Baseball In The Tar Heel State: A Fictional Experience

[Jeff49]

Chris Hartle
Asheville, North Carolina

Dear Chris,

This is your pal from Arizona, Jeff, sayin' howdy. Your letter just come this week and I was sure glad to see it and have one of the boys read it to me. It was mighty kind of your folks to send it along to me all the way from Centreville.

You know, Arizona only come a state back in 1912, so we ain't got the best kind of mail delivery here yet, but we do with what we got. I'm awful sorry to hear about your shoulder gettin' hurt when you was in Hickory, but you're tough, and I'm sure it'll get better.

You been seein' any of this here Miss Dee while you're away from the ballpark? She sounds mighty nice, and good-lookin' too, I bet. Mister Wilson over at the telegraph office can talk with the people clear back in North Carolina, and he says you're on the big team now there in Asheville, and I bet you're showin' 'em a thing or two about how to swat a baseball.

I tell all the boys here you was always the best I ever seen in the whole state of North Carolina, and now I bet you be backin' up my words. Anyway, I gotta go now 'n rustle up some grub for dinner. Say hi to your folks for me, and Miss Dee too, and good luck with your baseball hittin'. You was always the best I ever seen.

Your pal,
Jeff
Slaughterhouse Gulch, Arizona

[AZTarHeel]

Dear Jeff,

Thanks for keeping in touch. It's always good to hear from my friend in Arizona.

By the time you get this note, you will have likely heard that the Asheville Tourists are North Carolina State League champions! After winning the regular season title, we went out and beat the Charlotte Hornets in the Carolina Champions Cup playoff series three games to one.

I thought for awhile that I might get named MVP of the 1919 series. I had the best batting average of anyone on our team, 8-for-14 (.571). One of my hits was a triple and another a double. But the MVP went to our superstar catcher Vincente Nieves. He wracked up on RBIs, had some really clutch hits and kept our pitching staff together. He deserved it, though it's now my goal to be a playoff series MVP at some point in my career. Hey, I'm only 22, so I should have a lot of time to try.

As for Miss Dee, I guess she was a looker in her day. But she's old enough to be my grandma. Haha. Her husband died a few years ago, and he really loved baseball. So, she uses her enormous house as a boarding house of sorts for young (and poor) ballplayers who come through Hickory. We pay just a few dollars in rent and agree to help her keep the place up. Of course, she gets to come and go at the Hickory ballpark any time she pleases. The Hickory manager made sure she had great seats for all of Asheville's playoff home games, and even introduced her to the crowd before Game Four. She absolutely loved it. She probably cheered louder than anyone when we won it all.

As much as Miss Dee came to mean to us, I'm hoping I won't have need to live at her house again. I'm hoping to stay in Asheville full time now. I think I've earned that chance to be on the "Big Club." Hopefully I can even be a full-time starter in 1920.

Anyways, take care. Maybe one day I can come visit Slaughterhouse Gulch. Is that anywhere near Tombstone?

Your friend
Chris Hartle
3B Asheville Tourists

[AZTarHeel]

1919 North Carolina State League — Carolina Champions Cup Recap



Kings of the hill again
Team effort helps Asheville unseat Charlotte as NCSL champions


GAME SCORES
Game 1: Charlotte 7, Asheville 4 — WP: J. Guerra (1-0). LP: M. McNeill (0-1)
Game 2: Asheville 8, Charlotte 3 — WP: C. Lloyd (1-0); LP: R. Young (0-1)
Game 3: Asheville 8, Charlotte 2 — WP: J. Ward (1-0); LP: T. Johnson (0-1)
Game 4: Asheville 7, Charlotte 5 — WP: C. Wilson (1-0); LP: M. Kennedy (0-1). S: T. Thompson (1)


It was hard to find a single hero in Asheville’s 1919 Carolina Champions Cup triumph over the Charlotte Hornets in four games. There were so many. Consider what these guys in Tourists uniforms pulled off to bring the Champions Cup back up the mountain out of Charlotte:



• Veteran catcher Vincente Nieves, traded to Asheville this season from Raleigh, batted .400 with two doubles and six RBIs.



• Recent call-up 3B Chris Hartle, still a youngster at age 22, posted a whopping .571 average (8-for-14) in his first playoff experience. That included a triple and a double.



• Another recent call-up, 1B Clint Moran, batted an even .444 (8-for-18) with three RBIs and four runs scored.



