1954 Season

Pelican · 09-02-2023, 05:59 PM

Awhile ago I wanted to test some mid-Century stuff, before pursuing in any active sims I had running. I randomly chose the 1954 Season for my “proof of concept”. Or maybe not so randomly, as it is the only season where Philly and Baltimore had teams in the same league. The Orioles’ first season after moving from St. Louis as the Browns. And what turned out to be the A’s last season in Philadelphia, before the unfortunate move to KC.

The Athletics had long been the top team in Philly, winning championships while the Phillies languished in Baker Bowl. In 1938, the Phillies were forced to move to Shibe Park and become tenants of the A’s. But in the post-war era, with the Carpenter family in charge, the Phillies began to be competitive, while the A’s (with the exception of 1948 and 1952) were not. It was the sad twilight of the Mack family era with the team.

I recently researched the machinations after the ‘54 Season that led to the A’s leaving town. Not quite the Baltimore Colts skulking off to Indiana in the middle of the night; but a bad deal, with willing (and able) Philly investors left behind. It’s clear that the A’s could have stayed in Philly, if only the Macks had been a bit more patient - and had some regard for the City - rather than taking the easy money.

What could have happened would have been new ownership and an infusion of investment, in players, the farm system, and aging Shibe Park, now Connie Mack Stadium. Could the City support two MLB teams? Put it this way, Philly has always supported winners. All the Athletics really needed was stability, direction, and a fresh organization. And all this, OOTP can provide.

So, this test run has morphed into another of my “what if?” sims. In this case, what if the A’s, with new owners, stayed in Philadelphia, invested in their team, retained instead of selling off players, built on what was actually a solid foundation?

Another fascinating aspect of the 1954 Season is the turnover that took place in Baltimore. It almost seems as if the Orioles wanted to erase all those painful memories of the Browns, by trading away players. The 1954 Orioles were something of a veteran fire sale, in favor of prospects and unproven players. They made a very good Cleveland team even better, by trading away Vic Wertz for a pitcher named Bob Chickales. What if the Orioles actually tried to compete?

The Orioles were a sensation, drawing over a million fans to Memorial Stadium, even though they lost 100 games and finished seventh. (The A’s lost 103 games to finish last., and drew only 304,666.) It was as if management figured they didn’t have to be good. They released Satchel Paige! (They did sign Brooks Robinson.) We can do better.

So, what follows is an active effort to improve each of these teams, with prime focus on the A’s, by retaining solid players, signing free agents, and making a whole bunch of trades. The goal is for the A’s to improve enough to ignite the sleeping fan base. And for the Orioles to establish a winning tradition right away.

You might question whether a path forward was even available to such bad teams. Well, they each had decent farm systems. This was still the era just before baseball expanded to he West Coast, and there were good ballplayers in the Pacific Coast League available for purchase. And, in the early years of pathetically gradual integration of baseball, there were still a number of former Negro League players who had been overlooked. As well as some dark-skinned Latin American players who had been shut out. Opportunities, if one knew where to look, and had some money to spend.

Pelican · 09-03-2023, 01:00 AM

The Athletics were active in the run-up to Spring Training.

Traded OF Bill Renna to Cleveland for OF Dave Philly. Philly hit .303/.355/.424 for the A's in 1953.

Traded 1B Don Bollweg to the Senators for OF Jim Lemon. Lemon played 16 games for Cleveland in 1953. Ratings are 38/63/54 and he is a great defensive player.

Signed free agent SP Vinegar Bend Mizell (formerly of The Cardinals) to a four-year, $300,000 contract. Mizell, 23, went 13-11 and 3.49 for St. Louis in 1953. 83/70/38 ratings.

Signed free agent SP Bud Black to a one-year contract. Black, 21, had been in the Detroit Tigers minor league system.

Signed free agent RP Carlson Maloney to a one-year contract for $25,000. Maloney, 24, went 6-1 and 3.88 with five saves for Jacksonville in the Braves organization. Decent 49/64/51 ratings with higher potential.

Signed free agent 2B Billy Martin to a one-year, $25,000 contract. Not sure why the Yankees let Martin, age 25, go after a solid .257 season with 15 HR and 75 RBI. Probably a blow-up with Casey Stengel.

Purchased the contract of RP Bill Wight from the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League. Wight, a lefty, was 2-1 for Cleveland with an ERA of 3.71, after starting the 1953 season with Detroit (0-3, 8.88). Has good 46/73/43 ratings.

