OOTP historic rerun.

[amead17]

12th August 1884

The fans of the Quakers were looking enviously at their cross town rivals all season as they saw their own team struggle through another tough year. The Quakers managed to finish in 7th place in the NL table with a record of 42-70. The fans hope their team can find the improvement needed over the winter.

The year was poor in every month and August was no different as the team went 4-5. This record included a 1-2 road trip to the Cincinnati Red Stockings, 1-1 at home to the Chicago White Stockings and a 2-2 road trip against the Boston Beaneaters.

The best player during the season was Left Fielder Ed Swartwood. Swartwood managed to pick up 133 hits from 435 at bats during his 108 games. He scored 62 runs and 50 RBI's for an average of .306.

Pitching


Batting

[amead17]

12th August 1884

The fans of the Alleghenys had to watch another below par season from their team as they again struggled to find consistent form. The team finished the season with a record of 51-61 to end the season in joint 5th place in the NL table.

The season started in average form that then went up and down all year. August was the same as the team finished with a 3-6 record for the month. They went 1-2 on the road to the New York Gothams and 0-2 at the Cincinnati Red Stockings before finishing the month with a 2-2 road trip to the St Louis Browns.

With the team struggling all year their were very few individual performers during the year. The one player that did continue to shine was pitcher Charlie Buffinton. Buffinton picked up 29 wins from his 53 games while pitching 423.2 innings. He gave up 386 hits and 93 earned runs for an ERA of 1.98

Pitching


Batting

[amead17]

12th August 1884

The fans of the Browns continued to have to sit through their teams struggles as they endured another tough season. The team picked up a record of 51-61 to finish in joint 5th place in the NL table. The fans will hope for better next year.

The team started the year in fairly good form before dropping back as the year went on. August saw another slightly below average month as they went 4-5. They had a 1-2 road trip against the Boston Beaneaters, a 1-1 home series against the New York Gothams and a final 2-2 home series against the Pittsburgh Alleghenys.

The star of the show this year was Short Stop Pete Browning. Browning managed to claim 148 hits from 456 at bats in 108 games. He scored 75 runs and 54 RBI's on his way to an average of .325

Pitching


Batting

[amead17]

12th August 1884

The Nationals had another tough season as they finished in 6th place in the AL table with a record of 46-66. This has left the fans frustrated as they look for them team to improve. They will hope for better next season.

The team were always playing below average ball during the year and August no different as they went 4-5. They started the month with a 2-1 road trip against the Baltimore Orioles then a 0-2 home series against the Detroit Wolverines before finishing with a 2-2 home series against the Philadelphia Athletics.

The only player to show any real skilled performances was pitcher Charlie Sweeney. Sweeney started 45 games due to injury but managed to win 20 of them while pitching 369 innings. He gave up 309 hits and 65 earned runs for an ERA of 1.59

Pitching


Batting

[amead17]

1884 MLB Championship Series

22nd August 1884

The fans of the Brooklyn Atlantics are celebrating hard tonight as their team took their second MLB Championship title, their first since the inaugural season in 1871. The series itself was hard fought as it went the full seven games with the Atlantics bringing home the title in the last game.

Game 1 saw the Atlantics take an early lead in the series after a 4-3 win over 12 innings. Pitcher Mickey Welch picked up the star player award after giving up only 1 earned run over the 12 innings. Third Baseman Fred Corey also had a good game as he managed 3 hits 1 run and 1 RBI.

The second game saw the Atlantics extend their lead in the series to 2-0 after picking up a 5-3 win. The team jumped to an early lead with 3 runs in the 3rd inning to lead 4-1 that would see them home. The star player was pitcher Jim Whitney who gave up only 1 earned run in 9 innings. Catcher Jim O'Rourke also had a good game as he claimed 2 hits, 1 run and 3 RBI's including a home run in the 3rd inning.

Game 3 saw the Atlantics pegged back to a 1 game lead as they were blown away 3-11 in the first road trip of the series. The pitching was very mixed as The Only Nolan picked up the loss on 4 innings pitched where the team let go 9 runs none of which were credited against him. The pitching didn't turn up and this also reflected in their fielding as they gave up 8 errors in a bad game.

