Random Debut League 1901-??

[Highlander]

That covers the lineups and rotations heading into the 1902 season. I've decided this whole thing needs to be sped up a bit or I will never come close to getting in as many seasons as I would like. So, my plan is to run 5 seasons at a time and then report out after each 5-year period. I am hoping that will work. To start, I'll just run it up through 1905 and then report on what happened from 1902-05 and see how that goes. Thanks for following along!

[Highlander]

League Changes
In 1903, the Baltimore Orioles became the New York Highlanders. Also, the Cleveland Bronchos became the Cleveland Naps and the Chicago Orphans became the Chicago Cubs.

World Series Results
1902- The Philadelphia Phillies (82-58) defeated the Detroit Tigers (82-58) 4 games to 1
1903- The Chicago White Sox (87-53) defeated the Cincinnati Reds (76-64) 5 games to 2 (Best of 9 series)
1904- The St. Louis Browns (92-62) defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates (94-60) 4 games to 2
1905- The Boston Beaneaters (90-64) defeated the St. Louis Browns (93-61) 4 games to 0

In the AL, the White Sox and Browns have each made the Series twice, while in the NL no team got there more than once. No team has won the World Series more than once yet, however. The White Sox and Pirates have been the best two teams so far based on overall records, with Chicago having a .559 Winning Percentage and Pittsburgh at .556. The Orioles/Highlanders have been the worst team so far at .440.

Award Winners

Rookie of the Year
1902 AL ROY- SS Phil Rizzuto (CWS)- .328/.359/.426, 96 R, 23 doubles, 16 triples, 1 HR, 49 RBI, 29 SB….1st round draft pick….won both the Gold Glove and Platinum Stick at SS….finished 2nd in MVP voting…. led league in AB (591) and Hits (194)

1903 AL ROY- 1B Ed Stevens (PHA)- .292/.353/.472, 69 R, league leading 39 doubles, 16 triples, 7 HR, 90 RBI, 7 SB….3rd round draft pick….led league in ISO (.180)

1904 AL ROY- C Bruce Edwards (SLA)- .309/.368/.429, 55 R, 21 doubles, 9 triples, 4 HR, 58 RBI, 3 SB….2nd round draft pick….won the Platinum Stick at C

1905 AL ROY- 3B Miguel Andujar (BOS)- .327/.355/.470 (led league in BA and SLG), 81 R, league leading 49 doubles, 14 triples, 3 HR, 79 RBI, 14 SB….1st round draft pick….won the Platinum Stick at 3B….hit for the cycle….led league in Total Bases (282), XBH (66), RC (90.08), RC/27 (5.47), wOBA (.394), OPS (.825) and wRC+ (155.7)


1902 NL ROY- C Jim O’Rourke (CIN)- .335/.393/.472, 77 R, 38 doubles, 10 triples, 4 HR, 75 RBI, 27 SB….1st round draft pick….3rd in MVP voting

1903 NL ROY- OF Emmet Heidrick (CIN)- .296/.326/.386, 94 R, 21 doubles, 12 triples, 2 HR, 35 RBI, league leading 63 SB….1st round draft pick

1904 NL ROY- 3B Art Devlin (NYG)- .288/.364/.372, 86 R, 23 doubles, 12 triples, 1 HR, 60 RBI, 61 SB….1st round draft pick….won the Platinum Stick at 3B

1905 NL ROY- OF Paul Waner (CHC)- .327/.385/.436, 81 R, 32 doubles, 13 triples, 2 HR, 93 RBI, 15 SB….1st round draft pick….won the Platinum Stick at RF

Some great players in this group, but it seems like because of his really good rookie season in 2018 (47 doubles, 27 HR, .297 BA, .527 SLG), Miguel Andujar came out as the best of the bunch. The Reds got two in a row with O’Rourke and Heidrick….and were in the World Series in 1903 as well, so those two guys obviously helped them. The Brewers/Browns have also had 2 ROY and so have the Giants. It hasn’t helped NY yet, as they continue to flounder at the bottom of the standings.


Reliever of the Year- As soon as a reliever really stands out, I will name this award after them

At this point in the league, there are not award winners selected every year. In fact, there have only been 2 winners so far, both in the AL.

1904 AL Reliever of the Year- Jim Poole (CLE)- 2-3, league leading 5 Saves, 71.1 IP, 1.39 ERA, .93 WHIP, 30 Ks….Drafted in the 3rd round of the 1902 draft….led the league in Relief Appearances (42) and Games Finished (35)

1905 AL Reliever of the Year- Dutch Kemner (NYH)- 3-3, league leading 6 Saves, 48.1 IP, 2.42 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 33 Ks….Drafted in the 4th round of the 1904 draft….led the league in Relief Appearances (39) and Games Finished (34)



Most Valuable Player
1902 AL MVP- OF Fred Snodgrass (BAL)- .354/.432/.476 (led league in BA and SLG), league leading 101 R, league leading 33 doubles, 15 triples, 1 HR, 84 RBI, league leading 73 SB….Drafted in the 1st round of the inaugural draft….won Platinum Stick at RF, led league in Plate Appearances (622), Total Bases (258), XBH (49), RC (118.56), RC/27 (8.23), wOBA (.433), OPS (.908), wRC+ (165.8) and WAR (9.1)

1903 AL MVP- OF Fred Snodgrass (NYH)- .314/.393/437, 93 R, 33 doubles, 13 triples, 2 HR, 94 RBI, league leading 84 SB….won the Platinum Stick at RF, led league in Sac Flys (9)

1904 AL MVP- OF Fred Snodgrass (NYH)- .303/.382/.446 (led league in OBP and SLG), league leading 97 R, 30 doubles, league leading 23 triples, 3 HR, 90 RBI, league leading 68 SB….won the Platinum Stick in RF, lead the league in Hits (180), Total Bases (265), Walks (65), XBH (56), RC (100.57), RC/27 (5.84), ISO (.143), wOBA (.389), OPS (.828), wRC+ (158.6) and WAR (9.0)

1905 AL MVP- SS Buck Weaver (DET)- .310/.334/.408, 89 R, 36 doubles, 12 triples, 1 HR, 72 RBI, 54 SB….Drafted in the 1st round of the inaugural draft….won the Platinum Stick at SS….led the league in AB (639) and Hits (198)


1902 NL MVP- C Roger Bresnahan (PIT)- .347/.443/.483 (led league in OBP), 100 R, league leading 40 doubles, 10 triples, 2 HR, 78 RBI, 37 SB….Drafted in the 1st round of the inaugural draft (1st overall pick)....won the Platinum Stick at C….led the league in RC/27 (7.92), wOBA (.434), OPS (.925), wRC+ (166.4) and WAR (7.2)

1903 NL MVP- C Jim O’Rourke (CIN)- .347/.387/.538 (led league in BA and SLG), 84 R, 31 doubles, 19 triples, 9 HR, 92 RBI, 42 SB….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1901 draft….won the Platinum Stick at C….won the Gold Glove at C….led the league in Total Bases (270), XBH (59), RC/27 (7.11), wOBA (.428), OPS (.925), wRC+ (166.7) and WAR (7.5)

1904 NL MVP- OF Roger Bresnahan (PIT)- .313/.394/.444 (led league in SLG), 94 R, 26 doubles, 19 triples, 3 HR, 92 RBI, 34 SB….first player to win an MVP at two different positions….won the Platinum Stick at RF….led the league in RC (98.59), RC/27 (6.45), wOBA (.397), OPS (.838), wRC+ (163.7) and WAR (9.0)

1905 NL MVP- OF Jason Heyward (CHC)- .315/.389/.494 (led league in SLG), 103 R, 33 doubles, 18 triples, 11 HR, 78 RBI, 25 SB….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1903 draft….won the Platinum Stick at CF….led the league in Total Bases (282), RC (104.69), ISO (.179), wOBA (.421), OPS (.883), wRC+ (173.0) and WAR (9.9)

The AL was dominated by Fred Snodgrass, even though his teams were usually at the bottom of the league. He dropped off quite a bit in 1905, although still led the league in steals with 79, so we’ll see if he can bounce back or if someone else will step up. I don’t see Weaver repeating as an MVP, but you never know. In the NL, Roger Bresnahan was the only one to win more than one and he’s got strong competition with Heyward and O’Rourke….plus a few others like Heyward’s teammate and 1905 ROY, Paul Waner.

