OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - History Never Repeats: An Alternative Baseball History

NYY #23 · 02-22-2010, 08:35 PM

WL North
April 1, 1898

WL North
Chicago Pirates -
History:
The Pirates were one of the original Players League teams in 1890 and have had winning seasons every year except their first year in the league, and last year. Their 706-533 record gives them more wins than any other team but the Cleveland Trolleys. The Pirates appeared in one World Series, losing to the Buffalo Bisons, and despite winning 106 games in both 1894 and 1895 haven't been back.

Draft History:
1892: SP - Red Donahue (#14)
1893: SP - Jim Gardner (#16)
1894: C - Billy Sullivan (#19)
1895: SP - Bill Donovan (#18)
1896: SP - Norwood Gibson (#17)
1897: CF - Harry Bay (#12)
Drafting hasn't been one of the strengths of the Pirates, although picking towards the end of the round hasn't helped. Only one player, Jim Gardner has made much of an impact in the Players League, winning 35 games against 36 losses with a 3.25 ERA.

What to look forward to:
Were last season's struggles by starting pitchers Bill George and Silver King signs of aging, or can they rebound this year? Gardner is coming off his best season and appears ready to take his place at the top of the Pirates rotation for years to come. With three position players over the age of 30 the Pirates will need to have some young players step up.

Cleveland Trolleys
History:
In the short history of the Players League no team has been as good as the Cleveland Infant/Trolley dynasty. The Trolleys have the most wins (778), highest winning percentage (.627), playoff appearances (5), and World Championships (4). The Trolleys had one losing season (71-79) in 1891, but won four straight World Series, before losing last season's World Series in 7 games. The Trolleys have the three highest win totals in a season (124, 123, and 109), the three highest winning percentages, and sit atop the team leaderboard in most categories for batting and pitching.

Draft History:
1892: SP - Ed Doheny (#7)
1893: SP - Ned Garvin (#12)
1894: SS - Dan Coogan (#20)
1895: SP - Nick Altrock (#20)
1896: C - Henry Wilson (#20)
1897: SS - Jimmy Mathison (#20)
It is hard to pinpoint just one reason for the Trolley's success, but drafting has been a strength especially considering where the Trolleys have drafted. Doheny has won 20 games in each of his seasons in the Players League, and Garvin has won 28, 24, and 24 respectively during his three seasons. Drafting last in the draft, the Trolleys have managed to nab useful players like Coogan, who has filled in at each of the infield positions, and have three players who the Trolleys expect to contribute soon drafted last in each of the past three drafts.

What to look forward to:
No team in the Western League has been able to stop the Trolleys over the past five years, and until someone proves they can Cleveland is the team to beat. The Trolleys have never been afraid of making bold moves, letting ace pitcher Jersey Bakely leave via free agency following the 1895 season and giving a second chance to Cy Young who awarded them with two Pitcher of the Year seasons. The Trolleys brought aboard veteran first baseman Dan Brouthers during the offseason and are still the team to beat in the West.

Cincinnati Cardinals -
History:
The Cardinals have never finished less than 12 games outside of first place and have a 558-540 record over their history. The Cardinals have finished better than .500 each of the past four years, including a second place finish last year, never making the playoffs

Draft History:
1892: SP - Jake Weimer (#3)
1893: SP - Tully Sparks (#4)
1894: SP - Bill Dineen (#4)
1895: SP - Jimmy Wiggs (#11)
1896: SP - Alex Hardy (#11)
1897: P - Walter Clarkson (#16)
The Cardinals have gone with pitching in each of the drafts, and have had some good success with Weimer (80-58, 3.63 ERA), Sparks (41-29, 3.37 ERA), and Dineen (37-39, 4.19 ERA). Cincinnati quickly gave up on Wiggs, who was released and is now pitching in Syracuse, making 40 starts at the age of 20. The jury is still out on both Hardy and Clarkson, but the Cardinals have made drafting pitching a priority in their short history.

What to look forward to:
The Cardinals are looking to build on their second place finish, with Cy Seymour back for a second season after signing on as a free agent. Seymour hit .356 last season with 100 RBI and 113 runs scored to lead the offense. The Cardinals hope their young pitching will continue to develop.