The Atlantics bounced back from their game 3 drubbing by winning a tight fourth game 6-5 over 10 innings. This game was won on an excellent 6th inning with 4 runs scored and a wonderful save in inning 10 from The Only Nolan with the game on the line. This save gave The Only Nolan the star man award for the game. The 6th inning surge was led by a home run scored by pitcher Mickey Welch.

The Atlantics failed to capitalise on this win in game 4 as they went down 4-5 in the 5th game. The team were in line to take this game and the series right up until the 9th inning when the enormity of what they were about to achieve saw them crack under the pressure. The team gave up 3 runs in the 9th inning to lose the game. The loss went to pitcher Jim Whitney. The batting was steady as they gained 9 hits for their 4 runs.

The Affects of the late loss in game 5 were still evident in the Atlantics play in game 6 as they lost 6-11 to be hauled back to level in the series. The Atlantics managed to keep the game close through 6 innings as the game went to a 4-5 scoreline before they again threw it away in the later innings by giving up 6 runs. The loss was awarded to Denny Driscoll who managed only 7.1 innings. The batting was a team affair.

The Atlantics finally got hold of their nerves in the final game of the series to get themselves over the line and win the Championship. The game itself was a very tight affair as in all the others right up until the 8th innings when the Atlantics finally broke free with 6 unanswered runs to take the game. Mickey Welch picked up his 3rd win of the series and another star man award. The team scored the 6 runs in the 8th inning from only 2 hits and 4 errors by the opponents.

22nd August 1884

The fans of the Athletics are crying into their beers tonight as they saw their team narrowly miss out on another MLB Championship. The team went down 3-4 over the seven game series that was hard fought.

The first game saw the Athletics lose a close fought affair over 12 innings 3-4. George Derby picked up the loss for 11.2 innings pitched with 4 earned runs against him. The batting didn't really turn up as they managed only 5 hits over the whole game.

Game 2 saw the Athletics fall 2 games behind in the series as they went down 3-5 in a game where they gave the Atlantics an early 1-4 lead that they could never get back. The loss went to Tim Keefe as he gave up 2 earned runs in his 8 innings pitched. The batting again failed to show with another 5 hit game.

The Athletics roared back into the series with a wonderful 11-3 win at home. This superb scoreline was led by star man pitcher Pud Galvin who gave up only 9 hits and 2 earned runs from his 9 innings pitched for the win. As for the batting, they went wild in innings 3 and 4 as they scored 9 unanswered runs. These wonderful innings were a team affair as they picked up 4 hits and 4 runs in the 3rd and 5 runs and 3 hits for the 4th.

After getting themselves back into the series in game 3, the Athletics let it slip again in game 4 by losing another tight game 5-6 after 10 innings. This loss can be put down to a bad 6th inning and also not being able to close the game out when it was on the line in the 10th. The loss went to Pud Galvin as he failed to gain the save in the 10th inning after relieving starter George Derby. The batting was again a team affair.

With the series on the line the Athletics managed to get themselves a second win in the series. They took it to the wire as they won the 5th game of the series 6-5 with a 3run blast in the 9th inning. This comeback win was all down to the strong pitching of Tim Keefe to keep them in the game and a wonderful triple scored by Paul Hines.

The Athletics gained confidence from their late win in the fifth game to push forward in the 6th game to tie the series at 3 apiece. They won the game 11-6 in what was a close game until the late innings. The team were only 5-4 up after 6 innings before they blew the game open in innings 7 and 8 with 6 runs. The win was awarded to Left Fielder George Wood who managed 3 hits, 2 runs and 2 RBI's in his 5 at bats. The win went to Henry Boyle.

Game 7 saw the Athletics throw the title away as they blew their chance in a bad 8th inning of a 1-7 loss. The team was on its way to a possible title as both teams were tied 1-1 after 7 innings only to see the fielding collapse as they gave away 6 runs in the 8th. The team gave up 4 errors and 2 hits in the 8th seeing 6 runs scored against them. The loss went to Pud Galvin while the batting had a bad game.