Best Pitcher Award- Once a pitcher really stands out, I’ll rename this after them
1902 AL Best Pitcher- Bob Welch (DET)- 24-11, league leading 4 Saves, 318 IP, league leading 1.98 ERA, league leading 1.06 WHIP, 111 Ks….led league in Winning Percentage (.686), RA/9 (9.79), H/9 (7.53), Quality Starts (29), QSP (.829) and Shutouts (5)

1903 AL Best Pitcher- Claude Hendrix (WAS)- 26-9, 308.1 IP, league leading 1.75 ERA, league leading 1.04 WHIP, 175 Ks….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1901 draft….led the league in BABIP (.240), RA/9 (9.52), H/9 (6.92), Complete Games (34), CGP (.971) and Shutouts (6)

1904 AL Best Pitcher- Whit Wyatt (PHA)- 23-18, 3 Saves, league leading 372.1 IP, league leading 1.69 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, league leading 260 Ks….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1901 draft….led the league in Games (56), Batters Faced (1507), K/9 (6.28), Quality Starts (32) and QSP (.842)

1905 AL Best Pitcher- Pedro Martinez (SLA)- 31-10 (led league in wins), 363 IP (led league), 1.59 ERA (led league), .90 WHIP (led league), 215 Ks….Drafted in the 1st round of the inaugural draft….2nd in MVP voting….led league in Winning Percent (.756), K/BB (4.67), RA/9 (8.43), BB/9 (1.14), FIP- (71.1), Complete Games (33), Shutouts (8) and WAR (10.3)


1902 NL Best Pitcher- Smoky Joe Wood (CHC)- 24-8 (led league in wins), 304.1 IP, 2.19 ERA, 1.00 WHIP (led league), 164 Ks (led league)....Drafted in the 1st round of the inaugural draft….won the Platinum Stick Award at P (.317/.387/.500, 18 R, 4 doubles, 3 triples, 3 HR, 24 RBI, 7 SB)....lead league in Winning Percent (.750), K/BB (2.88), RA/9 (9.52), K/9 (4.85), FIP- (76.8), Quality Starts (29), QSP (.829), Shutouts (5) and WAR (7.8)
1903 NL Best Pitcher- Smoky Joe Wood (CHC)- 21-15, 2 Saves, 311.2 IP, 2.57 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 203 Ks (led league)....won the Platinum Stick at P (.256/.307/.365, 38 R, 12 doubles, 8 triples, 2 HR, 33 RBI, 5 SB….Started 50 games in the OF….led league in K/BB (2.71), K/9 (5.86), FIP- (82.9) and WAR (6.9)

1904 NL Best Pitcher- Domingo German (PIT)- 26-11 (led league in wins), 339.1 IP, 2.36 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 156 Ks….Drafted in the 7th round of the inaugural draft

1905 NL Best Pitcher- Jim Bunning (BSN)- 28-12 (led league in wins), 351.2 IP, 2.05 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 226 Ks….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1903 draft….led the league in K/9 (5.78), FIP- (82.4), Quality Starts (32), Complete Games (35), Shutouts (9) and WAR (7.8)

The AL has been all over the place with no repeat winners. Pedro and Whit look like they are the best bets to repeat by far among the winners we’ve had. In the NL, it was the Smokey Joe Wood show for the first 3 seasons. Now he has moved into more of a 2-way player…he started 78 games in the OF in 1904 and 57 in 1905. As a result (a least possibly) he’s suffered a couple of long term injuries, missing the last month or so of 1904 with a strained hip muscle and from July 25th on in 1905 with a torn PCL ….he may even miss the beginning of 1906. We’ll see if the Cubs can get him back to focusing on pitching so he can stay healthy. German won’t be much of a challenge to him I don’t think, but Bunning might be in the mix going forward.


Other Accomplishments

In the AL, 3 players have stood out for their fielding by winning multiple Gold Gloves. At 3B, Ke’Bryan Hayes is up to 4 Gold Gloves out of the first 5 seasons, including 3 with the Baltimore/NY Highlander franchise. At SS, Phil Rizzuto has won 3 Gold Gloves in his first four years of his career, all of them with the White Sox. Finally, in the outfield, Alejandro De Aza has won 4 Gold Gloves, all with the Boston Americans. More impressively, he has 3 in LF and 1 in RF. He was recently traded to the Reds, so we’ll see if he can start another run in the NL.

Speaking of the NL, they have had 2 players win multiple Gold Glove Awards so far. At 3B is Hank Majeski of the Reds who has won 4 awards in his 4 years in the league. In CF, Mike Lum of the Cubs won 4 awards before being traded to the Superbas this past season. He lost the award to former ROY, Emmet Heidrick of the Reds. That means the Reds defense will have Majeski, De Aza and Heidrick….9 Gold Gloves among them with the potential for many more.

Kirk Gibson and Bill Buckner are the only two players to have 6 hits in a game so far. They both went 6-9. Kirk did it as a member of the White Sox against the Highlanders in 1903 and Bill did it in 1905 as a member of Cleveland against the Athletics.

There have been 5 No-Hitters so far in the league. Roy Halladay was mentioned in the 1901 report….his only blemish was an error he made. In 1903, Roy Sanders of the Reds made it hard on himself by walking 8 batters and striking out 4 against the Cardinals. 1905 saw three no-no’s- Mark Mulder of Pittsburgh against the Beaneaters, Ralph Glaze of the Cardinals also against the Beaneaters and Billy Loes of Detroit over the Highlanders.


Record Book

Single Season and Career Records





Single Game Records- Records held by more than 2 players will not be listed
AL Doubles- Jose Pagan (1902-WAS)- 4
AL Triples- Paul Blair (1905-DET)- 4
AL Batting Ks- Jesus Luzardo (1903-BOS)- 5
AL Pitching Walks- Mario Soto (1902-BOS)- 11
AL Pitching Ks- Hal Newhouser (1903-NYH)- 13

NL Triples- Jarren Duran (1904-NYG) and JD Drew (1903-BRO)- 3
NL RBI- Elmer Smith (1901-BSN)- 8
NL SB- Harry Spratt (1902-CIN)- 5
NL Pitching Ks- Gus Weyhing (1905-NYG)- 13

Longest Streaks- Only a few of the most notable streaks will be listed…these are with the AL and NL combined
AL Hit Streak- Ken Griffey (1901-BRO)- 30 Games
AL On-Base Streak- Denis Menke (1903-SLA)- 46 Games
AL Run Streak- John McGraw (1901-CLE)- 12 Games
AL Winning Streak- Claude Hendrix (1903-WAS)- 15 Games
AL Scoreless Innings- Joe Magrane (1904-PHI)- 43 Innings


Retired Players- This will usually be a place to show possible future HOFers and other players of note who have retired over the period being reported on. In this case, it will be the latter, as no one here will likely end up a HOFer based on such little playing time.


