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NORTHEAST BASEBALL RECAP: JUNE

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (June 30, 1882) – It’s time for June to roll over into July, and that means the baseball season in the Northeast has crossed the midway point. This is how the four competitions stand.

AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE

The standings look a little more normal at the end of June, with only a couple of teams sporting Run Differentials that don’t make much sense given their records. The preseason favorites and contenders are mostly right where they should be, and it will make for a thrilling pennant race.

COLONIAL CONFERENCE

Niagara was .500 during June, but that was enough for them to hold on to the lead by one game. Their main issues right now are that their SS position has easily been the league’s worst, when combining the efforts of William Court & Clyde Lemmon, and #1 Edward Jenkins has an ERA figure nearly 1.5 points higher than it was at this time last season (4.40 vs 2.98).

St. John’s has decided to crank up the form a bit earlier than usual, playing their way to a league-best record and Run Differential (+48) during the month. C Joseph Nalley is having his best season, and LF Joseph Evans has been nearly indescribable. Pairing John Ratican with Andrew Miller has worked beautifully for Newark, now owners of the league’s 2nd-best RD. Flour City is managing to thrive in spite of the conference’s worst RD, because they’ve been the conference’s best at home (16-6).

Alleghany’s defense is no longer the perennially brilliant unit it once was, but their new Outfield has played decently and 23-year-old 3B Luther Isaacson looks like he truly has star potential. Pt. Jersey is somehow surviving even though Robert Goodman is having his worst season (8-16, 4.52 ERA) and B.o.t.Y. runner-up Vincent Dixon is batting .262 (.664 OPS). Shamrock’s misery both away from home (6-15) and in one-run games (3-8) is killing them. Mass. Bay had a nice June, and their season is now salvageable.

METROPOLITAN CONFERENCE

Tiger wasn’t as dominant as they were in May, but they still have the league’s best RD and home record (17-4). 3B Samuel Eastman has been everything they hoped for, Gerald Burns has been fine at 1B, George Burroughs is pitching like an All-Star, and SS Martin Prince is playing just as well as he did last season.

Excelsior’s attack has endured some surprising struggles (R/G: 9th) but records of 12-5 in one-run games and 6-2 in Extra Innings are seeing them through it. Gotham figured some things out in June, and their #1 attack, which features Batsmen #1 & #2 in RBI, is overpowering opponents although their league-worst fielding remains a major problem. Kings Co. slid to a game under .500 because their offense had an unusually difficult time turning baserunners (OBP: 3rd) into run production (R/G: 12th).

The bottom half of the Metro is struggling. Knick is 14th in Runs thanks to a lineup that is having growing pains. Quaker St.’s 9-16 June was caused in no small by awful work in close games (1-Run: 3-9). American actually righted the ship in June, but they won’t be able to overcome that horrible May. For reasons that are simply difficult to understand given their top-end talent, Orange had the worst month by any team in A.P.B.L. history, adding a -118 RD to their 6-20 June record.

A.P.B.L. MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMAN OF THE MONTH
Joseph Evans (LF, StJ) – .496, 1.226 OPS, 36 R, 58 H, 14 2B, 6 3B, 28 RBI, 5 BB, 14 SB, 1.3 WPA, 2.3 WAR

PITCHER OF THE MONTH
Howard Burns (StJ) – 10-2, 3.22 ERA, 109.0 IP, 9 CG, 38 K, 4.4 K/BB, 1.24 WHIP, 2.0 WAR, 2.7 WAR

GREENHORN OF THE MONTH
Guy Penders (2B, MB) – .336, .926 OPS, 34 R, 41 H, 18 XBH, 2 HR, 27 RBI, 11 SB, 1.7 WPA, 1.4 WAR, CYCLE (6/24)

Evans grabbed his bat and sallied forth for the best month by a Batsman in A.P.B.L. history. He led the league in AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, H, TB, and WAR. His level of batsmanship was hard to believe, and it outdid any month he had in the P.C.L. Overlooked: the performance of Gotham 2B Babe Johnson (.430, 1.167 OPS, 37 R, 49 H, 23 RBI, 2.6 WPA, 2.2 WAR).

Burns had two more Wins than any other Pitcher in June and a fine set of statistical output, so he wins P.o.t.M. for the 5th time. The man who came closest to his body of work was Tiger S.C. #1 George Burroughs, who was a solid #1 throughout the month (8-2, 3.09 ERA, 28 K, 1 SHO, 1.2 WAR, 2.9 rWAR).

