Federal League

[Hekeziah]

I created the Federal League, using the imported 1914 rosters.

As in real life, I created the Colonial League to provide each team a farm club (albeit taking some liberties with team names/locations). To help fill out the full rosters, I also added the 1914 versions of the rookies who debuted for each team in 1915.

The goal is to replay the FL reasonably close to history for the two years it existed (including importing the players who jumped to the league in 1915) and then delve into fiction with a random debut draft.

For 1914, I did take the additional liberty of adding about 20 free agents - players who debuted in the season and had some connection to the team cities. That included a certain young leftie from Baltimore who might have a future in the outfield.

[Pelican]

Or on the mound. I have been working with a similar sim, and had the same idea. Literally the Babe would have only had to cross the street to play for the Terrapins instead of the Orioles.

I've also done some research into the era, and a number of FL signings that almost happened, did happen and then the player backed out, or easily could have happened.

Plus I have been taking a hard look at good players in the Pacific Coast League, and other good minor league players overlooked by MLB who could have played in the FL, if only their scouting was better.

Right now I have detoured to the 1911 Season, and a side benefit of that is identifying marginal players who could also have added to FL rosters.

My goal is to have the FL survive beyond the 1915 Season, and to begin signing Negro League players after World War I. With no color bar, there would have been enough quality players for three leagues and 24 teams.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by Pelican

My goal is to have the FL survive beyond the 1915 Season, and to begin signing Negro League players after World War I. With no color bar, there would have been enough quality players for three leagues and 24 teams.

Easiest way to do that in your game-with-minors is to edit those csv & txt files. That way you won't have to manually create the FL each offseason. You may already know how to do that and maybe you're even planning on it. But if not & you want some instructions, hit me up

[Hekeziah]

In a year dominated by strong pitching and competitive balance, the Federal League pennant race was a four-way battle between Newark, Baltimore, and St. Louis.

If the Terps hadn't underperformed, they would have run away with the division, but they did, and thus well into September, the teams continued to exchange first place, with no team lasting more than a few days before being knocked out. It came down to a mid-September series at Harrison Park, where the Peps took 3 of the 4 from the Terps that cemented their position in first, as the Terriers hit a skid and ended up fourth, before a late surging Tip-Top team.

Hitting, in general, was depressed, with a league-wide average of .238 and no one hitting over .300. Benny Kauff was the universal choice for MVP, and was the best hitter in the league, with a respectable, although not spectacular 299/388/516 slash - he missed the Triple Crown by 11 RBIs and had a league-leading 9.9 WAR on the season.

Pitchers overall dominated the league, with a league-wide 2.21 ERA. Cy Falkenberg of the Peps finished with a 25-12 record and 1.94 in 42G and 342.2 IP, just edging out Claude Hendrix of the Whales (23-14, 1.75 in 43 G/361 IP) and Tom Seaton of the Tip-Tops (24-20, 2.02, in a league-leading 46 starts and 413.1 IP).

(Some might notice that I didn't include Indianapolis, but just made the team in Newark to begin with).

[Hekeziah]

As I'm planning for the 1915 season, a quick run-down of the league setup:

The only Major League is the Federal League, with eight teams in Baltimore, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Chicago, Kansas City, Newark, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis.

Team rosters are set to 20 players (most teams carry 6 or 7 pitchers, then 13 or 14 position players) and they play a 154-game season.

There is currently one minor league, with every Major league team having one farm team - the Colonial League started as Class B, but has been raised to Class A for the 1915 season. Teams are based in Brockton MA, Fall River MA, Hartford CT, New Bedford MA, Pawtucket RI, Poughkeepsie NY, Springfield MA, and Waterbury CT (based on the actual teams/league).

Rosters started as the actual 1914 rosters for each FL team, the 1915 rookies for each team (to seed the minors), and a handful of players who debuted in 1915 (in the AL/NL) as free agents.

In 1915, all the players who jumped to the FL were added to their historic team. Players released by AL/NL teams between the 1914/1915 seasons and a random assortment of players born in 1897 (18-year-olds) were added to supplement the free-agent pool and give some minor-league depth.

