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

[Highlander]

Award Winners

Rookie of the Year
1911 AL ROY- C Ernie Lombardi (BOS)- .295/.339/.411, 69 R, 22 Doubles, 8 Triples, 9 HR, 70 RBI, 1 SB….1st round draft pick

1912 AL ROY- OF Kirby Puckett (BOS)- .324/.361/.426, 93 R, 22 Doubles, 18 Triples, 1 HR, 74 RBI, 23 SB….1st round draft pick….Won the Gold Glove in RF

1913 AL ROY- P Carl Hubbell (CHW)- 17-11, 250 IP, 2.41 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 137 Ks….1st round draft pick….Led the league in FIP- (80.7)

1914 AL ROY- OF Sam Thompson (CHW)- .335/.407/.515 (led league in all 3), 98 R, 21 Doubles, 20 Triples (led league), 13 HR (led league), 100 RBI (led league), 36 SB….1st round draft pick….Won the Triple Crown….Won the Platinum Stick at RF….Finished 2nd in MVP voting….Led the league in Hits (185), Total Bases (285), XBH (54), RC (117.43), RC/27 (8.01), ISO (.181), wOBA (.440), OPS (.922) and wRC+ (174.8)

1915 AL ROY- 2B Cupid Childs (SLA)- .362/.476/.521 (led league in all 3), 100 R, 43 Doubles (led league), 20 Triples (led league), 0 HR, 69 RBI, 71 SB….1st round draft pick….Won the Platinum Stick at 2B….Won the MVP Award….Led league in Hits (188), Walks (110), XBH (63), RC (136.3), RC/27 (9.68), wOBA (.469), OPS (.997), wRC+ (198) and WAR (12.6)


1911 NL ROY- 2B Hank Thompson (CIN)- .281/.360/.367, 71 R, 20 Doubles, 11 Triples, 1 HR, 71 RBI, 17 SB….1st round draft pick

1912 NL ROY- OF Craig Biggio (PHI)- .277/.356/.358, 89 R, 32 Doubles, 7 Triples, 1 HR, 58 RBI, 36 SB….1st round draft pick

1913 NL ROY- OF Mike Donlin (PHI)- .306/.365/.460, 96 R, 28 Doubles, 13 Triples, 12 HR, 82 RBI, 50 SB….1st round draft pick….Won the Platinum Stick at LF

1914 NL ROY- OF Denard Span (NYG)- .307/.387/.392, 96 R, 19 doubles, 16 triples, 0 HR, 43 RBI, 29 SB….2nd round draft pick

1915 NL ROY- Hugh Duffy (PHI)- .306/.363/.448, 92 R, 25 doubles, 13 triples, 11 HR, 82 RBI, 47 SB….1st round draft pick….Won the Platinum Stick at CF….Won the World Series MVP….Finished 3rd in MVP voting

The Red Sox winning 2 in a row with Lombardi and Puckett still isn’t helping them get to the World Series. The White Sox also won 2 in a row and I feel like Thompson might lead them back. Childs was absolutely incredible and may lead the Browns to a number of World Series in his career. In the NL, the Phillies got 3 of the 5 and then won the World Series, so that worked out well….although they actually traded Craig Biggio to the Red Sox at the deadline of the 1915 season, so maybe that will put Boston over the top.


Reliever of the Year
1911 AL Reliever of the Year- Reyes Moronta (BOS)- 8-3, 11 Saves, 86.1 IP, 1.98 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 50 Ks….4th Best Reliever Award….Led the league in Relief Appearances (59) and Games Finished (46)

1912 AL Reliever of the Year- Reyes Moronta (NYY)- 4-6, 15 Saves (led league), 83 IP, 2.06 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 44 Ks….5th Best Reliever Award….Led the league in Relief Appearances (60)....Traded to the Yankees for 3B Scott Coolbaugh and OF Jay Porter, neither of whom have played more than a handful of games for Boston

1913 AL Reliever of the Year- Reyes Moronta (NYY)- 8-5, 18 Saves (led league), 104.1 IP, 2.24 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 65 Ks….6th Best Reliever Award….Led the league in Games (73), Holds (2), Relief Appearances (73) and Games Finished (53)

1914 AL Reliever of the Year- Eric Sabrowski (CHW)- 8-3, 19 Saves, 79.1 IP, 1.47 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 44 Ks….Drafted in the 2nd round of the 1913 draft

1915 AL Reliever of the Year- Ryan Borucki (BOS)- 6-5, 11 Saves, 134.2 IP, 2.34 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 33 Ks…..Drafted in the 3rd round of the 1914 draft


1911 NL Reliever of the Year- David Robertson (CHC)- 7-5, 15 Saves (led league), 64.2 IP, 3.48 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 49 Ks….2nd Best Reliever Award….Led the league in Games Finished (45)

1912 NL Reliever of the Year- Manny Corpas (PIT)- 5-6, 15 Saves (led league), 94.2 IP, 4.09 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, 45 Ks….Drafted in the 5th round of the 1902 draft by Cleveland….Led the league in Games (71), Holds (2), Relief Appearances (71) and Games Finished (52)

1913 NL Reliever of the Year- Larry Burchart (PIT)- 7-5, 15 Saves, 90.1 IP, 3.39 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 32 Ks….Drafted in the 5th round of the 1912 draft

1914 NL Reliever of the Year- Fay Thomas (BRO)- 5-3, 15 Saves, 81.2 IP, 2.53 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 57 Ks….Drafted in the 5th round of the 1913 draft

1915 NL Reliever of the Year- Joe Sambito (PHI)- 10-6, 31 Saves (led league), 118.1 IP, 2.21 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 60 Ks….Drafted in the 2nd round of the 1914 draft….Led the league in Games (81), Relief Appearances (81) and Games Finished (66)

Relievers are a much bigger part of the game in the RDL than they were in reality, but there are so many good relievers out there they have to be used. The AL is still the Reyes Moronta show….he finished 2nd those two years he didn’t win. The NL is mostly a cast of characters who stumble into good years. Robertson is an exception and it seems like Sambito may be as well….that was quite a season.


Most Valuable Player
1911 AL MVP- SS Bud Harrelson (CHW)- .308/.408/.449, 94 R, 21 doubles, 24 triples (led league), 4 HR, 74 RBI, 33 SB….Drafted in the 3rd round of the 1903 draft….Won the Gold Glove and Platinum Stick at SS….Led the league in WAR (10.2)

1912 AL MVP- OF Tommy Dowd (WAS)- .317/.372/.515 (led league in SLG), 142 R (led league-single season record), 31 doubles, 24 triples (led league), 16 HR, 97 RBI, 85 SB (led league)....Drafted in the 3rd round of the 1907 draft….Won the Platinum Stick in LF….Led the league in Plate Appearances (702), AB (643), Total Bases (331), XBH (71) and ISO (.198)

1913 AL MVP- 1B Frank Thomas (WAS)- .335/.456/.480 (led league in all 3), 82 R, 21 doubles, 4 triples, 13 HR (led league), 91 RBI (led league), 4 SB….2nd MVP Award….Won the Triple Crown….Won the Platinum Stick at 1B….Led the league in Walks (105), RC (112.99), RC/27 (9.50), wOBA (.440), OPS (.936) and wRC+ (169.6)

1914 AL MVP- SS Bud Harrelson (CHW)- .291/.403/.391, 114 R (led league), 26 doubles, 15 triples, 0 HR, 39 RBI, 35 SB….2nd MVP Award….Won the Platinum Stick at SS….Led the league in Walks (100) and WAR (9.8)

1915 AL MVP- 2B Cupid Childs (SLA)- See ROY numbers


1911 NL MVP- OF Tris Speaker (BRO)- .354/.405/.565 (led league in BA and SLG), 124 R (led league), 46 doubles (led league), 22 triples (led league), 15 HR, 121 RBI (led league), 46 SB….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1909 draft….Won the Platinum Stick at CF….Led the league in AB (639), Hits (226), Total Bases (361), XBH (83), RC (147.83), RC/27 (9.07), ISO (.211), wOBA (.448), OPS (.970), wRC+ (162.8) and WAR (9.6)

1912 NL MVP- OF Tris Speaker (BRO)- .359/.422/.604 (led league in all 3), 119 R, 44 doubles (led league), 23 triples (led league), 19 HR, 114 RBI, 59 SB….2nd MVP Award….Won the Platinum Stick at RF….Led the league in Hits (215), Total Bases (362), XBH (86), RC (146.11), RC/27 (9.17), ISO (.245), wOBA (.476), OPS (1.026), wRC+ (183.6) and WAR (9.3)

1913 NL MVP- OF Tris Speaker (BRO)- .369/.438/.588 (led league in all 3), 104 R, 33 doubles (led league), 25 triples (led league), 13 HR, 117 RBI (led league), 59 SB….3rd MVP Award….Won the Platinum Stick at RF….Led the league in Hits (205), Total Bases (327), XBH (71), RC (141.85), RC/27 (9.75), ISO (.219), wOBA (.469), OPS (1.026), wRC+ (187.9) and WAR (9.7)

1914 NL MVP- Tris Speaker (BRO)- .372/.455/.573 (led league in all 3), 110 R (led league), 36 doubles, 22 triples (led league), 13 HR, 119 RBI (led league), 51 SB….4th MVP Award….Won the Platinum Stick at RF….Led the league in Hits (220), Total Bases (339), XBH (71), RC (151.96), RC/27 (9.79), ISO (.201), wOBA (.483), OPS (1.028), wRC+ (201.3) and WAR (10.9)

1915 NL MVP- OF Mike Donlin (PHI)- .306/.364/.503, 95 R, 31 doubles, 12 triples, 21 HR (led league), 126 RBI (led league-single season record), 30 SB….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1912 draft….Won the Gold Glove and Platinum Stick in LF….Led the league in Total Bases (301), RC (110.59) and ISO (.197)

Some great seasons in both leagues. The AL had a surprise double winner in Bud Harrelson who wasn’t known as that type of player in his MLB career, but his hitting has improved a lot in the RDL and his defense is still excellent. Thomas and Dowd have been quite a combo in Washington. In the NL it’s all Tris Speaker all the time (almost). In 1915, he still finished 2nd but missed about 40 games due to an oblique injury. At just 23 years old, he should have quite a few great seasons left.


Best Pitcher Award
1911 AL Best Pitcher- Mark Prior (WAS)- 25-12 (led league in Wins), 4 Saves, 295.2 IP, 2.25 ERA (led league), 1.12 WHIP (led league), 208 Ks….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1909 draft….Led the league in RA/9 (10.41), H/9 (7.31), K/9 (6.33), FIP- (78.2), QSP (.812), Complete Games (26) and CGP (.812)

1912 AL Best Pitcher- Whit Wyatt (PHA)- 23-10, 312.1 IP, 2.45 ERA (led league), 1.16 WHIP (led league), 176 Ks….2nd Best Pitcher Award….Won the World Series MVP….Led the league in Winning Percentage (.697), BABIP (.237), RA/9 (10.89), H/9 (6.54), QSP (.730) and Shutouts (4)

1913 AL Best Pitcher- Fernando Valenzuela (NYY)- 22-13, 6 Saves, 344 IP (led league), 2.51 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 222 Ks….3rd Best Pitcher Award….Led the League in Games Started (39)

1914 AL Best Pitcher- Fernando Valenzuela (NYH)- 23-14 (led league in wins), 1 Save, 317 IP, 1.59 ERA (led league), .99 WHIP (led league), 175 Ks….4th Best Pitcher Award….Led the league in RA/9 (8.97), H/9 (6.10), Quality Starts (36) and QSP (.923)

1915 AL Best Pitcher- Mark Prior (WAS)- 31-12 (led league in Wins), 8 Saves, 356 IP, 2.35 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 251 Ks (led league)....2nd Best Pitcher Award….Led the league in K/9 (6.35)


1911 NL Best Pitcher- Bert Blyleven (CIN)- 31-10 (led league in Wins), 4 Saves, 344.2 IP, 2.09 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 239 Ks (led league)....4th Best Pitcher Award….Led the league in Winning % (.756), K/BB (2.39), H/9 (6.89), FIP- (78.3), QSP (.789) and WAR (8.3)

1912 NL Best Pitcher- Bert Blyleven (CIN)- 24-11, 3 Saves, 296.1 IP, 2.31 ERA, .98 WHIP (led league), 191 Ks….5th Best Pitcher Award….Led the league in K/BB (3.08), RA/9 (9.17), H/9 (6.89), K/9 (5.80) and Shutouts (7)

1913 NL Best Pitcher- Aneury Rodriguez (STL)- 19-13, 297 IP, 2.21 ERA (led league), 1.17 WHIP, 149 Ks….Drafted in the 6th round of the 1910 draft….Led the league in Quality Starts (30) and QSP (.811)

1914 NL Best Pitcher- Bobby Wallace (NYG)- 22-8 (led league in Wins), 1 Save, 257.2 IP, 2.24 ERA (led league), 1.09 WHIP, 160 Ks….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1912 draft (known more as a SS and a really good hitter in MLB, he has potential there but is only being used as a pitcher for now)....Led the league in Winning % (.733), RA/9 (9.82), FIP- (78.1), QSP (.828), CGP (.517) and Shutouts (6)

1915 NL Best Pitcher- Cliff Melton (BRO)- 25-7 (led league in Wins), 305 IP, 2.45 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 129 Ks….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1913 draft….Led the league in Wins a year after leading the league in losses….Led the league in Shutouts (6)

The AL has some really good pitchers competing for the award each year. Fernando has been the dominant one up to now, but his skills have fallen back quite a bit, so Prior may be ready to go on a run. In the NL, Blyleven added two more, but injury woes have held him back more recently. Not sure if any of the guys that won the award the last 3 years are ready to take over, so this will be a competition to watch.


Other Accomplishments
In the AL, Clay Dalrymple is up to 8 Gold Gloves at C, but recently, Del Crandall has been winning them in the AL…he’s up to 3. Matt Carpenter is up to 7 at 1B. Ke’Bryan Hayes won his 8th at 3B, but has been getting a lot more competition from a number of other guys. At SS, Ha-Seong Kim is up to 4 with 3 in a row. In the OF, Dom DiMaggio won 4 out of the last 5 in CF to go up to 8.

In the NL, Ellie Rodriguez won 4 of the last 5 at C to go up to 6 total Gold Gloves. Mark Teixeira has won 6 in a row at 1B. At 3B, Ventura stopped winning and Majeski snuck one more in to get to 8 before Matt Williams started winning a couple.

The 6-hit club got two more members….both catchers….in Jason Kendall and Brad Ausmus.

Three more players hit for the cycle in this 5-year stretch. Ke’Bryan Hayes and Bobby Murcer in 1911 and Del Crandall in 1915.

There were again 6 more No-Hitters- Cy Morgan (5 K, 3 BB), Diego Castillo (4 K, 2 BB), Cy Morgan (5K, 4 BB….1st player to pitch 2), Fernando Valenzuela (2 K, 1 BB), Steve Ridzik (4 K, 1 BB), Art Nehf (5 K, 1 BB)

As far as milestones, there are so many being reached now that I am only going to list the really big ones- Art Devlin- 900 SB, Whit Wyatt- 2500 Ks


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 Ks- Hal Newhouser (1903-NYH)- 13

NL Hits- Jason Kendall (1911-STL)- 6
NL RBI- Elmer Smith (1901-BSN)- 8
NL Pitching Walks- Charlie Hickman (1912-BRO) and Cy Morgan (1911-BRO)- 11

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- Tommy Dowd (1912-WAS)- 32 Games
Run Streak- Dom DiMaggio (BOS-can’t see year)- 13 Games
HR Streak- Yordan Alvarez (1914-NYY) and Tris Speaker (1912-BRO)- 4 Games
RBI Streak- Bill Buckner (1910-CLE) and Phil Irvin (1909-WAS)- 10 Games
On-Base Streak- Enos Slaughter (SLA- can’t see year)- 56 Games
Winning Streak- Fernando Valenzuela (1909-NYH) and Wade Blasingame (CHC-can’t see year)- 16 Games
Scoreless Innings- Joe Magrane (1904-PHI)- 43 Innings


Retired Players- We are starting to get players eligible for the HOF now, so I will just mention those players as they come up…many I will have already written about for a few seasons until it catches up

1911
SS Joe Cronin is the only eligible player as of the end of this season. For players I already wrote about, I will add their HOF Metrics. For Cronin, his Metrics are- JAWS-13.7, Black Ink-0, Gray Ink-63, HOF Standards-21, HOF Monitor-29. The HOF will be the only area where I will intervene by voting. I did not vote for Joe and he ended up getting just .4% of the vote.