SP Dutch Leonard retired in 1905. He was a key pitcher on the World Champions of the inaugural season, the Chicago Orphans. He went 19-16 in 1901 and 20-14 in 1902. However, at the end of 1902 he tore his flexor tendon and missed all of 1903. At age 44, he tried to come back in 1904 and wasn’t bad as he had a 3.23 ERA. The Cubs were a much worse team, however, so he only had a 5-13 record. At the trade deadline, he was dealt to the crosstown White Sox where he went 3-5 with a still solid 3.20 ERA……until on 9/1/1904 when he tore the flexor tendon again. He would have to miss all of 1905 no matter what, but he still waited until the end of the season to officially announce.

SP Jack Morris is a recent HOFer in real life, but came into this league at 39 years old. He was OK in 1901, going 10-14 with a 3.13 ERA for the Giants. He was then traded to the Athletics, but struggled in both 1902 and 03. He had one last gasp in 1904, going 5-2 with a 2.37 ERA and 1.16 WHIP as a swingman. However, in September, much like Dutch Leonard, he tore his flexor tendon and would have to miss about 10 months. He did make it back to pitch 16 innings in 1905, but then…at age 43….decided to call it quits.

SP Darren Oliver entered the league at age 40, so it was clear he wouldn’t last too long. He was very effective, despite a poor record from playing on some bad teams. In fact, his age 43 season in 1904 was his best yet. He only went 14-21, but threw 312 innings with a 2.80 ERA and 1.04 WHIP and 132 Ks. He came into Spring Training in 1905 ready to prove the doubters wrong at age 44, but joined the above players by tragically suffering a ruptured UCL before the regular season even started. Instead of trying to come back at 45, he unsurprisingly decided to retire.

SP Mel Parnell of the Highlanders suffered a career ending elbow injury in September of 1904 and was forced to retire at age 35. He wasn’t having a great career, but had a .500 record for one of the worst teams in the league. He also won a Platinum Stick at P in 1903.

SP Eric Show was the ERA champion in 1901, then went 9-23 with a 4.08 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in 1902….and never pitched again after that season. He hung around for a few more years and finally retired this past season in 1905 at only age 35. So strange with the success he had that first season.

C Charlie O’Brien was the only player to retire in 1901 after the inaugural season. He actually won the Gold Glove at C that season, so at least he made his mark!

1B Joe Morgan is better known as one of the best secondbasemen who ever played the game. However, in this league, he came in at age 40 and mostly played 1B. He led the league in walks that first year and was able to hang around until age 43, but never really did anything else of note. A shame, since a young Morgan could have been one of the best in the league.

SS Brendan Ryan may be the namesake for this league’s version of the Mendoza line. Ryan started at SS for 5 years for the Orphans/Cubs. He was a member of that 1901 World Champion team and won 2 Gold Gloves at SS. His career BA, though, was .193. He had no power, no speed and wasn’t good at drawing walks….a true defense first (and only) player. He retired in 1905 after a .452 OPS….which was actually better than his 1904 season where his OPS was .403! The Ryan Line just doesn’t have a great ring to it though.

OF Lloyd Waner was a HOFer in real life, but just came in too far past his time of effectiveness. He was 38 in 1901 and managed just 46 AB in his career over just two seasons when he retired in 1902. It looks like his brother will make up for his poor showing, though.

[Highlander]

Here's the first part of the report for the next 5-year period.....

League Changes/Major Player Additions

1906- A list of the top players added in the draft leading up to this season
1-1 Frank “The Big Hurt” Thomas (WAS)
1-2 Yordan Alvarez (NYH)
1-3 Felix Hernandez (STL)
1-4 Zeke Bonura (PHI)
1-6 Justin Upton (CHC)
1-8 Earle Combs (DET)
1-10 Darryl Kile (BRO)
1-12 Ryan Klesko (CHW)
1-14 Lou Brock (CLE)
2-32 Wilcy Moore (SLA)

1907
The Boston Beaneaters changed their name to the Boston Doves.

1-1 Duke Snider (WAS)
1-2 Bert Blyleven (PIT)
1-3 Fernando Valenzuela (NYH)
1-4 Jason Kendall (STL)
1-5 Chick Hafey (CHC)
1-6 Roy Sievers (BSN)
1-7 Paul “Daffy” Dean (DET)
1-10 Ferris Fain (CLE)
1-14 Tom Henke (CIN)
1-16 David Robertson (BRO)
2-1 Edgar Renteria (WAS)
2-2 Ray Fosse (PIT)
2-11 Tim Wakefield (PHI)

1908
1-1 Duke Snider (DET)- Washington was unable to sign him in 1907
1-2 Eddie Collins (WAS)
1-3 Gabby Hartnett (PIT)
1-4 Bert Blyleven (CIN)- Pittsburgh was unable to sign him in 1907….interesting they didn’t try again!
1-7 Bill Skowron (WAS)
1-8 Mark Grace (STL)
1-12 Travis Jackson (SLA)
1-18 Ray Fosse (CHC)- Pittsburgh was also unable to sign him in 1907


1909
1-1 Gabby Hartnett (SLA)- Pittsburgh was unable to sign him last year….seems like a trend.
1-2 Corey Seager (CHC)
1-4 Kip Selbach (PIT)....a very good player from 1894-1906 for those wondering who he is
1-6 Mark Teixeira (BRO)
Lots of other lesser known guys drafted this year…we’ll see who surprises.

1910
1-1 Tris Speaker (BRO)
1-2 Derrek Lee (SLA)
1-3 Mark Prior (WAS)
1-4 Darryl Strawberry (BSN)
1-7 Matt Williams (CIN)

Again, a number of lesser known players in the rest of this draft….although Speaker, Prior, Strawberry and Williams make this an interesting one.


World Series Results
1906- The Brooklyn Superbas (91-63) defeated the Chicago White Sox (89-65) 4 games to 2
The White Sox were led by their two big pitchers, Scott Elarton and Doug McWeeny, who won a combined 48 games. Offensively, they relied on 1904 draftee Joe Adcock and they also made a trade deadline deal with the Pirates for 2-time batting champion Billy Goodman who helped boost their offense. The Superbas were also led by strong pitching, with a big 3 of Dave Bush, Joe Magrane and Catfish Hunter. They also added former Best Pitcher Award winner Domingo German from the Pirates (Pittsburgh finished dead last in the NL, so they are tearing it down), and used him as their Stopper. On offense, the Superbas were led by Ken Griffey and 1904 1st round pick, Edwin Encarnacion.

1907- The Chicago Cubs (88-66) defeated the Cleveland Naps (85-69) 4 games to 2 (Best of 9 series)
The Cubs were led, as always, by Smoky Joe Wood who is now a full-on 2 way player and led the team in both wins and HR. Jason Heyward and Paul Waner provide a big part of the rest of the offense. The Naps make their first appearance in the World Series thanks to the pitching of Adam Wainwright, who was injured for the World Series. He was joined on the staff by Tyler Anderson and Ed Brandt. On offense, Bill Buckner had his best season by far (I checked…he made 0 errors in the Series) and rookie Ferris Fain was also very solid for them.