There is no draft, but I'm thinking of adding it in a year or two (which I want to make at least half the rounds regional). I also plan on adding one more minor league (Class B, probably the Triple-I league) and the PCL as an independent league (once there are enough players in my universe). I'm also using reserve clauses/no free agency for the moment.

I have not created a historical backstory as to why/how the FL exists in a vacuum I plan to expand the league, perhaps around 1920, to have teams from all the major cities (of the time, at least) that aren't represented and are historically logical for a team - Detroit, Cleveland, Boston, and Philadelphia.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by Hekeziah

Rosters started as the actual 1914 rosters for each FL team, the 1915 rookies for each team (to seed the minors), and a handful of players who debuted in 1915 (in the AL/NL) as free agents.

In 1915, all the players who jumped to the FL were added to their historic team. Players released by AL/NL teams between the 1914/1915 seasons and a random assortment of players born in 1897 (18-year-olds) were added to supplement the free-agent pool and give some minor-league depth.

How are you getting players into your game? Are you simply manually importing the ones you want? Or?

[Hekeziah]

Originally Posted by thehef

How are you getting players into your game? Are you simply manually importing the ones you want? Or?

Essentially, yes.

Baseball Reference has downloadable CSVs for every year's team roster, players who debuted each year, and players born in particular years (all of which include the LahmanID), so that makes it easy to build the file(s) I want, which I upload via the import historic players option.

[Pelican]

So I'm confused. Where are all the players who were on AL and NL teams in 1915? Are they free agents? Are they just not included? How about Babe Ruth, for example? Boston? Baltimore??

[Hekeziah]

Originally Posted by Pelican

So I'm confused. Where are all the players who were on AL and NL teams in 1915? Are they free agents? Are they just not included? How about Babe Ruth, for example? Boston? Baltimore??

Except for the handful I imported, not in the game. They still exist in this universe in a parallel semi-reality, I'm just choosing not to play/include them.

I did import Babe Ruth, he was signed by the Terrapins in 1914 (instead of the Orioles as IRL). He started 1914 playing in Fall River, but earned a promotion to the majors - he split 1914 on the mound and outfield, but moved full-time to the outfield for 1915 since Baltimore had a surplus of pitching and a need for his bat:

[Hekeziah]

On 05 September 1915, in settlement of the lawsuit now pending in the federal court for the Northern District of Illinois, the following agreement is announced by the National Baseball Commission:

• The Honorable Theodore Roosevelt is appointed Chairman of the Commission with immediate effect.
• The Federal League is recognized as a Major League.
• The President of the Federal League is appointed to the National Baseball Commission with the same rights and privileges as the Presidents of the American and National leagues.
• The American, Federal, and National leagues (hereinafter “leagues”) agree to honor all existing and future contracts between the respective team(s) of said leagues and their players, including those reserved.
• Except as provided below, No player movement shall be permitted between the Federal League and the American and National League(s) for a period of fifteen (15) years, i.e., prior to the end of the 1930 season.
• All leagues and teams have equal rights to sign amateur players or those under contract to a team in a minor, foreign, or other league.
• The Commission reaffirms that there is no prohibition against the employ of players based upon color, creed, or national origin.
• In order to ensure financial stability and proper representation of the largest cities of our country, the following franchise movements are permitted:
• The St. Louis (AL) franchise shall be relocated to Baltimore, Maryland.
• The Federal league shall be permitted to add an expansion team to play in Philadelphia, PA beginning in the 1916 season.
• The Federal league shall be permitted to add an expansion team to play in Detroit, MI beginning in the 1916 season.
• The new Federal league teams in Philadelphia and Detroit, aforesaid, are permitted to sign up to five (5) players each currently under contract or reserve to an AL or NL team, provided said team is in agreement with the same.
• No later than the 1921 season, the National league shall be permitted to add an expansion team to play in Cleveland, OH.
• No later than the 1921 season, the National or American leagues shall be permitted to expand to Milwaukee, WI, Minneapolis MN, and Indianapolis, IN.