[amead17]

1st January 1885

After a terrible season the fans of the Baltimore Orioles were hoping for changes in the team structure to bring back the better times. The owner agreed as he sacked both GM Norberto Ortiz and Manager Alvin Cook. The replacement manager is Nolan Patton who has been promoted from the Bench Coach and the new GM is Gordon Thomas. Thomas has 1 years GM experience with the Cincinnati Red Stockings in 1877. These moves worry the fans as this leaves them very inexperienced at the top.



The AL awards dinner saw Left Fielder Dan Brouthers honoured as he picked up the Batter of the Year award.

The team saw Left Fielder Guy Hecker have to announce his retirement during the off season. The 28 Year old was informed by Doctors that his radial nerve compression had not responded to treatment and he would not be able to swing a bat again. Hecker managed to play 162 games in his 3 years in the MLB which inclued 1 All Star Appearance and the 1883 AL Rookie of the Year Award. He claimed 130 hits from 561 at bats which saw him score 88 runs and 60 RBI's for an average of .232. (real life stats 705 games, 812 hits, 504 runs, 278 RBI's with an average of .282)

As well as refreshing the front office the team also made changes to the playing staff.

It started with the trading of 34 year old Left Fielder Tom York and 24 year old minor league Left Fielder Welday Walker to the Chicago White Stockings in exchange for 25 year old Catcher Bill Krieg.

This was followed by the trade of 29 year old Left Fielder Tom Mansell to the detroit Wolverines in exchange for 35 year old Pitcher George Snyder and 21 year old Short Stop Chippy McGarr

The third trade saw 24 year old minor league Right Fielder Jimmy Woulfe and 22 year old minor league Catcher Harry Weber sent to the Boston Beaneaters in exchange for 31 year old Pitcher Sam Kimber

The teams final trade saw 28 year old Third Baseman Frank Hankinson to the Louisville Colonels in exchange for 26 year old Centre Fielder Dennis Casey

The team also lost pitcher Frank Diven from waivers to the Washington Nationals.

The fans will wait and see how these trades effect the team performances when the season starts.

The team also took part in the First Year Player Draft. The Draft pool was small but they still selected 5 players. The top pick was spent on Pitcher Dan Casey. The full draft log is below



The team failed to sign 2nd round pick Reddy Mack.

[amead17]

1st January 1885

After a very good season for the Americans the fans were hoping for stability that could be used to build for a push towards the pennant next season. The owner agreed with the thoughts for stability as he decided not to change the front office.

The AL awards dinner saw a surprise as Manager David Jaimes picked up the Manager of the Year Award.



(apologies for the incorrect date on the card here but i had to create my own after the wrong picture was picked up for the player)

There was also the Pitcher of the year award for Bill Sweeney.

Catcher Rudy Kemmler also picked up a Golden Glove as he made the AL Defensive team of the year.

The team decided to stick with the bulk of their squad as they made only a few trades.

Firstly they sent 24 year old minor league Pitcher Cyclone Miller to the Boston Beaneaters in exchange for 32 year old Pitcher Fred Goldsmith

The team also bought the age range down with the trade of 35 year old First Baseman Clipper Flynn to the Brooklyn Grays in exchange for 29 year old Left Fielder Charlie Eden

The draft class was small this year saw the team decided to make only 3 picks during the First Year Player Draft. The First round saw the choice of Centre Fielder Jim McTamany.



All 3 draft choices signed by the deadline day.

[amead17]

1st January 1885

The fans were looking for changes at the club during the off season to make up for the teams poor performance last year. The owner disagreed with the fans and decided to stick with the current front office combination.

There were no Beaneaters at the NL awards dinner

The fans did get their wish on the playing staff front as the team made major changes with 6 trades completed in the off season.