• SS Jose Perez batted .412 (7-for-17) and cruised home for five runs.



• 2B John Brown, LF Alfredo Perez and RF Dave Carter combined for 14 hits, and each had four RBIs.



A total team effort indeed. Charlotte just had no answer for the Tourists once the bats started warming up. Ironically, that happened with Asheville trailing the Hornets 7-0 in Game One. It was the top of the seventh, and Chris Hartle stroked a one-out single on a 2-2 count. He clapped wildly to encourage his teammates after getting to first base, and Jim McCrory and Vincente Nieves followed with singles later in the inning.

A more confident Asheville team climbed back to score four runs in Game One and never cooled off. It just took a couple of guys to get a few hits to start the rampage.



Nieves (pictured at top) ended up being named the Championship Series MVP. The 33-year-old’s leadership, team-best six RBIs and finding ways to get on base (getting walked four times) put him over the top. Also, he was 4-for-7 with two doubles in the late-inning situations. Not to mention he held the pitching staff together after Charlotte battered them for 16 hits in Game One. Mr. Nieves was Mr. Clutch.



Last year’s series MVP, Charlotte outfielder Antonio Arevalo, was a mere 4-for-17 in this series. The Hornets were singing the blues after this four-game set was over for sure but it’s hard to complain about a team that has played for four straight championships (winning half of them).



**OK, so yours truly was wrong about the NCSL being a two-horse race these days. It’s more like a three-horse show, with Asheville, Charlotte and Winston-Salem dominating the headlines the past four seasons…




NORTH CAROLINA STATE LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

1913 - Winston-Salem Twins (defeated Durham 2-1)

1914 - Durham Bulls (defeated Raleigh 2-1)

1915 - Winston-Salem Twins (defeated Durham 2-0)

1916 - Asheville Tourists (defeated Charlotte 3-0)

1917 - Charlotte Hornets (defeated Winston-Salem 3-0)

1918 - Charlotte Hornets (defeated Winston-Salem 3-1)

1919 - Asheville Tourists (defeated Charlotte 3-1)

[AZTarHeel]

1919 North Carolina State League — Player Awards & Leaderboards





Most Outstanding Hitter Award

Should we just go ahead and name this the Angel Pellicer Award? The left-hander slugger nicknamed Sweetness won this honor for the fourth year in a row and the fifth time in seven seasons. This year Pellicer scorched the opposition with a .349 average (career high), picking up 152 hits (career high), 18 doubles, 10 triples, 2 home runs and 54 RBIs, while scoring 73 runs.



Pellicer, who now has 938 hits, told reporters after the 1919 season he’d trade all the individual awards for a couple more championship rings. “It’s eating me up that we can’t over that hump and win like we did in the early years.”

(NOTE: The AI decides all award winners except the NCSL Championship Series MVP)…



Past Winners

1913 - Angel Pellicer (Winston-Salem)

1914 - Randy Downs (Greensboro)

1915 - Antonio Arevalo (Durham)

1916 - Angel Pellicer (Winston-Salem)

1917 - Angel Pellicer (Winston-Salem)

1918 - Angel Pellicer (Winston-Salem)
1919 - Angel Pellicer (Winston-Salem)




Most Outstanding Pitcher Award

Javier Guerra became the third Charlotte pitcher in the past four years to win this coveted honor. The 34-year-old right-hander had a superlative-laden season, chalking up a 16-8 won-lost mark with an impressive 2.71 ERA.



Guerra logged 29 starts, threw 232.1 innings, yielded 219 hits, struck out 60 and held the opposition to a .246 batting average.



Past Winners

1913 - Kenny Davis (Durham)

1914 - Oliver “Skull” Jenkins (Raleigh)

1915 - Oliver “Skull” Jenkins (Raleigh)

1916 - Rudy Young (Charlotte)

1917 - Gary “Brick“ Lee (Winston-Salem)

1918 - Craig Clark (Charlotte)
1919 - Javier Guerra (Charlotte)



Newcomer Of The Year Award

Last spring Arturo Martínez was happy to just make the Capitals roster. He was overjoyed to see the name "Martínez" on the lineup card, too. Now the 22-year-old Raleigh left fielder has capped off his debut full season by winning the coveted North Carolina State League Newcomer of the Year Award.