1912
OF Cy Williams is now eligible for the HOF. His Metrics are- JAWS-16.7, Black Ink-24, Gray Ink-62, HOF Standards-12, HOF Monitor-47. I did not vote for Cy and he got 4.2% of the vote.


1913
P Ed Reulbach is the only player added to the ballot this year. His Metrics are- JAWS-32.2, Black Ink-17, Gray Ink-47, HOF Standards-23, HOF Monitor-54. He seems to have the best case so far, but we aren’t into HOF territory yet. I didn’t vote for him and he finished with 3.2%.

1914
We’ve got two contenders for the HOF this year and the first is one I didn’t talk about earlier. It is C Johnny Romano. He was a 2nd rounder for the White Sox in the inaugural draft. His main accomplishments were a Platinum Stick at C in 1902 and being part of the 1903 championship White Sox team. He retired with a .221 lifetime BA, but was able to draw enough walks to have a .323 OBP. His HOF Metrics are- JAWS-18, Black Ink-2, Gray Ink-28, HOF Standards-22 and HOF Monitor-18. I didn’t vote for him and he didn’t get a vote from anyone else either.

The other contender is P Chuck Stobbs. I wrote about him back in 1910. His Metrics are- JAWS-29.7, Black Ink-4, Gray Ink-70, HOF Standards-20 and HOF Monitor-31. Again, I didn’t vote for him and he got just 3.5% of the vote.


1915
OF Lyman Bostock is up for HOF consideration. I wrote about this group of players back in 1910. His Metrics are….JAWS-35.7, Black Ink-8, Gray Ink-80, HOF Standards-27, HOF Monitor-46. I didn’t vote for him and he got 4.2% of the vote.

Next up is C Duke Sims….JAWS-21.4, Black Ink-2, Gray Ink-34, HOF Standards-24, HOF Monitor-16. Again, I didn’t vote for him and he got 0 votes.

Finally, P Masahiro Tanaka is the 3rd player up for the HOF vote this year….JAWS-34.6, Black Ink-7, Gray Ink-79, HOF Standards-18, HOF Monitor-46. No votes for anybody from me this year and he got the highest percentage of any nominee so far…but still a very low 6.7%.

[Highlander]

League Changes/Major Player Additions

1916
1-1 Ty Cobb (CIN)- The Braves couldn’t sign him last year
1-2 George Sisler (BSN)- Not a bad consolation for not signing Cobb…if they can sign him!
1-3 Tarik Skubal (BOS)
1-6 Dontrelle Willis (DET)
1-8 Pablo Sandoval (BSN)
2-4 Raul Mondesi (STL)

1917
1-1 Greg Maddux (BOS)- How many top picks and HOFers are they going to get?
1-2 Sam Crawford (CLE)
1-3 George Davis (PHI)- Could join Hugh Duffy and Mike Donlin
1-4 Luis Gonzalez (STL)
1-6 Willie Stargell (CIN)
1-7 Sam McDowell (CHW)
1-8 Roger Peckinpaugh (CLE)
1-9 Jim Rice (BSN)- Wrong Boston team, but he’s there!
1-11 Prince Fielder (NYG)
2-2 Miguel Tejada (CLE)- Quite a haul for Cleveland in this draft
2-6 Steve Finley (CIN)
2-9 Sam Rice (BRO)
2-15 Vince Coleman (CHC)- How many bases will he steal??


1918
1-1 Dwight Gooden (BOS)- Yes, they got another 1st round pick…Now they have Skubal, Maddux and Gooden as pitchers and Puckett, Biggio, Freeman and Lombardi in the lineup…some need development, but they shouldn’t still be the worst team!
1-2 George Davis (CIN)- The Phillies couldn’t sign him.
1-3 George Brett (CLE)
1-4 Roger Peckinpaugh (PHI)- Cleveland couldn’t sign him, but they got Brett, so not a bad deal for them
1-6 Ken Boyer (PHA)
1-9 Tim McCarver (CLE)
1-12 Carl Crawford (BSN)


1919
1-1 Yogi Berra (CLE)
1-2 Hughie Jennings (DET)
1-3 Monte Irvin (NYG)- Amazing how often players end up on the teams they spent a lot of time with
1-4 Justin Verlander (BOS)- Gooden, Skubal, Maddux and Verlander….they have to win soon, don’t they?
1-5 Tony Perez (STL)
1-6 George Foster (PHA)
1-7 Rick Reuschel (NYY)
1-9 Andruw Jones (CIN)
1-10 Johnny Pesky (PIT)


1920
1-1 Babe Herman (NYG)
1-2 Jose Bautista (NYY)
1-3 Dizzy Dean (CLE)
1-4 Bill Terry (STL)
1-5 Lenny Dykstra (BRO)
1-6 Freddie Lindstrom (PHA)

Amazing how the teams that don’t win keep getting what seem like great draft picks but it doesn’t help that much. The Red Sox are up to about a .500 team, so maybe they will break through soon….the Giants are in that worst team spot now and the Cards aren’t far behind. The Pirates were good for a while but just couldn’t get over the hump. It will be interesting who the player(s) is/are that put those 4 teams over the top.


World Series Results
1916- The Chicago Cubs (88-66) defeated the Washington Senators (103-51) 4 games to 3
Washington was the most dominant team in the history of the league. They are the first team to win 100+ games and led the league in runs (713) and fewest runs against (448). They got a big blow, however, as Tommy Dowd had to miss the whole series due to some strange illness (only called a “virus” in the injury report). He had a huge season and was definitely missed. They still had plenty of firepower, however, with Eddie Collins, Frank Thomas, Jimmy Walsh and others. On the mound, it was again Mark Prior with a big year, but he was outdone by teammate Art Nehf. Slick Castleman and Bill Swift both had great years as well. Somehow all of that wasn’t enough, as the Cubs were able to pull off the upset. Chicago was led on the mound by Mickey Lolich and another deep staff with many pitchers contributing. Ramon Monzant was great in the pen and Catfish Hunter continued being a valuable swingman. On offense, things weren’t as strong, but Bobby Byrne and Corey Seager were probably the best with MJ Melendez providing some power. Seager was named MVP of the World Series, despite just hitting .231/.286/.462 with 4 R, 2 HR and 3 RBI.


1917- The Washington Senators (100-54) defeated the Brooklyn Robins (93-61) 4 games to 0
Brooklyn made just their 2nd appearance in the World Series and even though they were swept, it was a good season for them. On offense, Tris Speaker continues to be a great player for them and Mark Teixeira drove in 98 runs to help him out. On the mound, they took a page from the Cubs’ book and had a variety of guys contribute. The best of the bunch was probably Pablo Lopez who ended up injured for the World Series and will probably miss most of next season as well. The Senators had another dominant season, winning by 15 games, and they showed they weren’t happy losing to the Cubs last year by sweeping the Robins. The whole offense is good, with the dynamic duo of Frank Thomas and Tommy Dowd continuing to lead the way. They got some help with a preseason trade with the Pirates that brought in Ichiro Suzuki who had a good year hitting .315 and leading the league in hits. Mark Prior had another terrific year on the mound and was the MVP of the Series, winning 2 of the 4 games and giving up just 1 run. Art Nehf was also fantastic. Frank Thomas is 32 now and Dowd is 30, so we;ll see how long they can keep chugging along and keep this potential dynasty rolling.



1918- The St. Louis Browns (92-62) defeated the Philadelphia Phillies (86-68) 4 games to 3
The Phillies were back for their 3rd World Series and 1st since 1915. Like many NL teams lately, they had a number of pitchers contribute, with Joe Sambito as the win leader at just 17. On offense, it was the duo of Donlin and Duffy who did most of the heavy lifting. For the Browns, they had to overcome a tough Senators team to get to the Series and were missing RF Beals Becker to injury once they got there. Cupid Childs is the big gun on this team’s offense, however, and he got help from Enos Slaughter, Derrek Lee and Johnny Logan. On the mound, Duaner Sanchez led a pretty balanced staff, but their big pitching star was probably Masanori Murekami….I’ll save the details of his season for the Reliever of the Year posts, but he was amazing. The Series MVP, however, was another pitcher- Daniel Norris. He went 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA in 2 complete games.


1919- The Boston Braves (81-59) defeated the Washington Senators (77-63) 5 games to 1….note that 1919 had less games to accommodate players returning from WWI and also had a best of 9 World Series

The Senators were back to their 5th World Series. Ichiro, Eddie Collins and Jimmy Walsh led the offense. Frank Thomas and Tommy Dowd are still there and definitely contributed, but not like they used to. Dowd got hurt during the Series as well and only played in 3 games. On the mound, it was a balanced staff with Slick Castleman leading the way. The Braves won their 2nd of 3 World Series they’ve been to and were definitely due with the lineup they have. George Sisler and Jimmie Foxx may be the best duo we’ve seen so far. They were joined by Carl Crawford, Mike Phillips and others. On the mound, they were also pretty balanced, but Steve Howe…known as a reliever in MLB….was probably their best starter. He does a good amount of relieving too, though. The World Series MVP was Sisler, who hit .440/.517/.720 with 5 R, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 4 RBI and 4 SB.



1920- The Chicago White Sox (92-62) defeated the Brooklyn Robins (90-64) 5 games to 1
The Robins were just in the Series back in 1917 and came up short….and they came up short here as well. Tris Speaker continues to be the big star for the Robins on offense. He’s helped by Eddie Milner, Lenny Dykstra and Mark Teixeira. On the mound, it was a pretty balanced staff with Don Robinson leading the way. The White Sox made it to their 5th World Series and won their 2nd. Carl Hubbell was the big leader on the mound, while Erik Sabrowski won 8 games out of the bullpen. On offense, there are some newer names putting up numbers for Chicago, with Garrett Mitchell, Dwight Smith, Junior Spivey and Leon Durham being the big contributors. Durham was named World Series MVP, hitting .455/.520/.545, with 5 R, 2 doubles and 3 RBI.


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…..2-3
Chicago Cubs/Orphans…..4-2
Detroit Tigers…..1-1
Philadelphia Phillies…..2-1
Cincinnati Reds…..1-3
St. Louis Browns…..2-2
Boston Beaneaters/Doves/Braves…..2-1
Brooklyn Superbas/Robins…..1-2
Cleveland Naps…..0-1
New York Highlanders…..1-0
Washington Senators…..2-3
Philadelphia Athletics…..2-0
Boston Red Sox…..No appearances
Pittsburgh Pirates…..No appearances
St. Louis Cardinals…..No appearances
New York Giants…..No appearances

[Highlander]

Award Winners

Rookie of the Year
1916 AL ROY- OF Jimmy Walsh (WAS)- .286/.344/.411, 69 R, 25 doubles, 11 triples, 7 HR, 75 RBI, 21 SB….2nd round draft pick

1917 AL ROY- 3B/OF Matt Vierling (DET)- .294/.352/.381, 78 R, 22 doubles, 12 triples, 1 HR, 61 RBI, 7 SB….3rd round draft pick

1918 AL ROY- SS Johnny Logan (SLA)- .298/.350/.375, 56 R, 27 doubles, 7 triples, 0 HR, 83 RBI, 1 SB….1st round draft pick….Won the Platinum Stick at SS….Finished 2nd in MVP voting….Won the World Series

1919 AL ROY- OF Larry Rosenthal (DET)- .305/.399/.442, 70 R, 31 doubles, 13 triples, 1 HR, 78 RBI, 11 SB….3rd round draft pick….Won the Platinum Stick in CF

1920 AL ROY- 3B Ryan Zimmerman (SLA)- .340/.395/.471, 102 R, 40 doubles, 9 triples, 6 HR, 85 RBI, 7 SB….1st round draft pick….Won the Platinum Stick at 3B


1916 NL ROY- OF Ty Cobb (CIN)- .325/.361/.422, 60 R, 15 doubles, 11 triples, 2 HR, 60 RBI, 30 SB….1st round draft pick….Missed 7 weeks with a torn hamstring

1917 NL ROY- OF Ruppert Jones (PIT)- .259/.332/.414, 82 R, 18 doubles, 16 triples, 9 HR, 54 RBI, 14 SB….2nd round draft pick

1918 NL ROY- P Tom Browning (CHC)- 25-13 (led league in W), 338.2 IP, 1.54 ERA (led league), .96 WHIP (led league), 121 Ks….2nd round draft pick….Won the Best Pitcher Award….Led the league in Games Started (40), BABIP (.216), RA/9 (8.72), H/9 (6.40), Quality Starts (35) and QSP (.875),

1919 NL ROY- SS Bert Campanaris (CIN)- .328/.362/.456, 84 R, 32 doubles, 15 triples (led league), 0 HR, 44 RBI, 35 SB….2nd round draft pick

1920 NL ROY- OF Lenny Dykstra (BRO)- .309/.390/.405, 90 R, 21 doubles, 11 triples, 1 HR, 46 RBI, 21 SB….1st round draft pick

The Tigers and Browns each got 2 in the AL, but it seems like the Browns have the better players. In the NL, Cobb and Browning really stood out, but Browning is doing it with smoke and mirrors…that .216 BABIP is no joke! The NL definitely seems to have the better players in this group overall. We’ll see how they all develop.

Reliever of the Year
1916 AL Reliever of the Year- Boone Logan (PHA)- 8-5, 10 Saves, 89.2 IP, 2.61 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 53 Ks….Drafted in the 4th round of the 1904 draft by Detroit

1917 AL Reliever of the Year- Masanori Murakami (SLA)- 5-4, 25 Saves (led league), 107 IP, 1.68 ERA, .96 WHIP, 65 Ks….Drafted in the 2nd round of the 1916 draft by the Browns….Led the league in Relief Appearances (76) and Games Finished (62)

1918 AL Reliever of the Year- Masanori Murakami (SLA)- 7-3, 33 Saves (led league), 94 IP, .57 ERA, .72 WHIP, 57 Ks….2nd Best Reliever Award….Won the Best Pitcher Award (first time ever for a relief pitcher)....Won the World Series….Led the league in Relief Appearances (67) and Games Finished (58)

1919 AL Reliever of the Year- Masanori Murakami (SLA)- 3-4, 16 Saves (led league), 55.2 IP, 1.13 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 29 Ks….3rd Best Reliever Award

1920 AL Reliever of the Year- Masanori Murakami (SLA)- 8-7, 21 Saves (led league), 106.1 IP, 1.27 ERA, .99 WHIP, 44 Ks….4th Best Reliever Award….Led the league in Games (68), Relief Appearances (68) and Games FInished (63)


1916 NL Reliever of the Year- Hong-Chi Kuo (PIT)- 12-7, 27 Saves (led league), 143.1 IP, 2.45 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 93 Ks….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1908 draft by the Giants….Led the league in Games (92), Relief Appearances (92) and Games Finished (69)

1917 NL Reliever of the Year- Jose Torres (BRO)- 5-6, 18 Saves, 81.1 IP, 1.55 ERA, .82 WHIP, 31 Ks….Drafted in the 3rd round of the 1915 draft

1918 NL Reliever of the Year- Sean Doolittle (STL)- 3-3, 18 Saves, 85.2 IP, 2.31 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 40 Ks….Drafted in the 2nd round of the 1916 draft

1919 NL Reliever of the Year- Ramon Monzant (CHC)- 12-5, 12 Saves, 84 IP, 2.79 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 39 Ks….Drafted in the 3rd round of the 1913 draft

1920 NL Reliever of the Year- Ramon Monzant (CHC)- 5-10, 18 Saves (led league), 100.2 IP, 2.24 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 41 Ks….2nd Best Reliever Award

I had mentioned how good Murakami was in 1918….he’s the new Reyes Moronta, but on steroids! He’s still only 22 so if he can keep from losing his skills (he’s already dropped off some), he could be in for quite a few more awards. The NL was a bunch of one-hit wonders until Monzant, who looks like he may stick around for a couple more. Interesting how so many of the NL Reliever Award winners come from Pittsburgh. They are usually a good team, but not sure what it is that makes them always have a strong closer….and always someone different!