The first trad saw 32 year old Pitcher Fred Goldsmith to the Boston Americans in exchange for 24 year old minor league Pitcher Cyclone Miller

They followed this with the trade of 29 year old Pitcher Old Hoss Radbourn to the Louisville Colonels for 23 year old Centre Fielder Buck West

The third trade saw 31 year old Pitcher Sam Kimber to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for 24 year old minor league Right Fielder Jimmy Woulfe and 22 year old minor league Catcher Harry Weber

The next trade saw 35 year old Pitcher Candy Cummings to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for 24 year old Catcher Bill Jones

The team traded 26 year old Pitcher John Doyle to the Cleveland Blues for 22 year old minor league Second Baseman U Richardson and 23 year old minor league Left Fielder Charlie Reising

The final trade saw 20 year old Pitcher Charlie Hilsey sent to the Philadelphia Athletics in exchange for 20 year old minor league Third Baseman Lou Hardie, 22 year old minor league Catcher Tom Gillen and 20 year old minor league Left Fielder Bill Dugan

Even though the First Year Player Draft was a small draft class the team picked 5 players. The top pick was Pitcher Egyptian Healy. The full draft log is below.



All draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1885

The fans continued to celebrate their MLB championship while watching the off season unfold. One surprise they got was the owners decision to celebrate the Championship with a change of name for the team. The teams new name was announced as the Brooklyn Grays.

The NL Awards Dinner saw manager Gary Dyck honoured with the NL Manager of the Year award.

The players were also in evidence at the awards dinner.



Jim Whitney picked up the NL Pitcher of the Year Award



While Dave Orr picked up the NL Batter of the year Award

There were also Golden Gloves for First baseman Dave Orr and Third Baseman Tom Burns.

The team decided to make a couple of changes to the squad.

Firstly they traded 28 year old Short Stop Mike Moynahan and 20 year old minor league Right Fielder John Hanna to the Cleveland Blues in exchange for 26 year old Catcher John Kerins

They also traded 29 year old Left Fielder Charlie Eden to the Boston Americans in exchange for 35 year old First Baseman Clipper Flynn

The draft class was a small class this year but the Grays still selected 4 players. The top pick was Pitcher George Pechiney. The full draft log is given below.



All the draftees signed by the deadline day.

[amead17]

1st January 1885

The fans of the White Sox were happy with a solid season this year. With that they were hoping for very few changes to allow the team to build on last years good play. The owner agreed as he kept the front office in place. He actually decided to give Manager Fred Burbridge a 2 year contract extension.



The White Sox had a good AL awards dinner as they saw Pitcher Charlie Geggus awarded with the Rookie of the Year Award

There were also golden gloves for Short Stop Candy Nelson, Centre Fielder Frank McCarton and Right Fielder Danny Richardson.

The team saw 2 players retire at the end of the season.

The first to announce they were giving up playing was First Baseman George Heubel. Heubel played very few games in the MLB as he was a bit part player at best. He did manage to get an MLB Championship medal in 1877 as he was on the Boston Beaneaters Squad that won the title. He managed 55 games and claimed 49 hits from 127 at bats. This saw him score 27 runs and 28 RBI's for an average of .316 (real life stats 23 games, 26 hits, 20 runs and 14 RBI's for an average of .255)

The second player to decide that his playing days are over is Pitcher Rynie Wolters. Wolters has been in the league since its inauguration in 1871 but only managed a few games as he was used as a reliever by the 6 clubs he played for. He did manage 8 all star selections as a reliever. He managed to gain 24 wins in the 148 games he played as he pitched 688.1 innings. He gave up 832 hits and 238 earned runs for an ERA of 3.11. (real life stats 45 games for 19 wins in 368.1 innings pitched, 477 hits and 152 earned runs against with an ERA of 3.71)

The team decided to make 1 player move by trading 24 year old Catcher Bill Jones to the Boston Beaneaters in exchange for 35 year old Pitcher Candy Cummings

The first year player draft was a small class this year which explains why the White Sox made only 3 selections. Their first pick was spent on Pitcher Ed Knouff. The full draft log is below



All draftees signed by the deadline day.

[amead17]

1st January 1885

After another season of average play the fans of the White Stockings are hoping changes could be made to get them back to the top of the table. The owner was in full agreement as he decided not to renew the contract of Manager Brandon Gardners. He also fired GM Al Haney. The fans are worried about the replacements that have been bought in. The new GM Michael Copeland is a rookie GM and new Manager Chris Davis has spent his 3 years at the Philadelphia Quakers with 2 7th and 1 8th place finish.

