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AMERICAN BASEBALL JUNE RECAP

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (July 1, 1877) – June has come and gone, meaning the 1877 baseball season is a little more than halfway to completion. Here are how the three competitions stand as the calendar turns to July:

A.P.B.L. STANDINGS

COLONIAL – Every position changed hands except first place, which remains firmly in St. Johns’ grasp after an excellent June in which they won 2/3 of their games with a Run Differential better than +50. Flour City was fantastic, vaulting from last place to second even though All-Star CF Ernest Dugas is batting just .205 (.531 OPS). Improved play from Alleghany saw the team move up from fourth to third, while offensive struggles bumped Shamrock down from third to fourth. Niagara’s June freefall saw them drop from second to fifth thanks to ice-cold hitting, and Mass. Bay fell to last place because their work in the field allowed far too many extra baserunners.

METROPOLITAN – For the second consecutive month Excelsior & Knickerbocker had identical records, and for the second consecutive month Knickerbocker receives the designation of first place due to their superior Run Differential. That Knick leads the A.P.B.L. in Runs (8.2 R/G) is amazing when considering their cavernous home venue, and Excelsior equaling Knick’s 33-20 record in spite of their ninth-ranked fielding is testament to their incredible pitching duo. Kings Co. staying in third is a most pleasant surprise, while American staying in fourth is a surprise of a different kind. Orange climbed out of last place, but only because Gotham had one of the worst months ever: 7-19 with a Run Differential of -103.

A.P.B.L. MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMAN OF THE MONTH
Joseph Evans (LF, StJ) – .418, .978 OPS, 27 R, 51 H, 9 2B, 3 3B, 42 RBI, 4 BB, 6 SB, 1.7 WPA, 1.4 WAR

PITCHER OF THE MONTH
Howard Burns (StJ) – 10-3, 2.90 ERA, 32 K, 118.0 IP, 10 CG, 2.4 K/9, 6.4 K/BB, 1.15 WHIP, 2.5 WAR, 2.9 rWAR

GREENHORN OF THE MONTH
Joseph Evans* (LF, StJ) – American Professional Baseball League Batsman of the Month

*Evans was also G.o.t.M. for May

Cormack Alexander (1B, KNI) had a higher Average at .418 and Elijah Hill (3B, EXC) was #1 in both Slugging (.585) & OPS (1.005), but Evans took B.o.t.M. after leading the league with a .418 Average and a whopping 42 Runs Batted In over 27 games for St. John’s. Through two months, Evans has been the best batsman on the league’s best team.

St. John's teammate Thomas Smith was May P.o.t.M., so apparently it was Burns’ turn in June. Kings Co.’s Nicholas Banfield was also 10-3 during June but Burns had superior marks in ERA, IP, CG, K/BB, WHIP, & WAR, which made him the Writers Pool’s choice for the monthly honor.

Many figured Joseph Evans would fit right into the St. John’s offense during his debut season in the A.P.B.L., but nobody thought he would be this good this fast. Evans is two points off .400 at the end of June while leading the league in Average, Slugging, & OPS. Somehow, Joseph Evans has been even better than anticipated.

A.P.B.L. STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .398 by Joseph Evans (LF, St. John’s)
OPS: .952 by Joseph Evans
Home Runs: 2 by seven different batsmen
Runs Batted In: 63 by Elijah Hill (3B, Excelsior)
Runs: 69 by Troy Oberst (LF, Excelsior)
Stolen Bases: 56 by Konrad Jensen (1B, St. John’s)
Batsman WPA: 4.1 by Elijah Hill
Batsman WAR: 3.2 by James Burke (CF, American)

Wins: 17 by Howard Burns (St. John’s) & Thomas Smith (St. John’s)
ERA (100+ IP): 2.21 by James Goodman (Flour City)
Strikeouts: 107 by Elmer Seabold (Excelsior)
Complete Games: 20 by Elmer Seabold & Thomas Smith
WHIP (100+ IP): 1.12 by Robert Goodman (Knick)
Pitcher WAR: 4.3 by Robert Goodman & Elmer Seabold
Pitcher rWAR: 5.6 by Thomas Smith