Martínez won the award by hitting .328 and collecting 128 hits, 4 home runs, 51 RBIs and 17 walks, along with 45 runs scored and a .355 on-base percentage. His stellar campaign gave Caps fans something to cheer for in an otherwise dismal season. Hope for the future in the Capital City… unless they trade Martinez away like they did with Vincente Nieves, who led Asheville to a championship this season.



Past Winners

1913 - Angel Pellicer (Winston-Salem)

1914 - Vincente Nieves (Raleigh)

1915 - Chris Wilson (Asheville)

1916 - Jose Andres (Asheville)

1917 - Jack Fry (Winston-Salem)

1918 - Craig Clark (Charlotte)
1919 - Arturo Martinez (Raleigh)


Glove Wizard Awards

Pitcher: Rudy Young (Charlotte Hornets)

Catcher: Bo Smith (Greensboro Patriots)

First Baseman: Henry Butler (Winston-Salem Twins) - Boom Boom’s going to be a good one!

Second Baseman: Joe Herrera (Greensboro Patriots)

Third Baseman: José Costello (Raleigh Capitals)

Shortstop: Craig Gray (Charlotte Hornets) - repeat winner

Left Fielder: Alfredo Pérez (Asheville Tourists) - wow, six-time winner of this award in LF, fifth in a row

Center Fielder: John Stewart (Asheville Tourists) - repeat winner

Right Fielder: Junior Young (Winston-Salem Twins) - broke up an Asheville outfielder sweep





Offensive Leaderboards





Pitching Leaderboards

[AZTarHeel]

The News & Observer

Cities picked for new NCSL franchises
Wilmington, Fayetteville will get teams

RALEIGH — Eastern North Carolina baseball fans finally will have teams of their own to cheer for.

The North Carolina State League plans to expand to eight teams for the 1920 season, and the new franchises will be placed in the cities of Wilmington and Fayetteville. The two new clubs will join the six original members of the NCSL — Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Greensboro, Winston-Salem and Asheville — which began play in 1913.

The Wilmington team, located at the coast, will be known as the "Pirates." The Fayetteville club has adopted the nickname "Highlanders." Both become official members of the NCSL on Jan. 1, 1920.

Wilmington officials announced that their Western Carolina League farm team will reside in the town of Marion (Marauders). Fayetteville's Western Carolina League affiliate will play in Shelby (Farmers).

More details on the two new clubs and their farm teams — including team logos and uniform designs — will be unveiled during the 1920 preseason report.

[No Pepper]

Keep up the good work AZ, good dynasty going here, literally. Will be interesting to see if expansion will bring even less parity to a league that's been dominated by the same 3 teams the last few years. But then again, with only 6 (and soon 8) you still have a small number of teams that an injury here, a trade there, or a few drafts could jostle or invert the standings in a small amount of time. I wonder, are some of the league owners debating a split season format?

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by No Pepper

Keep up the good work AZ, good dynasty going here, literally. Will be interesting to see if expansion will bring even less parity to a league that's been dominated by the same 3 teams the last few years. But then again, with only 6 (and soon 8) you still have a small number of teams that an injury here, a trade there, or a few drafts could jostle or invert the standings in a small amount of time. I wonder, are some of the league owners debating a split season format?

Hey No Pepper, thanks for reading. I was starting to wonder if anyone was following along -- haha. Although, I think I would still keep the dynasty up even if it were just for me because I'm having fun with it.

I don't have plans for now to use the split season format but that gives me an idea for something I was thinking about for a few years down the line ... Stay tuned...

I, too, am intrigued to see how adding two teams to the league will affect the dynamics. It's neat (sometimes confusing) to see how the AI deals with the various teams. Some teams seem "smart" (Charlotte, Winston-Salem), while others like Greensboro just do some really dumb stuff, like trading away No. 1 picks with bright futures more than once (I've simmed into 1920, and they did another move that has me scratching my head and asking, "Why?")

Part of me would like to see some dominant teams emerge and stay dominant, like a Yankees or Braves situation. I don't think it would be very fun to follow if there was too much parity, if that makes sense ...

Anyways, thanks for stopping by. More updates soon (when I can get a little break from busy work schedules).

[AZTarHeel]

1919 North Carolina State League — News & Notes

A few legends step away from the game; another player endures wife's wrath

Some final tidbits on the 1919 season, which in a sense marks the end of the first era of the North Carolina State League. In 1920, several changes will take place, including the addition of two new teams and a longer season schedule.

