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AMERICAN BASEBALL MONTHLY RECAP: MAY

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (May 31, 1879) – It is the last night of May. All of the competitive baseball for the opening month of the season has been completed, and here is how each of the four competitions look:

AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE STANDINGS

COLONIAL – As expected, Shamrock is atop the Colonial Conference, albeit after just one month. Henry Jost has seamlessly transitioned to CF, and they’ve allowed fewer runs than any other team in the A.P.B.L. at 5.4 RA/G.

Alleghany is right behind Shamrock with the league’s best fielding (E/G: #1, ZR: #1, EFF: #1) and they’re second in Runs Allowed (5.5 RA/G). Mass. Bay is tied for 2nd due to good overall performance and a fine May from the middle of their lineup. St. Johns’ stars and greenhorns are performing, but a few members of their lineup are batting close to .200. Niagara’s been just okay, with the exception of red-hot 1B William Norman (.457, 25 RBI, 1.4 WAR). Flour City is lucky not to be in last place. Pt. Jersey’s magic form in close games that buoyed them last year has evaporated (1-Run: 1-6; X-Inn: 0-4). Newark is more competitive than they were in their debut season, but they’re still struggling.

METROPOLITAN – If you would have individually asked all 88 members of the Writers Pool their opinions on how the first month of the season would end up, not a one would have said that the two newest Philadelphia teams – Quaker St. & Tiger S.C. – would take up the top two spots in the Metro with the league’s highest Run Differentials. Yet, there they are.

Quaker St. reeled off nine straight wins to end May, with the last two being 15-6 and 16-5 clobberings of American. They lead the league in Runs, Average, On-Base, Slugging, & OPS. Tiger, who went 4-18 last May, has the men on either side of Martin Prince in the lineup batting .398 (1B Mario Fusilli) and .360 (RF Howard Boley), and Henry Tallman took home P.o.t.M. Knick has had a couple of hiccups, but they look fine a month into their title defense. Gotham has only a pair of .300 hitters right now. American saw James Burke bat just .297 during the opening month. Struggling Kings Co. is 14th/16 in Runs Allowed (7.7 RA/G). Excelsior, as expected, is struggling to adjust without Jim Creighton. Orange, YET AGAIN, looks absolutely miserable on offense (R/G: last, AVG: last, OBP: last, OPS: last).

A.P.B.L. MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMAN OF THE MONTH
Royal Altman (1B, GOT) – .421, 1.082 OPS, 25 R, 42 H, 15 2B, 3 3B, 30 RBI, 6 BB, 2 SB, 2.4 WPA, 1.7 WAR

PITCHER OF THE MONTH
Henry Tallman (TIG) – 9-5, 2.48 ERA, 21 K, 112.2 IP, 16 GP, 9 CG, 2.1 K/BB, 1.25 WHIP, 1.3 WAR, 2.9 rWAR

GREENHORN OF THE MONTH
Eamonn Higgins (3B, StJ) – .327, .859 OPS, 19 R, 32 H, 3 2B, 5 3B, 24 RBI, 10 BB, 4 SB, 1.6 WPA, 1.1 WAR

Niagara 1B William Norman had a much higher Average (.457), but Altman earned his third career B.o.t.M. with a superior OPS (1.082 vs 1.015), higher RBI total (30 vs 25), and a whopping eighteen Extra-Base Hits. The other possibility here was 1B Mario Fusilli of Tiger, who hit .398 (.926 OPS) with a league-leading 34 Runs Batted In over just 23 games in May.

Tallman was one of three Pitchers to earn nine Wins in May, with Shamrock’s George Burroughs and Quaker St.’s Ross Gill the other two. Those two had better records (both 9-3), but Tallman had the lowest ERA of the trio and he also appeared in an absurd 16/23 Tiger S.C. games during the month. Tallman has arguably been their most important player so far.

No surprise for G.o.t.M., as the most highly-touted new face going into the season was the best of the Greenhorns during May. Teammate Joseph Nalley also hit over .300 (.329), while Mass. Bay CF James Johnson (.322) and Flour City 3B Jesse Noss (.308) did the same. The best Greenhorn P was Alleghany’s John Miles (6-4, 3.26 ERA, 8 K, 1.0 WAR).