Most Valuable Player
1916 AL MVP- 2B Cupid Childs (SLA)- .374/.465/.540 (led league in all 3), 88 R, 44 doubles (led league), 17 triples (led league), 0 HR, 71 RBI, 59 SB….2nd MVP Award….Won the Platinum Stick at 2B….Led the league in XBH (61), RC (127.92), RC/27 (10.69), ISO (.166), wOBA (.478), OPS (1.005), wRC+ (206.2) and WAR (13.0)

1917 AL MVP- 2B Cupid Childs (SLA)- .363/.465/.557 (led league in all 3), 109 R (led league), 40 doubles (led league), 22 triples (led league), 1 HR, 49 RBI, 55 SB (led league)....3rd MVP Award….Won the Platinum Stick at 2B….Led the league in XBH (63), RC (121.92), RC/27 (10.22), ISO (.194), wOBA (.479), OPS (1.022), wRC+ (206.7) and WAR (11.1)....all this and he missed 6 weeks with arm and hamstring injuries

1918 AL MVP- 2B Cupid Childs (SLA)- .352/.451/.480 (led league in all 3), 131 R (led league), 38 doubles, 17 triples (led league), 0 HR, 58 RBI, 80 SB (led league)....4th MVP Award….Won the Platinum Stick at 2B….Won the World Series…..Led the league in Plate Appearances (670), Total Bases (271), Walks (101), XBH (55), RC (133.12), RC/27 (8.83), wOBA (.446), OPS (.930), wRC+ (187.9) and WAR (14.2)

1919 AL MVP- 2B Cupid Childs (SLA)- .337/.448/.468 (led league in OBP), 78 R, 31 doubles, 15 triples, 0 HR, 52 RBI, 40 SB (led league)....5th MVP Award….Won the Platinum Stick and Gold Glove at 2B….Led the league in WAR (8.4)....missed about 7 weeks due to injuries to his ribs and elbow

1920 AL MVP- OF Sam Crawford (CLE)- .391/.437/.598 (led league in BA and SLG), 103 R, 23 doubles, 23 triples (led league), 18 HR (led league), 115 RBI (led league), 32 SB (led league)....Drafted in the 1st round of the 1916 draft….Won the Platinum Stick at LF….Led the league in Hits (232), Total Bases (355), XBH (64), RC (143.14), RC/27 (9.34), ISO (.207), wOBA (.467), OPS (1.034), wRC+ (185) and WAR (8.2)....Cupid fractured his ankle in April and missed 4 months for those wondering- In 41 games he still had a 1.001 OPS


1916 NL MVP- SS Tony Fernandez (NYG)- .316/.379/.390 (led league in BA), 110 R, 29 doubles, 9 triples, 0 HR, 63 RBI, 18 SB….2nd MVP Award….Won the Gold Glove and Platinum Stick at SS (played about the same number of games at 2B, but got the awards at SS)....Led the league in AB (633), Hits (200) and WAR (11.7)

1917 NL MVP- OF Tris Speaker (BRO)- .312/.392/.459 (led league in OBP and SLG), 100 R, 21 doubles, 20 triples (led league), 9 HR, 97 RBI, 42 SB….5th MVP Award….Won the Gold Glove and Platinum Stick in RF….Led the league in OPS (.851) and WAR (8.5)

1918 NL MVP- OF Hugh Duffy (PHI)- .286/.338/.388, 88 R, 21 doubles, 12 triples, 6 HR, 85 RBI, 44 SB….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1914 draft….Won the Platinum Stick in CF….

1919 NL MVP- 3B Jimmie Foxx (BSN)- .343/.403/.651 (led league in OBP and SLG), 94 R, 27 doubles, 14 triples, 37 HR, 144 RBI, 10 SB….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1913 draft….Won the Platinum Stick at 3B….Won the World Series….Led the league in Total Bases (351), XBH (78), RC (137.68), RC/27 (9.78), ISO (.308), wOBA (.482), OPS (1.054), wRC+ (201.1) and WAR (7.6)

1920 NL MVP- OF Ty Cobb (CIN)- .374/.427/.525, 107 R, 28 doubles, 18 triples, 6 HR, 57 RBI, 35 SB….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1915 draft….Won the Platinum Stick in RF….Led the league in RC/27 (9.00)

Cupid is a beast in the AL….not sure how long he can keep it up and there are others like Thompson (George Sisler hit .390 in 1920) waiting to take over, but he’s been incredible so far. Just needs to stay healthy! Still only 26 and the skills are strong. In the NL there are so many great players fighting for the top….Foxx, Cobb, Speaker and who knows who else might step up. Tough time to be a pitcher!!


Best Pitcher Award
1916 AL Best Pitcher- Art Nehf (WAS)- 28-9 (led league in W), 345.1 IP, 1.75 ERA (led league), .93 WHIP (led league), 181 Ks….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1914 draft….Led the league in Winning Percentage (.757), BABIP (.240), RA/9 (8.44), H/9 (6.78), FIP- (74.1), Quality Starts (34), QSP (.895) and WAR (9.1)

1917 AL Best Pitcher- Art Nehf (WAS)- 26-8, 313 IP, 1.87 ERA (led league), 1.00 WHIP (led league), 111 Ks….2nd Best Pitcher Award….Won the World Series….Led the league in Winning Percentage (.765), RA/9 (9.26), Quality Starts (34) and QSP (.895)

1918 AL Best Pitcher- Masanori Murakami (SLA)- See stats under Reliever of the Year

1919 AL Best Pitcher- Dwight Gooden (BOS)- 21-12, 314.2 IP (led league), 2.72 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 167 Ks (led league)....Drafted in the 1st round of the 1917 draft….Led the league in K/9 (4.78), Quality Starts (25), Complete Games (30), CGP (.882) and WAR (6.9)

1920 AL Best Pitcher- Carl Hubbell (CWS)- 24-10 (led league in W), 321 IP, 2.16 ERA (led league), 1.04 WHIP (led league), 121 Ks….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1912 draft….Won the World Series….Finished 2nd in MVP voting….Led the league in Winning % (.706), BABIP (.253), K/BB (2.20), RA/9 (9.56), H/9 (7.79), BB/9 (1.54), Complete Games (30), CGP (.789) and WAR (7.4)


1916 NL Best Pitcher- Mickey Lolich (CHC)- 21-15, 3 Saves, 324 IP, 2.19 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 189 Ks….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1912 draft….Won the World Series….Led the league in K/BB (2.25)

1917 NL Best Pitcher- Steve Howe (BSN)- 24-14 (led league in W), 9 Saves, 315 IP, 2.37 ERA (led league), 1.00 WHIP (led league), 110 Ks….Drafted in the 2 round of the 1915 draft….Led the league in K/BB (2.24), RA/9 (9.17), BB/9 (1.40) and GB% (.58)

1918 NL Best Pitcher- Tom Browning (CHC)- See stats under ROY

1919 NL Best Pitcher- Steve Howe (BSN)- 17-11, 9 Saves, 258.2 IP, 2.61 ERA, 1.10 WHIP (led league), 71 Ks….2nd Best Pitcher Award….Won the World Series….Led the league in K/BB (1.92), RA/9 (10.02), BB/9 (1.29) and GB% (.60)

1920 NL Best Pitcher- Don Robinson (BRO)- 23-11, 9 Saves, 311 IP, 2.95 ERA, 1.15 WHIP (led league), 105 Ks….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1914 draft….Led the league in RA/9 (10.45)

The pitchers in the AL seem stronger than the NL winners for the most part. Gooden still looks like he can win a few more awards and who knows what Murakami might do. Hubbell seems strong as well. In the NL, Steve Howe was a very unlikely top starter….and he did it twice! His stamina is pretty low as a RP in the MLB, but he’s able to pitch enough to be really effective. Not sure who else will step up in the NL….they have so many good hitters, but the pitching just isn’t as full of stars.


Other Accomplishments
In the AL, Ha-seong Kim and Kirby Puckett were the big defensive stars of the past 5 seasons…at least when it comes to Gold Gloves. Kirby won 4 of 5 awards in RF and Ha-seong has won 8 in a row at SS.

In the NL, Mark Teixeira (1B), Mark Benjamin (2B) and Tris Speaker (RF) each won 4 of the 5 awards from this last period. Teixeira has taken over the all-time lead with 10 Gold Gloves at 1B so far. At 33 years old, he might sneak a few more in.

In 1919, Jimmie Foxx became the first player to hit 3 HR in a game.

The 6-hit club got three more members- Johnny Pesky, Bob Watson and Hughie Jennings did it twice! Amazingly, Jennings did it 4 days apart….the first time on 7/9/1920 and the 2nd was on 7/13/1920.

Two more players hit for the cycle in this 5-year stretch. Sam Crawford did it in 1919 and Michael Cuddyer did it in 1920.

There were only 3 No-Hitters in this 5-year stretch. Dontrelle Willis pitched one in 1916 (6 Ks, 1 BB) and Carl Hubbell pitched two….one in 1919 (4 Ks, 5 BB) and one in 1920 (4 Ks, 2 BB in 8 IP). He joins Cy Morgan as the only pitchers to have 2 No-Hitters.

As far as milestones, there are so many being reached now that I am only going to list the really big ones- Whit Wyatt- 300 Wins, Art Devlin- 1000 SB, Frank Thomas- 1000 RBI, Adam Wainwright- 300 Wins, Tris Speaker- 1000 RBI


Record Book

Single Season and Career Records









Single Game Records- Records held by more than 2 players will not be listed
AL Hits- Hughie Jennings (1920-DET)- 6…only one to do it in 9 innings
AL Doubles- Jose Pagan (1902-WAS) and George Foster (1919-PHA)- 4
AL Triples- Paul Blair (1905-DET)- 4
AL Batting Ks- Jesus Luzardo (1903-BOS)- 5
AL Pitching Ks- Hal Newhouser (1903-NYH)- 13

NL HR- Jimmie Foxx (1919-BSN)- 3
NL RBI- Elmer Smith (1901-BSN)- 8
NL Pitching Walks- Charlie Hickman (1912-BRO) and Cy Morgan (1911-BRO)- 11


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- Hugh Duffy (1919-PHI) and Kirby Puckett (1917-BOS)- 34 Games
Run Streak- Dom DiMaggio (BOS-can’t see year)- 13 Games
HR Streak- Yordan Alvarez (1914-NYY) and Tris Speaker (1912-BRO)- 4 Games
On-Base Streak- Enos Slaughter (SLA- can’t see year)- 56 Games
Winning Streak- Fernando Valenzuela (1909-NYH) and Wade Blasingame (CHC-can’t see year)- 16 Games
Saves Streak- Masanori Murakami (Multiple Seasons- SLA)- 50 Games
Scoreless Innings- Joe Magrane (1904-PHI)- 43 Innings


Retired Players- We are starting to get players eligible for the HOF now, so I will just mention those players as they come up…many I will have already written about for a few seasons until it catches up

1916
Masahiro Tanaka’s 6.7% lets him be on the ballot another time….I’m still not voting for him. This time he got 9.3%...still along way from induction.

Next up is SS Tom Downey. Tom was a 9th round pick in the inaugural draft by the Brewers. He won the Platinum Stick and finished 2nd in ROY voting in 1901. He won the World Series with the Browns in 1904 and won the Gold Glove at SS in 1909. He spent 1901-1908 as a Brewer/Brown and then was traded across town to the Cards for his final 3 seasons. He never really lived up to that 1st season and ends with a .233/.291/.281 lifetime slash line, so despite being a starter his whole career, if definitely wasn’t for his bat. His HOF Metrics are- JAWS-36.8, Black Ink-0, Gray Ink-12, HOF Standards-19, HOF Monitor-33. One of the weaker eligible players I’ve seen….no vote from me. He ended up with 0 votes….not surprising.

P Brandon Beachy was drafted in the 4th round of the inaugural draft by the White Sox. He started off great his first 3 seasons and then dropped off a little. He was traded to the Athletics in 1905 and still didn’t pitch much for a couple of years. Then, Philly found a spot for him in the rotation again and he was pretty decent until he retired in 1911. He finished with a 117-112 record, 3 Saves, a 2.97 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 856 Ks in 2108.1 IP with 24.9 WAR. He was a 3-time Player of the Week, 1-time Pitcher of the Month, won the 1901 Best Pitcher Award and was part of the 1903 White Sox that won the championship. His Metrics are- JAWS-36, Black Ink-6, Gray Ink-60, HOF Standards-17, HOF Monitor-42. Not a bad pitcher, but no vote from me. He got 3.2% of the vote.

OF Christian Yelich was a 1st round pick of the Athletics in the inaugural draft. He started off with a bang, winning the batting title in 1901 at .343. He hit .341 in 1902 and .323 in 1903, but things went downhill from there. He was still pretty solid until 1907 when his playing time took a big hit. Philly then traded him to the Reds who started him for 2 seasons, but he hit pretty poorly and was just a little used part timer his last 2 seasons. He was a 1902 Platinum Stick winner and 1904 Gold Glove winner in LF and won a WS with the Reds in 1908. His career stats were- .273/.342/.349 with 26.5 WAR. His Metrics were- JAWS-26.7, Black Ink-6, Gray Ink-80, HOF Standards-10, HOF Monitor-48. No vote from me and he got just 1.7%.

1917
A pretty big class this year, starting with Tanaka who gets a 3rd chance, but needs a ton of votes. He won’t get one from me and got 3% this time.

OF Brett Butler was a 3rd rounder for the Boston Americans in the inaugural draft. He won a Player of the Week, one Player of the Month and two Platinum Sticks at CF in 1903 and 1904. His slash line was .275/.333/.356 with just 17.4 WAR. His Metrics are- JAWS-19.4, Black Ink-16, Gray Ink-73, HOF Standards-21, HOF Monitor-46. Still waiting for someone I will vote for….Brett got 2.7%.

2B Sonny Jackson was a 15th round pick by the Orioles in the inaugural draft. He stayed with the Orioles/Highlanders until 1905 and then was traded to the Cubs for the 1906 season and he stayed there until his retirement in 1912. He finished with a .260/.316/.320 line and 44.1 WAR. He won 2 Player of the Week Awards, 1 Batter of the Month and 2 Gold Gloves. He also won a World Series with the Cubs in 1907. His Metrics are-JAWS-39.1, Black Ink-0, Gray Ink-31, HOF Standards-19, HOF Monitor-40. No vote from me and he got just .9%.

P Sam Militello was a 23rd round pick in the inaugural draft for Cleveland. He did well his first season but was then traded to the Giants for the 1902 season and he stayed there the rest of his career. He only ended up with 27.2 WAR, but finished at 163-136 with a 2.70 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. He was named Player of the Week 5 times and Pitcher of the Month twice. In 1904 he finished 3rd in the Best Pitcher Award voting. His Metrics are- JAWS-45.1, Black Ink-7, Gray Ink-118, HOF Standards-30, HOF Monitor 63. Playing for a perpetually bad Giants team hurt his win totals or he could have made it to 200. Not bad for a guy who went 4-4 in his MLB career! No vote from me again. He ended up with 15.7%, which will keep him around for next year.

2B Robby Thompson was drafted in the 3rd round of the inaugural draft by the Phillies. He stayed there until being traded to the Reds in 1905. He earned just over 21 WAR his first 4 years….then ended up with 16.2 for his career which tells how his career ended. His .277/.343/.365 line isn’t bad, though. He won 3 Player of the Week Awards, 1 Gold Glove and a whopping 7 Platinum Sticks at 2B. He also won 2 World Series, one with each team. His Metrics are- JAWS-26.8, Black Ink-2, Gray Ink-62, HOF Standards-22, HOF Monitor-54. His awards are impressive, but not much else is, so no vote from me. He got just 1.8%.

