Sunday, June 5, 1887
Grand National Association:
Kansas City (4) at Brooklyn (1): Al McClaughry (23-5.6) (11-8) over Al Green (24-3.8) (9-8). McClaughry allowed 6 hits, 2 walks and struck out 5. Green allowed 8 hits, 5 walks and struck out 8. LF Joe Nichols (30-5.3) will miss about 3 weeks with a strained rub cage muscle.
At their annual convention, the National Association of Amateur Base Ball Players named LF Tom Paul (17-5.4) of Kirksville, Missouri the top amateur player in the country.
Note: Before 1871 and the advent of professional baseball there were three awards given. One each for the best player and pitcher in the country and one for the best newcomer to the national scene. The winners listed below are the winners of the latter, as it more closely reflects the current award. The winners of the overall best player and pitcher awards before 1871 are listed below.
Past Recipients of the Award:
1857: Art Walker, lf, Kansas City, Kansas (21-7.6)
1858: George Rush, c, New York, New York (21-6.5)
1859: John Foster, p, Columbus, Ohio (19-5.5)
1860: Jim Emerson, lf, Dallas, Texas (22-5.1)
1861: Sam Yates, 3b, Memphis, Tennessee (20-7.9)
1862: Fred Swanger, lf, Portland, Oregon (21-6.8)
1863: Buck Redfearn, rf, Linglestown, Pennsylvania (22-4.5)
1864: Gil Bechard, lf, Chicago, Illinois (21-4.7)
1865: Tom Dore, rf, Streemwood, Illinois (21-4.0)
1866: Pete Bucolo, 1B, Dyersburg, Tennessee (18-4.1)
1867: George Kennedy, cf, Atlanta, Georgia (21-8.9)
1868: Nehemiah Robinson, ss, Brooklyn, New York (19-6.2)
1869: Bill Rosenthal, c, Killingly, Connecticut (22-5.5)
1870: Milt Wright, cf, Santa Ana, California (23-8.1)
1871: Bill Sears, 3B, Burlington, Vermont (22-4.0)
1872: Charlie Warner, rf, Chattanooga, Tennessee (18-9.2)
1873: Frank McSherry, p, Chicago, Illinois (17-4.1)
1874: Jim Ware, ss, Longueuil, Quebec, Canada (20-5.6)
1875: Sam Cowan, ss, Cedar Hill, Texas (19-5.1)
1876: George Thomas, c, Straughn, Indiana (19-6.3)
1877: Jim Granier, c, Houston, Texas (21-5.7)
1878: Joe Turner, rf, Yale, Michigan (18-6.6)
1879: Harry Hooks, 1b, Brooklyn, New York (20-6.1)
1880: William McLeod, p, Yardville, New Jersey (21-5.6)
1881: Cowboy Gray, ss, San Francisco, California (19-7.8)
1882: Lou Townley, p, Shelby, North Carolina (20-3.4)
1883: Pat Stafford, cf, Los Angeles, California (22-5.4)
1884: Ed Aldrich, ss, St. Louis, Missouri (20-6.8)
1885: Heinie Ashmore, cf, Elgin, Illinois (20-6.0)
1886: Ed Robling, cf, Port Clinton, Ohio (23-7.3)
Editor's Note: This is the first player taken in the draft of amateurs the B Leagues have every year. Reddy Ricker was the 4th player drafted in 1865.