Orange RF John Smith led Greenhorns in Average and Mass. Bay LF Henry Yoder led them in both Runs and Hits. However, fellow Mass. Bay newcomer Penders earned G.o.t.M. for a June during which he led Greenhorns in Slugging, OPS, RBI, Total Bases, and WAR, and he also hit for the Cycle vs Flour City on the final Saturday.

A.P.B.L. STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .435 by Joseph Evans (LF, St. John’s)
OPS: 1.091 by Joseph Evans
Home Runs: 4 by Guy Penders (2B, Mass. Bay)
Runs Batted In: 56 by Alexander Hammond (CF, Gotham) & Walter McGovern (LF, Gotham)
Runs: 68 by Babe Johnson (2B, Gotham)
Stolen Bases: 46 by Konrad Jensen (1B, St. John’s)
Batsman WPA: 3.8 by Charles Barrett (LF, Niagara)
Batsman WAR: 3.4 by Joseph Evans

Wins: 15 by three different Pitchers
ERA (100+ IP): 2.94 by Moses Smith (Niagara)
Strikeouts: 77 by Washington Kihlstedt (Kings Co.)
Complete Games: 18 by Washington Kihlstedt
WHIP (100+ IP): 1.27 by Thomas Smith (St. John’s)
Pitcher WAR: 4.9 by Everett Huggard (Gotham)
Pitcher rWAR: 6.0 by George Burroughs (Tiger S.C.)

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NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION

NEW YORK LEAGUE LEADERS

BROOKLYN: Atlantic & Marathon at 30-16 (Continental 4 GB, Star 7 GB, Nassau Co. 10 GB)
NEW YORK CITY: New York Athletic Club at 29-17 (Metropolitan 2 GB, Hilltop 4 GB, Mutual/Union 5 GB)
UPSTATE N.Y.: Frontier B.B.C. at 34-12 (Syracuse 3 GB, Eagle & Minuteman 10 GB)

BROOKLYN: Marathon had a fine 16-10 June but Atlantic’s 18-8 mark was better, and the N.Y.L.’s surprise team now has a very familiar name alongside them at the top of the standings. Preseason favorites Continental are lurking in 3rd with the N.Y.L.’s best pitching. Star, with Brooklyn’s weakest roster, is somehow still playing .500 baseball. Nassau Co. is fading (June: 10-16) and should be more than ten games out before long. Still, the shocker here is 5x pennant winners Eckford being in last place at 17-29.

NEW YORK CITY: The teams were all within five games of each other to end May but there has been a bit of separation between top and bottom since, as 6th-8th place are all 10+ games out of first. N.Y.A.C. won their last six games to maintain their hold on top spot, with Metro going 9-1 to end the month. Hilltop, Mutual, & Union are still within five games, so the second half of the N.Y.C. Championship should offer plenty of excitement.

UPSTATE N.Y.: On the face of it, one would think that a 34-12 team like Frontier should be in fantastic shape. However, Syracuse matched their 18-8 June and that means Upstate will be a two-horse race during July & August unless something very surprising happens. That surprise could be Minuteman, who followed up their 6-14 May with an 18-8 June that matched the top two. Eagle being .500 or better this late in the season will always be a surprise.

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE LEADERS

COASTAL: Philadelphia B.C.C. at 29-16 (Maryland 2.5 GB, Brighton 3 GB, National 5.5 GB)
INLAND: Lancastra Brit. & Susquehanna at 30-15 (Squirrel Hill 5.5 GB, Pioneer 6 GB)
NEW ENGLAND: Quinnipiac at 33-13 (Granite 7 GB, Salem 8 GB, Green Mtn. 9 GB)

COASTAL: P.B.C.C. went wild in June, going 19-6 to vault from four games out of first to 2.5 games in the clear. The main factors: a 10-3 mark in one-run games and 4-0 in extras. Maryland’s outstanding pitching & fielding are keeping them close behind. The N.E.L.’s big surprise, Brighton, remains solidly over .500, with former A.P.B.L. star Albert Stoffers leading the way. Cup holders National crashed in June – they were 11-15 – and now have a hill to climb in their title defense.

INLAND: Of course, the top two after June are Lancastra & Susquehanna. The 3x champs’ 19-6 June made up a four-game deficit to put them right alongside the seemingly perennial Inland bridesmaids, and another thrilling two-horse race is set to unfold. Squirrel Hill, led by ex-Kings Co. star Fred Bartholomew, is playing well. Pioneer is receiving capable play from much of their lineup.