1908- The Cincinnati Reds (87-67) defeated the Chicago White Sox (94-60) 4 games to 3
The White Sox make yet another World Series and once again rely on their pitching to lead them. This year it was Scott Elarton, Brad Penny and Lil Stoner as the big 3, but near the end of the season, Jaime Garcia finally recovered from his torn labrum he suffered in 1907 and ended up being part of the World Series rotation over Stoner. Offensively, it was again Billy Goodman, who won his 4th batting title, to lead the way. 1905 3rd round pick, Oscar Gonzalez led the team in RBI and also had the odd achievement of hitting exactly .304 each of the last 3 seasons. The Reds won their 1st title in their 2nd try. They were also a very pitching-centric team. Rookie Bert Blyleven was the big star on the mound and former ROY and MVP Jim O’Rourke had another strong year at the plate. One strange occurrence in the NL was that the defending champion Chicago Cubs ended up in last place, going from 88-66 to 65-89. Their pitching remained very good, but their offense pretty much disappeared for some reason. We’ll see what happens next season as their big offensive players are still pretty young….and they will get a great draft pick.


1909- The New York Highlanders (88-66) defeated the Chicago Cubs (89-65) 4 games to 0
I thought the Cubs might recover from finishing in last, but to go from World Champions to last place back to winning the pennant in 3 straight years is pretty incredible. This year’s Cubs team relied on the usual suspects….Smokey Joe Wood as a two-way star, Catfish Hunter on the mound and Paul Waner as the star on offense. The Highlanders had been improving the last couple of years and finally broke through. Definitely a different team than the one that finished 56-84 in the inaugural season, this Highlanders team was all about star pitcher Fernando Valenzuela and star hitter Yordan Alvarez. A mid-season deal with the Doves for P DJ Herz was also key to their success as he won 10 games down the stretch and picked up a victory in the World Series as well.


1910- The Detroit Tigers (96-58) defeated the Boston Doves (93-61) 4 games to 3
The Doves have been a very up and down team over the years of this league. They may be a team to contend with for a while now, though. A deep pitching staff that even has a 38-year old Roy Halladay winning 9 games was a big part of the Doves’ success. However, the offense was an even bigger story as Roy Sievers and Darryl Strawberry each drove in over 100 runs to lead this team to the most runs scored in the NL. The Tigers win their first championship after a 2nd place finish last year…..the Highlanders, who beat them out last season, finished 2nd this year. The Tigers pitching was led by Daffy Dean and a cast of characters who surprised with how well they did….pitchers like Ray Herbert and Jason Jennings. On offense, the Tigers were loaded with Earle Combs, Duke Snider, Paul Blair and former MVP Buck Weaver all contributing. It will be interesting to see if they can replicate the pitching going forward because this team can hit pretty well.

[Highlander]

Award Winners

Rookie of the Year
1906 AL ROY- OF Jeff Stone (PHA)- .331/.385/.368, 68 R, 5 doubles, 5 triples, 0 HR, 47 RBI, 53 SB….3rd round draft pick

1907 AL ROY- 1B Ferris Fain (CLE)- .310/.397/.362 (OBP led league), 53 R, 21 doubles, 1 triple, 0 HR, 74 RBI, 11 SB….1st round draft pick

1908 AL ROY- OF Duke Snider (DET)- .266/.318/.394, 54 R, 26 doubles, 8 triples, 8 HR, 75 RBI, 16 SB….1st round draft pick….led the league in ISO (.128)

1909 AL ROY- SS Ha-Seong Kim (NYH)- .243/.298/.328, 49 R, 15 doubles, 8 triples, 3 HR, 63 RBI, 23 SB….1st round draft pick….won the Gold Glove at SS

1910 AL ROY- OF David DeJesus (PHA)- .325/.402/.414, 67 R, 20 doubles, 9 triples, 0 HR, 46 RBI, 16 SB….1st round draft pick….won the Gold Glove at RF


1906 NL ROY- SS Jason Bartlett (CIN)- .286/.349/.336, 60 R, 15 doubles, 5 triples, 0 HR, 43 RBI, 32 SB….1st round draft pick….won the Gold Glove and Platinum Stick at SS

1907 NL ROY- C Jason Kendall (STL)- .303/.368/.372, 62 R, 18 doubles, 9 triples, 0 HR, 58 RBI, 21 SB….1st round draft pick….won the Platinum Stick at C….led league in HP (26)

1908 NL ROY- P Bert Blyleven (CIN)- 27-18 (led league in Wins), 2 Saves, 360.1 IP (led league), 2.40 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 217 Ks (led league)....1st round draft pick….won the Best Pitcher Award and was named World Series MVP….led league in K/9 (5.42) and WAR (8.2)

1909 NL ROY- C Bill Salkeld (BRO)- .256/.354.353, 53 R, 24 doubles, 1 triples, 8 HR, 59 RBI, 4 SB….1st round draft pick….traded to the Giants for 4 players at the end of the season

1910 NL ROY- OF Darryl Strawberry (BSN)- .306/.400/.521 (led league in SLG), 108 R, 29 doubles, 16 triples, 20 HR (led league and set the single season record), 103 RBI, 35 SB….1st round draft pick….won the Platinum Stick at RF…..finished 2nd in MVP voting….led league in Total Bases (293), XBH (65), RC (121.57), RC/27 (7.91), ISO (.215), wOBA (.441), OPS (.921) and wRC+ (175.8)

In the AL, the Philadelphia Athletics are up to 3 ROYs so far and the Brewers/Browns have 2. This 5 year period seemed to have a pretty weak group, but maybe they will develop into even better players. Lots of defense and speed. In the NL, the Reds are up to 4 ROYs and there have been some really good ones. Spoiler alert, but Bert Blyleven is REALLY good. The Giants have had a couple of very good players as well in Duran and Devlin. The NL is definitely in the lead for the best rookie seasons so far. They lead the World Series matchups 6-4, so that makes some sense.


Reliever of the Year
1906 AL Reliever of the Year- Kerry Ligtenberg (NYH)- 4-3, 5 Saves, 58.2 IP, 2.30 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 25 Ks….Drafted in the 2nd round of the 1902 draft

1907 AL Reliever of the Year- Reyes Moronta (BOS)- 6-1, 13 Saves, 63.2 IP, .85 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 28 Ks….Drafted in the 2nd round of the 1904 draft

1908 AL Reliever of the Year- Steve Foster (NYH)- 15-4, 12 Saves, 125 IP, 2.09 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 46 Ks….Drafted in the 3rd round of the 1903 draft…..Led the league in Games (73) and Relief Appearances (73)

1909 AL Reliever of the Year- Reyes Moronta (BOS)- 9-3, 16 Saves, 68.1 IP, 1.58 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 50 Ks

1910 AL Reliever of the Year- Reyes Moronta (BOS)- 7-6, 10 Saves (led league), 67 IP, 2.55 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 43 Ks


1906 NL Reliever of the Year- DJ Herz (BSN)- 9-10, 13 Saves (led league), 102 IP, 3.00 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 60 Ks….Drafted in the 8th round of the inaugural draft….Led the league in Games (71), Relief Appearances (71) and Games Finished (67)

1907 NL Reliever of the Year- Cory Wade (PIT)- 6-1, 12 Saves, 72.1 IP, 1.37 ERA, .98 WHIP, 27 Ks….Drafted in the 4th round of the 1906 draft

1908 NL Reliever of the Year- David Robertson (BRO)- 6-6, 14 Saves, 85 IP, 2.12 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 41 Ks….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1906 draft….Led league in Games (55), Relief Appearances (55) and Games Finished (50)

1909 NL Reliever of the Year- Trevor Megill (BSN)- 3-3, 14 Saves (led league), 62 IP, 1.31 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 28 Ks….Drafted in the 2nd round of the inaugural draft by the Washington Senators

1910 NL Reliever of the Year- Sergio Escalona (PHI)- 9-4, 9 Saves, 68.2 IP, 3.01 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 31 Ks….Drafted in the 3rd round of the inaugural draft by the Washington Senators (they really loaded up on relievers in that first draft!)....Led the league in Games Finished (37)

Relievers started making their mark during this 5-year stretch. The AL was dominated by Reyes Moronta, while the NL had a different winner each year. It will be interesting to see if one of them stakes their claim to being more dominant in this next 5 year stretch.