P Bob Welch was a 2nd round pick for the Tigers in the inaugural draft and stayed there his whole career. He started off great with 23+ wins his 1st 3 years. However, by 1906, his starting days were done and he was a reliever the rest of the way. His final record was 138-112 with 13 Saves, 2.67 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP with 29 WAR. He won 7 Player of the Week Awards, 4 Pitcher of the Month Awards and 1 Best Pitcher Award back in 1902. He won the World Series with Detroit in 1910, although he only pitched 15 innings. His Metrics are- JAWS-45.3, Black Ink-18, Gray Ink-107, HOF Standards-26, HOF Monitor-79. We are getting closer, but still no vote from me. He ended up with 37.5% of the vote. Pretty good for a guy who only started for about 6 seasons.


1918- Trying this a little differently

I did not vote for any candidates this year.

Bob Welch went down to 29.8% and Sam Militello down to 14.7%.

C Clay Dalrymple (6th round, inaugural draft, Blues) got 10.3% of the vote….Spent whole 13 year career in Cleveland….Retired at age 35….Gold Glove 8x at C and Platinum Stick 2x….38.5 WAR, .253/.333/.302

1B/3B Fernando Tatis (5th round, inaugural draft, Phillies) got .6% of the vote….. Phillies 5 years, Beaneaters/Braves/Rustlers/Doves 8 years….Retired at age 36….Player of the Week 5x, Batter of the Month 2x, Gold Glove 2x at 1B and Platinum Stick at 3B 1x….World Champion in 1902 (Phillies)....29.9 WAR, .260/.338/.346


1919

I didn’t vote for anyone again, but there are two guys who I thought belonged in, just not as 1st ballot guys. However, they both got in without my vote! So…we have our first HOF inductees!!

Of the returning candidates, Clay Dalrymple went down to 5.8% of the vote. Sam Militello dropped to 8.3% and Bob Welch improved to 33.2%.

P Sergio Escalona (3rd round, inaugural draft, Senators) got 9.7% of the vote….Senators- 7 years, Phillies- 6 years….Retired at age 35….Reliever of the Year 1x….3rd All-Time in Saves with 102 at retirement…Led league in Saves 2x

P Curt Simmons (1st round, inaugural draft, Americans) got 19.5% of the vote….Boston- 9.5 years, Phillies- 4.5 years….Retired at age 34….178-202 (23rd in W), 10 Saves, 3.15 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 1821 Ks (8th), 55 WAR (13th)

P Roy Halladay (1st round, inaugural draft, Cardinals) got 23.8% of the vote….St. Louis- 1.5 years, Boston (NL)- 12.5 years….Retired at age 42….2x Player of the Week, 2x Pitcher of the Month, 1x World Champion….Pitched a No-Hitter….180-186 (21st in W), 5 Saves, 2.74 ERA, 1.15 WHIP (19th), 1189 Ks, 58.5 WAR (9th)

P Doug McWeeny (2nd round, inaugural draft, White Sox) got 33.6% of the vote….Chicago- 9 years, Pittsburgh-3 years….Retired at age 34….4x Player of the Week, 2x Pitcher of the Month, 2x Rookie of the Month, 1x Pitcher of the Year, 1x World Champion….141-106, 31 Saves, 2.58 ERA (15th), 1.17 WHIP, 1063 Ks, 28.6 WAR

C/1B Frank Chance (1st round, inaugural draft, Beaneaters) got 73.3% of the vote….Spent all 14 years in Boston….Retired at age 38….4x Player of the Week, 1x Batter of the Month, 2x Platinum Stick, 1x MVP, 1x World Champion…..1887 H (22nd), 1000 R (11th), .285/.390/.371 (6th in OBP), 492 SB (10th), 64 WAR (12th)....His Metrics are- JAWS-54.4 (not bad, but the two who got in are higher), Black Ink-8 (not very good), Gray Ink-96 (the other hitter who got in was at 161), HOF Standards-45 (the other hitter is only at 32), HOF Monitor-106 (the other hitter is 191)....Based on this vote, it seems like he will get in, but I won’t be voting for him….a solid career, especially for an early player, but he didn’t do enough for me overall or compared to other players of his time

Now for our two Hall of Famers….the Inaugural Hall of Fame Class is OF Fred Snodgrass and P Pedro Martinez! You can see their full careers below. I think they are both worthy, but would have made them wait a year or two as there are much better players coming. A few other notes of things you can’t see on their career pages-

Fred Snodgrass was a 1st round pick of the Orioles in the inaugural draft. His awards are as follows- 4x Player of the Week, 5x batter of the Month, 4x Gold Glove in RF, 8x Platinum Stick in RF, 3x MVP, 1x World Champion. As of his induction, he is 4th in Runs, 13th in Hits, 15th in Total Bases, 7th in Doubles, 5th in Triples, 2nd in Steals, 10th in Walks and 9th in WAR




Pedro Martinez (I know that isn’t his picture…not sure who it is! It seems to be the only one that is wrong I’ve seen so far) was a 1st round pick by the Brewers in the inaugural draft. His awards were- 6x Player of the Week, 3x Pitcher of the Month, 1x Pitcher of the Year, 1x World Champion. As of his induction, he is 7th in Wins, 3rd in Complete Games with 314, 6th in Shutouts with 42, 5th in Ks, 11th in WHIP and 3rd in WAR






1920
I finally voted for someone! But he didn’t get in. I’ll talk more about it when I get to him below. There were 10 candidates who got votes…here they are in reverse order of vote percentage (Top 20 ranking as of the end of this season in parentheses). I’ll only list their HOF Metrics if they are close to induction or I see them a lot differently than the “voters” do.

C Roger Bresnahan (1st round, inaugural draft, Pirates) got 13.7% of the vote….Spent all 15 years with Pittsburgh….Retired at age 38….6x Player of the Week, 4x Batter of the Month, 3x Platinum Stick at RF and C, 2x MVP….1694 H, .273/.370/.377, 922 R, 309 doubles (18th), 130 triples (19th), 24 HR, 858 RBI (18th), 344 SB, 59 WAR (18th)

P Logan Gilbert (3rd round, inaugural draft, Brewers) got 15.6% of the vote….Milwaukee/St. Louis- 6 seasons, Detroit- 9 seasons….Retired at age 40….1x Player of the Week, 3x Pitcher of the Month, 2x World Champion (1904 w/St. Louis, 1910 w/Detroit)....128-109, 15 Saves, 384 G, 166 CG, 14 SHO, 2136.2 IP, 2.64 ERA (20th), 1.11 WHIP (5th), 743 Ks, 34.1 WAR

P Sergio Escalona went up to 16.4% in his 2nd year on the ballot.

OF Ben Chapman (1st round, inaugural draft, Phillies) got 19.5% of the vote….Philadelphia- 11 seasons, Washington- 4 seasons….Retired at age 36….2x Player of the Week, 1x Batter of the Month, 1x Platinum Stick, 1x World Champion (1902 w/Phillies)....2013 H (17th), .271/.342/.361, 1071 R (9th), 314 doubles (17th), 148 triples (13th), 21 HR, 804 RBI, 509 SB (9th), 63.2 WAR (14th)

P Curt Simmons went up to 21.9% in his 2nd year on the ballot.

P Roy Halladay went up to 27.3% in his 2nd year on the ballot.

P Bob Welch went down to 27.7% in his 4th year on the ballot.

1B Billy Goodman (2nd round, inaugural draft, Pirates) got 36.7% of the vote, including mine….Pirates- 5.5 seasons, White Sox- 9.5 seasons….Retired at age 38….8x Player of the Week, 7x Batter of the Month, 2x Gold Glove at 1B, 4x Platinum Stick, 1x MVP….5x Batting Champion….2275 H, .312/.378/.387 (7th in BA), 957 R (20th), 305 doubles (20th), 116 triples, 3 HR, 847 RBI (19th), 273 SB, 48.2 WAR…My reasoning for voting for Goodman was comparing him to Frank Chance. Frank almost got in on his first ballot and here’s how his HOF Metrics compare to Billy, with Frank’s numbers first- JAWS- 54.4/44.9, Black Ink- 8/32, Gray Ink- 96/115, HOF Standards- 45/31, HOF Monitor- 106/107. Edge to Goodman in the “Inks”, edge to Chance in JAWS and HOFS, with HOFM a push. When I add in how great of a hitter Goodman was as a 5x batting champ, that put him over the top for me. I like to reward guys who were exceptional in one area…as long as they weren’t pretty bad everywhere else. Goodman won a couple of Gold Gloves, so he could play both sides of the ball. I will keep voting for him, but it’s not looking good.

P Doug McWeeny went up to 36.7% in his 2nd year on the ballot.

C/1B Frank Chance went down to 69.5% in his 2nd year on the ballot….Really thought he’d get in based on how high his 1st ballot vote was. I still think Goodman is more worthy and it’s close whether he deserves to get in. We’ll see what happens!

[Highlander]

League Changes/Major Player Additions

1921
1-1 Bill Dahlen (CLE)
1-2 Socks Seybold (PHA)
1-3 Charlie Gehringer (NYG)
1-4 Hank Greenberg (NYY)
1-5 Tommy Leach (STL)
1-9 Starling Marte (CIN)
2-2 Brian Wilson (PHA)

1922
1-1 Charlie Gehringer (NYG)- Trying again after not signing him last year
1-2 Norm Cash (NYY)
1-3 Magglio Ordonez (PHA)
1-11 Jim Abbott (BSN)

1923
1-1 Al Kaline (WAS)
1-2 Bernie Williams (STL)
1-4 Ron LeFlore (NYG)- Haven’t seen much of Vince Coleman….maybe Ron will come through with big steals
1-4 Luis Arraez (BOS)

1924
1-1 Jakie May (NYG)
1-2 Mort Cooper (WAS)
1-13 Jim Kaat (PHI)
1-14 Framber Valdez (PHI)
2-9 Satchel Paige (CHC- age 40)


1925
1-1 Barry Bonds (DET)
1-2 Rod Carew (STL)
1-3 David Ortiz (WAS)
1-4 Rusty Staub (NYY)
1-5 Ivan Rodriguez (BRO)
1-9 Johnny Podres (CIN)
1-14 Yoshinobu Yamamoto (PHA)
1-15 Dave Bancroft (PHI)
2-12 Ray Schalk (CHC)

The big star hitters keep coming- Kaline, Bonds, Carew, Gehringer, Greenberg, Cash, etc. The pitchers aren’t keeping up….it seems like there will be an interesting time period where we get a lot of great pitchers like Ryan, Johnson (Randy and Walter), Carlton, Seaver, etc. all at once as well. So many teams need pitching….that’s why Cleveland is doing so well right now with both Dean and Hubbell.


World Series Results
1921- The Philadelphia Phillies (89-65) defeated the Chicago White Sox (90-65) 5 games to 3
The White Sox were down 4-0 in this series, so to force it to 8 games was impressive. They just didn’t have enough to win it. On the mound, they were led by Carl Hubbell once again and he was supported by a number of guys who didn’t really stand out, but did well. At the plate, they had 3 guys drive in 100+ runs- Dwight Smith, Leon Durham and Bernie Neis. The whole team was full of strong hitters, though. The Phillies fought through a number of injuries to win the championship. Pitchers Dave Steib and Lefty Tyler were probably the two best on the team and they were both lost to long term injuries well before the World Series. Then, one of their top hitters, Hugh Duffy, was lost in the 2nd game of the Series. Luckily, they also had guys like Mike Donlin and Danny Green who had big seasons at the plate as well. Sean Bouchard, however, was named World Series MVP, hitting .355/.382/.419 with 3 R, 2 doubles and 7 RBI.


1922- The Cincinnati Reds (86-68) defeated the Cleveland Guardians (89-65) 4 games to 3
Cleveland seemed to be at an advantage heading into the World Series, as they were +150 in runs scored versus runs allowed, while the Reds were only +11. It wasn’t meant to be, however. On the mound, Cleveland was led by starters Dizzy Dean and Aaron Heilman, along with reliever Tom Gorman. Their offense was very strong and was led by Sam Crawford, Yogi Berra, Bill Dahlen, George Brett and Ray Lamanno. That’s a lot of “leaders”, but they all had excellent seasons. The Reds had a lot of luck in the season and it carried through to the World Series. Their hitting was actually really good, with Ty Cobb, Doc Crandall and Matt Nokes. George Wright was injured most of the year, but is also right up there with Cobb as their best players. Pitching was a different story. They found a way to win, but other than Kyle McClellan, there weren’t a lot of strong arms. Ty Cobb ended up the MVP of the World Series, hitting .455/.536/455, 3 R, 6 RBI and 1 SB.

1923- The Cleveland Guardians (100-54) defeated the Boston Braves (88-66) 4 games to 3
The Braves get to their 4th World Series and were pretty big underdogs after the great season Cleveland had. They were actually up 3 games to 1 before Cleveland came all the way back to win. Boston was pretty balanced on the mound, with Bill Wegman leading the way with the best season of the bunch. Steve Howe was lost to injury during Spring Training and missed the whole season. Injuries were a factor in the World Series on the offensive side as well. Top player Jimmie Foxx had a massive year but suffered a concussion in Game 2 of the series. His loss may have been the difference. They were also missing SS Nico Hoerner who got hurt in August. They still had George Sisler, Jose Tartabull and Terry Whitfield, but it just wasn’t enough. Cleveland won their first championship in 3 tries, so congrats to them! They have put together one of the best offenses we’ve seen, with guys like Sam Crawford, Yogi Berra, George Brett, Bill Dahlen, Jim Eisenreich and the list goes on. The whole line up, 1-8 is full of good hitters. What was missing last year when they lost the Series was the pitching…..so what did they do? On the last day of the trade deadline, they went out and traded a young outfielder named Charlie Spikes to the White Sox for P Carl Hubbell. Carl was able to join Dizzy Dean and up and coming Aaron Heilman to form a great trip of pitchers. Oh, and all Carl did upon coming to Cleveland was go 12-1! Sam Crawford was named World Series MVP, hitting .429/.484/.536 with 6 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI and 3 SB.



1924- The Cleveland Guardians (98-56) defeated the Philadelphia Phillies (92-62) 4 games to 2
Philadelphia made it to their 5th World Series. They were led on the mound by Chris Volstad and Dave Steib, plus Daniel Hudson out of the bullpen. On offense, Mike Donlin continues to have great seasons and is helped by Danny Green and Hugh Duffy. Cleveland had another great season and won their 2nd straight championship. It is made even more impressive knowing that ace pitcher, Dizzy Dean, was injured in the first game of the season and he missed the whole thing with a torn elbow ligament. Add in Miguel Tejada being out since July, and it is a very impressive performance to get to 98 wins and beat Philly. Carl Hubbell took over the ace spot on the staff, helped by Ryan Dempster and bullpen stalwart Tom Gorman. On offense, even with Tejada out for an extended time, there was still superstar Sam Crawford, Yogi Berra, George Brett, Bill Dahlen and the whole crew. If Dean comes back healthy (and maybe even if he doesn’t), this team seems poised for a 3-peat. Crawford won his 2nd straight Series MVP, hitting .385/.448/.615, 7 R, 1 double, 1 triple, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 SB.


1925- The Cleveland Guardians (99-55) defeated the Brooklyn Robins (87-67) 4 games to 1
Brooklyn made it back to their 4th World Series and 1st since 1920. Unfortunately for them, they had to face an offensive machine in Cleveland. The Robins were led on offense by Tris Speaker, who is still putting up pretty strong seasons at age 33, Lenny Dykstra, Ivan Rodriguez and 2-way star player Charlie Hickman. On the mound, Matt Morris and Dean Chance led the way with the injured Guy Bush. Guy was hurt at the end of August and missed the whole World Series. Speaking of injuries, this was the 2nd straight World Series for Cleveland where they were missing their star pitcher, Dizzy Dean. Once again, though, it didn’t matter as they were able to win their 3rd straight and have their 4th straight appearance in the World Series. Carl Hubbell keeps rolling along on the mound at age 35 but really, other than Dean, the pitching was a little subpar. However, the offense for this team is so good, they can afford some weaker pitching at this point and so many games are pitched by Dean and Hubbell, they get a ton of wins. The usual suspects were all at it again on offense. I don’t usually give stats in this part of the report, but check out this lineup (BA/HR/RBI)- SS Bill Dahlen (.315/18/96), 3B George Brett (.356/10/94), LF Sam Crawford (.383/24/150), C Yogi Berra (.371/21/129), 1B Ray Lamanno (.327/26/117), RF Jim Eisenreich (.357/4/73). 2B and CF are more of a platoon situation for them, but those first 6 guys are just amazing….the RDL version of Murderer’s Row!