NEW ENGLAND: Quinnipiac looks terrifying after an N.B.B.O.-best 20-6 month, and that’s with their most talented player, LF Francis Edwards, batting close to 50 points worse than he did last year (.317 vs .364). It hasn’t mattered, for Quinnipiac has won their last six games. Granite, Salem, & Green Mtn. are all playing some fine ball, but it’s hard to see how any of them will be able to catch the defending New England Champions.

N.B.B.O. MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMEN OF THE MONTH
NYL: Francis Smith (CF, MET) – .388, 1.051 OPS, 34 R, 45 H, 20 XBH, 1 HR, 34 RBI, 8 BB, 15 SB, 2.5 WPA, 1.7 WAR
NEL: William White (CF, LBR) – .410, 1.170 OPS, 40 R, 48 H, 8 2B, 11 3B, 3 HR, 31 RBI, 13 SB, 2.7 WPA, 1.9 WAR

PITCHERS OF THE MONTH
NYL: Charles Rhodes (NYAC)* – 9-4, 1.41 ERA, 115.0 IP, 11 CG, 1 SHO, 34 K, 8.5 K/BB, 0.98 WHIP, 3.3 WAR, 4.2 rWAR
NEL: William Hawk (SUS)* – 10-2, 2.41 ERA, 101.0 IP, 10 CG, 1 SHO, 45 K, 9.0 K/BB, 0.89 WHIP, 2.4 WAR, 4.3 rWAR
*Rhodes earned P.o.t.M. for the ninth time; Hawk earned P.o.t.M. for the tenth time

GREENHORNS OF THE MONTH
NYL: Cleveland McLain (1B, NYAC) – .389, .910 OPS, 21 R, 42 H, 7 2B, 1 HR, 30 RBI, 12 BB, 1 SB, 1.2 WPA, 1.3 WAR
NEL: Anthony Calloway (CF, MM) – .359, 1.012 OPS, 31 R, 42 H, 8 2B, 3B, 1 HR, 19 RBI, 8 BB, 2.6 WPA, 1.4 WAR

N.B.B.O. STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .406 by James Burke (CF, Philadelphia B.C.C.)
OPS: 1.079 by James Burke
Home Runs: 5 by John Blaisdell (3B, Atlantic)
Runs Batted In: 59 by Franklin Painter (CF, Green Mtn.)
Runs: 69 by John Porretta (2B, Susquehanna)
Stolen Bases: 38 by James Poindexter (1B, Trenton Utd.)
Batsman WPA: 4.4 by Jack Anastasio (CF, New York A.C.)
Batsman WAR: 3.7 by John Porretta

Wins: 18 by Charles Sturch (Frontier)
ERA (100+ IP): 2.03 by Jacob Wesolowski (Syracuse)
Strikeouts: 88 by Harmon Dunlap (Marathon)
Complete Games: 18 by Charles Sturch
WHIP (100+ IP): 1.02 by William Hawk (Susquehanna)
Pitcher WAR: 5.8 by Harry Miller (Hilltop) & Howard Shepherd (Cont’l)
Pitcher rWAR: 7.6 by Charles Sturch

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COASTAL CONFERENCE

LEADER: Bridgeport at 27-19 (Capitol City/Sportsman’s 2 GB, Olympic 3 GB, C. & A./Essex Co. 4 GB)

For the first time, a majority of the C.C.’s teams are in the thick of the pennant hunt at the end of June.

Bridgeport sprinted into 1st with a 16-10 June powered by the league’s best overall fielding, but they’re followed closely by Capitol City’s fine Pitching Duo and Sportsman’s powerful lineup. Olympic (24-22) is over .500 thanks to excellent work by the #3 & #4 Batsmen in their lineup. Camden & Amboy is an even .500 due to the second-best fielding in the C.C. Essex Co. is the other .500 team thanks to the most sure-handed group of fielders in the C.C. Lynn (19-27) & Highlander (18-28), while both are seeing some great individual seasons, are well under .500.

C.C. MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMAN OF THE MONTH
Sidney Adams (RF, HIGH) – .402, 1.078 OPS, 32 R, 47 H, 12 2B, 7 3B, 1 HR, 27 RBI, 2 BB, 2.8 WPA, 1.9 WAR

PITCHER OF THE MONTH
Joseph Lawson (C&A) – 10-2, 2.78 ERA, 113.1 IP, 8 CG, 31 K, 1.7 K/BB, 1.27 WHIP, 2.0 WAR, 2.3 rWAR