[Hekeziah]

An exhilarating five-team race marked the 1915 season in the Federal League for the pennant. The Kansas City Packers started hot, dominating the standings throughout April and May. However, as they faded, the St. Louis Terriers and Chicago Whales surged ahead, breaking away from the pack to battle for first place. The Baltimore Terrapins also remained in contention for much of the summer, but a crucial injury to Babe Ruth caused them to slide down to the middle of the division, joining the Pittsburgh Rebels. The Rebels boasted strong hitting but couldn't compensate for their subpar pitching. Meanwhile, the defending champion Newark Pepper had a dismal April, which kept them out of the race all year. Though they managed to climb out of last place, they couldn't reach a .500 record.

The Whales held first place for most of August, but a ten-game winning streak propelled the Terriers into the lead by early September. They never relinquished it, finishing with 88 wins and a three-and-a-half-game lead. The Terriers' success was fueled by a balanced offense and stellar pitching, culminating in a league-leading 1.96 team ERA.

This season also saw a historic milestone. John Henry Lloyd, a former star for the Chicago American Giants, debuted as the first black player in the majors since 1884, signing and starting at shortstop for the Baltimore Terrapins. Lloyd's remarkable performance earned him a unanimous Rookie of the Year award.

Max Fiske of the Whales was the unanimous choice for Pitcher of the Year. The German native finished with a 27-9 record and a 1.48 ERA in 39 starts and 351.2 innings pitched. Braggo Roth of the champion Terriers ran away with the MVP award, boasting a .307/.413/.487 line with a league-leading 14 home runs and 37 stolen bases, amassing 9.5 WAR on the season.

The biggest win came off the field. A settlement was reached with the American and National Leagues to ensure stability and a clear path forward. In 1916, the Federal League would field ten teams and be recognized as a co-equal (though not yet participating in the World Series). A significant concession for peace was the agreement on no player movement between the old leagues and the new. Surprisingly, this idea came from the Feds themselves. President Jim Gilmore wanted to prevent the AL or NL from poaching his stars and was confident that effective scouting would provide enough new talent for the league without the need to raid the other majors.

[Hekeziah]

The Terriers Eddie Plank wrote his name in the league history books by picking up career victory number 300 today against the Philadelphia Quakers. In the St. Louis 3-0 triumph at Hilldale Park, the 40-year-old hurler went 9 innings, allowed 7 hits and had 8 strikeouts and 1 walk.

"I won't forget this day," an emotional Plank told reporters. "It's hard to stay at the top for so long and to win 300 games is quite a feat."

His lifetime totals give Plank 300 victories and 176 defeats with a 2.36 ERA.

[Hekeziah]

At the end of April, the league is seeing its usual cluster of teams fighting it out, with all the established teams just beating up on the two expansion teams, who are, as expected, just doing terribly.

The monthly awards:

Rogers Hornsby of the Brooklyn Tip-Tops certainly made a resounding impression on the Major League Baseball pitching corps in April and today reaped the reward as the league's best batter for the period.

The second baseman put up some good offensive figures as he hit .415 with 3 home runs, 24 RBIs and 21 runs scored.

The best pitcher this past month in Major League Baseball was Earl Moseley of the Newark Peppers. He really razzle-dazzled league hitters, finishing April with a standout 5-1 record and 1.46 ERA.

The Peppers hurler made 6 starts and surrendered 45 hits in 55.2 innings. He struck out 21 and walked 11.

Brooklyn's Poindexter Williams collected 26 hits to snare the Major League Baseball Rookie of the Month for April.

He batted .338 with no home runs, 13 RBIs and 16 runs scored.

The 18-year-old is barely old enough to shave, but he could definitely contend for Rookie of the Year if he keeps up this pace.

[Hekeziah]

As May draws to a close, the battle for first is becoming a battle of the New York metro area, as resurgent Brooklyn and Newark jockey for first.

The monthly award winners:

Hot-hitting left fielder Babe Ruth of the Terrapins really pounded Major League Baseball pitchers in May, winning the Batter of the Month award.

He hit .345 with 6 home runs, 18 RBIs, 23 runs scored and 26 walks to finish with a .504 on-base percentage.

A look at his current stats shows Ruth with a .307 average, 8 home runs, 30 RBIs and 40 runs scored. He has played in 52 games.

