Quote:
Originally Posted by JaBurns
Did Ollie Johns make it into your league he is a stud closer in my HRD.
John Halla is another reliever I would be interested in seeing his performance in your league.
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Love to see how they did in your league but for me neither one amounted to much.
Halla was a victim of the reserve roster. Wish we could lower them to just 3-5 players or eliminate altogether. Not quite good enough to make a major league team but just good enough that someone purchases his contract from the minors and sticks him on the reserve roster as there are no affiliated teams in his era.
JOHN HALLA
John Halla pitched for 4 different major league teams in my sim but was 2-2 with a 2.70 era in just 19 career major league appearances. He finished his career at the age of 28 when he went 13-22 for Louisville of the American Association in 1912. It was the only year he pitched more than 20 innings in a season.
He signed with the Browns as a free agent in 1902 but remained on their reserve roster for 2 seasons before being dealt to the Tigers for reliever Cy Swaim. He was named the 78th best prospect prior to the 1904 season but was released by the Tigers after spring training.
The White Sox signed Halla in May of 1904 and he made his major league debut that season, getting a save in his only appearance. At the end of the year the White Sox dealt him to the Mobile Bears of the Southern Association for pitcher Ted Breitenstein but before the 1905 season started the Browns purchased his contract and put him back on their reserve roster. That lasted just a few months as the Browns cut him in July but the Philadelphia Athletics immediately added him to their reserve roster.
At the end of the 1905 season the A's released him and Mobile signed him to a contract but despite being on their roster for the second time, Halla never pitched for the Bears as the Cubs purchased his contract in February 1906 and he was once again assigned to a major league 15-man reserve roster. After being cut by the Cubs in mid-season and picked up again by the Athletics to finish out 1906 he was again released.
The Cincinnati Reds signed him prior to the 1907 season and he cracked the major league roster so for the first time since that 1 game in 1904 he would be able to pitch again. He was 0-1 with a 2.25 era in 5 relief appearances early in the 1907 season but was released at the end of April. Philadelphia had injury trouble so the Phillies signed him a couple of weeks later and he got 5 relief appearances for them, going 1-0 with a 5.06 era. He was cut in July but caught on with the Washington Senators who used him in 1 game that season. In all he pitched for 3 major league teams in 1907, going 1-1 with a 3.12 era in 11 appearances.
He stuck with the Senators for the 1908 campaign and was 1-1 with a 1.80 era in 10 innings of work over 7 appearances but spent the bulk of the year on their reserve roster.
Released in spring training 1909 by Washington, Halla found his way to San Francisco of the PCL and made 7 relief appearances for the Seals in April before the Pirates purchased his contract and it was back to the reserve roster for Halla. He would spend most of the next 2 years on reserve rosters of various major league clubs but did get 1 appearance with Pawtucket of the New England League and 12 games with Louisville of the American Association in 1911.
His contract remained with Louisville for the entire 1912 season and he finally got to pitch, making 35 starts but was 13-22 with a 2.90 era for a very bad Colonels team. Louisville released him after the season and he never caught on anywhere else, finally choosing to retire at the end of the 1914 season.
OLLIE JOHNS
Great beginnings to his career but Ollie Johns never amounted to much in my sim. The only time he spent on a big league roster was 4 months in the winter of 1910-11 but he was cut by the Cleveland Naps prior to spring training.
Johns made his pro debut with the Indianapolis Indians of the American Association in 1904. He led the league in games started and innings pitched and posted an impressive 21-13 record as a rookie. He would spend 4 more seasons with Indianapolis but did not match his rookie year. Following the 1907 season the Indians released him and he signed with the Rochester Broncos for 1908. The Broncos only used him in 7 games and released him at the end of the season. He bounced around three minor leagues in 1909, spending time with St Paul, Montreal and Butte but none of the teams used him in a game. That led to a brief signing with the Cleveland Naps but after being cut before spring training and spending the 1911 season unemployed he retired from the game.