Traded veteran OF Gus Zernial (.284 with 42 HR and 108 RBI in 1953) to the Phillies for C Smoky Burgess (.292/.367/.417). Gus is 30 with 52/84/56 ratings; Smoky is only 27 and 79/48/61. Losing a lot of power; but I have Lemon and Joe Taylor (47/66/42 and good defense) and Al Pinkston (.296/.340/.460 in the minors) to play LF. Catcher was a black hole for the A's.

And, traded 33 year-old OF Elmer Valo to the Braves for 28-year-old OF Bill Bruton. Valo hit only .224 in 50 games last year, after a string of solid seasons and high OBA. He did not hit in Spring Training. Bruton hit .250 and led the NL in SB in 1953. Excellent defense.

The A's have rookies Jim Finigan (65/41/52 and 71 defense)at 3B, Hector Lopez (47/46/39 and 75 defense) at SS, and Lou Limmer (32/61/52) to share 1B with Vic Power (63/45/18).

Bruton and Philley will play CF, Philley (a switch-hitter) and Taylor platooning in RF, Lemon and Pinkston in LF. Limmer and Power platoon at 1B. Burgess does most of the catching duty. Billy Martin at 2B backed up by Delaware's Spook Jacobs. Eddie Joost and Lopez will share SS.

The rotation will include Mizell with Bobby Shantz (MVP in 1952 but 5-9 in 1953; still sporting 77/48/62 ratings), Alex Kellner (11-12 and 3.93 in '53), and rookies Bob Trice (21-10 and 3.10 in AAA) and Arnie Portocarrero. Knuckleballer Marion Fricano (9-12 and 3.88) and lefty Morrie Martin (10-12, 4.43) can also start if needed.

So that's two rookies in the rotation, and four in the starting lineup, a couple key guys in the bullpen. With more help on the way. This is not a team that will lose 100 games. The preseason prediction was 77-77, which made me feel pretty good about all of the wheeling and dealing.

In a moment, a brief look at the Orioles.

jksander · 09-03-2023, 10:42 AM

Vinegar Bend already makes you a ton better ... he's a player I had to read up on when he played well against my 1953 Cubs. He has a name that made me think he was a long-lost Negro League star, and then I learn his real name was Wilmer, and they called him Vinegar Bend because of his hometown lol

Pelican · 09-03-2023, 01:53 PM

Traded 1B Eddie Waitkus (.291/.327/.356 for the Phillies in 1953) to the Yankees for SS/2B Jerry Coleman (39/26/38) and minor league LF Bob Cerv (50/63/48).

Then, flipped Cerv to the Red Sox for SP Mel Parnell (21-8 and 3.06). Basically, needed a top starter move than a power bat in the OF.

Traded LF Dick Kokos (.241/.358/.411) to the Pirates for RHP Roy Face/ (6-8 and 6.58 but 55/23/73 and not yet a reliever) and SS Jack "Lucky" Lohrke (.194 for the minor league Orioles in '53).

Signed free agent SP Dizzy Trout (age 38; but 9-8 and 3.64 with Boston and 47/88/38 ratings) to a one-year contract worth $28,000.

Signed 32-year-old minor league free agent CF Jim Matthews (.393 with 50 HR and 152 RBI for the Amarillo Gold Sox in 1953); just because.

Signed 19-year-old minor league free agent Albie Pearson to a minor league contract with a major league option. Building for the future.

Purchased the contract of 32-year-old LF Joe Brovia (.314/.431/.501 with 20 HR and 97 RBI) from Sacramento of the PCL.

Purchased the contract of 24-year-old SP Don Lundberg (41/76/50) from the Portland Beavers of the PCL.

Purchased the contract of 29-year-old 1B Dino Restelli (.340/.384/.570) from the Beavers.

Purchased the contract of 26-yer-old 1B Jim Marshall (.273/.332/.480 with 24 HR and 99RBI from the Oakland Oaks.

Signed minor league free agent 1B Robert Weir (presumably not the later Grateful Dead frontman) to a minor league contract. Bob was .254/.391/.448 with 21 HR and 106 RBI in 126 games in the PONY League.

The Orioles now have a starting rotation of 23-year-old sophomore Bob Turley (88/76/24), 24-year-old Don Larsen (7-12 and 4.16 in his rookie season in '53, with decent 50/45/49 ratings), Parnell, and Trout. With Face as the Closer and Ryne Duren (90/43/16) as the Stopper. This is actually a very good bullpen, with 22-year-old lefty Billy O'Dell (43/102/52), 33-year-old Vern Bickford (40/72/46), veterans Lou Kretlow (68/61/38 ratings), Duane Pillette (40/68/58), and Dave Koslo (35/74/76).