The only award the team gained at the NL awards dinner was a Golden Glove for Short Stop Jack Glasscock

The team made only 1 trade during the offseason. They traded 25 year old Catcher Bill Krieg to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for 34 year old Left Fielder Tom York and 24 year old minor league Left Fielder Welday Walker

The draft class this year was small but the team still selected 4 players. The first round pick went on Pitcher Tom Lovett. The full draft log is given below.



The team failed to sign 5th round draft pick Pete Wood. All other draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1885

After finishing second in the AL again the fans were hoping for some stability and a way to build up for another pennant push. The owner wasn't quite as sure that he was happy with the direction the team was going so decided to allow Manager Juan Maron leave once his contract expired. His replacement is rookie Manager John Williams. Williams has spent 3 years with the St Louis Browns as a hitting coach. The fans are not sure this is the right move for the team.



The NL award dinner saw Pitcher Alex Voss awarded with the NL Rookie of the Year award.

There was also a Golden Glove for Second Baseman Fred Dunlap.

2 players decided to call it a day on their careers.

The first to announce his retirement was Left Fielder Fred Cone. Cone had been in Baseball since 1871 and has spent time on 3 clubs rosters. Most of his career was spent at the Baltimore Orioles where he achieved the highest accomplishment of an MLB Championship Medal in 1874. He also made 1 all star appearance in 1871. He played in 227 games and claimed 160 hits from 677 at bats. He scored 149 runs and 86 RBI's for an average of .255. (real life stats 19 games, 20 hits, 17 runs, 16 RBI's for an average of .260)

The second player to retire is Second Baseman Sam Jackson. Jackson was only a bit part player in his career but he won the 1871 MLB Championship Medal with the Brooklyn Grays. He managed to play 39 games over his career to claim 18 hits in 66 at bats. He scored 15 runs and 7 RBI's for an average of .273. (Real life stats 20 games, 19 hits, 17 runs, 11 RBI's and an average of .216)

The team traded 25 year old Catcher Sam Trott to the Pittsburgh Alleghenys in exchange for 31 year old Centre Fielder Holly Hollingshead.

The team made 4 selections in the First year player draft. The teams first pick was Pitcher Tom Sullivan. The full draft log is given below.



All draftees signed by the deadline day.

[amead17]

1st January 1885

After a tough end to the season the fans were hoping to see some consolidation from the owner to strengthen the teams fortunes. The Owner decided that the front office was not at fault for the drop in form as has stuck with the current set up.

Pitcher Jim MCCormick picked up a Golden Glove award at the AL awards Dinner.
Two players decided that their time in the professional ranks of baseball were over.

The first to retire was Catcher Sonny Hoffman. Hoffman never made it to the major league rosters so has nothing to show for all his hard work over the years apart from minor league appearances. (real life stats 2 games, 0 hots, 0 runs, 0 RBIs for an average of 0)

The second player not returning next year is Right Fielder Phil Powers. Powers also never made the big time for the clubs he was with. (real life stats 155 games, 103 hits, 56 runs and 42 RBI's for an average of .180)

The team also made some player movements with trades

They traded 26 year old Catcher John Kerins to the Brooklyn Grays in exchange for 28 year old Short Stop Mike Moynahan and 20 year old minor league Right Fielder John Hanna.

The team also sent 27 year old Second Baseman Jack Farrell to the Louisville Colonels in exchange for 32 year old Short Stop Tom Barlow

The final trade saw 22 year old minor league Second Baseman U Richardson and 23 year old minor league Left Fielder Charlie Reising to the Boston Beaneaters in exchange for 26 year old Pitcher John Doyle

The team only selected 3 players during a small first year draft. The first pick was spent gaining pitcher Ed Daily. The full draft log is given below.



The team failed to sign second round pick Ed Seward. The other draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1885

After another tough season the fans of the Wolverines were not quite sure what they wanted from the owner to help the team push forward. What they got was no change and a new 1 year contract for GM Sadao Ikeda.

After the poor playing performances of the team this year not one of them made the AL awards dinner.

3 players decided that this past season will be their last.