Most Valuable Player
1906 AL MVP- SS Buck Weaver (DET)- .289/.315/.384, 77 R, 23 doubles, 16 triples (led league), 1 HR, 81 RBI, 60 SB….2nd MVP Award….Won the Platinum Stick and Gold Glove at SS….Led the league in WAR (11.3)....So much for my prediction that he wouldn’t be a guy to repeat as MVP!

1907 AL MVP- OF Bill Buckner (CLE)- .323/.351/.452 (led league in SLG), 89 R, 36 doubles (led league), 17 triples (led league), 4 HR, 95 RBI (led league), 28 SB….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1903 draft….Won the Platinum Stick at LF….Led the league in AB (640), Hits (207), Total Bases (289), XBH (57), RC (92.60), ISO (.128),

1908 AL MVP- 1B Billy Goodman (CHW)- .349/.401/.435 (led league in BA), 71 R, 27 doubles, 11 triples, 0 HR, 67 RBI, 42 SB….Drafted in the 2nd round of the inaugural draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates….Won the Platinum Stick at 1B….Led the league in Hits (200), RC (98.86), RC/27 (6.39), wOBA (.405), OPS (.835) and wRC+ (171)

1909 AL MVP- SS Buck Weaver (DET)- .267/.310/.360, 87 R, 25 doubles, 18 triples (led league), 0 HR, 35 RBI, 66 SB….3rd MVP Award….Won the Platinum Stick at SS….Led the league in Plate Appearances (693), AB (652) and WAR (9.7)

1910 AL MVP- 1B Frank Thomas (WAS)- .364/.460/.515 (led league in all 3), 84 R, 33 doubles, 4 triples, 13 HR, 98 RBI (led league), 4 SB….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1905 draft….Won the Platinum Stick at 1B….Led the league in Hits (192), Total Bases (272), RC (131.48), RC/27 (10.06), wOBA (.466), OPS (.975- single season record), wRC+ (191)


1906 NL MVP- 3B Art Devlin (NYG)- .283/.376/.397, 90 R, 31 doubles, 14 triples (led league), 2 HR, 87 RBI, 95 SB (led league- single season record)….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1903 draft....won the Platinum Stick at 3B….led the league in WAR (7.5)

1907 NL MVP- OF Jason Heyward (CHC)- .332/.416/.465 (led league in OBP), 101 R (led league), 36 doubles (led league), 11 triples, 7 HR, 68 RBI, 50 SB….2nd MVP Award….Won the Platinum Stick at CF….Led the league in Total Bases (276), RC (121.67), RC/27 (7.69), wOBA (.428), OPS (.880), wRC+ (180.8) and WAR (11.9)

1908 NL MVP- C Jim O’Rourke (CIN)- .305/.356/.453 (led league in SLG), 79 R, 24 doubles, 14 triples, 9 HR, 89 RBI (led league), 36 SB….2nd MVP Award….Won the Platinum Stick at C….Hit for the cycle on 6/5/08

1909 NL MVP- SS Tony Fernandez (NYG)- .325/.379/.445 (led league in BA and SLG), 88 R, 31 doubles, 21 triples (led league), 0 HR, 66 RBI, 44 SB….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1907 draft….Won the Platinum Stick at 3B….Led the league in Plate Appearances (660), Hits (197), Total Bases (270), XBH (52), RC (97.55), RC/27 (5.75), wOBA (.401), OPS (.824) and wRC+ (159.7)

1910 NL MVP- OF Roy Sievers (BSN)- .339/.414/.475 (led league in BA), 101 R, 31 doubles, 6 triples, 12 HR, 108 RBI (led league), 10 SB….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1906 draft….Won the Platinum Stick in LF….Led the league in Hits (197)

The AL saw Buck Weaver not only repeat against my predictions, but win 2 more MVP awards! He and Fred Snodgrass are tied at 3 MVPs each, while in the NL Roger Bresnahan, Jim O’Rourke and Jason Heyward all have 2. Based on that season Frank Thomas had, I would expect a few more coming his way….but we now know how great my predictions are.

Best Pitcher Award
1906 AL Best Pitcher- Doug McWeeny (CHW)- 25-13, 360.1 IP, 1.75 ERA (led league), .99 WHIP (led league), 149 Ks….Drafted in the 2nd round of the 1902 draft….Finished 3rd in the MVP voting….Led the league in RA/9 (9.02), H/9 (6.37), Quality Starts (33), QSP (.846) and Shutouts (8)

1907 AL Best Pitcher- There was a tie this season, so we have two winners!
Jeff Fassero (SLA)- 23-17, 346 IP, 1.82 ERA (led league), 1.06 WHIP, 157 Ks….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1906 draft….Finished 2nd in ROY voting (not sure how he didn’t beat out Ferris Fain!)….Led the league in Shutouts (7)
Scott Elarton (CHW)- 26-18 (led league in wins), 357 IP (led league), 1.87 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 147 Ks….Drafted in the 2 round of the 1903 draft….Won the Gold Glove at P…. Led league in Quality Starts (36), QSP (.923), Complete Games (30) and Shutouts (7)

1908 AL Best Pitcher- Scott Elarton (CHW)- 25-8 (led league in wins), 331 IP, 1.39 ERA (led league- single season record), .87 WHIP (led league- single season record), 127 Ks….2nd Best Pitcher Award….Led league in Winning Percentage (.758), BABIP (.200), RA/5 (8.05), H/9 (5.85), Quality Starts (36), QSP (.973), Complete Games (30) and CGP (.811)

1909 AL Best Pitcher- Fernando Valenzuela (NYH)- 37-8 (led league in wins-single season record), 11 Saves, 405.1 IP (led league-single season record), 1.64 ERA (led league), .97 WHIP, 263 Ks (led league)….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1906 draft….2nd in MVP voting….Won the Triple Crown of Pitching….Led the league in Games Started (39), Winning Percentage (.822), Batters Faced (1590), H/9 (6.64), K/9 (5.84), Quality Starts (34), QSP (.872), Complete Games (35), CGP (.897), Shutouts (12) and WAR (10.1)


1910 AL Best Pitcher- Fernando Valenzuela (NYH)- 29-14 (led league in wins), 4 Saves, 366 IP (led league), 1.97 ERA (led league), 1.02 WHIP, 234 Ks….2nd Best Pitcher Award….Led league in Games (69), RA/9 (9.37), H/9 (6.74), FIP- (76.9), Quality Starts (33), QSP (.846) and WAR (8.46)


1906 NL Best Pitcher- Chappie McFarland (CIN)- 26-13 (led league in wins), 355.2 IP (led league), 1.95 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 143 Ks....Drafted in the 2nd round of the 1905 draft….Somehow won Rookie of the Month 4 times, but didn’t win ROY….Led the league in Winning Percentage (.667) and Shutouts (9)