Detroit Wolverines
History:
As one of the four teams to enter the Players League in the 1894 season, the Wolverines have suffered through their share of growing pains, going 255-393. After a dismal debut season where the Wolverines went 41-121, they became the first of the four teams to have a winning record after going 86-76 last season, giving fans hope for their future.

Draft History:
1894: SP - Buttons Briggs (#5)
1895: SP - Jim Buchanan (#4)
1896: SP - Ed Siever (#2)
1897: CF - Mike Donlin (#7)
The Wolverines have demonstrated a knack for drafting in their short history, going with pitching their first three seasons and adding promising center fielder last season, who hit .307 in limited action last season. Briggs has improved from 9-29 to 18-22, to 23-18 over his first three seasons while lowering his ERA from 4.78 to 2.84. Buchanan posted a 16-17 record last season with a 2.71 ERA, and Siever went 15-18 in his first season in the majors.

What to look forward to:
The Wolverines brought aboard 21 game winner Sam Leever when they signed the free agent to a 3 year contract giving them tremendous pitching depth and a bright future.

Indianapolis Indians
History:
The Indians were one of four independent teams that entered the league prior to the 1894 season, and suffered through three 100 plus loss seasons (45-117, 40-122, 58-104) before improving to 73-89 last season. In four seasons the Indians have compiled a 216-432 record.

Draft History:
1894: SP - Dummy Taylor (#6)
1895: SP - Mordecai Brown (#2)
1896: SP - Irv Young (#1)
1897: SP - Tom Hughes (#1)
The only way to describe the Indians draft strategy has been one word - pitching. While the Indians young pitching has struggled they have a lot of potential and have shown improvement. Taylor has lowered his ERA from 5.03 to 4.35 to 3.35 in his three years in the majors. In two years Brown has lowered his ERA from 4.04 to 3.06, and Young had a strong debut season with a 11-13 record and a 3.50 ERA, and Hughes has won 9 games since being drafted as they have seen their runs allowed drop from 1400 in 1894 to 808 last season.

What to look forward to:
The Indians have the second and third top prospects in baseball, with starting pitchers Irv Young and Tom Hughes and went out and signed free agent outfielder Duff Cooley to a 3 year contract after Cooley hit .369 last season. With young starting pitching and the addition of Cooley in the line-up, things are beginning to look up for Indians fans.