Touted rookie Chuck Diering (41/31/74 with 86 defense) leading off, then veteran Vern Stephens at 3B (.321/.384/.442 in '53 in 46 games), RF Vic Wertz (47/69/71 after last year's .268/.373/.466 with 19 HR and 70 RBI in 128 games played), LF Brovia, "Scrap Iron" Courtney at catcher, Dick Kryhoski (.278/.331/.497 with 16 HR and 50 RBI in 104 games) platooning with Don Lenhardt (.317/.397/.465 in 97 games) at 1B and Coleman at 2B. Need a SS.

Pelican · 09-03-2023, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jksander

Vinegar Bend already makes you a ton better ... he's a player I had to read up on when he played well against my 1953 Cubs. He has a name that made me think he was a long-lost Negro League star, and then I learn his real name was Wilmer, and they called him Vinegar Bend because of his hometown lol

Yeah, and no idea why he was a free agent. I think sometimes there is a "seam" in the game where a guy's contract had expired, and he had not yet signed a new one. But under Reserve Clause rules, he would still be bound to the Cardinals. IRL he missed the 1954 and 1955 seasons, and then picked up where he left off in 1956 with St. Louis. Could have been a military commitment; although they were rare after the end of the Korean War. Whatever, glad to have him.

Denville Dog · 09-05-2023, 12:30 PM

It was, in fact, a military commitment after he had received two deferrals.

Pelican · 09-11-2023, 06:02 AM

Thank you. I suppose we got him a further deferment somehow.

I’m abroad, away from my computer, so the (pre)season will be on pause, while I switch over to the “portable” sims on my laptop.

Brad K · 09-11-2023, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pelican

Yeah, and no idea why he was a free agent. I think sometimes there is a "seam" in the game where a guy's contract had expired, and he had not yet signed a new one. But under Reserve Clause rules, he would still be bound to the Cardinals. IRL he missed the 1954 and 1955 seasons, and then picked up where he left off in 1956 with St. Louis. Could have been a military commitment; although they were rare after the end of the Korean War. Whatever, glad to have him.

If you import full history in a 1954 save without full minors any player who didn't play in MLB 1954 but did before and after shows up as a FA. If you import full minors then the FAs are those who didn't play pro ball at any level.

I started the Pirates Moneyball save in 1951 without full minors and had about 80 FAs due to the first situation described. I assigned them to the appropriate organizations based on who they played for before and after.

09-02-2023, 05:59 PM	#1
Pelican Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2021 Location: Wilmington, Delaware Posts: 2,948	1954 Season Awhile ago I wanted to test some mid-Century stuff, before pursuing in any active sims I had running. I randomly chose the 1954 Season for my “proof of concept”. Or maybe not so randomly, as it is the only season where Philly and Baltimore had teams in the same league. The Orioles’ first season after moving from St. Louis as the Browns. And what turned out to be the A’s last season in Philadelphia, before the unfortunate move to KC. The Athletics had long been the top team in Philly, winning championships while the Phillies languished in Baker Bowl. In 1938, the Phillies were forced to move to Shibe Park and become tenants of the A’s. But in the post-war era, with the Carpenter family in charge, the Phillies began to be competitive, while the A’s (with the exception of 1948 and 1952) were not. It was the sad twilight of the Mack family era with the team. I recently researched the machinations after the ‘54 Season that led to the A’s leaving town. Not quite the Baltimore Colts skulking off to Indiana in the middle of the night; but a bad deal, with willing (and able) Philly investors left behind. It’s clear that the A’s could have stayed in Philly, if only the Macks had been a bit more patient - and had some regard for the City - rather than taking the easy money. What could have happened would have been new ownership and an infusion of investment, in players, the farm system, and aging Shibe Park, now Connie Mack Stadium. Could the City support two MLB teams? Put it this way, Philly has always supported winners. All the Athletics really needed was stability, direction, and a fresh organization. And all this, OOTP can provide. So, this test run has morphed into another of my “what if?” sims. In this case, what if the A’s, with new owners, stayed in Philadelphia, invested in their team, retained instead of selling off players, built on what was actually a solid foundation? Another fascinating aspect of the 1954 Season is the turnover that took place in Baltimore. It almost seems as if the Orioles wanted to erase all those painful memories of the Browns, by trading away players. The 1954 Orioles were something of a veteran fire sale, in favor of prospects and unproven players. They made a very good Cleveland team even better, by trading away Vic Wertz for a pitcher named Bob Chickales. What if the Orioles actually tried to compete? The Orioles were a sensation, drawing over a million fans to Memorial Stadium, even though they lost 100 games and finished seventh. (The A’s lost 103 games to finish last., and drew only 304,666.) It was as if management figured they didn’t have to be good. They released Satchel Paige! (They did sign Brooks Robinson.) We can do better. So, what follows is an active effort to improve each of these teams, with prime focus on the A’s, by retaining solid players, signing free agents, and making a whole bunch of trades. The goal is for the A’s to improve enough to ignite the sleeping fan base. And for the Orioles to establish a winning tradition right away. You might question whether a path forward was even available to such bad teams. Well, they each had decent farm systems. This was still the era just before baseball expanded to he West Coast, and there were good ballplayers in the Pacific Coast League available for purchase. And, in the early years of pathetically gradual integration of baseball, there were still a number of former Negro League players who had been overlooked. As well as some dark-skinned Latin American players who had been shut out. Opportunities, if one knew where to look, and had some money to spend. __________________ Pelican OOTP 2020-? ”Hard to believe, Harry.” Last edited by Pelican; 09-02-2023 at 06:02 PM.