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…..2-4
Chicago Cubs/Orphans…..4-2
Detroit Tigers…..1-1
Philadelphia Phillies…..3-2
Cincinnati Reds…..2-3
St. Louis Browns…..2-2
Boston Beaneaters/Doves/Braves…..2-2
Brooklyn Superbas/Robins…..1-3
Cleveland Naps/Guardians…..3-2
New York Highlanders…..1-0
Washington Senators…..2-3
Philadelphia Athletics…..2-0
Pittsburgh Pirates…..0-1
Boston Red Sox…..No appearances
St. Louis Cardinals…..No appearances
New York Giants…..No appearances

[Highlander]

Award Winners- I am dropping all of the “league leader” stuff other than for the stats I already give…just takes too long.

Rookie of the Year
1921 AL ROY- OF Socks Seybold (PHA)- .337/.392/.573, 101 R, 56 doubles (led league), 13 triples, 18 HR, 118 RBI, 11 SB, 6.2 WAR….1st round draft pick….Won the Platinum Stick in RF

1922 AL ROY- 1B Norm Cash (NYY)- .336/.443/.522 (led league in OBP), 81 R, 20 doubles, 3 triples, 17 HR, 73 RBI, 2 SB, 5.1 WAR….1st round draft pick….Won the Platinum Stick at 1B

1923 AL ROY- OF Al Kaline (WAS)- .330/.373/.430, 71 R, 22 doubles, 3 triples, 11 HR, 70 RBI, 6 SB, 3.8 WAR….1st round draft pick

1924 AL ROY- 1B Don Hurst (CWS)- .336/.416/.560, 105 R, 31 doubles, 6 triples, 26 HR (led league), 124 RBI, 5 SB, 6.4 WAR….1st round draft pick….Won the Platinum Stick at 1B, finished 3rd in MVP voting

1925 AL ROY- C Mike Napoli (CWS)- .305/.407/.524, 89 R, 32 doubles, 3 triples, 23 HR, 115 RBI, 3 SB, 5.7 WAR….1st round draft pick


1921 NL ROY- OF Danny Green (PHI)- .344/.394/.522, 115 R, 33 doubles, 12 triples, 17 HR, 93 RBI, 24 SB, 5.8 WAR….1st round draft pick….Won the World Series

1922 NL ROY- P Kyle McClellan (CIN)- 22-11, 6 Saves, 281.2 IP, 3.23 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 90 Ks, 5.0 WAR….4th round draft pick in 1920….Finished 2nd in Best Pitcher Award voting, Won the World Series

1923 NL ROY- OF Terry Whitfield (BSN)- .362/.410/.496, 102 R, 29 doubles, 9 triples, 9 HR, 81 RBI, 5 SB, 4.4 WAR….3rd round draft pick in 1920….Won the Platinum Stick in LF

1924 NL ROY- 2B Frank LaPorte (BSN)- .312/.345/.498, 87 R, 36 doubles, 16 triples, 11 HR, 80 RBI, 9 SB, 4.6 WAR….1st round draft pick

1925 NL ROY- 1B Rod Carew (STL)- .399/.452/.545, 112 R, 35 doubles, 15 triples, 7 HR, 94 RBI, 5 SB, 6.3 WAR….1st round draft pick….Won the Platinum Stick at 1B, Won the MVP Award….Had a 24 game hitting streak

The Braves and White Sox each had 2 winners, but the Phillies and Reds were the ones who won a championship with the help of their ROY. Some very good seasons in this bunch, but how about that season by Carew?!?

Reliever of the Year
1921 AL Reliever of the Year- Masanori Murakami (SLA)- 9-4, 19 Saves (led league), 108.2 IP, 2.48 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 54 Ks, .8 WAR….5th Best Reliever Award

1922 AL Reliever of the Year- Tom Gorman (CLE)- 7-6, 19 Saves, 129.2 IP, 2.64 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 1.8 WAR….Drafted in the 6th round of the 1916 draft by the Browns

1923 AL Reliever of the Year- Roger Miller (NYY)- 15-4, 13 Saves, 93 IP, 2.13 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 41 Ks, .7 WAR….Drafted in the 8th round of the 1918 draft by the Yankees….Finished 3rd in ROY voting

1924 AL Reliever of the Year- Lou Marone (PHA)- 6-4, 21 Saves (led league), 85.2 IP, 3.05 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 26 Ks, 1.2 WAR….Drafted in the 4th round of the 1920 draft by the Athletics

1925 AL Reliever of the Year- Randy Myers (NYY)- 6-8, 13 Saves (led league), 70.2 IP, 4.08 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 46 Ks, 1.4 WAR….Drafted in the 2nd round of the 1924 draft by the Yankees


1921 NL Reliever of the Year- Nate Jones (BSN)- 6-4, 15 Saves, 92 IP, 3.23 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 51 Ks, 1.9 WAR….Drafted in the 2nd round of the 1920 draft by the Braves

1922 NL Reliever of the Year- Sean Doolittle (STL)- 11-9, 13 Saves, 115.1 IP, 3.28 ERA, 1.34 WAR, 35 Ks, .8 WAR….2nd Best Reliever Award

1923 NL Reliever of the Year- Chad Cordero (BRO)- 11-6, 20 Saves (led league), 96 IP, 3.00 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 42 Ks, .2 WAR….Drafted in the 2nd round of the 1917 draft by the Robins

1924 NL Reliever of the Year- Satchel Paige (CHC)- 8-8, 24 Saves (led league), 96 IP, 2.34 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 49 Ks, 2.4 WAR….Drafted in the 2nd round of the 1923 draft by the Cubs….Finished 2nd in ROY voting

1925 NL Reliever of the Year- Masanori Murakami (PIT)- 8-9, 20 Saves (led league), 112.1 IP, 3.12 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 60 Ks, 1.0 WAR….6th Best Reliever Award

A variety of winners from a variety of teams. The Browns seemed to give up on Murakami after a rough season in 1922, but he’s come back a bit with Pittsburgh, who always seem to have a good closer. If he had come earlier, he may have had the Best Reliever Award named after him, but Moronta just came first.


Most Valuable Player
1921 AL MVP- OF Sam Crawford (CLE)- .421/.459/.641 (led league in all 3), 102 R, 39 doubles, 10 triples, 18 HR, 126 RBI, 18 SB, 7.3 WAR….2nd MVP Award….Won the Platinum Stick at LF, Had a 27-game hitting streak, Hit for the Cycle…all this and he missed 5 weeks with a strained rotator cuff

1922 AL MVP- OF Sam Crawford (CLE)- .362/.418/.588 (led league in SLG), 111 R, 36 doubles, 22 triples (led league), 19 HR, 128 RBI (led league), 16 SB, 6.3 WAR….3rd MVP Award….Won the Platinum Stick in LF

1923 AL MVP- OF Sam Crawford (CLE)- .413/.471/.658 (led league in all 3), 137 R (led league), 45 doubles, 18 triples, 22 HR (led league), 118 RBI, 32 SB (led league), 10.8 WAR (led league)....4th MVP Award….Hit 3 HR in a game with 8 RBI….Won the Gold Glove and Platinum Stick in LF, Won the World Series, Was named World Series MVP

1924 AL MVP- SS Bill Dahlen (CLE)- .345/.401/.511, 141 R (led league), 50 doubles, 8 triples, 12 HR, 84 RBI, 27 SB, 9.3 WAR….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1920 draft by the Guardians….Won the Gold Glove and Platinum Stick at SS, Won the World Series….On a side note, Ryan Zimmerman of the Browns was off to an incredible start when he got injured on 7/10 and missed the rest of the season. When he went out, he was hitting .417/.474/.603 with 18 doubles, 12 triples and 5 HR with 72 RBI in just 307 AB. He had a great shot to win the MVP if he hadn’t gotten hurt and may have been the only player other than Crawford to hit .400.

1925 AL MVP- OF Sam Crawford (CLE)- .383/.434/.612 (lead league in BA), 142 R (led league), 39 doubles, 13 triples, 24 HR, 150 RBI (led league), 30 SB, 7.0 WAR….5th MVP Award….Won the Gold Glove and Platinum Stick in LF, Won the World Series


1921 NL MVP- OF Mike Donlin (PHI)- .387/.423/.631 (led league in OBP), 124 R, 31 doubles, 19 triples, 28 HR, 124 RBI, 32 SB, 8.5 WAR (led league)....2nd MVP Award….Won the Platinum Stick at LF, Won the World Series

1922 NL MVP- OF Lenny Dykstra (BRO)- .366/.467/.578 (led league in OBP), 127 R (led league), 44 doubles, 14 triples, 15 HR, 121 RBI, 37 SB, 10.2 WAR (led league)....Drafted in the 1st round of the 1919 draft by the Robins….Won the Platinum Stick in CF

1923 NL MVP- 3B Jimmie Foxx (BSN)- .353/.456/.700 (led league in SLG), 141 R (led league), 33 doubles, 8 triples, 50 HR (led league), 175 RBI (led league), 11 SB, 9.2 WAR….2nd MVP Award….Won the Platinum Stick at 3B….Hit 3 HR in a game twice

1924 NL MVP- 3B George Davis (CIN)- .369/.418/.517 (led league in BA), 40 doubles (led league), 13 triples, 7 HR, 126 RBI, 25 SB, 8.1 WAR (led league)....Drafted in the 1st round of the 1917 draft by the Reds….Won the Platinum Stick at 3B

1925 NL MVP- 1B Rod Carew- See stats in ROY above

Sam Crawford has definitely taken over for Cupid Childs as THE best player in the game right now. He finished 2nd to teammate Dahlen in 1924 and easily could have won with the numbers he had. Shows how good Cleveland’s offense is right now. In the NL, it’s a mixed bag of players. Lots of great seasons, but nobody is dominating….maybe Carew will take over. Dykstra has been really good too, so he may have another MVP or two in store.


Best Pitcher Award
1921 AL Best Pitcher- Carl Hubbell (CWS)- 24-13 (led league in W), 2 Saves, 350 IP, 3.11 ERA, 1.14 WHIP (led league), 122 Ks, 6.8 WAR….2nd best Pitcher Award….

1922 AL Best Pitcher- Dizzy Dean (CLE)- 24-16, 4 Saves, 354.2 IP (led league), 3.12 ERA (led league), 1.29 WHIP, 170 Ks (led league), 6.8 WAR….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1919 draft by the Guardians

1923 AL Best Pitcher- Dizzy Dean (CLE)- 25-14, 1 Save, 352.2 IP (led league), 2.60 ERA (led league), 1.17 WHIP (led league), 206 Ks (led league), 10.4 WAR (led league)....2nd Best Pitcher Award….Finished 2nd in MVP voting, Won the World Series

1924 AL Best Pitcher- Dwight Gooden (BOS)- 22-12, 1 Save, 352.2 IP (led league), 2.78 ERA (led league), 1.23 WHIP, 128 Ks (led league), 7.2 WAR (led league)....2nd Best Pitcher Award

1925 AL Best Pitcher- Dizzy Dean (CLE)- 27-11 (led league in W), 5 Saves, 321 IP, 2.86 ERA (led league), 1.19 WHIP, 177 Ks (led league), 9.1 WAR….3rd Best Pitcher Award….Won the Triple Crown, Won the World Series


1921 NL Best Pitcher- Noah Syndergaard (PIT)- 29-6 (led league in W), 2 Saves, 353 IP (led league), 3.24 ERA (led league), 1.20 WHIP, 121 Ks, 6.1 WAR….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1916 draft by the Pirates

1922 NL Best Pitcher- Dave Stieb (PHI)- 23-15, 1 Save, 352 IP, 2.89 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 91 Ks, 5.5 WAR….Drafted in the 1st round of the 1919 draft by the Phillies

1923 NL Best Pitcher- Bill Wegman (BSN)- 15-14, 1 Save, 292 IP, 2.96 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 65 Ks, 5.8 WAR….Drafted in the 3rd round of the 1917 draft by the Braves

1924 NL Best Pitcher- Chris Volstad (PHI)- 22-16 (led league in W), 1 Save, 340 IP (led league), 3.76 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 125 Ks, 7.3 WAR (led league)....Drafted in the 2nd round of the 1921 draft by the Phillies

1925 NL Best Pitcher- Yorman Bazardo (CHC)- 16-15, 274.2 IP, 3.18 ERA (led league), 1.23 WHIP (led league), 96 Ks, 5.9 WAR….Drafted in the 5th round of the 1916 draft by the Robins….

Similar to the other awards, the AL has a dominant pitcher in Dizzy Dean (he was hurt all but a couple of innings in 1924 or he may have won another) and the NL has a variety of guys having good years but no one stepping up to be dominant. Hubbell seems to have dropped off a bit, so we’ll see if anyone steps up to help Dizzy to make Cleveland continue their dominance as a team…..the offense isn’t going anywhere for a while, but the pitching could be their downfall.

Other Accomplishments, Records and Misc.

In the AL, Frankie Pytlak of the Athletics has won every Gold Glove since 1919 at Catcher and Todd Frazier, also of the Athletics, has won every one at 1B since 1920. Gene Alley of the Yankees is up to 9 Gold Gloves at 2B.

In the NL, Yadier Molina of the Cards has won every Gold Glove at Catcher since 1919 and has 8 altogether. He’s only 31, so he has a great shot at beating the record of 10 by Mark Teixeira (his run ended with his last one in 1920). Tris Speaker (RF) of the Robins and Luis Gonzalez (LF) of the Cardinals each won 3 of the 5 Gold GLoves from this period.

A number of guys have joined club for hitting 3 HR in a game (no one has hit 4 yet). Jimmie Foxx did it 3 more times (1922 and twice in 1923), Ryan Zimmerman in 1921, Sam Crawford in 1923 and Wally Westlake in 1924.

This 5-year period saw 10 games where a player got 6 hits- Hugh Duffy did it twice, in 1921 and 1925. Yogi Berra also did it twice, in 1921 and 1924. Others were- Ken Boyer, George Foster, Johnny Logan (1922), Lenny Dykstra (1923), Tommy Leach, Danny Green and Joe Quinn (1925).

Seven players hit for the cycle in this 5-year stretch. Drew Stubbs, Sam Crawford and Doc Crandall all did it in 1921….Crawford became the first guy to do it twice. Crandall joined that club by doing it again in 1923. Ryan Zimmerman also did it in 1923. Finally, Bernie Neis, Terry Whitfield and Marty Kavanagh all did it in 1925.

There were only 2 No-Hitters in this 5-year stretch….still no Percent Games! Balor Moore did it in 1924 (6 Ks, 3 BB) as did Charlie Hickman (3 Ks, 3 BB).

Jimmie Foxx became the first member of the 50-HR club in 1923. He was also the first player with 150+ RBI that same season with 175. Sam Crawford joined that club in 1925, getting 150 RBI on the nose.

Major milestones reached include- Bert Blyleven- 250 Wins, Daniel Norris- 250 Wins, Bob Watson- 2500 Hits, Mark Prior- 300 Wins, Eddie Collins- 2500 Hits, Carl Hubbell- 250 Wins, Enos Slaughter- 2500 Hits, Tony Fernandez- 2500 Hits, Corey Seager- 2500 Hits, Tris Speaker- 1500 Runs

I’m shortening up the Record Book section and putting it here….and just mentioning single season and single game records that were set in this 5-year period. I’m going to save the Career Records for when guys retire and I’ll give occasional updates beyond that.

Single Season SLG- Jimmie Foxx- .6998
Single Season OPS- Jimmie Foxx- 1.1561
Single Season Runs- Sam Crawford- 142
Single Season Total bases- Jimmie Foxx- 401
Single Season Doubles- Ryan Zimmerman- 59
Single Season HR- Jimmie Foxx- 50
Single Season RBI- Jimmie Foxx- 175
Single Season Walks- Lenny Dykstra- 127

AL Single Game RBI Record- Ryan Zimmerman- 10…Sam Crawford had a game with 9 and another with 8
NL Single Game Doubles Record- Solly Hoffman- 4

One last thing to mention this time around is about a team that currently has the best overall record since the league started. You may guess it would be Cleveland with their recent success, or maybe Washington or one of the Chicago teams. However, it is a pretty surprising one….the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates currently have a .529 winning percentage since 1901, but have only made the World Series one time. They have, however, finished in 2nd place 11 times, including 5 seasons in a row from 1908-1912.