Overall best player awards before 1871:
1857: Bill Childs, cf, Philadelphia (28-4.4)
1858: Anson Davidson, 1B, Lowell (31-5.5)
1859: Jim Boatright, lf, Philadelphia (32-6.8)
1860: Nathan Wood, ss, New Haven (33-5.5)
1861: Nathan Wood, ss, New Haven (34-5.5)
1862: Al Bates, 3b, Hartford (24-4.2)
1863: Dave Campbell, ss, Washington (29-5.4)
1864: Mike Haack, 1B, Wilmington (36-6.7)
1865: Bill Griffin, cf, Providence (27-7.3)
1866: Buck Redfearn, rf, Baltimore (25-4.5)
1867: Buck Redfearn, rf, Baltimore (26-4.5)
1868: Buck Redfearn, rf, Baltimore (27-4.5)
1869: Buck Redfearn, rf, Baltimore (28-4.5)
1870: Pete Bucolo, 1B, Albany (22-4.1)
Best Pitcher awards before 1871:
1857: Joe Watson, Washington (24-6.2)
1858: Hezekiah Marish, Lowell (27-7.3)
1859: Hezekiah Marish, Lowell (28-7.3)
1860: Hezekiah Marish, Lowell (29-7.3)
1861: Frank Sager, Brooklyn (30-4.1)
1862: Frank Sager, Brooklyn (31-4.1)
1863: Adonis Hotchkiss, New Haven (32-4.6)
1864: Hank Boyle, Boston (33-6.4)
1865: Hezekiah Marish, Providence (34-7.3)
1866: Frank Sager, Brooklyn (35-4.1)
1867: Charlie Moss, Providence (26-6.3)
1868: Al Hill, Wilmington (30-5.4)
1869: Al Hill, Wilmington (31-5.4)
1870: Al Hill, Wilmington (32-5.4)
Editor's Note: The above were the MVP and Hurler Trophy winners of the seasons I pre-simmed back to 1857, the year the real NABBP was established. The pre-sim actually started in 1801. I thought the Civil War would have stopped baseball for a few years, but it did not in real life, so I list those years the same as any other.
And as long as we are here, we might as well list the Professional Awards:
For the old National Association:
MVP
1871: Pete Bucolo, of, Cincinnati (23-4.1)
1872: Reddy Ricker, 2b, Albany (25-6.0)
1873: Ike Noel, lf, Albany (29-6.1)
1874: Bill Thompson, 2b, Louisville (23-4.2)
1875: Bill Thompson, 2b, Louisville (24-4.2)
Pitcher of the Year
1871: Charlie Moss, New York (30-6.3)
1872: Bill McClean, Albany (26-6.0)
1873: Lemuel Cross, Baltimore (33-5.9)
1874: Bill McClean, Albany (28-6.0)
1875: Bill McClean, Albany (29-6.0)
For the Liberty League:
MVP
1876: Al Cannon, c, Washington (31-5.4)
1877: Silver Borresen, lf, Pittsburgh (23-6.9)
1878: Pete Green, rf, Boston (29-9.3)
1879: Bill Thompson, 2b, Boston (28-4.2)
1880: Joe Vaughan, 1b, Cincinnati (25-5.2)
1881: Pete Bucolo, 1b, Boston (33-4.1)
1882: Bill Thompson, 2b, Boston (31-4.2)
1883: Fleet Wilcox, cf, Cincinnati (26-4.9)
1884: Fleet Wilcox, cf, Cincinnati (27-4.9)
1885: Ben Smith, lf, Detroit (25-6.7)
1886: Mike Stables, 2b, Boston (30-7.1)
Hurler Trophy
1876: John Bendickson, Troy (24-6.0)
1877: Abe Everette, Troy (28-6.9)
1878: John Bendickson, Troy (26-6.0)
1879: John Bendickson, Troy (27-6.0)
1880: John Stevens, Cincinnati (23-8.2)
1881: Charlie Morlock, Boston (31-6.7)
1882: Charlie Morlock, Boston (32-6.7)
1883: Joe Peters, Boston (27-4.9)
1884: Charlie Morlock, Boston (34-6.7)
1885: Joe Peters, Boston (29-4.9)
1886: Miah Turner, New York (25-5.3)
For the Grand National Association:
MVP
1882: Otis York, lf, Brooklyn (26-6.3)
1883: Candy Simpson, lf, Chicago (24-6.8)
1884: Charlie Gregor, 1b, Providence (25-5.2)
1885: Jim Ware, ss, Pittsburgh (31-5.6)
1886: Ed Aldrich, ss, Omaha (22-6.8)
Hurler Trophy
1882: Tom Adams, Pittsburgh (27-6.0)
1883: Lee Sprague, Omaha (23-3.5)
1884: Tom Lee, Omaha (26-6.0)
1885: Lee Sprague, Omaha (25-3.5)
1886: Tom Lee, Omaha (28-6.0)