N.B.B.O. REGIONAL LEADERS

BROOKLYN: Eckford at 26-13 (Atlantic 1 GB; Cont’l 4 GB, Bedford & Empire 7 GB, Star 9 GB)
NEW YORK CITY: New York Athletic Club at 29-10 (Union 6 GB; Mercury & Metro 8 GB; Baltic 9 GB)
UPSTATE N.Y.: Utica at 28-11 (Minuteman 2 GB; Syracuse 4 GB, Victory 8 GB)
COASTAL: Newark at 29-10 (Pt. Jersey 4 GB, Quaker St. 5.5 GB, Trenton Utd. 10 GB)
INLAND: Susquehanna at 28-11 (Pioneer 3 GB, Lancastra 7 GB, Scranton 8 GB, Merrimack & Reading 9 GB)
NEW ENGLAND: Portland at 31-8 (Cantabrigians 6 GB, S.o.t.O. 8 GB)

BROOKLYN – Eckford was just a little bit better than Atlantic during June, and that meant Eckford went from one game back of Atlantic to one game ahead at the end of the month. Continental is 9-1 over their last ten games and thus should be a real threat over the last 6+ weeks, while neither Bedford nor Empire are likely to contend unless their level of play picks up in July.

NEW YORK CITY – N.Y.A.C. was 15-7 during June while the rest of the contenders were iffy, and that has given the leaders a six-game cushion atop the standings. While Union does have a higher Run Differential (+86 v +78), N.Y.A.C.’s combination of pitching & defense looks borderline unbeatable right now. If any of the other four contenders are to take the pennant, N.Y.A.C. will have to slip up.

UPSTATE N.Y. – Utica went 18-4 during June, and that put them alone atop Upstate New York in spite of a fine 16-6 month by Minuteman. Utica is first in Upstate thanks to the N.B.B.O.’s #2 offense, while Minuteman is close behind thanks to a pitching duo that ranks #3 in the N.Y.L. in ERA. Syracuse is lurking thanks to a high-powered offense, but Victory’s one-man show is fading.

COASTAL – Like N.Y.A.C., Newark followed a 14-3 May with a 15-7 June to remain in first place in their region. Their lineup has hit well enough to complement unforgettable pitching by John Ratican (15-6, 1.63, 79 K, 6.1 WAR), and they’ve played only 15/35 games at home. Still Pt. Jersey’s pitching & Quaker St.’s offense mean they are both big threats to take the pennant.

INLAND – Susquehanna cooled off a bit during June, but they are still scoring 10+ Runs per game and very much deserve their spot in first place. Still, it looks like Pioneer will give them a good pennant chase as the Springfield men are winning with their own high-powered offense. Lancastra & Scranton are over .500, but very unlikely to close the gap with the top.

NEW ENGLAND – Portland has the best record in the N.B.B.O. at 31-8 thanks to a lineup that ranks #4/48, pitching that ranks #4, and fielding that ranks #5. Still, they can’t rest easy because second-place Cantabrigians ended June by winning a dozen games on the trot while third-place S.o.t.O. has won their last five. This could end up an exciting pennant race to the finish.

N.B.B.O. MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMEN OF THE MONTH
NYL: Charles Fletcher (2B, BAL) – .380, 1.011 OPS, 27 R, 37 B, 13 XBH, 2 HR, 22 RBI, 3 BB, 5 SB, 1.7 WPA, 1.2 WAR
NEL: William McCrory (LF, CAN) – .412, 1.015 OPS, 29 R, 40 H, 6 2B, 4 3B, 24 RBI, 9 BB, 12 SB, 1.7 WPA, 1.2 WAR

PITCHERS OF THE MONTH
NYL: Olaf Sorensen (ATL) – 8-6, 1.62 ERA, 16 K, 117.0 IP, 10 CG, 1.0 K/BB, 1.23 WHIP, 2.0 WAR, 3.0 rWAR
NEL: Bubba Mack (CAN) – 10-1, 2.67 ERA, 28 K, 97.2 IP, 9 CG, 2.3 K/BB, 1.22 WHIP, 2.3 WAR, 2.9 rWAR

GREENHORNS OF THE MONTH
NYL: John Watson (P, MER) – 7-6, 2.97 ERA, 16 K, 103.0 IP, 8 CG, 1.1 K/BB, 1.17 WHIP, 1.7 WAR, 2.2 rWAR
NEL: John Ruppel (RF, PORT) – .340, .878 OPS, 32 R, 35 H, 10 XBH, 2 HR, 32 RBI, 4 BB, 8 SB, 1.8 WPA, 1.0 WAR