The first to announce his retirement is Short Stop Jim Snyder. Snyder spent 13 years in big time baseball with the Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Wolverines. This saw him manage to earn 1 all star selection. His career as filled with 471 games in which he started 303. He claimed 345 hits from 1376 at bats. This saw him score 159 runs and 152 RBI's for an average of .251. (real life stats 26 games, 28 hits, 16 runs and 11 RBI's for an average of .262)

The next player to hang up his glove is Short Stop Sam Wright. Wright only played 1 game in the MLB as he spent his career in the minors. That game bought him 0 hits, 0runs and 0 RBI's for an average of 0. (real life stats 45 games, 29 hits, 10 runs, 5 RBI's for an average of .168)

The final player to finish his career is Centre Fielder Paddy Quinn. Quinn could be described as a bit part player at best as he managed only 7 appearances over his career. He had 1 hit, with 0 runs and 0 RBI's. He can claim an average of 1.000 though. (real life stats 42 games, 36 hits, 26 runs, 9 RBI's for an average of .243)

The team made 1 trade as they sent 35 year old Pitcher George Snyder and 21 year old Short Stop Chippy McGarr to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for 29 year old Left Fielder Tom Mansell.

While the draft class was small for this year the Wolverines still made 5 selections. The top pick for the team was Pitcher Toad Ramsey. The full draft log is shown below.



The team failed to sign both the first round draft pick and the fifth round draft pick. All other draftees signed for the team.

[amead17]

1st January 1885

After a year of ups and downs for the team and fans alike the off season can hopefully bring some calmness to the organisation. This though doesn't seem to be what is happening. The new owner has decided that he wants to distinguish his reign from his father. To do this he has started by changing the name of the team. The club will now be known as the Louisville Colonels. The fans hope that this name change wont affect the future of the club as they look to see them take the pennant next year.

None of the team made in to the AL Awards dinner as they were not given any honours.

The front office decided to shake up the playing squad.

They traded 23 year old Centre Fielder Buck West to the Boston Beaneaters in exchange for 29 year old Pitcher Old Hoss Radbourn

They also sent 32 year old Short Stop Tom Barlow to the Cleveland Blues in exchange for 27 year old Second Baseman Jack Farrell

They final made a trade that saw 26 year old Centre Fielder Dennis Casey going to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for 28 year old Third Baseman Frank Hankinson

The team selected only 3 players in the first year player draft. The top pick is Left Fielder Henry Moore. The full draft log is shown below



All players signed by the deadline day.

[amead17]

1st January 1885

The fans of the team from New York are hoping for another solid off season to continue to build on the ever increasing performance of the team. The Owner was happy with what he saw last season as he gave the GM Edgar Ortiz a 1 year extension and the Manager Martin Rios a 2 year extension to their contracts.

The Owner also decided that Gothams was not the name of an up and coming team and decided to go with a new name. The team will now be called the New York Giants.

The team saw 1 player honoured at the NL awards dinner as Right Fielder Jim Clinton picked up a Golden Glove.

4 players decided that their time in the professional ranks of Baseball are over.

The biggest name to go is Right Fielder Tom Foley. Foley a 1 time All Star won 1 MLB Championship Medal during his career. He earned this with the Boston Beaneaters. He also played for the Gothams. In total he played 288 games with 183 starts. He claimed 213 hits to score 169 runs and 107 RBI's. His average was .265. (real life stats 18 games,22 hits, 18 runs, 13 RBI's and an average of .262)

The next player to retire is Second Baseman Wally Goldsmith. Goldsmith spent 15 years in the league but only played 33 games. He claimed 34 hits, 23 runs and 21 RBI's for an average of .272 (real life stats 42 games, 34 hits, 15 runs and 18 RBI's for an average of .185)

The last 2 players to retire are First Baseman Oliver Brown and Left Fielder Bill Parks. Between them they only played 2 games in the MLB with 0 hits, 0 runs and 0 RBI's. (real life stats Oliver Brown 7 games, 2 hits 0 runs and 0 RBI's for an average of .080. Bill Parks 30 games, 21 hits, 13 runs, 6 RBI's and an average of .174)

The team made no player changes through trades during the off season.

The players drafted by the team include top pick Pitcher Pete Conway. The team made a total of 3 selections. The full list is below.



