Philadelphia Mavericks
Code:
Seasons: 34
Record: 2739-2770(.497)
Average Record: 81-81
Championships: NONE
Pennants: 1(1985)
Divisions: 2(1985 & 2008))
Wild Cards: 6(1989, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2012, 2018)
Most Wins: 98(2004)
Most Losses: 103(1994 & 1995)
Silver Sluggers:
1985 3B Jimmy Adams .356, 82 XBH, 138 RBI, 136 RS
1986 3B Jimmy Adams .379, 92 XBH, 158 RBI, 130 RS
Bronze Arms 1
1985 Cris Williams 22-10, 3.27 ERA, 269 K, 1.13 WHIP
Platinum Rookies: 2
1986 C Vinny Delatorre .298, 14 XBH, 49 RBI
1987 2B Morris Briggs .270 BA, 50 XBH, 56 RBI
Hall of Famers: 1
3B Jimmy Adams
The Philadelphia Mavericks have been a curious franchise. They have managed to play close to .500 baseball for 34 seasons(31 games under) but have only two division titles and eight total playoff appearances to show for it. In those eight playoff appearances they managed to win just two postseason series, none since 2004. Led by 3B Jimmy Adams and SP Cris Williams the Mavs won 97 games in the league's inaugural season, beat the Crazed Natives for the Freedom League Pennant, but lost 4-1 in the USBA Championship Series to the Memphis Riversharks. The Mavericks would never again be serious contenders reaching the LCS just one other time and losing in the Division Series on six other occasions. Their best season in the USBA was their first season in the USBA. Adams would win the first two Freedom League Silver Slugger Awards while Williams took the 1985 Bronze Arm. The team would also rake in the first two Freedom League Platinum Rookie Awards won by C Vinny Delatorre in 1986 and 2B Morris Briggs in 1987. Adams would retire after the 1990 season and Williams would become ineffective after just two seasons and it was all downhill from there.
Playing in a very competitive Atlantic Division the Mavs won 90 plus games eight different times but won only two division titles. During a three year stretch from 2004~2006 they won 98, 90, and 94 games but managed only two wildcard spots finishing 15, 23, and 14 games behind the eventual division champion. They won their second and last playoff series after the 2004 season beating LA in five games before losing the League Championship Series to division rival NY in five games.
The franchise reached it's lowest point from 1993~1995 losing 100 plus games each season. It would mark the only three times in the Maverick's history they would lose 100 games. Overall the Mavs have put up 19 winning seasons but have been the hard luck franchise of the USBA. Philly made the playoffs again in 2006, 2008, 2012, and 2018 but won only four games combined for the four series losing in the Division series each time.
Several great players have suited up for the Mavericks over the years including Adams, Briggs, John Sims, Darrell Osbourne, Williams, Curtis Miller, Alvin DeMasi, and Ken Moise but all you have to do is scour the Philadelphia Maverick's all time leader boards to figure out that the early years were the best. Just like Marty McFly they just want to get back to 1985!
Jimmy Adams doesn't rank very highly on the career leaderboards anymore, but that is because he was 33 when the league began (he was the 26th overall selection in the dispersal draft). Over a four year span from '85-'88, Adams was arguably the most dominant hitter in the USBA; and he wasn't too bad in his final two seasons either. Adams hit 40 or more HR with 120 or more RBI in each of his first four seasons in the league on his way to two Silver Slugger awards. He led the Mavericks to playoff appearances in '85 and '89, but Philly won just one game in those two series and Jimmy was unable to bring home a title in his 6 seasons with the Mavericks. He was an All-Star in all 6 of his seasons and even hit for the cycle in '88 against New York at the age of 36. When Adams retired, he was the career leader in RBI and ranked in the top 5 in H, R, and HR. Adams has 22 more HR than anyone in the history of the league after the age of 32, proving what a dominant power hitter he was in his later years and raising questions on how good he could have been had the league opened its doors 8-10 years earlier.
3B Jimmy Adams(2 SS, 5 AS, 3785 AB .333/.376/.598, 179 2B, 262 HR, 792 RBI, 683 RS)
**HOF Bios from USBA HOF page if available