• Winston-Salem outfielder Ryan Travis is just three runs away from being the first in the NCSL to reach 500 career runs. Five others in the league have more than 400 at this point. Travis also is 27 hits shy of being the first to 1,000. He has been an unsung hero much of his career.

• Back-up Durham Bulls catcher Jorge Diaz missed three months of action after getting hit in the head with a frying pan. The blow was delivered by his wife in February. No one ever really knew what exactly Diaz did to deserve the cast-iron swipe to the head. But no one ever dared talk junk about Mrs. Diaz…

• The Winston-Salem Twins were 18-6 against the Raleigh Capitals in 1919. Talk about domination. No other series between clubs was that lopsided.



Oliver "Skull" Jenkins shown during his Raleigh Capitals days
• Popular left-handed pitcher Oliver “Skull” Jenkins decided to hang it up after the 1919 campaign. “It’s just time,” the 40-year-old from Holyoke, Mass said. Jenkins ends his career with a 96-73 record, 2.79 ERA. He had 12 shutouts and 91 complete games. He struck out 791, which is for now the career lead for K’s in the league.

Jenkins pitched for the Raleigh Capitals from 1913 until getting traded to Durham in 1918. He admitted that the Bulls’ jersey never quite felt right after “Raleigh Red.” Jenkins won Most Outstanding Pitching honors in 1914 and 1915 with the Caps. Jenkins lost his last start, a 6-5 heartbreaker against Asheville. “I knew then as I was coming off the field, I was done,” he would later say. “It was a fun ride for this old hard head. I just wish I could have brought my teams and my fans a championship.”

• Winston-Salem outfielder Zachary Taylor (517 career hits, .310 career average) also decided to retire. He helped the Twins to a couple of championships and won a Glove Wizard award for himself in 1915...

• Outfielder Floyd Mathis, who started for Durham and Raleigh for six seasons, joined the growing list of retirees. He leaves the game with 570 career hits.

• Ollie Spence, who managed Winston-Salem and Asheville to championships (then got fired by both clubs), has signed on to be the Greensboro Patriots pitching coach for 1920. Wow…

• Below are season & career pitching and hitting records as they stand in the NCSL going into the 1920 season. Obviously, a lot of these will be rewritten quickly with the league increasing its number of games from 120 to 162.


BATTING RECORD BOOK:


PITCHING RECORD BOOK:

[AZTarHeel]

1920 North Carolina State League — Preseason 1

Pirates, Highlanders ready to go
Introducing the NCSL's two newest teams

There was plenty of excitement in Wilmington and Fayetteville at the start of 1920 as each city introduced its new North Carolina State League baseball team to its respective community.

Here is a look at each team’s logo and jersey look.



Wilmington Pirates
Ballpark: The Pirates’ Cove
Capacity: 4,200
Notes: Wilmington’s first known professional baseball team IRL played in 1900. It didn’t have a nickname that’s known. The Wilmington Giants played in 1901, followed by several Wilmington Sailors teams from 1902-10. I personally liked Pirates as a nickname, though it came later in the city's baseball history. The jersey script for my Pirates team is taken from some old East Carolina University Pirates logos I found. I can’t remember where I found the pirate head logo. The team colors are straight from UNC Wilmington.



Fayetteville Highlanders
Ballpark: Highlanders Ballpark
Capacity: 6,000
Notes: In real life, “Highlanders” was the name of the first minor league baseball team that played in Fayetteville. The first Highlanders teams played in 1909-10 in the Eastern Carolina League. The second run of Highlanders teams played in the ECL in 1928-29. Yet another run of Highlanders teams called Fayetteville home from 1953-56. They played in the Carolina League. My jersey logo was inspired the following picture (kind of scary, eh):




The other teams’ ballparks FYI:
Asheville Tourists: Asheville Grounds, capacity 4,650
Charlotte Hornets: The Hive, capacity 5,400
Durham Bulls: Durham Athletic Park, capacity 5,000
Greensboro Patriots: Ballpark of Greensboro, capacity 4,500
Raleigh Capitals: Capital Ballpark, capacity 4,650
Winston-Salem Twins: Twins Ballpark, capacity 4,100

[AZTarHeel]

1920 North Carolina State League — Preseason 2

Marion, Shelby welcome Western Carolina League feeder teams
Developmental League will grow as well

The North Carolina State League’s expansion means the Western Carolina League also will grow in 1920. Let’s meet the two new teams in the Western Carolina League. Marion’s pretty far from Wilmington, the longest haul between the NCLS club and its D-League partner.