The team failed to sign first pick Pete Conway. Both other players signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1885

After making the MLB Championship Series and narrowly missing out on the win the fans are hoping the Athletics can keep the front office stable for another pennant push. The fans didn't get their wish as GM Gabriel Morgan decided that his time as a Baseball Adminstrator is over as he retired. The Owner did manage to re-sign Manager Juan Serna to a new 3 year extension of his contract. The replacement GM is Kendrick Carson. This move has worried the fans as he is a rookie GM.

While the team had a good year the players themselves failed to get much recognition. The only players to see the AL Awards dinner was Third Baseman Arlie Latham who picked up a Golden Glove.
The team decided to keep the player movement down to a minimum and made only 1 trade.

They sent 20 year old minor league Third Baseman Lou Hardie, 22 year old minor league Catcher Tom Gillen and 20 year old minor league Left Fielder Bill Dugan to the Boston Beaneaters in exchange for 20 year old Pitcher Charlie Hilsey.

The team made 3 selections from the small first year player draft. The top pick was spent on Pitcher Joe Connors. The full draft log is given below.



The team signed all the draftees by the deadline day.

[amead17]

1st January 1885

After another struggling season the fans of the Quakers are looking to the owner to try and find the answers to their woes. The owner was helped by the fact that GM Sterling Smith decided to retire from baseball. He also fired Manager Chris Davis. The replacement manager came from within as the owner promoted Bench Coach Fabian O'Mulloy. The big coup of the off season was the signing of GM Al Haney. Haney has a wealth of experience with both the Chicago White Stockings and the Louisville Colonels over 12 years. This includes 7 NL pennants and 6 MLB Championships. The fans are hoping this combination can help spark the team to life.

One Quaker player made the NL Awards dinner. Pitcher Jersey Bakley managed to earn himself a Golden Glove award.

The club saw a big shake up of the squad as 6 players decided that their careers in Baseball were over.

The biggest name to announce his retirement was First Baseman Levi Meyerle. Meyerle had an excellent career in Baseball as he picked up 6 All Star appearances, 1 Batter of the Year award,a Triple Crown in 1872 and also the 1877 MLB Championship medal with the Boston Beaneaters. He played in 551 games over 14 years with 425 starts. This saw him claim 629 hits, 360 runs including 10 home runs and 326 RBI's for an average of .328. (real life stats 307 games, 513 hits, 306 runs, 279 RBI's for an average of .356)

The second player to give up the game of professional baseball was Pitcher Al Pratt. Pratt was a mainstay of the pitchers bull pen for most of his career over 14 years. This though still led to 1 all star selection. He played in 158 games including 96 starts. He pitched 853 innings and claimed 41 wins. He gave up 976 hits and 297 Earned runs for an ERA of 3.13. (real life stats 43 games, 446 hits against, 145 Earned runs for an ERA of 3.96)

The third player to retire for the year was Third Baseman Jim Tipper. Tipper has been in the league for 12 years but a lot of that time was spent on the bench or in the minor leagues. He did manage to be on the 1874 Baltimore Orioles MLB Championship winning team to gain a medal. He played in 131 games over his career and managed 33 hits. He scored 14 runs and 15 RBI's for an average of .231 (real life stats 110 games, 116 hits, 69 runs, 39 RBI's, average of .248)

The next player to retire is Right Fielder Oscar Bielaski. Bielaski was a part time player at best with a lot of his time spent in the minor leagues. He managed only 103 games in the big league and claimed 55 hits. He scored 32 runs and 32 RBI's for an average of .296 (real life stats 174 games, 180 hits, 117 runs, 55 RBI's, average of .241)

The final 2 players to retire were minor league players at best as they managed only 3 games between them. Pitcher Val Robinson made 2 appearances while Right Fielder Larry Ressler made only 1 appearance. (Real life stats Val Robinson 7 games as a batter 6 hits, 6 runs and 4 RBI's, average of .200 and Larry Ressler 27 games, 21 hits, 17 runs, 5 RBI's, Average of .194)

The first year player draft was fairly busy for the team even though the draft class was small. The team made 4 picks with the first being used to claim Right Fielder Sam Thompson. The full draft log is below



All draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1885

After another steady if unspectacular season the fans of the Alleghenys were unsure how to approach the off season. The owner decided he was happy with the front office and made no changes.