02-22-2010, 08:35 PM	#159
NYY #23 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 13,112	WL North April 1, 1898 WL North Chicago Pirates - History: The Pirates were one of the original Players League teams in 1890 and have had winning seasons every year except their first year in the league, and last year. Their 706-533 record gives them more wins than any other team but the Cleveland Trolleys. The Pirates appeared in one World Series, losing to the Buffalo Bisons, and despite winning 106 games in both 1894 and 1895 haven't been back. Draft History: 1892: SP - Red Donahue (#14) 1893: SP - Jim Gardner (#16) 1894: C - Billy Sullivan (#19) 1895: SP - Bill Donovan (#18) 1896: SP - Norwood Gibson (#17) 1897: CF - Harry Bay (#12) Drafting hasn't been one of the strengths of the Pirates, although picking towards the end of the round hasn't helped. Only one player, Jim Gardner has made much of an impact in the Players League, winning 35 games against 36 losses with a 3.25 ERA. What to look forward to: Were last season's struggles by starting pitchers Bill George and Silver King signs of aging, or can they rebound this year? Gardner is coming off his best season and appears ready to take his place at the top of the Pirates rotation for years to come. With three position players over the age of 30 the Pirates will need to have some young players step up. Cleveland Trolleys History: In the short history of the Players League no team has been as good as the Cleveland Infant/Trolley dynasty. The Trolleys have the most wins (778), highest winning percentage (.627), playoff appearances (5), and World Championships (4). The Trolleys had one losing season (71-79) in 1891, but won four straight World Series, before losing last season's World Series in 7 games. The Trolleys have the three highest win totals in a season (124, 123, and 109), the three highest winning percentages, and sit atop the team leaderboard in most categories for batting and pitching. Draft History: 1892: SP - Ed Doheny (#7) 1893: SP - Ned Garvin (#12) 1894: SS - Dan Coogan (#20) 1895: SP - Nick Altrock (#20) 1896: C - Henry Wilson (#20) 1897: SS - Jimmy Mathison (#20) It is hard to pinpoint just one reason for the Trolley's success, but drafting has been a strength especially considering where the Trolleys have drafted. Doheny has won 20 games in each of his seasons in the Players League, and Garvin has won 28, 24, and 24 respectively during his three seasons. Drafting last in the draft, the Trolleys have managed to nab useful players like Coogan, who has filled in at each of the infield positions, and have three players who the Trolleys expect to contribute soon drafted last in each of the past three drafts. What to look forward to: No team in the Western League has been able to stop the Trolleys over the past five years, and until someone proves they can Cleveland is the team to beat. The Trolleys have never been afraid of making bold moves, letting ace pitcher Jersey Bakely leave via free agency following the 1895 season and giving a second chance to Cy Young who awarded them with two Pitcher of the Year seasons. The Trolleys brought aboard veteran first baseman Dan Brouthers during the offseason and are still the team to beat in the West. Cincinnati Cardinals - History: The Cardinals have never finished less than 12 games outside of first place and have a 558-540 record over their history. The Cardinals have finished better than .500 each of the past four years, including a second place finish last year, never making the playoffs Draft History: 1892: SP - Jake Weimer (#3) 1893: SP - Tully Sparks (#4) 1894: SP - Bill Dineen (#4) 1895: SP - Jimmy Wiggs (#11) 1896: SP - Alex Hardy (#11) 1897: P - Walter Clarkson (#16) The Cardinals have gone with pitching in each of the drafts, and have had some good success with Weimer (80-58, 3.63 ERA), Sparks (41-29, 3.37 ERA), and Dineen (37-39, 4.19 ERA). Cincinnati quickly gave up on Wiggs, who was released and is now pitching in Syracuse, making 40 starts at the age of 20. The jury is still out on both Hardy and Clarkson, but the Cardinals have made drafting pitching a priority in their short history. What to look forward to: The Cardinals are looking to build on their second place finish, with Cy Seymour back for a second season after signing on as a free agent. Seymour hit .356 last season with 100 RBI and 113 runs scored to lead the offense. The Cardinals hope their young pitching will continue to develop. Detroit Wolverines History: As one of the four teams to enter the Players League in the 1894 season, the Wolverines have suffered through their share of growing pains, going 255-393. After a dismal debut season where the Wolverines went 41-121, they became the first of the four teams to have a winning record after going 86-76 last season, giving fans hope for their future. Draft History: 1894: SP - Buttons Briggs (#5) 1895: SP - Jim Buchanan (#4) 1896: SP - Ed Siever (#2) 1897: CF - Mike Donlin (#7) The Wolverines have demonstrated a knack for drafting in their short history, going with pitching their first three seasons and adding promising center fielder last season, who hit .307 in limited action last season. Briggs has improved from 9-29 to 18-22, to 23-18 over his first three seasons while lowering his ERA from 4.78 to 2.84. Buchanan posted a 16-17 record last season with a 2.71 ERA, and Siever went 15-18 in his first season in the majors. What to look forward to: The Wolverines brought aboard 21 game winner Sam Leever when they signed the free agent to a 3 year contract giving them tremendous pitching depth and a bright future. Indianapolis Indians History: The Indians were one of four independent teams that entered the league prior to the 1894 season, and suffered through three 100 plus loss seasons (45-117, 40-122, 58-104) before improving to 73-89 last season. In four seasons the Indians have compiled a 216-432 record. Draft History: 1894: SP - Dummy Taylor (#6) 1895: SP - Mordecai Brown (#2) 1896: SP - Irv Young (#1) 1897: SP - Tom Hughes (#1) The only way to describe the Indians draft strategy has been one word - pitching. While the Indians young pitching has struggled they have a lot of potential and have shown improvement. Taylor has lowered his ERA from 5.03 to 4.35 to 3.35 in his three years in the majors. In two years Brown has lowered his ERA from 4.04 to 3.06, and Young had a strong debut season with a 11-13 record and a 3.50 ERA, and Hughes has won 9 games since being drafted as they have seen their runs allowed drop from 1400 in 1894 to 808 last season. What to look forward to: The Indians have the second and third top prospects in baseball, with starting pitchers Irv Young and Tom Hughes and went out and signed free agent outfielder Duff Cooley to a 3 year contract after Cooley hit .369 last season. With young starting pitching and the addition of Cooley in the line-up, things are beginning to look up for Indians fans.