Marion Marauders (Wilmington Pirates)
Stadium: Marion Municipal Stadiium, capacity 990
Notes: Marion is actually located between Asheville and Hickory in the NC mountains. The real-life Marauders played in the Western Carolina League and the Tar Heel League in the late 1940s and early 1950s.



Shelby Farmers (Fayetteville Highlanders)
Stadium: Shelby Ballpark, capacity 1,025
Notes: Shelby is located about 10 miles north of the South Carolina border and maybe half an hour west of Charlotte. The city has been home to a real life minor league franchise many years, starting with the Shelby Cardinals in the 1930s (played in the second incarnation of the NCSL). The Shelby Farmers played in the Western Carolina League in the 1940s and ’50s. (Side note: my color pick for Shelby matches the colors of John Deere -- couldn‘t resist).

[AZTarHeel]

1920 North Carolina State League — Preseason 3

Already controversy
Wilmington, Fayetteville irked to be shut out of first amateur draft

Baseball fans in the Tar Heel state couldn't wait for the start of the 1920 season. An expanded league meant an expanded schedule -- more baseball in more places.

But here is where things get interesting. Raleigh and Greensboro club leaders were quick to propose putting into the league documents that the two new clubs, Wilmington and Fayetteville, not become official until Jan. 1, 1920. Sneaky, sneaky. That meant, of course, that the Pirates and Highlanders would not be able to participate in the annual new player allocation draft, which happens in mid-November. That also meant that Raleigh and Greensboro would preserve their top overall picks.

Wilmington and Fayetteville club officials protested vehemently but what was done, was done. They were promised, however, extra first-round picks in the next draft as compensation.

Raleigh used the first overall pick on 22-year-old left-handed pitcher Ernest Cox. The Caps hope Cox will be the next Skull Jenkins. But many pundits aren’t yet sold on Cox.

Greensboro picked next, and for the first time in several years did not choose a pitcher as its No. 1. The Patriots selected shortstop Mike Zimmer, who many believe can be a star for years to come. Zimmer also is 22. It will be interesting to see if he is the type of player who can one day put the Greensboro franchise over the top.

Catcher Julius Martinez went next to Durham. He’s Fayetteville born and bred, and the Highlanders were pretty irked not to get a chance to sign a home-grown product.


Top 10 Prospects
Except for SS Mike Zimmer, a player that Cooleemee fans are excited about, there aren’t any new draftees at the top of this list this year. Chris Hartle of Asheville playoff fame comes in at No. 6. Winston-Salem is excited about 2B Colton McQueen, who was No. 7 on this list last season. Raleigh looks to have a bright future.

1) 2B Colton McQueen, 21, Winston-Salem Twins (batted .319 after getting call-up to Winston last year)
2) SS Mike Zimmer, 22, Greensboro Patriots
3) SP Willard Richards, 19, Asheville Tourists (0-1, 4.60 ERA for Hickory in 1919)
4) SP Jim Hamelton, 19, Charlotte Hornets (0-1, 0.00 ERA in 9.1 IP for Mooresville in 1919)
5) SP Bruce Beltran, 22, Raleigh Capitals (12-8, 2.00 ERA as starter in Statesville)
6) 3B Chris Hartle, 23, Asheville Tourists (.321 average after Asheville call-up, .571 in playoffs)
7) C Anthony Stephenson, 21, Raleigh Capitals (.274 average, 4 HR’s for Statesville)
8) SP Ernest Cox, 22, Raleigh Capitals
9) 1B Bob Padgett, 18, Durham Bulls
10) CF Tom Scott, 21, Charlotte Hornets


Top 10 Position Players
Looking at this list makes it hard to imagine the three recent powers -- Charlotte, Asheville and Winston-Salem -- getting knocked from their perch this season. Looking down at the top 20, and there are no Wilmington or Fayetteville players included.