09-03-2023, 01:00 AM	#2
Pelican Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2021 Location: Wilmington, Delaware Posts: 2,948	The Athletics were active in the run-up to Spring Training. Traded OF Bill Renna to Cleveland for OF Dave Philly. Philly hit .303/.355/.424 for the A's in 1953. Traded 1B Don Bollweg to the Senators for OF Jim Lemon. Lemon played 16 games for Cleveland in 1953. Ratings are 38/63/54 and he is a great defensive player. Signed free agent SP Vinegar Bend Mizell (formerly of The Cardinals) to a four-year, $300,000 contract. Mizell, 23, went 13-11 and 3.49 for St. Louis in 1953. 83/70/38 ratings. Signed free agent SP Bud Black to a one-year contract. Black, 21, had been in the Detroit Tigers minor league system. Signed free agent RP Carlson Maloney to a one-year contract for $25,000. Maloney, 24, went 6-1 and 3.88 with five saves for Jacksonville in the Braves organization. Decent 49/64/51 ratings with higher potential. Signed free agent 2B Billy Martin to a one-year, $25,000 contract. Not sure why the Yankees let Martin, age 25, go after a solid .257 season with 15 HR and 75 RBI. Probably a blow-up with Casey Stengel. Purchased the contract of RP Bill Wight from the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League. Wight, a lefty, was 2-1 for Cleveland with an ERA of 3.71, after starting the 1953 season with Detroit (0-3, 8.88). Has good 46/73/43 ratings. Traded veteran OF Gus Zernial (.284 with 42 HR and 108 RBI in 1953) to the Phillies for C Smoky Burgess (.292/.367/.417). Gus is 30 with 52/84/56 ratings; Smoky is only 27 and 79/48/61. Losing a lot of power; but I have Lemon and Joe Taylor (47/66/42 and good defense) and Al Pinkston (.296/.340/.460 in the minors) to play LF. Catcher was a black hole for the A's. And, traded 33 year-old OF Elmer Valo to the Braves for 28-year-old OF Bill Bruton. Valo hit only .224 in 50 games last year, after a string of solid seasons and high OBA. He did not hit in Spring Training. Bruton hit .250 and led the NL in SB in 1953. Excellent defense. The A's have rookies Jim Finigan (65/41/52 and 71 defense)at 3B, Hector Lopez (47/46/39 and 75 defense) at SS, and Lou Limmer (32/61/52) to share 1B with Vic Power (63/45/18). Bruton and Philley will play CF, Philley (a switch-hitter) and Taylor platooning in RF, Lemon and Pinkston in LF. Limmer and Power platoon at 1B. Burgess does most of the catching duty. Billy Martin at 2B backed up by Delaware's Spook Jacobs. Eddie Joost and Lopez will share SS. The rotation will include Mizell with Bobby Shantz (MVP in 1952 but 5-9 in 1953; still sporting 77/48/62 ratings), Alex Kellner (11-12 and 3.93 in '53), and rookies Bob Trice (21-10 and 3.10 in AAA) and Arnie Portocarrero. Knuckleballer Marion Fricano (9-12 and 3.88) and lefty Morrie Martin (10-12, 4.43) can also start if needed. So that's two rookies in the rotation, and four in the starting lineup, a couple key guys in the bullpen. With more help on the way. This is not a team that will lose 100 games. The preseason prediction was 77-77, which made me feel pretty good about all of the wheeling and dealing. In a moment, a brief look at the Orioles. __________________ Pelican OOTP 2020-? ”Hard to believe, Harry.” Last edited by Pelican; 09-03-2023 at 01:04 AM.