1907 NL Best Pitcher- Smoky Joe Wood (CHC)- 26-11 (led league in wins), 1 Save, 347.1 IP, 1.76 ERA, .98 WHIP (led league), 193 Ks (led league)....4th Best Pitcher Award….Won the Platinum Stick at P, was named World Series MVP, finished 2nd in MVP voting….Also started 99 games in LF….Led the league in Winning Percentage (.703), BABIP (.233), RA/9 (9.12), H/9 (6.37), Shutouts (7) and WAR (7.0)

1908 NL Best Pitcher- Bert Blyleven (CIN)- See Numbers under ROY Award

1909 NL Best Pitcher- Bert Blyleven (CIN)- 25-15 (led league in wins), 5 Saves, 369 IP (led league), 1.71 ERA (led league), .92 WHIP (led league), 246 Ks (led league)....2nd Best Pitcher Award….Won the Triple Crown for Pitchers….Led the league in Games Pitched (54), K/BB (3.28), RA/9 (8.37), H/9 (6.44), K/9 (6.00), FIP- (70.6), Quality Starts (33), Complete Games (36-single season record), CGP (.923) and WAR (10.2)

1910 NL Best Pitcher- Bert Blyleven (CIN)- 22-16, 359.1 IP (led league), 1.80 ERA (led league), .96 WHIP (led league), 265 Ks (led league-single season record)....3rd Best Pitcher Award….Led league in K/BB (2.88), RA/9 (8.87), HR/9 (0.0…he gave up no HR), K/9 (6.64-single season record), FIP- (64.2), Quality Starts (32), Complete Games (34), CGP (.895), Shutouts (6) and WAR (11.5-single season record)

Scott Elarton looked like he was going to start to dominate the AL….but then along came Fernando. What a season the 1909 season was for him…he may be tough to beat for a long time as he’s only 22. In the NL, Smoky Joe got his 4th award before the Bert Blyleven show took over. Despite winning 3 awards already, he’s only 21! If they don’t regress, Fernando and Bert will be really fun to watch and see what they will do. There is always a new guy that will come along, but I’m not sure if anyone can beat out these guys if they keep going.

Other Accomplishments

In the AL, Clay Dalrymple and Ke’Bryan Hayes have taken over as the dominant defensive players, each winning 7 Gold Gloves so far at C and 3B respectively. Earl Averill has 4 in LF, Dom DiMaggio 4 in CF and Fred Snodgrass with 4 in RF….Alejandro DeAza still has his 4 split between left and right.

In the NL, there is an interesting situation at 3B. Robin Ventura picked up a Gold Glove in 1901, but then along came Hank Majeski who won 7 in a row….then in 1909 and 1910 it was Robin Ventura again! Other multiple winners in the NL include Jackie Collum with 4 at P, Neifi Perez with 5 at 2B, JD Drew with 5 in the OF (1 in left, 4 in right).

Billy Goodman and Earle Combs added their names to the 6 hit club.

Four more players hit for the cycle in this 5-year stretch. Ray Sanders, Jim O’Rourke and Oscar Gonzalez all did it in 1908. Jim Greengrass did it in 1910.

There were 6 more No-Hitters- Jason Jennings (3K, 1BB), Don McMahon (8K, 3BB), Brad Penny (2K, 0BB in 5 IP), DJ Herz (1K, 2BB in 6 IP), Ralph Glaze (2K, 1BB) and Scott Elarton (9K, 1BB)

A few milestones were reached- Fred Snodgrass stole his 600th base in 1909, Art Devlin stole his 500th base in 1910, Emmet Heidrick stole his 500th base in 1910 and Pedro Martinez won his 200th game in 1910


Record Book

Single Season and Career Records









Single Game Records- Records held by more than 2 players will not be listed
AL Doubles- Jose Pagan (1902-WAS)- 4
AL Triples- Paul Blair (1905-DET)- 4
AL RBI- Del Crandall (1910-DET) and Bobby Murcer (1910-CLE)- 7 (Murcer also has a 6 RBI game)
AL SB- Billy Goodman (1907-CWS) and Fred Snodgrass (1906-NYH)- 5
AL Batting Ks- Jesus Luzardo (1903-BOS)- 5
AL Pitching Walks- Mario Soto (1902-BOS) and Steve Barber (1907-BOS)- 11
AL Pitching Ks- Hal Newhouser (1903-NYH)- 13

NL Triples- Jarren Duran (1904-NYG) and JD Drew (1903-BRO)- 3
NL RBI- Elmer Smith (1901-BSN)- 8
NL Pitching Walks- Sam Militello (1910-NYG) and Ted Blankenship (1908-CIN)- 10
NL Pitching Ks- Gus Weyhing (1905-NYG)- 13

Longest Streaks- Only a few of the most notable streaks that are held by no more than 2 players will be listed …these are with the AL and NL combined
Hit Streak- Ken Griffey (1901-BRO)- 30 Games
RBI Streak- Bill Buckner (1910-CLE) and Phil Irvin (1909-WAS)- 10 Games
On-Base Streak- Bobby Murcer (1909-CLE)- 47 Games
Run Streak- John McGraw (1901-CLE)- 12 Games
Winning Streak- Fernando Valenzuela (1909-NYH)- 16 Games
Scoreless Innings- Joe Magrane (1904-PHI)- 43 Innings


Retired Players

1906
SS Luis Aparicio was one of a few HOFers who were added to this league in the inaugural season at an older age. Luis debuted at age 34 and did have 3 solid seasons…the first with the Boston Americans and then the rest of his career with the Pirates. Despite being known more for his glove, his only award was a Platinum Stick at SS in 1903. His .756 OPS and 1.3 WAR show it was more about his competition than anything special he did.

SS Joe Cronin falls into the same category as Aparicio, as he is also a HOF player who came into the league at age 35. However, he really made the most of his 6 seasons. He spent 3 with the Giants and 3 with the Phillies and all but his last season were very good. He won 4 Player of the Week Awards, 2 Batters of the Month and 2 Platinum Sticks at SS.

OF Kenny Lofton wasn’t quite a HOF player, but also joined the league a little late at age 34. He put together 3 solid seasons for the Brewers/Browns and was a member of the Championship team in 1904 as more of a part time player.

3B Vinny Castilla broke into the league in 1901 at 30 years old. He spent two very productive years in Brooklyn, winning a Platinum Stick in 1902. He was then traded to the Americans in a 5 player deal. He had one solid year before his numbers fell way off in 1904 and he barely played his last two seasons.


1907
2B Johnny Evers was the 2nd pick of the Chicago Orphans in the inaugural draft as a 29 year old. They won the World Series that year and Evers was solid for them for a few more. Then, before the 1905 season, they traded him to the Giants along with P Matt Strahm for another HOFer, George Kell. Evers really fell off in NY and was a part time player by 1906 before deciding to retire at age 36. Kell hasn’t really developed for the Cubs at age 25, but could still get it together.

SS Rafael Furcal spent his 7 year career with Washington after being drafted by them in the 10th round as a 34 year old. He won a Gold Glove in 1901 and got a Batter of the Month Award in 1901 as well. His best year was 1903, though, when he hit .331 with an .827 OPS.

OF Xavier Nady hit .350 with 95 RBI in 1902 with the Beaneaters, but never really got a chance to play much after that, as his AB decreased every year. However, when he did play, he kept hitting with a .309 lifetime average. He played just enough in 1905 (14 AB) to get a ring from the Boston Championship.