1. LF Angel “Sweetness” Pellicer, 31, Winston-Salem Twins - maintains his hold on No. 1
2. LF Antonio Arevalo, 31, Charlotte Hornets
3. RF Bill Robbins, 35, Raleigh Capitals
4. SS Carlos Rodriguez, 41, Winston-Salem
5. SS Jerry Johnson, 34, Asheville Tourists
6. 1B Clint Moran, 24, Asheville Tourists
7. C Marvin Young, 30, Charlotte Hornets
8. CF Ryan Travis, 31, Winston-Salem Twins
9. 1B Ivan Martinez, 41, Charlotte Hornets
10. 1B Henry Butler, 26, Winston-Salem


Top 10 Pitchers
Looking at this list makes you think that Raleigh, Durham and Greensboro can be more competitive and break the stranglehold that the Twins, Tourists and Hornets have had at the top of the standings in recent years.

1. Craig Clark, 27, Charlotte Hornets (healthy again after missing most of 1919)
2. Andy Owens, 33, Raleigh Capitals
3. Jack Fry, 23, Winston-Salem Twins
4. Bill Bergeron, 33, Raleigh Capitals
5. Curt Dunham, 27, Durham Bulls
6. Kenny Davis, 39, Durham Bulls
7. Merlin McNeill, 37, Asheville Tourists
8. Jose Andres, 31, Greensboro Patriots
9. Javier Guerra, 35, Charlotte Hornets
10. Norm Ross, 33, Greensboro Patriots


AzTarHeel’s Prediction for 1920
Though I’ve been wrong most years, yours truly has a feeling that Raleigh and Winston-Salem will be the teams to beat in the league this season. The Twins finally get another playoff championship, beating the Caps in an exciting seven-game series. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb to say that Greensboro won’t be last or even next to last this season. The Patriots will most definitely finish ahead of Wilmington and Fayetteville. If they don’t, then the Pats should definitely shut down their operations, or at least move them to Cooleemee.

[AZTarHeel]

1920 North Carolina State League — Mid-Season Report

Bulls, Twins setting the pace
Raleigh’s Robbins enjoys 33-game hit streak

JULY 1, 1920 STANDINGS

Team               	W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Durham Bulls        	52	28	.650	-	50-30	2	27-13	25-15	6-2	15-10	82	W4	7-3
Winston-Salem Twins	50	29	.633	1.5	44-35	6	27-10	23-19	3-4	14-13		W1	4-6
Asheville Tourists 	45	34	.570	6.5	45-34	0	20-19	25-15	2-7	13-11		L5	4-6
Greensboro Patriots	41	39	.512	11.0	42-38	-1	20-18	21-21	8-3	13-18		W1	6-4
Charlotte Hornets	38	41	.481	13.5	40-39	-2	22-16	16-25	2-7	12-14		L2	5-5
Raleigh Capitals	31	47	.397	20.0	35-43	-4	14-25	17-22	2-3	8-11		L1	4-6
Wilmington Pirates	29	48	.377	21.5	28-49	1	15-26	14-22	5-2	11-9		L1	4-6
Fayetteville Highlanders	30	50	.375	22.0	31-49	-1	16-28	14-22	2-2	12-12		W2	6-4

The Durham Bulls were among the North Carolina State League front-runners during the first couple of years but faded to the background the past 3-4 seasons. The Bulls are back and lead the NCSL at the (almost) halfway point.

Durham pitcher Kenny Davis has been among the headline makers thus far. Part of the original Bulls’ lineup, the now-40 year old left-hander sports a 13-4 record with a 2.72 ERA. But Durham’s other three starters have been gleaned from trades. The Bulls worked with Greensboro to get Curt Dunham (7-4, 2.88), snared Dan “Little Rat” Sutton (2-3, 2.03 ERA) from Raleigh and picked up Kenny Craft (9-10, 3.26 ERA) -- the 1919 Western Carolina League Most Outstanding Pitcher -- from Charlotte. So far, it’s working well (Sutton is just coming off the 60-day DL). Rightfielder Garrett McDonald leads the offense (.354 average, 34 RBIs). Young CF David Coffman, age 23, is batting .338. Both have had five-hit games.

The Winston-Salem Twins loom right behind the Bulls. The Twins started 16-2. Pitcher Jack Fry at one point was 11-1 with a 1.68 ERA. He’s now 13-4 with a 2.28 ERA. Gary “Brick” Lee has 11 wins. Winston has a pretty potent hitting attack, led by the reigning batting king RF Angel “Sweetness” Pellicer (.389, 44 RBIs, 17 doubles). Henry “Boom Boom” Butler had a six-hit game against Asheville on June 25. He was a triple short of the cycle, hitting a homer and three doubles. Winston is first or second in every offensive category except strikeouts (sixth).