C.C. STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .394 by Thomas Brewer (2B, Sportsman’s)
OPS: .982 by Sidney Adams (RF, Highlander)
Home Runs: 2 by seven different Batsmen
Runs Batted In: 45 by Walter Kirby (LF, Bridgeport) & Harold McMichael (3B, Bridgeport)
Runs: 55 by Clifton Curry (RF, Lynn)
Stolen Bases: 26 by Lewis Zeeryp (LF, Lynn)
Batsman WPA: 3.8 by Sidney Adams
Batsman WAR: 2.5 by Mark Russo (CF, Sportsman’s)

Wins: 14 by Charles Crowley (Bridgeport) & Joseph Lawson (Camden & Amb.)
ERA (100+ IP): 1.70 by Francis Tinney (Cap. City)
Strikeouts: 108 by Stephen Willis (Sportsman’s)
Complete Games: 16 by Charles Crowley
WHIP (100+ IP): 1.16 by Francis Tinney
Pitcher WAR: 4.8 by Stephen Willis
Pitcher rWAR: 5.0 by Charles Crowley

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PHILADELPHIA CITY LEAGUE

EAST LEADER: Frankford Arsenal at 28-18 (Queen Vill. 2 GB, Sons of Ben 3 GB, Minerva/Pt. Richmond 4 GB)

Frankford was just a bit better than Queen Village during June, so the 2x champs head into July leading the West by two games thanks to…what else…the league’s best offense. Q.V. had difficulty producing Runs over the past month (OBP: 3rd, R/G: 10th), and if they correct that then they’ll be right back up alongside Frankford. Sons of Ben doesn’t look great on paper, but the league’s highest collecting Zone Rating (+32.6) is winning games for them. Pt. Richmond is hanging in there, but they’re not going to threaten first place while allowing more Runs than anyone else.

The big Eastern matter from June is again Minerva. They followed their shocking 5-15 May with a spectacular 19-7 June during which their Run Differential was roughly +85 – a return to last year’s form. That means the current leaders are in serious danger.

WEST LEADER: Independence at 27-19 (Merion 2 GB, Bartram Vill. 3 GB, Penn 4 GB, Overbrook 4.5 GB, Schuylkill 5 GB)

And once again the West is full of surprises. Independence, who was 23-47 last year and 8-12 at the end of May, surged into 1st with a 19-7 June in which everything went right for a team that’s never finished higher than 6th. In a league that has had some truly surprising pennant winners, Independence would be the most stunning one yet.

Merion is close behind thanks to a 10-4 record in close games. May leaders Bartram Village have slipped to 3rd due to offensive struggles, notably amongst their Outfielders. Penn is an even .500, although they’ve been hit with some unlucky bounces over the first two months. Overbrook has the West’s best offense and #1 Robert Nygren is doing brilliant work once again, but poor performance by their other Pitchers has hurt. 2x defending West champs Schuylkill are struggling at the plate (R/G: 13th, OPS: 16th), and if they can’t fix those woes soon there won’t be a third straight appearance in the Liberty Bell Classic.

P.C.L. MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMAN OF THE MONTH
Peter Stinson (1B, SoB) – .442, 1.085 OPS, 28 R, 53 H, 11 2B, 4 3B, 29 RBI, 11 BB, 2 SB, 2.4 WPA, 2.0 WAR

PITCHER OF THE MONTH
Jack Ryder (IND) – 12-2, 1.92 ERA, 117.0 IP, 10 CG, 19 K, 0.8 K/BB, 1.28 WHIP, 1.3 WAR, 3.7 rWAR

GREENHORN OF THE MONTH
Nathaniel Fields (2B, IND) – .371, .868 OPS, 28 R, 36 H, 5 2B, 2 3B, 22 RBI, 7 BB, 5 SB, 0.8 WPA, 0.9 WAR

P.C.L. STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .400 by Peter Stinson (1B, Sons of Ben)
OPS: .985 by Peter Stinson
Home Runs: 3 by James Herring (SS, Bartram Vill.) & Gallagher O’Farrell (RF, Germantown)
Runs Batted In: 54 by James Niven (CF, Overbrook)
Runs: 57 by three different Batsmen
Stolen Bases: 38 by Jonathan Auriemma (2B, Minerva)
Batsman WPA: 3.7 by William Penn (LF, Germantown)
Batsman WAR: 3.6 by Paul Ward (SS, Frankford)

Wins: 15 by Jack Ryder (Independence)
ERA (100+ IP): 2.26 by Byron Chase (Sons of Ben)
Strikeouts: 82 by Oliver Greene (Frankford)
Complete Games: 18 by Byron Chase
WHIP (100+ IP): 1.17 by Bud Forster (Minerva)
Pitcher WAR: 4.4 by Thomas Bath (Penn)
Pitcher rWAR: 6.1 by Byron Chase