N.B.B.O. STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .450 by Julius Tierney (LF, Star)
OPS: 1.028 by Julius Tierney
Home Runs: 3 by Michael Jones (C, Atlantic) & James Kramer (RF, Eckford)
Runs Batted In: 53 by Chester Alexander (2B, Syracuse)
Runs: 58 by William Buschmann (CF, Utica) & John Schultz (CF, Susquehanna)
Stolen Bases: 42 by Steffen Strandlund (CF, Syracuse)
Batsman WPA: 3.8 by Henry Nabors (SS, Victory)
Batsman WAR: 2.7 by Ben Gagliardi (SS, Atlantic)

Wins: 18 by William Hawk (Susquehanna)
ERA (100+ IP): 1.63 by John Ratican (Newark)
Strikeouts: 90 by Earl Quinn (Maryland)
Complete Games: 16 by three different pitchers
WHIP (100+ IP): 1.00 by John Ratican
Pitcher WAR: 6.1 by John Ratican
Pitcher rWAR: 6.4 by Charles King (Pt. Jersey)

P.C.B.L. LEADERS

EAST: Frankford Arsenal & Keystone at 25-14 (Spartan 2 GB; Queen Village 5 GB; Pt. Richmond 6 GB; Minerva 7 GB)
WEST: Philadelphia B.C.C. at 28-11 (Mercantile 5 GB; Merion 6 GB; Germantown, Overbrook, & Penn 9 GB)

EAST – Keystone had a decent month, but Frankford’s 16-6 June put them right back at the top of East Philadelphia thanks to…what else…the league’s #1 offense. Keystone is holding firm, but a 25-14 record with a -23 Run Differential suggests that a fall could come soon. As of right now, it looks like Spartan, two games behind Frankford with an almost equal RD (+63 v +66) is the team most likely to end Frankford’s run of pennants.

WEST – A 16-6 June means P.B.C.C. is already 5+ games better than everyone else in the western half of the city. Merion is almost even on RD (+84 v +88), but P.B.C.C.’s #1 pitching & #1 fielding are simply impossible to overcome in close contests. This is looking very much like a third consecutive pennant for P.B.C.C.

P.C.B.L. MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMAN OF THE MONTH
Frederick Pike (2B, PBCC) – .436, 1.058 OPS, 32 R, 44 H, 9 2B, 4 3B, 27 RBI, 2 BB, 10 SB, 2.1 WPA, 1.7 WAR

PITCHER OF THE MONTH
Robert Benson* (PBCC) – 9-3, 2.26 ERA, 36 K, 115.2 IP, 8 CG, 1 SHO, 1 SV, 1.7 K/BB, 1.31 WHIP, 2.4 WAR, 2.4 rWAR

GREENHORN OF THE MONTH
Oliver Greene (P, FRA) – 7-3, 2.88 ERA, 26 K, 109.1 IP, 7 CG, 3.7 K/BB, 1.20 WHIP, 1.8 WAR, 1.3 rWAR

*Benson was also P.o.t.M. for May

P.C.B.L. STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .391 by Frederick Pike (2B, P.B.C.C.)
OPS: 957 by Frederick Pike
Home Runs: 2 by seven different batsmen
Runs Batted In: 50 by Frank Silliams (50, Sons of Ben)
Runs: 55 by James Harris (LF, Frankford)
Stolen Bases: 31 by Jonathan Auriemma (2B, Minerva)
Batsman WPA: 4.4 by Jeffrey Unger (LF, Keystone)
Batsman WAR: 2.7 by Frederick Pike

Wins: 17 by Robert Benson (P.B.C.C.)
ERA (100+ IP): 1.90 by Robert Benson (P.B.C.C.)
Complete Games: 17 by Robert Benson
Strikeouts: 50 by Robert Benson
WHIP (100+ IP): 1.09 Jonathan Atkins (Merion) & Arthur Lipscomb (P.B.C.C.)
Pitcher WAR: 3.6 by Robert Benson
Pitcher rWAR: 4.3 by Robert Benson