Raleigh is having a horrible season thus far, trailing the two new clubs in the standings. But CF Bill Robbins, who missed a lot of last year due to injury, is lighting it up. He’s currently leading the league with a .401 batting average and broke a league record with a 33-game hit streak.

The Wilmington Pirates excited fans by winning their first two games, both at home against Durham. On opening day, the Pirates drilled the Bulls 6-1. Israel Soliz got the first pitching victory in Wilmington history. Soliz was the first player picked by the Pirates in the expansion draft. He does have a no-hitter to his credit in the old Developmental League. The team’s first official hit was a run-scoring triple by 2B Andy Gross.

Fayetteville lost its first game to Winston-Salem 8-4. Kel Overhill threw the first pitch for the Highlanders. 1B Lonnie Clark earned the first hit in the second inning. CF Steve Brown scored the first run.

The Highlanders finally got a win on April 9, rallying with two runs in the bottom of the ninth to beat Winston-Salem. Denny Wotton was the winning pitcher.

Both the Pirates and Highlanders have come back down to earth, though, since the early excitement. It’s going to be a long road for both to become contenders. But Wilmington picked up a huge piece to its puzzle, trading with Greensboro for starting pitcher John “Cats” Rocha, last year’s star hurler for Cooleemee. Not sure why Greensboro would give Cats up. He was the top overall pick in 1918. Greensboro has cut loose with two No. 1 overall picks in recent years, both pitchers. Don't get it!

Rocha is 3-6 with a rough 4.6+ ERA on July 1. But Cats is only 24, with a promising future ahead of him. He’s already the Pirates’ No. 1 ace. Rocha was traded to Greensboro for a couple of young outfielders. Juan Garcia, 24, just got called up to the Patriots’ Big Club. Sean Edwards, age 19, is still in Cooleemee (batting .240). We’ll see how that trade pans out.

Mooresville (53-22) leads the Western Carolina League on July 1. Lexington, Hickory, Cooleemee and Statesville are battling for second place, just a couple games from each other (but between 7 and 11 behind Mooresville). The poor Shelby Farmers are really struggling at 12-62. Hey, what do you expect? All of their top players are playing for Fayetteville.

Cooleemee starter Augusto Lopez threw a no-hitter on May 18. Lopez is now up on the big club in Greensboro...

[BigRed75]

Glad to see the update. Now you know there are at least three people reading it and anxiously awaiting updates!

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by BigRed75

Glad to see the update. Now you know there are at least three people reading it and anxiously awaiting updates!

thanks for reading BigRed ... hopefully as summer gets here and my job calms down a bit, I'll get to play and post more ...

Have you found a favorite team to pull for yet? just curious ... i have a feeling the pirates are going to develop into something special. i'll be surprised if greensboro ever digs out of the cellar...

[BigRed75]

Well, since I'm from Raleigh, it has to be the Captials, doesn't it? Or is it the Crapitals?

Although by the time I arrived on the scene, Devereux Meadow was already a parking lot for the city's garbage trucks!

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by BigRed75

Well, since I'm from Raleigh, it has to be the Captials, doesn't it? Or is it the Crapitals?

Although by the time I arrived on the scene, Devereux Meadow was already a parking lot for the city's garbage trucks!

I'm a Raleigh native, so that's cool ... My parents still live there (actually in the same house they had when I was born) ... I live about 2.5 hours west of the Capital City now days and hope to introduce my little small town to this dynasty at some point ...

Hopefully Raleigh can turn things around...

[AZTarHeel]

Let's see if I can kick-start this one again (inspired by the other North Carolina state dynasty on these boards)...

1920 Western Carolina League — Season Recap



Lexington, Mooresville split titles
Indians win regular season, Moors take playoff series



The Cooleemee dynasty was finally halted in the Western Carolina League, which serves as a feeder for the North Carolina State League. While the Weavers were pretty solid once again, their five-year reign as champs of the developmental circuit came to an end in 1920.

Lexington (which supports Durham) and Mooresville (which feeds Charlotte) both finished 74-46 in the final standings. The Indians won a one-game playoff to determine the regular season crown. The Indians then captured the first two games in the best-of-five playoff series before the Moors roared back to take the next three. In the decisive Game Five, Mooresville scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth to pull out a 3-2 triumph. Wow, some good baseball there.