P Butch Wensloff is one of the better pitchers that have retired so far. He went 118-77 in his career with a 2.36 ERA and 1.18 WHIP for the Senators and Athletics. He had a lot of control issues, but also led the league 3 times in BABIP so luck was on his side a lot. His career BABIP was .243 (His real life one was .235 in just 276 IP). He won a Rookie of the Month Award, 2 Players of the Week and 5 Pitchers of the Month. He only pitched in 5 games his final season, but still had a 2.37 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP.

OF Cy Williams put up some big numbers in his real life career. He didn’t quite live up to that here, but still was a force for a number of years. He came into the league at age 33, but still managed to lead the league in HR 4 times and RBI twice. His bests in those categories were both in 1901 when he hit 18 HR with 105 RBI…the HR are still tied for the season best. As of his retirement, he is the all-time HR king with 71….but that likely won’t last long as Dixie Walker has 66 at age 24. Cy won 4 Player of the Week Awards, 2 Batter of the Month Awards and most importantly, 2 World Championships….one in 1903 with the White Sox, where he was named World Series MVP and one with the Beaneaters in 1905.

1908

OF Chuck Hinton was a 28-year old in the inaugural season and immediately made his mark with a .333 BA and an .828 OPS with Detroit and in 1903 he won the batting title with a .358 average, still with the Tigers. He became more of a platoon player the next season and was traded to the Athletics for the 1905 season and never really got to play much for the next 4 years. He finally decided to retire at age 35. He won 2 Platinum Stick Awards in his career, one at 1B and one at LF.

P Ed Reulbach started his career in 1901 at age 33 with Brooklyn. During the season, he was traded to Pittsburgh where he remained. He didn’t rack up a lot of awards, as he only won 1 Player of the Week and 1 Pitcher of the Month. However, he led the league in ERA twice, wins once and WHIP once.

1B/SS Robin Yount is another member of the HOF club who debuted in 1901 at a bit of an advanced age. Yount was 34, but hung around mostly as a starter until age 41. He didn’t come close to living up to his actual career, as his .238/.304/.304 slash line shows, but he was able to win a World Series title with the Cubs in 1907.

OF Les Mann was the 3rd round pick of the Pirates in the inaugural draft at age 30. He was a worthy pick, as he led the league in RBI for his 1st 3 seasons, with 109, 108 and 107. In 1904 he dropped off to a platoon player and was traded to Detroit after that. The Tigers tried to recapture the Mann who led the league in RBI, but he just couldn’t get it going again and became a limited bench guy his last few years.


1909
OF Thad Bosley was a great pinch hitter/bench player in his major league career and even though he had a successful 1901 season as a more fulltime player, he soon became just the type of player in this league as he had been. He finished with a .312 career average, but only twice had over 400 AB. He got in 7 AB for the 1908 Reds, so he was able to finish his career with 1 World Series ring.

P Domingo German had a very strange career. He was a 7th rounder in the inaugural draft and had a solid debut season. He barely pitched, though, in 1902. He came back in 1903 with a very good season and then won the Pitcher of the Year award in 1904 with 26 wins. He remained very good in 1905 and started off well in 1906 for the Pirates before he was traded to Brooklyn. The Superbas used him sparingly in relief the rest of 1906 and then, despite being just 31 and having won the Best Pitcher award at age 29, he never pitched another game. He hung around on the reserve list for a few more years, before finally giving up at age 35. He did get to be a World Series winner with Brooklyn in that 1906 season.

A few other guys with decent careers, but nothing that really stands out in any way.


1910
P Chuck Stobbs spent 6 years with the Phillies and then the last 2 seasons with the Pirates. He was a very effective pitcher in all but two seasons. He missed the 1905 season due to a torn flexor tendon. His last season with Philly, in 1907, he inexplicably went 3-12 with a 4.48 ERA. Thinking he was done, they sent him to Pittsburgh where he rebounded for 2 more seasons….in 1909 he went 13-8 with 4 saves, a 2.89 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. For some reason, he never got a chance to pitch in 1910, so he decided to retire.

OF Jarren Duran had a terrific career and it all started as a 25-year old that first 1901 season. He was Rookie of the Year that season and ended up winning a number of other awards in his career. He won 7 Player of the Week Awards, 1 Batter of the Month, 3 Gold Gloves in LF and 4 Platinum Sticks. He led the league in SLG, OPS and RBI once each, doubles twice and triples 4 times. He spent most of his career on a pretty bad Giants team and finished as a part time player with the Pirates his last 2 seasons. His 1909 season was a bit exciting even though he only had 58 AB. In that time, he had a slash line of .397/.435/.603 with 3 doubles, 3 triples and a HR for a 1.039 OPS. His .547 SLG, 30 triples and 300 total bases in his rookie year still stand as single season records. He also retires as the career leader in triples with 142….Fred Snodgrass is second with 129. He’s probably the closest we’ve had so far to a HOF player.

OF Alejandro De Aza was mentioned in the last report as having won 4 Gold Gloves and was on his way to Cincinnati, where the hope was that he could add a few more. While he continued to hit and field very well for the Reds, they never gave him enough playing time to qualify for another award. He was a member of the 1908 championship team, though.

3B Jim Davenport was a solid player for the White Sox for his first 5 seasons and won a World Series with them in 1903. He was traded across town to the Cubs in 1907 and won the World Series with them that season, giving him one with two different teams.

C Duke Sims was a 1st round draft pick in the inaugural draft for Brooklyn. He played with them for 8 seasons and won a championship in 1906 before moving to the Giants his last 3 seasons. He ended with a .230/.331/.298 career line….not really 1st round pick numbers. He did win a Gold Glove in his last full season, in 1909, despite hitting just .228 with a .564 OPS.

C Wilson Ramos spent his whole career with the Giants and wasn’t anything remarkable, other than winning 4 Gold Glove Awards.

P Masahiro Tanaka was drafted in the 6th round by the Reds in the inaugural draft and then traded to the Orphans (Cubs) later that season where went 11-4 to help them to their first World Championship. He spent his whole career with Chicago and won 19 games in their 1907 championship season. He finished his career at only 125-136, but had a 2.79 career ERA and a 1.24 WHIP.

OF Lyman Bostock was a 1st round pick of the Reds in the draft to start the league. He wasn’t quite at that level, but had a solid career….mostly with the Athletics, where the Reds traded him in 1902. He led the league in runs in 1905 with 100, batting in 1907 at .341 and OPS that same year at .807. He was a 3-time Platinum Stick winner at CF. Not a bad career, but probably not worth that 1st round pick.

[Highlander]

League Changes/Major Player Additions

1911
The Boston Doves changed their name to the Boston Rustlers. Also, the Brooklyn Superbas are now the Brooklyn Dodgers.

1-1 Charlie Hickman (BRO)
1-2 Ernie Lombardi (BOS)
1-3 Enos Slaughter (SLA)
1-5 Mike Mussina (CLE)
1-6 JD Martinez (NYG)
1-7 Austin Riley (CHW)
1-13 Matt Williams (PHA)- The Reds were unable to sign him last year

1912
The Boston Rustlers changed their name to the Boston Braves.

1-1 Beals Becker (SLA)
1-2 Craig Biggio (PHI)
1-3 Kirby Puckett (BOS)
1-4 Bobby Wallace (NYG)
1-7 Hal McRae (BSN)
1-9 Hank Sauer (CIN)
1-12 Manny Machado (CLE)
2-4 Tug McGraw (NYG)

1913
The New York Highlanders are now known as the New York Yankees. The Brooklyn Dodgers are back to the Superbas. (On a side note, it is entirely possible I am missing a few changes here or catching them a bit late….it’s not a big deal to me, so hopefully it won’t bother anyone reading along!)