09-03-2023, 10:42 AM	#3
jksander All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Indianapolis IN Posts: 1,599	Vinegar Bend already makes you a ton better ... he's a player I had to read up on when he played well against my 1953 Cubs. He has a name that made me think he was a long-lost Negro League star, and then I learn his real name was Wilmer, and they called him Vinegar Bend because of his hometown lol __________________ A Fledgling “Free Agency” Movement in the Post-War World -- An OOTP 26 Dynasty Online Leagues Modern Baseball (Chicago White Sox) Daily Double Baseball (Tampa Bay Devil Rays) Championship Baseball League (Winnipeg Goldeye) WPORBL 55 (Chicago Cubs) WPORBL 74 (Oakland A's) WPORBL 94 (Montreal Expos) WPOBL (Cincinnati Reds)

09-03-2023, 01:53 PM	#4
Pelican Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2021 Location: Wilmington, Delaware Posts: 2,948	Orioles Preseason 1954 Traded 1B Eddie Waitkus (.291/.327/.356 for the Phillies in 1953) to the Yankees for SS/2B Jerry Coleman (39/26/38) and minor league LF Bob Cerv (50/63/48). Then, flipped Cerv to the Red Sox for SP Mel Parnell (21-8 and 3.06). Basically, needed a top starter move than a power bat in the OF. Traded LF Dick Kokos (.241/.358/.411) to the Pirates for RHP Roy Face/ (6-8 and 6.58 but 55/23/73 and not yet a reliever) and SS Jack "Lucky" Lohrke (.194 for the minor league Orioles in '53). Signed free agent SP Dizzy Trout (age 38; but 9-8 and 3.64 with Boston and 47/88/38 ratings) to a one-year contract worth $28,000. Signed 32-year-old minor league free agent CF Jim Matthews (.393 with 50 HR and 152 RBI for the Amarillo Gold Sox in 1953); just because. Signed 19-year-old minor league free agent Albie Pearson to a minor league contract with a major league option. Building for the future. Purchased the contract of 32-year-old LF Joe Brovia (.314/.431/.501 with 20 HR and 97 RBI) from Sacramento of the PCL. Purchased the contract of 24-year-old SP Don Lundberg (41/76/50) from the Portland Beavers of the PCL. Purchased the contract of 29-year-old 1B Dino Restelli (.340/.384/.570) from the Beavers. Purchased the contract of 26-yer-old 1B Jim Marshall (.273/.332/.480 with 24 HR and 99RBI from the Oakland Oaks. Signed minor league free agent 1B Robert Weir (presumably not the later Grateful Dead frontman) to a minor league contract. Bob was .254/.391/.448 with 21 HR and 106 RBI in 126 games in the PONY League. The Orioles now have a starting rotation of 23-year-old sophomore Bob Turley (88/76/24), 24-year-old Don Larsen (7-12 and 4.16 in his rookie season in '53, with decent 50/45/49 ratings), Parnell, and Trout. With Face as the Closer and Ryne Duren (90/43/16) as the Stopper. This is actually a very good bullpen, with 22-year-old lefty Billy O'Dell (43/102/52), 33-year-old Vern Bickford (40/72/46), veterans Lou Kretlow (68/61/38 ratings), Duane Pillette (40/68/58), and Dave Koslo (35/74/76). Touted rookie Chuck Diering (41/31/74 with 86 defense) leading off, then veteran Vern Stephens at 3B (.321/.384/.442 in '53 in 46 games), RF Vic Wertz (47/69/71 after last year's .268/.373/.466 with 19 HR and 70 RBI in 128 games played), LF Brovia, "Scrap Iron" Courtney at catcher, Dick Kryhoski (.278/.331/.497 with 16 HR and 50 RBI in 104 games) platooning with Don Lenhardt (.317/.397/.465 in 97 games) at 1B and Coleman at 2B. Need a SS. __________________ Pelican OOTP 2020-? ”Hard to believe, Harry.”

09-11-2023, 06:02 AM	#7
Pelican Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2021 Location: Wilmington, Delaware Posts: 2,948	Thank you. I suppose we got him a further deferment somehow. I’m abroad, away from my computer, so the (pre)season will be on pause, while I switch over to the “portable” sims on my laptop. __________________ Pelican OOTP 2020-? ”Hard to believe, Harry.”

09-05-2023, 12:30 PM	#6
Denville Dog Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Jan 2019 Location: Denville NJ Posts: 26	It was, in fact, a military commitment after he had received two deferrals.