Hall of Fame Candidates- I’m going to crop down the player pages for the guys who get in the HOF. You won’t see the picture, award icons and a little information, but I am hoping it will make it so you don’t have to scroll side to side to see the rest of the stuff I post. To me that is really annoying, so hopefully this helps.

1921
We have our 3rd HOF member! I didn’t vote for him, but I’m OK with him getting in. I didn’t vote for anyone else this time either….a few solid guys came onto the ballot, but most of what I see falls into the “very good” category, but not “great” which is what I like to see for the Hall. I was going to vote for Billy Goodman again, but wanted to see where he ended up without my vote. Here’s the overall results-

P Curt Simmons dropped to 12.8% in his 3rd year on the ballot.

P Logan Gilbert dropped to 14.2% in his 2nd year on the ballot.

OF Dom DiMaggio (1st round pick, 1902 draft, Americans) got 16.6% of the vote….Spent his whole 14 year career with the Boston Americans/Red Sox….Retired at age 35….3x Player of the Week, 1x Batter of the Month, 8x Gold Glove Award in CF, 3x Platinum Stick at CF….2112 H (16th), .269/.338/.351, 1049 R (15th), 300 doubles, 139 triples (20th), 23 HR, 773 RBI, 245 SB, 70.2 WAR (12th)

P Roy Halladay dropped to 22% of the vote in his 3rd year on the ballot.

P Joe Magrane (4th round pick, inaugural draft, Phillies) got 25% of the vote….Phillies- 4.5 seasons, Brooklyn- 11.5 seasons….Retired at age 37….2x Player of the Week, 3x Pitcher of the Month, 1x Rookie of the Month, 2x World Champion (1902 w/Phillies, 1906 w/Brooklyn)....209-233 (16th in W), 20 Saves, 636 Games (11th), 232 CG (13th), 26 Shutouts, 3993 IP (10th), 3.07 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 1526 Ks (15th), 54.1 WAR (14th)

1B Matt Carpenter (1st round, 1901 draft, Americans) got 27% of the vote….Spent all 15 seasons of his career with the Americans/Red Sox….Retired at age 38….6x Player of the Week, 8x Batter of the Month, 7x Gold Glove at 1B, 4x Platinum Stick (3 at 1B, 1 at 2B)....1990 H, .290/.372/.385, 900 R, 375 doubles (6th), 114 triples, 15 HR, 860 RBI (19th), 116 SB, 47.2 WAR

P Bob Welch again got 27.7% of the vote in his 5th year on the ballot.

P Doug McWeeny dropped to 34.8% of the vote in his 3rd year on the ballot.

1B Billy Goodman went up to 38.5% of the vote in his 2nd year on the ballot.

That brings us to our 3rd member of the Hall of Fame who was inducted with 88.2% of the vote. Congratulations to C Frank Chance!!






1922
Two more players have been inducted into the HOF….and I voted for both of them. I also voted for Billy Goodman again. I don’t think he’ll make it, but I still think he proved to be one of the best hitters in the early years of this league, won 5 batting titles and showed he was more than a hitter by winning a couple of Gold Gloves. Here’s how the rest of the voting played out-

P Curt Simmons dropped to 11.9% in his 4th time on the ballot.

P Roy Halladay dropped to 15.2% in his 4th time on the ballot.

1B Matt Carpenter dropped to 19.8% in his 2nd time on the ballot.

P Bob Welch keeps hanging in there, but dropped to 21.3% in his 6th year on the ballot.

P Joe Magrane dropped slightly to 23.5% in his 2nd year on the ballot.

P Jackie Collum (3rd round, 1901 draft, Giants) got 27.4% of the vote….Giants- 10.5 seasons, Browns- 5.5 seasons….Retired at age 39….5x Player of the Week, 4x Gold Glove at P….234-221 (9th in W), 6 Saves, 593 Games (16th), 213 CG (19th), 26 Shutouts, 4185.2 IP (8th), 2.95 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 1690 Ks (12th), 59.5 WAR (9th)

P Doug McWeeny dropped to 29% in his 4th time on the ballot.

1B Billy Goodman went up to 42.4% in his 3rd time on the ballot.

Our two new HOFers are both 1st timers on the ballot, both pitchers (one actually a two-way player) and both will enter the Hall as members of the Chicago Cubs. They are a big part of why the Cubs have the most World Series wins so far with 4. Congratulations to Jim “Catfish” Hunter and “Smokey Joe” Wood!

Catfish Hunter was a 1st round pick by the Pirates in the 1902 draft. He failed to sign with them and was then taken by Brooklyn in 1903. He was traded by Brooklyn to the Cubs for 1B Steve Boros (Steve ended up with .7 WAR in his 7 seasons with Brooklyn….he only had 1 season with more than 75 AB…talk about a lopsided trade!) His awards were-3x Player of the Week, 4x Pitcher of the Month, 4x World Champion (1906 w/Brooklyn, 1907, 1914, 1917 w/Cubs) and won the World Series MVP in 1906. As of this year, he is 7th in ERA, 12th in Wins, 7th in CG, 8th in Shutouts, 19th in IP, 14th in Ks, 5th in WHIP and 10th in WAR.






Smoky Joe Wood was a 1st round pick by the Orphans in the inaugural draft. His awards were- 2x Player of the Week, 5x Pitcher of the Month, 2x Rookie of the Month, 10x Platinum Stick at P, 4x Pitcher of the Year, 4x World Champion (1901, 1907, 1914, 1916 all w/Cubs) and won the World Series MVP in 1907. As of this year, he is 18th in Wins, 11th in CG, 4th in Shutouts, 11th in Ks and 12th in WAR. Wood also started just over 700 games in the OF. His final hitting numbers were- 1053 H, .265/.319/.376, 532 R, 158 doubles, 86 triples, 37 HR, 530 RBI, 200 SB and 18.2 WAR.






1923
I voted for 3 players this time around and there is one more I think I will vote for in a year or two if he needs it….just don’t see him as a 1st ballot guy, but he probably deserves to get in as a kind of stats accumulator. Two of the players I voted for got in…..and I’m sure you can guess my 3rd. I hadn’t noticed how to get the full year’s voting results instead of just the top 10, so I will be able to include a few more players to the report now. Some lesser ones will get a quicker recap than others

C Bob Henley (2nd round, 1904 draft, Highlanders) got 0 votes and will be dropped off the ballot…..Was a Highlander/Yankee his whole career….Retired at age 37….His slash line was- .261/.335/.330….1x Platinum Stick at C, 1x World Champion

OF Jon “305 J” Jay (1st round, 1905 draft, Pirates) got 0 votes and will be dropped….Was a Pirate his whole career….Retired at age 36….Slashline of- .284/.341/.357….3x Player of the Week, 1x Batter of the Month, 2x Gold Glove in CF

2B Jason “Dirtbag” Kipnis (1st round, 1902 draft, Highlanders) got .9% of the vote and will be dropped….Was a Highlander/Yankee his whole career….Retired at age 38….Slashline of- .275/.355/.370….Led league in Runs (97), Doubles (31) and SB (57) in different years….1x Batter of the Month, 1x Platinum Stick at 2B, 3x Gold Glove at 2B, 1x World Champion

P “Sad” Sam Jones (2nd round, 1901 draft, Beaneaters) got 1.5% of the vote and will be dropped….Boston- 9 seasons, Reds- 7 seasons….Retired at age 37….95-118, 93 Saves, 3.13 ERA, 1.35 WHIP….2x Player of the Week, 1x World Champion, 1x World Series MVP

OF Ben Chapman got 5.5% in his 4th year.

P Logan Gilbert got 5.5% in his 4th year.

P Curt Simmons got 6.7% in his 5th year.

OF Ken Griffey (Round 2, Inaugural draft, Superbas) got 7% of the vote after getting 8.5% last year….Superbas- 9 seasons, Reds 8 seasons….Retired at age 40….9x Player of the Week, 1x Batter of the Month, 4x Platinum Stick (3x in LF, 1x in RF), 1x World Champion, 1x Batting Champion, led league in Hits 4x….1763 H, .303/.370/.388, 828 R, 225 doubles, 120 triples, 10 HR, 618 RBI, 328 SB, 34.1 WAR

OF Dom DiMaggio got 9.5% of the vote in 1923 and 7.3% this year.

OF Emmet Heidrick (1st round, 1902 draft, Reds) got 9.3% of the vote….Was a Red his whole career….Retired at age 36….1x Player of the Week, Rookie of the Year in 1903, 4x Gold Glove in CF, 1x World Champion, led league in SB 3x….1711 H, .262/.298/.339, 843 R, 202 doubles, 125 triples, 16 HR, 604 RBI, 731 SB (4th), 50.1 WAR

P Roy Halladay got 14.2% of the vote in his 5th year.

P Joe Magrane dropped down quite a bit to 15.4% in his 3rd year.

1B Matt Carpenter dropped down to 16.3% in his 3rd year.

P Bob Welch has been on the ballot the longest at 7 years, but dropped to 18.3%.

1B Wally Moon (1st round, 1901 draft, Cardinals) got 19.5% of the vote….Was a Cardinal his whole career….Retired at age 39….7x Player of the Week, 5x Batter of the Month, 5x Platinum Stick at 1B, 1x Batting Champion, led league in Runs 2x and OBP 2x….2247 H (13th), .297/.385/.414 (12th in OBP), 1223 R (4th), 362 doubles (12th), 159 triples (9th), 68 HR, 872 RBI, 331 SB, 52.2 WAR….An impressive 205 Gray Ink in his HOF Metrics….I thought Wally would do better in the voting. He doesn’t have a lot of accolades, but finished with some pretty impressive overall numbers. Not a superstar, but any one who finishes 13th in hits, 4th in runs and 12th all time in OBP was a pretty darn good player. With this percentage, he probably won’t get in, but I may add him to my vote next time to see what happens.

P Doug Fister (1st round, 1903 draft, Americans) got 22.7% of the vote….Boston (AL)- 6.5 seasons, Boston (NL)- 8.5 seasons….Retired at age 38….3x Player of the Week, 2x Pitcher of the Month, 1x Rookie of the Month, 1x Gold Glove at P….217-217 (15th in W), 2 Saves, 567 Games, 251 CG (9th), 32 Shutouts (11th), 4122.1 IP (10th), 2.95 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 1391 Ks, 51.8 WAR

P Doug McWeeny is in his 5th year on the ballot and got 27% of the vote.

P Larry Sorenson (2nd round, 1902 draft, Reds) got 28.2% of the vote….Reds- 6.5 seasons, Phillies- 9.5 seasons….Retired at age 36….4x Player of the Week, 3x Pitcher of the Month, 2x Rookie of the Month, 2x World Champion….223-241 (14th in W), 9 Saves, 627 Games (14th), 298 CG (4th), 29 Shutouts (14th), 4387.1 IP (7th), 3.11 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 1239 Ks, 59.5 WAR (9th)

P Jackie Collum improved to 33.4% in his 2nd year.

1B Billy Goodman is up to 49.4%in his 4th year….maybe a chance?

So, our two new HOFers are a P and a SS, both in their first times on the ballot and both VERY deserving. SS Buck Weaver will go into the Hall as a Detroit Tiger, where he spent his whole career, and P Whit Wyatt will enter as a member of the Philadelphia Athletics, where he spent his whole career as well.

Buck Weaver was a 1st round pick by the Tigers in the 1901 draft. His awards were- 3x Player of the Week, 2x Batter of the Month, 3x Gold Glove at SS, 7x Platinum Stick at SS, 3x MVP, 1x World Champion. As of this year, he holds the single season record for AB with 661 in 1908. His overall career ranks are- 12th in Runs, 3rd in Hits, 4th in Total Bases, 10th in Doubles, 2nd in Triples, 18th in RBI, 6th in SB and 1st in WAR. His HOF Metrics are- JAWS- 83.4, Black Ink- 21, Gray Ink- 124, HOF Standards- 36, HOF Monitor- 178. He got in with 86.6% of the vote.






Whit Wyatt was a 1st round pick by the Athletics in the 1901 draft. His awards were- 7x Player of the Week, 5x Pitcher of the Month, 2x Best Pitcher Award, 2x World Champion, 1x World Series MVP. His career rankings are- 6th in ERA, 2nd in Wins, 2nd in Games, 2nd in CG (316), 4th in Shutouts (45), 2nd in IP, 1st in Ks, 9th in WHIP and 2nd in WAR. His Metrics are- JAWS- 89, Black Ink- 50, Gray Ink- 287, HOF Standards- 61, HOF Monitor- 227. He got in with 99.4% of the vote.

[Highlander]

Had to break it into 3 parts this time....the way I upload screenshots, I can only do 5 at a time.

1924
I voted for 3 guys this time around, but none of them got in….in fact, no one got in this year. Lots on the ballot though!

1B Ray Sanders (1st round, 1903 draft, Superbas) got 0 votes and will be removed from the ballot…..Brooklyn- 5.5 seasons, Cubs- 10.5 seasons….Retired at age 40….3x Player of the Week, 2x Batter of the Month, 2x Gold Glove at 1B, 1x World Champion….32.7 WAR, .266/.357/.371

3B Dave Brain (1st round, 1903 draft, Athletics) got .3% of the vote and will be dropped….Spent whole career with the Athletics…Retired at age 36….1x Player of the Week, 2x Platinum Stick at 3B, 2x World Champion….34.8 WAR…..252/.279/.355

1B/3B Edwin “Rivera” Encarnacion (1st round, 1904 draft, Superbas) got .3% of the vote and will be dropped….Brooklyn- 6 seasons, Detroit- 9 seasons….Retired at age 35….5x Player of the Week, 2x Batter of the Month, 1x Platinum Stick at 3B, 1x World Champion, led league 2x in HR….25.4 WAR, .251/.351/.350

P Boone Logan (4th round, 1904 draft, Tigers) got .3% of the vote and will be dropped….Tigers- 1 season, Athletics- 14 seasons….Retired at age 35….1x Reliever of the Year, 2x World Champion….36-45, 55 Saves, 3.30 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, .6 WAR

3B Matt “Duffman” Duffy (Round 2, 1902 draft, Senators) got .6% of the vote and will be dropped….Spent whole career with Washington….Retired at age 38….3x Player of the Week, 1x Gold Glove at 3B, 3x Platinum Stick at 3B, 2x World Champion….37.3 WAR, .279/.325/.350

OF Ken Griffey got 2.3% of the vote in his 3rd year on the ballot and will be dropped.

1B ”Big Ed” Stevens (3rd round, 1902 draft, Athletics) got 2.8% of the vote and will be dropped….Spent whole career with the Athletics….Retired at age 35….6x Player of the Week, 1x Batter of the Month, 1903 Rookie of the Year, 1x Gold Glove at 1B, 2x Platinum Stick at 1B, 2x World Champion….34.8 WAR, .280/.356/.404

P Logan Gilbert got 3.1% of the vote in his 5th year on the ballot and will now be dropped.

OF Ben Chapman is up to his 5th year on the ballot, but only got 3.4% and will be dropped.

OF Dom “The Little Professor” DiMaggio got 3.4% of the vote in his 4th year and will be dropped.

P Chappie McFarland (2nd round, 1905 draft, Reds) got 6.5% of the vote, just hanging on to stay on the ballot….Cincinnati- 4.5 seasons, Cleveland- 9.5 seasons….Retired at age 40….7x Player of the Week, 2x Pitcher of the Month, 4x Rookie of the Month, 1x Gold Glove at P, 1x Best Pitcher Award, 1x World Champion….140-151, 6 Saves, 416 Games, 202 CG, 27 Shutouts (19th), 2751.1 IP, 2.92 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 988 Ks, 37.5 WAR

P Curt Simmons went up a tiny bit to 7.3% in his 6th year.

P Roy “Doc” Halladay dropped to 10.7% in his 6th year.

P Bob Welch took a big drop to 11.9% in his 8th year.

OF Emmet “Snags” Heidrick went up to 13% in his 2nd year.

P Joe Magrane is in his 4th year and stayed about the same at 15.3%.