Newark starter Smokey Joe Williams really put the chill on opposing teams in May and today was acclaimed the Major League Baseball Pitcher of the Month.

He excelled with a 6-0 mark and 0.31 ERA in 7 starts. In 58 innings, he fanned 82 and walked 7.

So far this year, Williams has made 13 starts, tossed 120 innings, struck out 171 batters and walked 15. His record is 8-0 with a 0.75 ERA and he has limited opposing teams to a .120 batting average.

The Major League Baseball Rookie of the Month has been picked for May and the honor went to the Buffalo Blues hitting machine, Cristobal Torriente.

During the last month he compiled a .407 batting average with 37 hits and 1 home run, along with 26 RBIs and 14 runs scored.

This year, Torriente is batting .345 with 1 home run and 38 RBIs. In 49 games he has scored 28 times.

[Hekeziah]

At the halfway mark, the Peppers have opened a 6 game led over the Whales, with the Rebels and Tip-Tops chasing them.

Defending champion St. Louis is barely above .500. Equally surprising is the collapse of the Terrapins - everything seems to be going wrong with them, with the whole team (except Babe Ruth) underperforming (or in some cases, regressed for good). Expansion Detroit played well in June, bolstered by strong pitching (even if their bats are rather anemic)

Monthly award winners:

Rogers Hornsby is likely in no rush to flip the calendar over.

The Brooklyn second baseman had a huge month in June and has been named the Major League Baseball Batter of the Month.

On the month, he posted a .378 batting average, with 1 home run, 17 RBIs, 17 runs scored and a .441 on-base percentage.

This season, Hornsby is hitting .377 with 5 home runs.

Fred Anderson was firing on all cylinders in the month of June with 6 wins as he steamrolled all Major League Baseball opposition on his way to the Pitcher of the Month award.

During the month Anderson was 6-1 with a 1.48 ERA. He made 7 starts, tossed 61 innings and had 27 strikeouts.

To date this season, Anderson sports a 13-7 mark with a 1.94 ERA in 21 starting assignments. He has held the opposition to a .221 batting average and has 84 strikeouts in 185.1 innings.

The most productive Major League Baseball rookie in June was Buffalo's first baseman Cristobal Torriente.

Last month, he played in 24 games and hit .313 with 2 doubles, 8 triples, and no home runs. Torriente also scored 14 times and drove in 13 runs.

In 73 games this year, Torriente has posted a .335 average and put up these numbers: 1 home run, 51 RBIs and 42 runs scored.

[Hekeziah]

Mid season 1916 Batting leaders

[Hekeziah]

Mid season 1916 pitching leaders (Smokey Joe is clearly a man amongst boys)

[Hekeziah]

At the end of July, the race remains much the same, with the Peppers holding a substantial lead over the rest of the pack.

The monthly award winners:

July's Batter of the Month has been announced by Major League Baseball. This month's trophy was presented to the Newark left fielder, Edd Roush.

He starred by hitting .423 with a .487 on-base percentage, totaled 44 hits in 104 at-bats, 2 home runs, 17 RBIs and scored 20 runs.

For the year, Roush has hit at a .356 clip with 64 RBIs, 3 home runs and 70 runs scored.

When Johnny Enzmann takes the hill, he usually takes command of the game -- at least that's the way it was in July. The outcome was usually a St. Louis victory. His fine 7-0 performance earned him the Major League Baseball Pitcher of the Month trophy.

The talented Terriers hurler made 7 starts, worked 66 innings, permitted 41 base hits, and struck out 43 while putting up a 1.09 ERA.

For the season, Enzmann has a record of 17 wins and 8 losses in 28 appearances. He has an ERA of 2.03 and has fanned 106 batters in 212.1 innings.

Urban Shocker strung a bunch of high-quality starts together in July to earn the Major League Baseball Rookie of the Month trophy.

For the month of July the 25-year-old Shocker recorded a 4-3 won-lost mark with a 3.25 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 55.1 innings.

In 7 starts this season, Shocker has rung up a 4-3 record and a 3.25 ERA.