Lexington's success early in the season was driven by likable 25-year-old catcher Boyd Carlson. Carlson was shipped off the Durham after about 70 games but was rewarded for a stellar showing in the WCL by being named the top batter for 1920. He compiled a .373 batting average during his time in Lexington and a .459 on-base percentage this year. In 71 games he piled up 85 hits, 14 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs, 37 RBIs and 29 runs scored. Carlson would be pretty productive during a 73-game stint with Durham as well, hitting better than .300. His minor league days appear to be over. More on the Bulls when we wrap up the NCSL's regular season (and playoffs).

Hickory's Joe Gallagher, who has been around since 1916, was voted the WCL's best pitcher. Gallagher posted a 17-8 record. In 259 innings (30 starts total) he yielded 181 hits and 35 walks, while striking out 269 and compiling a fine 1.42 ERA. Nice. His career record is 51-30 at the D-League level, so maybe he'll got a shot at the bigs next year in Asheville.

Some other Western Carolina League highlights:
• There were some serious offensive outbursts throughout the league in 1920. Eric Hoover of Marion enjoyed a 5-for-6 day against Shelby on June 26. He cranked out seven RBIs, helped in large part by a grand slam. Should we mention that Hoover is a starting pitcher? Four other dudes went 5-for-5 in games this season (though none were pitchers). Gustavo Martinez of Mooresville did it twice.

• Cooleemee pitcher Jerome Edwards struck out 16 in a two-hit win over Mount Airy. Edwards was 12-0 with a 1.41 ERA before moving up to Greensboro (where he was less stellar at 6-13, 4.64 ERA). The kid is only 23. He's got a bright future ahead.

• Maybe the best pitching performance of the year in the WCL came from Statesville's Bruce Beltran. On June 2, against Mount Airy, Beltran went 11 innings, gave up just three hits, struck out 12 and didn't walk anyone. Alas, neither Statesville nor Mount Airy could score during that stretch, and the game went another two innings before the Graniteers prevailed 2-0 in 13 frames. Why does it always seem to work that way?

• Mooresville's Logan Lorn led the WCL with 19 pitching wins. Lexington's Jonas Gundar (great name), from Brazil, had the best ERA at 1.01. Gundar went 15-1 with a 1.01 ERA before joining the Durham Bulls for the stretch run. The Bulls seem to be loading up.

• Shelby pitchers Don Weeks (22 losses), Dudley Law (19 losses) and Travis Larkin (18 losses) led the WCL in pitching futility. Ouch. The group earned just 14 wins total.

Poor Larkin was 1-18 with an ERA of 5.32. He struck out 39 and walked 89! Interestingly he was credited with 11 quality starts. Were his injuries in July (dead arm) and August (back) real injuries or did Larkin just want to get away from the game for awhile? Seriously, he might be the worst pitcher I've even seen in my OOTP experiences. Someone to keep track of for sure, to see if he'll rebound. He's only 19-years-old. For some reason, his morale is "angry." Gee, wonder why. Let's see if any other team in the WCL or NCSL for that matter matches Shelby's overall crappiness (31-89 record). Maybe it's the ugly green and yellow uniforms...

Up next: the big boys in the North Carolina State League wrap up the 1920 season. The Greensboro Patriots aren't last!!

[VARoadstter]

Count me as another Raleigh supporter! I am as happy to root for the underdog as the next guy. Hopefully the draft shenanigans result in boosting the team's play. Eventually the stink of controversy should wear off.

Go Caps!

[William Foster]

My god Shelby sounds as awful as the Spiders were IRL. Three fifteen+ game losers? No excuses for futility on that level...

I hope they have SOME hope for their future..

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by William Foster

My god Shelby sounds as awful as the Spiders were IRL. Three fifteen+ game losers? No excuses for futility on that level...

I hope they have SOME hope for their future..

To Shelby's credit, the deck was pretty stacked against them in 1920. The yearly new player draft comes in November. The two new franchises didn't come into existence until January, so they both got sloppy seconds (or fifths). The best of the sloppy seconds were up on the big clubs in Wilmington and Fayetteville, so Shelby and Marion had to make do with the bottom of the barrel. It will be interesting to see how long, if at all, it will take for these teams to pull themselves up to respectability.

Thanks for reading and following along...