1B Matt Carpenter dropped to 15.3% in his 4th year.

P Jason Jennings (22nd round, Inaugural draft, Tigers) got 20.1% of the vote….Spent all but 2.5 seasons of his career with Detroit, then went to the Giants right at the end….Retired at age 42, but didn’t play after age 40….4x Player of the Week, 4x Platinum Stick at P, 1x World Champion….236-198 (9th in W), 20 Saves, 587 Games (19th), 296 CG (6th), 32 Shutouts (11th), 3891.2 IP (13th), 3.01 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 1396 Ks, 39.5 WAR

P Doug Fister dropped a bit to 21.8% in his 2nd year.

P Jackie Collum dropped to 23.4% in his 3rd year.

P Doug “Buzz” McWeeny dropped for the 4th time in a row to 24.9% in his 6th year.

C Ellie Rodriguez (1st round, 1902, Phillies) got 28.2 % of the vote….Spent whole career with the Phillies….Retired at age 37….1x Player of the Week, 6x Gold Glove at C, 1x World Champion….1484 H, .249/.346/.299, 643 R, 165 doubles, 61 triples, 2 HR, 649 RBI, 160 SB, 48 WAR

OF Paul “Big Poison” Waner (1st round, 1904 draft, Cubs) got 29.1% of the vote….Spent whole career with the Cubs….Retired at age 36….9x Player of the Week, 5x batter of the Month, 1905 Rookie of the Year, 4x Platinum Stick at RF, 3x World Champion, 2x Batting Champion….1955 H, .304/.380/.403, 938 R, 317 doubles, 129 triples, 22 HR, 780 RBI, 272 SB, 48.2 WAR

1B Wally Moon went up to 30.5% of the vote in his 2nd year. I voted for him this time, but he’s still a long ways from making it.

P Larry Sorenson went up a little bit to 31.6% in his 2nd year.

P Reyes “El Tibu” Moronta (Round 2, 1904 draft, Americans) got 40.7% of the vote, including mine….Boston- 7 seasons, Yankees, 8 seasons….Retired at age 37….6x Reliever of the Year, 6x Saves leader, All-Time career Saves leader….91-72, 176 Saves (1st), 772 Games (4th), 1070.1 IP, 2.36 ERA (2nd), 1.36 WHIP, 592 Ks, .6 WAR….Based on his 6 Best Reliever Awards and his long career of being such a dominant reliever, I am renaming the Best Reliever Award to the Reyes Moronta Award (it won’t start until the report for 1926-1930)

1B Billy Goodman got 58.2% of the vote in his 5th year, including my vote. He’s getting there!


1925
I voted for 4 guys this time around and 2 were elected to the HOF. We have added a Catcher from the Reds and a Third-baseman from the Giants.

C Bruce “Bull” Edwards (2nd round, 1903 draft, Browns) got no votes and will be dropped….Browns- 5 seasons, Tigers- 12 seasons (mostly partial)....Retired at age 38….1x Player of the Week, 1904 Rookie of the Year, 2x Platinum Stick at C, 2x World Champion….24.2 WAR, .270/.330/.360

C Dave Engle (2nd round, 1908 draft, Senators) got no votes and will be dropped….Spent whole career with Washington….Retired at age 36 (only played until 34)....1x Player of the Week, 1x Platinum Stick at C, 2x World Champion, 1x Batting Champion….17.8 WAR, .276/.326/.359

C Ben Huffman (15th round, Inaugural draft, Americans) got just .3% of the vote and will be dropped….Spent whole career with Boston….Retired at age 38….1x Gold Glove at C….26.4 WAR, .246/.314/.299

3B Bobby “Doc” Brown (1st round, 1904 draft, Cardinals) also got .3% of the vote and will be dropped….Cardinals- 6.5 seasons, Pirates- 8.5 seasons….Retired at age 36….1x Player of the Week, 1x Gold Glove at SS (mostly played at 3rd, but obviously played some SS too)....48.8 WAR, .267/.345/.326

1B Ferris “Burrhead” Fain (1st round, 1906 draft, Naps) got .3% of the vote and will be dropped….Cleveland- 7 seasons, Cubs- 7 seasons….Retired at age 38….1x Player of the Week, 1x Batter of the Month, 1907 Rookie of the Year, 1x Gold Glove at 1B, 2x World Champion, led league in walks 3x and OBP 2x (neither happened in the same seasons, though), 8th all-time in OBP....35.2 WAR, .285/.397/.363

1B Zeke Bonura (1st round, 1905, Phillies) got .7% of the vote and will be dropped….Phillies- 6.5 seasons, Giants- 8.5 seasons….Retired at age 39…. 2x Player of the Week, 2x Batter of the Month, 1x Platinum Stick at 1B….17.9 WAR, .267/.337/.367

2B/SS Pokey Reese (3rd round, 1906 draft, Pirates) got .7% of the vote and will be dropped….Pirates- 7.5 seasons, White Sox- 6.5 seasons…..Retired at age 36….1x Gold Glove at SS, 1x World Champion….47.1 WAR, .236/.288/.301

P Pat Caraway (3rd round, 1905 draft, Giants) got 1.7% of the vote and will be dropped….Giants- 2 seasons, Cleveland- 13 seasons….Retired at age 38….5x Player of the Week, 1x Rookie of the Month, 2x Pitcher of the Month….163-228, 1 Save, 3.23 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 48.5 WAR

P Curt Simmons dropped to 2.7% in his 7th year on the ballot and will be dropped.

P Jaret Wright (2nd round, 1903 draft, Superbas….then drafted in the 2nd round of the 1904 draft by the Cubs) got 3.4% of the vote and will be dropped….Cubs- 1 season, Pirates- 15 seasons….Retired at age 38 (On reserve last 2 seasons)....4x Player of the Week, 1x Rookie of the Month, 3x Pitcher of the Month, 17th overall in career Ks….206-191, 18 Saves, 3.17 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 43.6 WAR

OF Emmet “Snags” Heidrick dropped to 4.7% in his 3rd year and will be dropped.

P Chappie McFarland dropped to 5.4% in his 2nd year but will stick around another year.

P Roy “Doc” Halladay survived another year on the ballot at 6% in his 7th year.

P Joe Magrane is at 9.4% in his 5th year.

1B Wally Moon is down to 10.1% in his 3rd year.

OF Bill Buckner (1st round, 1902 draft, Naps) got 10.1% of the vote….Cleveland- 11 seasons, Detroit- 6 seasons….Retired at age 36….10x Player of the Week, 6x Batter of the Month, 1x Gold Glove at LF, 2x Platinum Stick at LF, 1x MVP….2281 Hits (13th), .291/.320/.395, 929 R, 403 doubles (8th), 152 triples (15th), 36 HR, 946 RBI (19th), 214 SB, 46.4 WAR

P Doug Fister is at 10.7% in his 3rd year.

P David “Houdini” Robertson (1st round, 1906 draft, Superbas) got 10.7% of the vote….Superbas- 3.5 seasons, Cubs- 10.5 seasons….Retired at age 35….2x Reliever of the Year, 2x World Champion, led league in Saves 3x….57-61, 143 Saves (3rd), 551 Games, 757 IP, 3.15 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 433 Ks, 2.1 WAR

1B Matt Carpenter got 12.1% of the vote in his 5th year.

P Bob Welch has made it to his 9th year on the ballot and got 12.4%.

P Jason Jennings is at 14.8% in his 2nd year.

C Ellie Rodriguez dropped down to 17.4% in his 2nd year.

P Manny Sarmiento (4th round, 1903, Pirates) got 17.4% of the vote….Spent whole career with Pittsburgh….Retired at age 35….3x Player of the Week, 2x Pitcher of the Month….167-150, 60 Saves, 661 Games (12th), 100 CG, 18 Shutouts, 3042.2 IP, 3.03 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 1166 Ks, 36.1 WAR

P Larry Sorenson got 18.1% of the vote in his 3rd year.

P Doug “Buzz” McWeeny got 22.5% in his 7th year on the ballot.

OF Paul “Big Poison” Waner dropped to 24.5% in his 2nd year.

P Jackie Collum got 30.9% in his 4th year.

P Reyes “El Tibu” Moronta dropped to 38.6% in his 2nd year. I voted for him again.

OF Jason Heyward (1st round, 1903 draft, Cubs) got 41.9% of the vote….Spent whole career with the Cubs….Retired at age 36….3x Player of the Week, 2x Batter of the Month, 4x Gold Glove (3x in CF, 1x in RF), 5x Platinum Stick at CF, 2x MVP, 3x World Champion, led league in OPS and WAR 2x….2164 Hits (19th), .264/.361/.356, 1174 R (11th), 324 doubles, 140 triples, 51 HR, 978 RBI (14th), 481 SB (17th), 89.7 WAR (7th)

1B Billy Goodman is up to 60.7% of the vote in his 6th year. I voted for him again!

And now we come to our two newest members of the RDL Baseball Hall of Fame. I voted for them both, so obviously I think they are worthy. Congratulations to 3B Art Devlin, going in as a New York Giant and C Jim O’Rourke, going in as a Cincinnati Red.


Art Devlin was a 1st round pick by the Giants in the 1903 draft. His awards were-9x Player of the Week, 3x Batter of the Month, 1904 Rookie of the Year, 9x Platinum Stick (8x at 3B, 1x at 1B), 1x MVP. His career rankings are- 5th in Runs, 12th in Hits, 6th in Triples, 12th in RBI, 1st in SB and 8th in WAR. He also holds the Single Season Record for SB with 108. His Metrics are (I will give the average for all HOFers after the slash, except for JAWS which it breaks down by position. We’ll have to wait for a few at each position before I compare that one)- JAWS- 71.4, Black Ink- 15/22, Gray Ink- 202/150, HOF Standards- 45/42, HOF Monitor- 151/159. He got in with 96% of the vote.






Jim O’Rourke was a 1st round pick in the 1901 draft by the Reds. His awards were- 5x Player of the Week, 5x Batter of the Month, 1902 Rookie of the Year 1x Gold Glove at C, 5x Platinum Stick at C, 2x MVP, 1x World Champion. His career rankings are- 18th in Hits, 6th in doubles, 17th in triples, 10th in RBI and 11th in WAR. His Metrics are- JAWS- 61.6, Black Ink- 21/22, Gray Ink- 168/150, HOF Standards- 52/42, HOF Monitor- 170/159. He got in with 95.6% of the vote.

[Highlander]

No parts this time...able to do it all in one post!

League Changes/Major Player Additions

1926
1-1 Joey Votto (DET)
1-2 Brian McCann (WAS)
1-11 Wally Pipp (SLA)
2-9 Ray Schalk (CIN)- The Cubs couldn’t sign him last year

1927
1-1 Fred Clarke (NYG)
1-2 Brian McCann (CHC)- Washington couldn’t sign him last year
1-3 Tony Gwynn (WAS)- Not a bad consolation for McCann….and another great hitter added to the league.
1-4 Danny Tartabull (DET)

1928
1-1 Carl Yastrzemski (BOS)- He had to be on the Red Sox….if they can sign him! The way 1st round picks turn out for this team, maybe he’s better off elsewhere!
1-2 Clayton Kershaw (SLA)- His control needs developing, but hopefully he will become the next great pitcher….we need some in this league!
1-3 Jason Schmidt (NYY)
1-4 Jesse Barfield (CHC)
1-5 Red Ruffing (NYG)

1929
1-1 Dan Brouthers (BOS)- Another year, another #1 pick for the Red Sox!
1-2 Clayton Kershaw (SLA)- Couldn’t sign him last year, but getting a second chance here.
1-4 Virgil Trucks (CHC)


1930
1-1 Darrell Porter (SLA)
1-2 Frank Tanana (STL)- Rough times in St. Louis right now!
2-6 Adley Rutschman (BRO)

Kind of a weak group of draftees this whole 5-year period. A few guys have promise, but need some more development. Still a lack of good pitchers, although Trucks just had a solid year and Kershaw obviously has potential.


World Series Results
1926- The Cleveland Guardians (108-46) defeated the Cincinnati Reds (93-62) 4 games to 2
The Reds made it to their 6th World Series, but have only won 2. They had to fight off a tough Phillies team right down to the end of the season….and then a one game playoff to get there, but they made it. Normally a team that was able to do that and win 93 games would be favored, but not this time. The Reds had a pretty balanced staff led by Johnny Podres and Doc Crandall, who has turned into a tough 2-way player. On offense, George Davis, Andruw Jones and Ty Cobb were among the top players. Cleveland has now made it to 5 straight World Series and won 4 in a row….and this was probably their best team yet with a record 108 wins. The Athletics and White Sox tied for 2nd and were 29 games out of first. The pitching was dominated by Hubbell and Dean who won a combined 57 games and saved another 6. Tom Gorman was again great out of the bullpen. On offense, they just kept rolling with the same group of Dahlen, Brett, Crawford, Crawford, Eisenreich and Lamanno raking away. All of those guys are between 25-27 years old, so this offense could go on for a few more years for sure. Dean is only 25, but Hubbell is the question mark at 37….but he just had one of his best seasons yet, so who knows!?! George Brett was the World Series MVP this time, hitting .448/.448/.724 with 6 R, 2 doubles, 3 triples, 9 RBI and 1 SB. He had 13 hits in the series


1927- The Philadelphia Phillies (91-63) defeated the Cleveland Guardians (106-48) 4 games to 2
The Guardians made it to their 6th straight World Series, but the offense just fell flat when they got there this time around. The same pieces are all still there- Sam Crawford, George Brett, Bill Dahlen, Yogi Berra, etc…and they all had great years, but just went cold in the World Series. It happens. Pitching was still the Dizzy Dean and Carl Hubbell show. Carl is still rolling along at age 38. Tom Gorman continues to be a great pitcher in their bullpen as well. A few other guys, like Jharel Cotton and former Reyes Moronta Award winner, Nate Jones, have been helping out in the rotation as well. If not for this incredible run by the Guardians, we might be talking more about how the Phillies have been so consistent. Since 1915, they have amazingly been to the World Series every 3 years….1915, 1918, 1921, 1924 and now 1927. They came through with a big upset in this one as well. At the plate, they are led by a couple of familiar names in Mike Donlin and Hugh Duffy. They also have newer guys like Dave Bancroft and Tommy Corcoran contributing as well. On the mound, Chris Volstad, Dave Stieb and Drew Hutchison were all very solid. They also made a deal with the crosstown Athletics for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who went 8-4 for them down the stretch and won a game in the World Series.


1928- The Philadelphia Phillies (84-70) defeated the Chicago White Sox (88-66) 4 games to 3
The White Sox were the team that finally took down Cleveland. The Guardians actually ended up in 3rd at 83-71, a game behind the Senators and 5 behind Chicago. It was the Cleveland offense that took a big step back, as their pitching was still quite good (Hubbell only had 12 wins, but still had a very good 3.15 ERA) The White Sox pitching staff was led by Joey Hamilton and reliever Neftali Feliz who won 16 games in relief. On offense, it was Andruw Jones (who they acquired from the Reds at the trade deadline last year), Mike Napoli and Don Hurst. The Phillies broke their every 3 year streak in a good way by winning their second straight championship. Their pitching staff was very balanced, with guys like Steve Trachsel, Drew Hutchison, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto all making contributions among others. Reliever Daniel Hudson had probably his best season at age 32 as well. On offense, it was Dave Bancroft, Danny Green and Hugh Duffy leading the way. There was some concern that Tommy Corcoran was injured for the Series after having a very solid year, but it didn’t end up mattering. The main reason for that was World Series MVP Mike Donlin. He had a bit of a down year for him at age 35, but stepped up in a huge way to win the World Series MVP. After hitting just 5 HR all season, he hit 4 in the World Series, along with a line of .438/.455/.875 and a record tying 14 hits.


