bill Craver (.315, 23 RBI with TRO last yr)
3B: Davy Force (.321, 22 RBI)
CF: George Hall (.365, 36 R, 57 H, 5 3B, 39 RBI, 9 SB)
2B: Ezra Sutton (.356, 38 R, 2 HR, 35 RBI with CFC last yr)
C: Deacon White (.310, 2 HR, 23 RBI with CFC last yr)
LF: Val Robinson (23yo rookie)
RF: Dick Hurley (24yo rookie)
SS: Bob Reach (28yo rookie)

SP: Asa Brainard (27 G, 12W-7L, 3.23 ERA)

Washington Nationals: If the newly formed team can withstand their financial troubles that they have already accumulated, it will be a brutal season as they don’t have much to be excited about. Pitcher Bobby Mathews will be able to entertain fans with his high velocity fastballs, but that’s about it.

2B: Bob Addy (.284, 14 RBI with RFC last yr)
C: Ed Duffy (.235, 25 RBI with CHA last yr)
RF: Bill Kelly (.236, 10 RBI with KEK last yr)
SS: Chick Fulmer (.353, 34 R, 25 RBI with RFC last yr)
3B: Ralph Ham (.216, 2 HR, 26 RBI with RFC last yr)
LF: Paul Hines (17yo rookie)
CF: Dennis Coughlin (20yo rookie)
1B: Joe Miller (21yo rookie)

SP: Bobby Mathews (19 GS, 11W-8L, 4.08 ERA with KEK last yr)

Slaughter in Baltimore!
 

Baltimore, MD - After allowing 5 runs in the 1st inning, the Canaries faithful knew they might be in for a long game. But, I guess that may be expected for a team that starts 2 of their defensive infielders at positions they are unaccustomed to. Wes Fisler, a first basemen, is trying to make the transition to third base. Meanwhile, Harry Berthrong is attempting to move from second base to shortstop. After todays disaster, the club has committed 102 errors in 7 games, good for a .718 fielding percentage. Back to the game, it must have felt like a dream for Cal McVey as he went 7 for 9, added 4 RBI and touched home an amazing 8 times! Ed Pinkham was responsible for driving in McVey most of those times as he amassed 7 RBI with a 5 hit effort.

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/b...amebatting.png
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/b...mepitching.png

:ohmy: How did you do all this? :p

1872 End of June: National Association
 

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/b...eStandings.png
Both of the clubs from Washington were forced to fold operations after having inadequate stadium facilities. The players were released from their contractual agreements and free to sign elsewhere.


Notable Olympics Players (signed)

-BOS: 3B Davy Force
-BLC: P Asa Brainard, 1B Bill Craver, 3B Bob Ferguson
-CFC: C Deacon White (spent 1871 with club)
-TRO: CF George Hall, 2B Ezra Sutton

Notable Nationals Players (signed)

-MID: RF Ralph Ham, SS Ed Duffy, 2B Bob Addy
-PHA: P Bobby Mathews

1872 End of August: National Association
 

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/b...tStandings.png

Five teams have ceased operations: Forest Citys, Olympics, Nationals, Mansfields, Haymakers

It leaves an interesting scenario as the Cleveland club folded on August 19 and were in the hunt for the Association title. It would be quite an awkward occurrence if the Forest Citys capture the crown without having a team still playing.



Batting Leaders
BA: George Bird (NYU) .400
Hits: Ross Barnes (BOS), John Hatfield (NYU) 65
2B: George Bird (NYU) 15
3B: Bill Craver (BLC) 7
HR: Jimmy Wood (BLC) 5
RBI: Clipper Flynn (BOS) 61
Runs: Ross Barnes (BOS), Cap Anson (BOS) 55
SB: George Wright (BOS) 25

Pitching Leaders
ERA: Asa Brainard (BLC) 2.27
Wins: Cy Bentley (BOS) Asa Brainard (OLY-BLC) 19
Losses: George Zettlein (TRO-NYU) 19
SHO: Asa Brainard (OLY-BLC), Bobby Mathews (NAT-PHA) 1
K's: Asa Brainard (OLY-BLC) 49