[Hekeziah]

As August comes to an end, the end of the season is in sight. Unlike some past years, the race for the pennant lacks drama, with the Peppers holding onto their sizable lead.

The monthly winners

Braggo Roth said he hopes everyone remembers his performance in August if he ends up struggling this year. His performance certainly was memorable, as the 24-year-old St. Louis Terriers third baseman was a step ahead of all other Major League Baseball hitters and was named Batter of the Month.

On the month, he hit .330 with 5 home runs, 23 RBIs and 16 runs scored.

Roth is batting .330 this season with 78 RBIs, 93 runs scored, and 11 home runs.

Major League Baseball announced today that Smokey Joe Williams has been chosen as the league's Pitcher of the Month. The Newark starter had everything working for him last month as he glided to a 6-0 record.

In August Williams chalked up a 0.50 ERA in 54 innings with 72 strikeouts and 17 walks.

Checking out his stats for the season, Williams has notched 23 wins and 5 losses in 34 starts. His ERA is 1.06 and he's struck out 409 batters in 297.1 innings.

No first-year player did it better than Urban Shocker in August!

This novice Buffalo Blues pitcher put up 6 wins to nab the Major League Baseball Rookie of the Month Award.

He stood out by holding opposing hitters to a .233 batting average and finishing with a strong 6-1 record and a 1.71 ERA. Shocker tossed 63 innings as he collected 28 strikeouts and issued 10 walks.

Shocker has compiled a 10-4 record with a 2.43 ERA this season.

[Hekeziah]

At the end of the season, the Newark Peppers, resurgent after a poor 1915, cruised to a league championship behind the dominant performance of their pitching staff, especially ace Smokey Joe Williams, and solid hitting, led by batting champion Edd Roush.

The Whales and Terriers finished second and third, although neither was particularly close. The Blues, led by rookie phenom Cristobal Torriente, finished a surprisingly strong fourth, with Brooklyn rounding out the first division - newcomers Rogers Hornsby and Poindexter Williams led a strong hitting team, but subpar pitching prevented them from contending.

Expansion teams in Detroit and Philadelphia performed in the second division, as expected, but both avoided the basement due to the utter collapse of the Terrapins, whose aging team was unable to support the lone star of Babe Ruth.

He's the toast of the town in Buffalo -- the brand-new 1916 Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award winner -- first baseman Cristobal Torriente.

In his debut season he compiled some good stats, hitting .349, batting in 85 runs and scoring 81 times, while playing in 140 games. The 22-year-old newcomer also had 29 doubles, 27 triples and 2 home runs.

He received 10 first place votes, as a unanimous winner. Greasy Neale of the Detroit Wolverines finished second in voting, while Alejandro Oms of the Newark Peppers finished third.

Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Cristobal Torriente - Buffalo Blues - 10 - 50
Greasy Neale - Detroit Wolverines - 0 - 26
Alejandro Oms - Newark Peppers - 0 - 14

The spotlight today is on Smokey Joe Williams of the Newark Peppers. He was named the top pitcher in the Major League Baseball and will be honored with the 1916 Pitcher of the Year Award.

Williams compiled an impressive 26-6 won-lost mark to capture this year's honor. In 333.1 innings of work and 38 starts, the Peppers star struck out 455, while giving up 169 hits and 72 walks. He limited opposing batters to a .149 average.

He received 10 first place votes, as a unanimous winner. Bob Groom of the St. Louis Terriers finished second in voting, while Fred Anderson of the Buffalo Blues finished third.

Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Smokey Joe Williams - Newark Peppers - 10 - 70
Bob Groom - St. Louis Terriers - 0 - 39
Fred Anderson - Buffalo Blues - 0 - 27
Dolf Luque - Detroit Wolverines - 0 - 9
Cy Falkenberg - Newark Peppers - 0 - 8
Johnny Enzmann - St. Louis Terriers - 0 - 6
Ad Brennan - Chicago Whales - 0 - 5
Erv Lange - Chicago Whales - 0 - 3
Hooks Wiltse - Brooklyn Tip-Tops - 0 - 2
Gene Krapp - Buffalo Blues - 0 - 1