There were 2 Golden Glove Recipients from the team at the NL awards dinner this year. They were Catcher Jack Clements and Left Fielder Cliff Carroll.

The squad did suffer some losses due to retirements this year.

The team saw the loss of Third Baseman Andy Leonard. Leonard has spent 14 years in professional baseball and managed to gain 2 all star selections and 3 Golden Glove awards during that time. He also picked up an 1876 MLB Championship medal with the Philadelphia Athletics. His career spanned 583 games, 557 of those as a starter. He claimed 631 hits to score 361 runs and 273 RBI's for an average of .265 (real life stats 501 games, 716 hits, 481 runs, 346 RBI's, average of .299)

The second player to leave baseball is First Baseman Art Allison. Allison has been in the game for 14 years but most of his MLB playing time came early in his career. He did manage 1 All Star selection during his career along with an 1874 MLB Championship medal with the Baltimore Orioles. He played 180 games with 170 of those as a starter. He hit 194 times and scored 116 runs and 77 RBI's to finish with an average of .278. (real life stats 168 games, 188 hits, 106 runs, 70 RBI's, Average of .254)

The next player to retire is Short Stop Pony Sager. Sagers career can be summed up as him being a bench player at best. He never managed to excel and didn't win any awards. He played 97games with 43 starts over 14 years. He had 51 hits, 26 runs and 16 RBI's for an average of .266. (real life stats 8 games, 11 hits, 9 runs, 5 RBI's, average of .282)

The fourth player to hang their glove up is Pitcher Hugh Campbell. The best way to describe Campbells 12 year career is that he was a relief pitcher who tried his best. He managed 1 all star selection over his career along with gaining the 1877 MLB Championship medal with the Boston Beaneaters. He played in 132 games with 27 starts to pick up 15 wins. He pitched 403.1 innings and gave up 510 hits and 123 earned runs for an ERA of 2.74 (real life stats 19 games, 165 inning pitched, 2 wins, 250 hits and 52 earned runs against for an ERA of 2.84)

The final player to retire is Catcher Amos Booth. While Booth spent 9 years in the professional ranks of baseball he played very few top flight games. During his time playing he made 18 appearances with 12 starts. He claimed 8 hits, 6 runs and 6 RBI's for an average of .167 (real life stats 110 games, 98 hits, 47 runs and 27 RBI's with an average of .224)
The other player changes during the off season saw a trade of 31 year old Centre Fielder Holly Hollingshead to the Cincinnati Red Stockings for 25 year old Catcher Sam Trott

The first year player draft saw the team make 3 selections. The first selection went on Centre Fielder Jim Fogarty. The full draft log is given below.



The team failed to sign the second round draft pick. Both other draftees signed.

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1st January 1885

After another average season for the St Louis Browns the fans are hoping the off season can bring some improvements to the club. The Owner felt that a settled front office would help with that improvement as he decided not to change anything

The NL Awards dinner saw Centre Fielder Phil Baker honoured as he picked up a Golden Glove for his work this year.

The team lost 2 players to retirements this year

The first to go is Left Fielder Ralph Ham. Ham spent 14 years in the professional baseball ranks. In this time he gained 3 all star selections and a MLB Championship Medal with the 1877 Boston Beaneaters. His career saw him play 421 games with 256 starts. He hit the ball 297 times to score 206 runs and 151 RBI's for an average of .261. (real life stats 25 games, 28 hits, 25 runs and 12 RBI's for an average of .248)

The second player hanging his glove up this year is Catcher Charlie Snow. Snow spent 11 years in professional baseball but rarely saw time in the big leagues. He did pick up an 1876 MLB Championship medal for being on the winning Philadelphia Athletics squad. His MLB career saw him play 43 games with 39 starts. He claimed 35 hits, 11 runs and 16 RBI's for an average of .245 (real life stats 1 game, 1 hit, 0 runs and 0 RBI's for an average of 1.000)

The only other changes to the playing staff came from the first year player draft. The team made 3 picks in the draft with the top pick used to select Pitcher John Harkins. The full draft log is given below.



The team failed to sign the third round pick. Both other draftees signed for the club.