1872 Final Standings
 

No one was quite sure what to make of the whole situation with deciding the league champions. Going into the final 2 games, the New York Mutuals were tied with the Cleveland club that had recently folded for 1st place in the standings. The Mutuals ended up splitting the 2 game set with Baltimore thus leaving them 1/2 game behind Cleveland for first. So, with Cleveland unable to claim the crown due to disbandment, the Washington Olympics were given the Association title based on winning percentage. SO, A TEAM THAT GOES 6-3 (.667) WINS THE TITLE even though they had also disbanded. This will go down as a disaster year for the very young National Association. The league must not let circumstances like this happen again if they want to continue operating in the future.

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/b...LStandings.png

1872 Batting Leaders
 

1872 Pitching Leaders
 

1873 League Changes
 

Folded

-Brooklyn Eckfords
-Cleveland Forest Citys
-Middletown Mansfields
-Troy Haymakers
-Washington Nationals
-Washington Olympics

Joined

-Baltimore Marylands
-Elizabeth Resolutes
-Philadelphia Whites
-Washington Blue Legs

So, the 1873 National Association will see 9 teams chase the ultimate goal of capturing a championship.

FREE AGENT report coming up....

Free Agent Report Off-season of 1872-1873
 

Top 5 Names You Need To Keep An Eye On

1. George Hall (22yo CF) In 74 games, Hall has blistered the ball to a tune of a .394 career average with 5 HR & 107 RBI. Last year, he suited up for 3 different and proceeded to hit over .400 for each one. He had a 9 game stint with the Olympics (.429), stopped in Troy for 5 more (.435), and finished up the season for the Mutuals (.410). When you combine those numbers, you get League MVP and a .410 average in 43 total games.

http://images.ookaboo.com/photo/s/Ge...all_1874_s.jpg

2. Ross Barnes (21yo 2B) After spending his first 2 years in Boston, there are various people murmuring that Mr. Barnes wants a change of scenery. Last year, the club had more than enough offense, but inexperience on the rubber cost them a title even though they finished a 1/2 game out of first. His stat sheet is already very impressive including compiling a 29 game hitting streak along with 101 RBI and a .360 average in 78 career games.

http://baseballhistoryblog.com/wp-co...oss-Barnes.bmp

3. Cap Anson (19yo 1B/3B) When the 1873 campaign rolls around, Anson will have graduated from the teenage years and teams will only hope he will mature as well. While putting together a .336 average with 5 HR & 85 RBI, he has made many enemies at the local pubs after celebrating club wins. You can't deny the offensive ability he can bring to the middle of the lineup.

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/imag...1960_Fleer.jpg

4. Jimmy Wood (29yo 2B) His initial year (1871) was slowed due to a fractured finger and it showed as he only hit for a .219 average in 16 games. This past year, Wood signed on to play for Baltimore and all he did was lead the Association in HR's (5) & RBI's (71). The average was a tad low at .298, but that can be blamed on his mindset of having to be the guy to do everything with the bat mentality.

http://baseballhistoryblog.com/wp-co...Jimmy-Wood.bmp

5. Fred Waterman (25yo C) Both of Waterman's first 2 seasons look very identical, which isn't a bad thing because both were very consistent. He posted averages of .323 and .333, has fairly good speed, and can add stability at the catcher position that most teams covet.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_C2jNsVk16vE/S3...d_Waterman.jpg

Retirements
 

1873 National Association Preview
 

1873 End of June: National Association
 

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/b...yStandings.png

Batting Leaders
BA: Ross Barnes (PHW) .449
Hits: Ross Barnes (PHW) 53
2B: Ross Barnes (PHW), George Heubel (BLC) 10
3B: Harry Schafer (BOS) 4
HR: Ezra Sutton (PHW) 5
RBI: Ezra Sutton (PHW) 36
Runs: Ross Barnes (PHW) 38
SB: George Wright (BOS) 10

Pitching Leaders
ERA: Rynie Wolters (NYU) 2.03
Wins: Bill Stearns (PHW) 12
Losses: Bill Stearns (PHW) 13
SHO: John Greason (WAS) 2
K's: Bill Stearns (PHW) 19