A.P.B.L. STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .457 by William Norman (1B, Niagara)
OPS: 1.082 by Royal Altman (1B, Gotham)
Home Runs: 2 by Nelson Townsend (RF, St. John’s)
Runs Batted In: 34 by Mario Fusilli (1B, Tiger S.C.)
Runs: 33 by Babe Johnson (2B, Gotham) & Nelson Townsend
Stolen Bases: 19 by James Burke (CF, American)
Batsman WPA: 2.4 by Royal Altman & William Norman
Batsman WAR: 1.4 by Joseph Evans (LF, St. John’s) & Frank Doherty (3B, Alleghany)

Wins: 9 by three different pitchers
ERA (50+ IP): 2.28 by Robert Goodman (Knick) & Bertram Landreth (Knick)
Strikeouts: 29 by Nicholas Banfield (Orange)
Complete Games: 11 by Ross Gill (Quaker St.)
WHIP (50+ IP): 1.03 by Ross Gill
Pitcher WAR: 2.1 by Ross Gill
Pitcher rWAR: 3.9 by Ross Gill

NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION REGIONAL LEADERS

BROOKLYN: Eckford at 13-1 (Cont’l 4 GB; Bedford, Nassau Co., & Star 6 GB)
NEW YORK CITY: Mercury at 9-5 (Metro & N.Y.A.C. 1 GB; Hilltop & Union 2 GB)
UPSTATE N.Y.: Minuteman & Utica at 9-5 (Syracuse 1 GB; Binghamton, Frontier, & Victory 2 GB)
COASTAL: Trenton Utd. at 10-4 (Diamond St., Maryland, & P.B.C.C. 2 GB)
INLAND: Lancastra Brit., Pioneer, & Susquehanna at 9-5 (Reading A.C. 1 GB)
NEW ENGLAND: Sons of the Ocean at 10-4 (Portland, Quinnipiac, & Salem 2 GB)


BROOKLYN – After consecutive runner-up finishes in Brooklyn, Eckford appears determined to race out to such a fast start that nobody will catch them. The real surprise: Atlantic is 6-8 with sputtering offense.

NEW YORK CITY – Mercury is ahead for now, but defending N.B.B.O. champions N.Y.A.C. ended May with four straight wins. All eight teams are separated by just four games – standard N.Y.C. fare.

UPSTATE N.Y. – The usual suspects – Minuteman, Syracuse, & Utica – are the top three. That doesn’t say much, however, as taking the Upstate pennant frequently involves a multi-team fight that lasts until the final week.

COASTAL – Trenton Utd., projected to finish 32-38, are the surprise leaders at the end of May. Maryland & P.B.C.C. are playing well enough, but the main news here was National’s 4-8 start before they recovered with consecutive wins to end the month.

INLAND – Lancastra & Susquehanna topping the standings is a surprise to absolutely nobody. However, through nearly three weeks of play it appears that Pioneer, led by P Fred Cowan & 2B Frank Thomas, wants to crash their exclusive party.

NEW ENGLAND – S.o.t.O. has the early lead thanks to their fielding being the best in the N.E.L. and their stars Jesse Craig & Peter Huff both batting well over .350. The rest of the Writers Pool’s projected top five are right behind them.

N.B.B.O. MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMEN OF THE MONTH
NYL: George Whaley (CF, FRO) – .469, 1.173 OPS, 21 R, 30 H, 9 2B, 3 3B, 19 RBI, 1 BB, 7 SB, 1.0 WPA, 1.1 WAR
NEL: James Poindexter (1B, TU) – .484, 1.177 OPS, 20 R, 30 H, 4 2B, 4 3B, 19 RBI, 2 BB, 10 SB, 2.0 WPA, 1.2 WAR

PITCHERS OF THE MONTH
NYL: Abraham Evans (MET) – 6-1, 2.18 ERA, 18 K, 62.0 IP, 5 CG, 1.3 K/BB, 1.16 WHIP, 1.0 WAR, 2.3 rWAR
NEL: Fred Cowan (PIO) – 6-2, 2.26 ERA, 15 K, 67.2 IP, 4 CG, 2.5 K/BB, 1.33 WHIP, 0.9 WAR, 0.6 rWAR

GREENHORNS OF THE MONTH
NYL: Michael Akhverdov (RF, CON) – .344, 1.065 OPS, 22 R, 22 H, 10 XBH, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 7 BB, 5 SB, 1.1 WPA, 0.9 WAR
NEL: Gilbert Ingels (3B, PBCC) – .439, 1.071 OPS, 15 R, 25 H, 5 2B, 1 HR, 24 RBI, 7 BB, 1 SB, 0.9 WPA, 0.9 WAR

N.B.B.O. STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .488 by George Keller (C, Lake Erie)
OPS: 1.177 by James Poindexter (1B, Trenton Utd.)
Home Runs: 3 by Michael Akhverdov (RF, Continental)
Runs Batted In: 24 by Gilbert Ingels (3B, P.B.C.C.)
Runs: 25 by Frederick Pike (2B, P.B.C.C.)
Stolen Bases: 16 by Karl Ilkin (RF, Union)
Batsman WPA: 2.1 by Julius Tierney (LF, Star)
Batsman WAR: 1.4 by Frank Thomas (2B, Pioneer)

Wins: 6 by four different pitchers
ERA (50+ IP): 1.92 by Robert Dressen (Portland)
Strikeouts: 37 by Earl Quinn (Maryland)
Complete Games: 6 by six different pitchers
WHIP (50+ IP): 0.93 by Charles Rhodes (N.Y.A.C.)
Pitcher WAR: 2.1 by Earl Quinn
Pitcher rWAR: 3.3 by Arthur Rice (Union)

COASTAL BASEBALL CONFERENCE LEADER

Bridgeport at 9-5 (Lynn & Sportsman’s 1 GB; Essex Co. & Olympic 2 GB)

No surprise – preseason favorites Bridgeport top the standings after one month. However, their +5 Run Differential ranks fourth so they are a bit lucky to be in first place. Lynn is playing surprisingly well, while Olympic & Sportsman’s are where they should be.

