[Pelican]

1884 is tough because the Union Association was considered a major league, making three total, and with too many franchises, teams moved, folded, and players jumped to new teams.

Or, you have the case of my home town, Wilmington, Delaware, which had a minor league team dominate the [today's AAA equivalent] Eastern League, and then, in August replace a failed team in the Union Association. Their home field, Union Park, is my current neighborhood, built later in 1918 (the field is long-gone; but I live in Union Park Gardens). When the players realized they were not gettin raises, or more pay, for the additional games, many of them jumped ship. Which is sad, as they could have been a competitive team (based on how the players performed for other teams).

Awhile back I started a laborious project of recreating the Union Association teams, based on the available players in the game (guys who played in the so-called major leagues, before, after, or during 1884), and what stats I could find for others. I got as far as the Quicksteps, Wilmington's team. Maybe some day, when I'm fully retired, I will attempt the other teams.