1-1 Mike Donlin (PHI)
1-2 Carl Hubbell (CHW)
1-5 Bobby Wallace (NYG)- The Giants couldn’t sign him last year but are trying again.
1-6 Hal Chase (SLA)
1-7 Dale Alexander (DET)- He had a pretty short career, but had one of the best rookie seasons of all time with the Tigers. He hit .343 with 110 R 43 doubles, 15 triples, 25 HR and 137 RBI.
1-10 Mickey Lolich (CHC)
1-17 Ozzie Albies (PHA)

1914
The Brooklyn Superbas are now the Brooklyn Robins….they really need to make up their mind!

1-1 Sam Thompson (CHW)
1-2 Jimmie Foxx (BSN)- Was really hoping he would come along much later
1-3 Rudy York (BOS)
1-4 Cupid Childs (NYG)
1-6 Victor Martinez (CLE)
1-8 Jon Lester (SLA)
1-12 Reggie Sanders (STL)
1-13 Joe Nathan (CHC)

1915
Cleveland is now called the Guardians….I know they really aren’t the Guardians, but that’s the name we’ve got.

1-1 Ty Cobb (BSN)- If signed, he’ll join Jimmie Foxx for quite a duo.
1-2 Hugh Duffy (PHI)
1-3 Cupid Childs (SLA)- The Giants were unable to sign him last year
1-4 Yadier Molina (STL)- Fitting he went to the Cards
1-6 Freddie Freeman (BOS)
1-7 Baby Doll Jacobson (CLE)
1-8 Ichiro Suzuki (PIT)
1-10 Frank Viola (DET)

So many great hitters in the league right now with Speaker, Cobb, Foxx, Ichiro, Cupid, Duffy, Thompson and the list goes on. Pitching is a little weaker I think so the teams that have one of those big aces seem like favorites to keep winning, although the Cubs proved that wrong in 1914.


World Series Results
1911- The Washington Senators (92-62) defeated the Chicago Cubs (91-64) 4 games to 2
The Cubs found themselves in a tie with the Pirates after all games had been played so they had to play an extra playoff game to advance to the World Series. They were led by a new name on the mound, Wade Blasingame. Catfish and Smoky Joe were still there too, but they both took a step or two back. If they can’t rebound, it will be tough for the Cubs to repeat next year…unless some other new arms step up. On offense, had a ton of fire power with Paul Waner, Corey Seager, Ray Sanders, Pat Donahue and Jason Heyward all having good to great seasons. The Senators limped into the Series and were pretty big underdogs because of injuries to their ace pitcher, Mark Prior and two big parts of their offense in Eddie Collins and Tommy Dowd. Slick Castleman led them on the mound in the championship, but Frank Thomas was the big star in both the season and the championship. He hit 2 HR and drove in 9 runs to take home the World Series MVP. Freddy Parent and Matt Duffy were other bats who had solid seasons.

1912- The Philadelphia Athletics (94-60) defeated the Cincinnati Reds (86-68) 4 games to 3
The Reds made it to their 3rd World Series so far and Bert Blyleven was unsurprisingly a big reason why. He was joined by Gary Nolan as the other big winner on the staff. Offensively, the Reds were missing SS Jason Bartlett due to a bad shoulder, which hurt them both on offense and defense. Jim O’Rourke, 1B Yonder Alonso and 2B Hank Thompson were the other stars on offense. The Athletics won their first World Series in their first appearance. They were led on the mound by Whit Wyatt and a rookie who was hurt for the World Series, Syl Johnson. Sandy Alcantara won 25 games for them, as well, but for some reason was moved to the bullpen. On offense, they had a very balanced lineup, with no player having lower than a .269 BA. SS Travis Jackson was a power threat with 8 HR. Wyatt was named MVP of the Series, going 2-1 with a 1.35 ERA.

1913- The Philadelphia Athletics (87-67) defeated the Cincinnati Reds (87-68) 4 games to 3
For the second year in a row, the Reds faced off against the Athletics and lost 4 games to 3. The Reds had to beat the Cubs in a one game playoff to get into the Series as they were tied at the end of the season. The Reds were led on the mound by Bert Blyleven who fought a few injuries during the season but was still great when he was in there. He was helped by Gary Nolan and Ted Blankenship. On offense, the usual suspects of Jim O’ Rourke (who moved to 1B to make room for Jerry Grote at C), Jason Bartlett and Hank Thompson were joined by rookie Leo Koeneke in LF. The Athletics are the first team to win 2 World Series in a row. Their pitching was strong with Syl Johnson, Whit Wyatt, Bob Anderson and Sandy Alcantara all having good seasons. On offense, former ROY Jeff Stone was very good and ended up being named World Series MVP (.357/.400/.464, 6 R, 3 doubles, 2 RBI, 5 SB). He was helped by that same balanced lineup with no one else standing out but most everyone contributing.



1914- The Chicago Cubs (93-61) defeated the Washington Senators (86-68) 4 games to 3
The Senators did well to make this series close as they did as they were once again missing their ace pitcher, Mark Prior. Bill Swift and Slick Castleman also had good seasons. On offense, Frank Thomas wasn’t his usual dominant self with an injury-riddled season, but he is still dangerous. They also had Eddie Collins, Tommy Dowd and another important player who was hurt for the World Series in Edgar Renteria. The Cubs had a strange pitching staff, as their staff was not that great…Ryan Yarbrough led the team with 18 wins…and they used a number of different starters through the season. Plus, their bullpen got used a lot and was very strong. On offense, Paul Waner, Corey Seager and Ray Sanders were all strong. Also, former MVP Roy Sievers was added at the 1913 trade deadline and really had a strong season this year. Despite the pitching not being as strong, SP Scott Chiamparino was named MVP of the Series, going 2-1 with a .69 ERA.


1915- The Philadelphia Phillies (90-64) defeated the St. Louis Browns (94-60) 4 games to 2
The Browns made it to their first World Series since they went to two straight in 1904-05. They had a strong pitching staff led by Duaner Sanchez, Jon Lester, Jackie Collum and reliever Ben Tincup, who was used as a starter near the end of the season and in the World Series. On offense, Cupid Childs lived up to the hype around him as a rookie with a huge season and he had a ton of support with Hal Chase, Beals Becker, Enos Slaughter and Gabby Hartnett. A very talented bunch. It wasn’t enough, however, as the Phillies were able to win their first championship since 1902…in fact that was the last time they made it to the World Series. They had a staff similar to the Cubs last year with a lot of balance, a number of guys used as starters and a dominant bullpen with Joe Sambito and Lloyd Allen. On offense, they weren’t as loaded as the Browns, but had a great rookie of their own in Hugh Duffy. They also had Turkey Mike Donlin who set a new RBI record with 126. Duffy was named World Series MVP, hitting .384/.448/.654 with 6 runs, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 6 RBI and 1 SB.

Here’s how each team has done in the World Series so far (teams in order of when they first appeared in the World Series)-
Chicago White Sox…..1-3
Chicago Cubs/Orphans…..3-2
Detroit Tigers…..1-1
Philadelphia Phillies…..2-0
Cincinnati Reds…..1-3
St. Louis Browns…..1-2
Boston Beaneaters/Doves…..1-1
Brooklyn Superbas…..1-0
Cleveland Naps…..0-1
New York Highlanders…..1-0
Washington Senators…..1-1
Philadelphia Athletics…..2-0
Boston Red Sox…..No appearances
Pittsburgh Pirates…..No appearances
St. Louis Cardinals…..No appearances
New York Giants…..No appearances