C.B.C. MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMAN OF THE MONTH
James Holt (C, OLY) – .475, 1.098 OPS, 18 R, 29 H, 7 2B, 1 3B, 11 RBI, 3 SB, 56.5 CS%, 0.4 WPA, 1.2 WAR

PITCHER OF THE MONTH
Edward Koch (BRI) – 6-2, 2.97 ERA, 9 K, 63.2 IP, 6 CG, 2.2 K/BB, 1.19 WHIP, 1.2 WAR, 1.3 rWAR

GREENHORN OF THE MONTH
Horace Bray (HIGH) – .373, .828 OPS, 14 R, 22 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 14 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB, 0.8 WPA, 0.5 WAR

C.B.C. STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .475 by James Holt (C, Olympic)
OPS: 1.098 by James Holt
Home Runs: 3 by Lucian Diller (RF, Capitol City)
Runs Batted In: 18 by William Fair (RF, Lynn)
Runs: 19 by Hiram Trout (2B, Highlander)
Stolen Bases: 11 by Everton Pauline (LF, Olympic)
Batsman WPA: 1.5 by Bodil Hansen (2B, C. & A.)
Batsman WAR: 1.2 by James Holt

Wins: 6 by Walt Harper (Sportsman’s) & Edward Koch (Bridgeport)
ERA (50+ IP): 2.64 by William Stewart (Lynn)
Strikeouts: 19 by Jonathan Reitz (C. & A.)
Complete Games: 6 Edward Koch
WHIP (50+ IP): 1.19 by Edward Koch
Pitcher WAR: 1.3 by Walt Harper
Pitcher rWAR: 1.5 by Howard McGrath (Olympic)

PHILADELPHIA CITY BASEBALL LEAGUE LEADERS

EAST: Spartan at 10-4 (Frankford 2 GB; Keystone, Minerva, & Queen Village 3 GB)
WEST: Mercantile at 10-4 (Merion 2.5 GB; Bartram Vill., Independence, & Overbrook 3 GB)

EAST – Spartan had the league’s #1 offense during May, and their reward is first place. However, there are three quality teams close behind and Keystone (proj. 30-40) looks competitive as well.

WEST – Mercantile looks brilliant so far. They’re top-three in numerous offensive categories and star 1B Benjamin Warnock took home B.o.t.M. However, all other teams are within five games so it looks like the West will be very competitive.

P.C.B.L. MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMAN OF THE MONTH
Benjamin Warnock (1B, MERC) – .478, 1.131 OPS, 19 R, 33 H, 9 2B, 1 3B, 14 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SB, 1.1 WPA, 1.3 WAR

PITCHER OF THE MONTH
Charles Sturch (MER) – 5-1, 1.70 ERA, 23 K, 53.0 IP, 5 CG, 4.6 K/BB, 1.02 WHIP, 1.1 WAR, 1.3 rWAR

GREENHORN OF THE MONTH
Damian McLaughlin (C, PENN) – .344, .826 OPS, 15 R, 22 H, 4 2B, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 1 BB, 2.76 C-ERA, 0.9 WPA, 0.6 WAR

P.C.B.L. STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .478 by Benjamin Warnock (1B, Mercantile)
OPS: 1.160 by Henry Yoder (CF, Sons of Ben)
Home Runs: 1 by seventeen different batsmen
Runs Batted In: 18 by four different batsmen
Runs: 21 by George Golden (LF, Independence)
Stolen Bases: 12 by Jonathan Auriemma (2B, Minerva) & Harrison Comstock (LF, Schuylkill)
Batsman WPA: 1.7 by James Stober (3B, Queen Village)
Batsman WAR: 1.1 by Benjamin Warnock

Wins: 6 by Robert Nygren (Overbrook)
ERA (50+ IP): 1.70 by Charles Sturch (Merion)
Strikeouts: 29 by Oliver Greene (Frankford)
Complete Games: 6 by Robert Nygren & Charles Pratt (Mercantile)
WHIP (50+ IP): 1.02 by Robert Benson (Merion) & Charles Sturch
Pitcher WAR: 2.0 by Robert Nygren
Pitcher rWAR: 1.8 by Robert Ewing (Sons of Ben) & Charles Roberts (Sons of Ben)