1929- The Detroit Tigers (89-65) defeated the Chicago Cubs (84-70) 4 games to 2.
The Cubs got to their first World Series since 1916, but couldn’t get it done against the Tigers. Pitching this year was a little rough for most teams, but the Cubs were led by Virgil Trucks and Nap Rucker. Offensively, it was a big 3 of Jesse Barfield, Brian McCann and Eddie Joost. The Tigers had not been to a World Series since 1910, but made the most of this one. On the mound, Sheldon Jones and Jim Merritt were the top starters and Cody Stashak was a great guy in the bullpen. Offensively, this team has some impressive parts. Joey Votto was hurt most of the year, but got healthy in time for the World Series and is one of the best hitters in the league. They also have Barry Bonds and Danny Tartabull. The World Series MVP was Tartabull who hit .348/.375/.870 with 7 R, 3 doubles, 3 HR, and 11 RBI. The RBIs were a World Series record. Not sure either of these teams is ready to be the next dynasty, but they do have some impressive parts in their lineups. Pitching is going to be the big difference maker for the next few years as there still seems to be a big imbalance between hitting stars and pitching ones.

1930- The Washington Senators (93-61) defeated the Chicago Cubs (88-66) 4 games to 3
The Cubs made it to their 2nd straight World Series and a record 8th overall (and for the record, yes…the Pirates again came in 2nd). It was basically the same big three on offense- Jesse Barfield, Brian McCann and Eddie Joost. On the mound, rookie Tony Gonsolin had a terrific year and reliever Josh Fields was very good as well. The Senators won their 3rd championship in 6 tries and made their first appearance since 1919 before Cleveland’s long run. Washington was led on the mound by Alex Wood and reliever Wes Gardner. At the plate, it was a full team of strong hitters with Tony Gwynn, David Ortiz, Matt McLain and Nelson Matthews among the best of the bunch. The World Series MVP was McLain who hit .414/.412/.824 with 10 R, 4 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HR, 8 RBI and 1 SB. He set all-time records in Runs, Hits (14) and Total Bases (28).


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…..2-5
Chicago Cubs/Orphans…..4-4
Detroit Tigers…..2-1
Philadelphia Phillies…..5-2
Cincinnati Reds…..2-4
St. Louis Browns…..2-2
Boston Beaneaters/Doves/Braves…..2-2
Brooklyn Superbas/Robins…..1-3
Cleveland Naps/Guardians…..4-3
New York Highlanders…..1-0
Washington Senators…..3-3
Philadelphia Athletics…..2-0
Pittsburgh Pirates…..0-1
Boston Red Sox…..No appearances
St. Louis Cardinals…..No appearances
New York Giants…..No appearances


Award Winners- I am dropping all of the “league leader” stuff other than for the stats I already give…just takes too long.

Rookie of the Year
1926 AL ROY- 1B Joey Votto (DET)- .320/.386/.446, 86 R, 42 doubles, 3 triples, 9 HR, 80 RBI, 7 SB, 4.2 WAR….1st round pick

1927 AL ROY- OF Danny Tartabull (DET)- .292/.358/.519, 66 R, 31 doubles, 13 triples, 11 HR, 88 RBI, 1 SB, 2.2 WAR (did all of this in just 397 AB)....1st round pick

1928 AL ROY- 2B Matt McLain (WAS)- .336/.379/.497, 103 R, 49 doubles, 12 triples, 7 HR, 102 RBI, 15 SB, 5.7 WAR….1st round pick….Platinum Stick at 2B

1929 AL ROY- 1B Dan Brouthers (BOS)- .346/.419/.688 (led league in SLG), 120 R, 44 doubles, 8 triples, 47 HR (led league), 145 RBI, 17 SB, 6.2 WAR….1st round pick….Won the Platinum Stick at 1B, Finished 2nd in MVP voting

1930 AL ROY- OF Peter Bourjos (PHA)- .325/.350/.579, 101 R, 39 doubles, 31 triples (led league), 14 HR, 124 RBI, 9 SB, 4.8 WAR….2nd round pick….Won the Platinum Stick at CF, Set the single season record for triples


1926 NL ROY- OF Ivan Calderon (NYG)- .291/.350/.457, 71 R, 50 doubles, 12 triples, 6 HR, 94 RBI, 10 SB, 3.5 WAR….1st round pick

1927 NL ROY- P Bowden Francis (PIT)- 27-4 ( led league in W), 1 Save, 262.1 IP, 2.37 ERA (led league), 1.02 WHIP (led league), 59 Ks, 4.6 WAR….2nd round pick….Won the Best Pitcher Award

1928 NL ROY- P Tony Kaufmann (BSN)- 18-16, 2 Saves, 315.1 IP, 3.28 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 94 Ks, 4.3 WAR….2nd round pick….Finished 2nd in Best Pitcher voting

1929 NL ROY- P Virgil Trucks (CHC)- 21-19 (led league in W), 367 IP (led league), 4.22 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 188 Ks (led league), 8.0 WAR (led league)....1st round pick….Won the Best Pitcher Award

1930 NL ROY- 1B Nolan Jones (CIN)- .387/.475/.582 (led league in OBP), 119 R, 47 doubles, 9 triples, 16 HR, 109 RBI, 17 SB, 5.8 WAR….1st round pick….Won the Platinum Stick at 1B, Finished 3rd in MVP voting, Had a 25-game hitting streak

Hitters dominated the AL award and those 1st 3 really helped their teams improve and get back to the World Series. The NL had a mix of hitting and pitching, but Trucks seems to be the only one who has helped his team get to the World Series so far.

Reliever of the Year
1926 AL Reyes Moronta Award- Neftali Feliz (CHW)- 14-10, 16 Saves, 173.2 IP (made 7 starts and 69 relief appearances), 2.28 ERA (led league), 1.15 WHIP, 68 Ks, 1.8 WAR….3rd round pick in 1924 by the White Sox….Finished 3rd in Best Pitcher voting

1927 AL Reyes Moronta Award- Neftali Feliz (CHW)- 8-6, 25 Saves (led league), 118 IP, 2.21 ERA, .97 WHIP, 62 Ks, 1.4 WAR….2nd Moronta Award

1928 AL Reyes Moronta Award- Neftali Feliz (CHW)- 16-5, 15 Saves, 113.2 IP, 2.22 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 39 Ks, 1.2 WAR….3rd Moronta Award

1929 AL Reyes Moronta Award- Jon Huber (WAS)- 8-10, 19 Saves (led league), 137.1 IP (made 5 starts and 59 relief appearances), 3.08 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 36 Ks, .9 WAR….2nd round pick in 1925 by Washington

1930 AL Reyes Moronta Award- Wes Gardner (WAS)- 6-7, 15 Saves (led league), 69.2 IP, 2.97 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 27 Ks, 1.5 WAR….4th round pick in 1926 by Washington….Won the World Series


1926 NL Reyes Moronta Award- Daniel Hudson (PHI)- 14-5, 18 Saves, 101.2 IP, 3.01 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 26 Ks, 1.5 WAR….3rd round pick in 1916 by the Phillies

1927 NL Reyes Moronta Award- Craig Skok (BRO)- 3-3, 16 Saves (led league), 75 IP, 2.52 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 30 Ks, 1.2 WAR….5th round pick in 1925 by Brooklyn

1928 NL Reyes Moronta Award- Daniel Hudson (PHI)- 6-1, 12 Saves, 1.68 ERA, 64.1 IP, 1.03 WHIP, 20 Ks, 1.1 WAR….2nd Moronta Award….Won the World Series

1929 NL Reyes Moronta Award- Daniel Hudson (PHI)- 7-6, 11 Saves, 65.1 IP, 2.07 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 18 Ks, .7 WAR….3rd Moronta Award

1930 NL Reyes Moronta Award- Josh Fields (CHC)- 7-1, 15 Saves (led league), 67.1 IP, 2.94 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 21 Ks, .8 WAR….3rd round pick in 1928 by the Cubs

Hudson and Feliz dominated, but neither looks to be the next coming of Reyes or Murakami. Washington looking like the Pirates with different pitchers winning the award.


Most Valuable Player
1926 AL MVP- SS Bill Dahlen (CLE)- .349/.401/.554 (led league in SLG), 107 R, 43 doubles, 15 triples, 16 HR, 113 RBI (led league), 18 SB, 9.1 WAR (led league)....2nd MVP Award….Won the Platinum Stick at SS, Won the World Series

1927 AL MVP- 1B David Ortiz (WAS)- .368/.449/.639 (led league in OBP and SLG), 116 R, 53 doubles (led league), 1 triples, 34 HR (led league), 115 RBI, 0 SB, 7.2 WAR….1st round pick in 1924 by Washington….Won the Platinum Stick at 1B

1928 AL MVP- 1B David Ortiz (WAS)- .364/.460/.639 (led league in OBP and SLG), 108 R, 40 doubles, 5 triples, 34 HR (led league), 135 RBI (led league), 0 SB, 9.3 WAR (led league)....2nd MVP Award….Won the Platinum Stick at 1B

1929 AL MVP- 1B David Ortiz (WAS)- .392/.476/.644 (led league in BA and OBP), 126 R, 45 doubles, 5 triples, 29 HR, 152 RBI (led league), 1 SB, 6.8 WAR….3rd MVP Award….Interestingly, he didn’t win the Platinum Stick at 1B- Dan Brouthers did with his ROY numbers above. Guess that extra .6 WAR gave Ortiz the edge, but the hitting numbers by Brouthers gave him the Stick award. Still a little odd.

1930 AL MVP- 1B Dan Brouthers (BOS)- .412/.481/.797 (led league in all 3), 165 R (led league), 77 doubles (led league), 11 triples, 44 HR (led league), 151 RBI, 10 SB, 10.2 WAR (led league)....1st round pick in 1928 by the Red Sox….Won the Platinum Stick at 1B….Set single season records in SLG, OPS (1.2776), Runs, Total Bases (478) and Doubles- not sure that doubles record will ever be beaten!


1926 NL MVP- 3B George Davis (CIN)- .360/.420/.541 (led league in SLG), 110 R, 57 doubles (led league), 16 triples, 7 HR, 99 RBI, 21 SB, 8.0 WAR….2nd MVP Award….Won the Platinum Stick at 3B

1927 NL MVP- SS Dave Bancroft (PHI)- .337/.404/.526, 99 R, 36 doubles, 8 triples, 19 HR, 114 RBI, 11 SB, 8.9 WAR….1st round pick in 1924 by the Phillies….Won the Gold Glove and Platinum Stick at SS, Won the World Series

1928 NL MVP- OF Bernie Williams (STL)- .398/.474/.623 (led league in OBP and SLG), 131 R (led league), 50 doubles, 6 triples, 23 HR (led league), 122 RBI, 15 SB, 9.6 WAR (led league)....1st round pick in 1922 by the Cardinals….Won the Platinum Stick in CF

1929 NL MVP- 2B Eddie Joost (CHC)- .342/.445/.609 (led league in OBP and SLG), 117 R, 32 doubles, 13 triples, 30 HR (led league), 125 RBI, 4 SB, 8.8 WAR (led league)....1st round pick in 1921 by the Cubs….Won the Platinum Stick at 2B, Had a 22-game hitting streak

1930 NL MVP- OF Fred Clarke (NYG)- .415/.473/.634 (led league in BA and SLG), 121 R, 49 doubles, 14 triples, 16 HR, 124 RBI, 25 SB, 8.2 WAR (led league)....1st round pick in 1926 by the Giants….Won the Platinum Stick at LF

David Ortiz went on a nice run in the AL until Dan Brouthers came along….what a season that was! In the NL, there were a lot of great seasons but no repeat winners. Just a testament to how many great hitters there are in the league right now. That, combined with being in a high offense era is going to make for some impressive seasons for the next few years I think. Having two .400 hitters in the 1930 season definitely points toward that happening.


Best Pitcher Award
1926 AL Best Pitcher- Dizzy Dean (CLE)- 31-8 (led league in W), 4 Saves, 337.1 IP (led league), 2.77 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 184 Ks (led league), 8.7 WAR (led league)....4th Best Pitcher Award….Won the World Series

1927 AL Best Pitcher- Dizzy Dean (CLE)- 25-10, 1 Save, 314 IP, 2.46 ERA (led league), 1.08 WHIP (led league), 156 Ks (led league), 7.4 WAR….5th Best Pitcher Award….Finished 3rd in MVP voting

1928 AL Best Pitcher- Jon Huber (WAS)- 22-11 (led league in W), 302.2 IP, 2.35 ERA (led league), 1.14 WHIP (led league), 82 Ks, 5.2 WAR….2nd round pick in 1925 by Washington

1929 AL Best Pitcher- Bryce Miller (CHW)- 15-12, 254.1 IP, 2.58 ERA (led league), 1.18 WHIP (led league), 73 Ks, 5.0 WAR….1st round pick in 1928 by the White Sox….Finished 2nd in ROY voting

1930 AL Best Pitcher- Alex Wood (WAS)- 22-14 (led league in W), 313.2 IP, 3.59 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 108 Ks, 6.1 WAR….1st round pick in 1926 by Washington….Won the World Series


1926 NL Best Pitcher- Matt Morris (BRO)- 21-12, 1 Save, 289.2 IP, 2.77 ERA (led league), 1.28 WHIP, 89 Ks, 5.9 WAR (led league)....1st round pick in 1923 by Brooklyn

1927 NL Best Pitcher- Bowden Francis (PIT)- See ROY numbers

1928 NL Best Pitcher- Bowden Francis (PIT)- 21-14 (led league in W), 309.1 IP, 2.85 ERA (led league), 1.01 WHIP (led league), 86 Ks, 4.4 WAR….2nd Best Pitcher Award….As a side note, after these two great seasons by Bowden, he was dropped out of the rotation into the bullpen in 1929 and then barely pitched in 1930.

1929 NL Best Pitcher- Virgil Trucks (CHC)- See ROY numbers

1930 NL Best Pitcher- Tony Gonsolin (CHC)- 28-8 (led league in W), 1 Save, 344 IP (led league), 3.06 ERA (led league), 1.18 WHIP (led league), 103 Ks, 5.0 WAR….1st round pick in 1929 by the Cubs….Finished 2nd in ROY voting

In the AL, Dizzy seems to have ended his great run with 5 Best Pitcher awards, but he is still doing well as of 1930, so he may be able to get another. The rest of the winners in both leagues seem to be one (or two in Bowden Francis’ case) hit wonders. Maybe Tony Gonsolin can go on a run, but he has some pretty big control issues so if any other skills slip, he could go downhill fast.

Other Accomplishments, Records and Misc.

In the AL, Frankie Pytlak retired and Yogi Berra has added to his HOF resume by winning 4 Gold Gloves in a row at C. Other big winners over this 5-year period were Todd Frazier with 4 at 1B and 10 overall to tie Mark Teixeira, Rey Sanchez swept the award at SS and has 6 overall, and Michael Taylor has now won 7 in a row in CF.

In the NL, Yadier Molina sits at 10 Gold Gloves at C but is now battling with Ivan Rodriguez who won 3 of the 5 awards in this period (with Yadier winning the other 2). No one else has really dominated their position in the NL other than maybe Jacob Brumfield who has won 3 in a row in RF.

Three more players hit 3 HR in a game. Hector Cruz, Gary Roenicke and Carl Yastrzemski all did it in 1930. Yaz and Roenicke both had pretty solid HR seasons, but Cruz only hit 11.

This 5-year period saw 6 more players get 6 hits in a game- Gus Mancuso, Bobby Tolan and Keith Mitchell all did it in 1929. Steve Sax, Mike Ivie and Drew Robinson all got their big games in 1930. No one has been able to reach the elusive 7 hit game yet.

Hitting for the cycle was the thing to do over this 5-year stretch, as we had it happen 13 times with 2 more players doing it twice in their career. In 1927, it was Lenny Dykstra and Russ Snyder. In 1928, Frank LaPorte was the only one. 1929 had 4 guys- Joe Ferguson, Jacob Brumfield, Bill Mueller and Lenny Dykstra for the 2nd time. Finally, in 1930 there were 6 players- Max Alvis, Drew Stubbs, Dan Thomas, Chris Brown, Gary Roenicke and Bernie Williams. Stubbs did it for the 2nd time, with the first way back in 1921.

There were only 2 No-Hitters again in this 5-year stretch….still no Perfect Games! In 1926 it was Guy Bush (2 BB, 3Ks) and in 1928 it was Pete Harnisch (2 BB, 4 Ks).

This 5-year stretch gave us 3 more members of the 150 RBI club. David Ortiz (152) did it in 1929 and Carl Yastrzemski (154) and Dan Brouthers (151) both did it in 1930. Yaz and Brouthers were both on the same team- the Red Sox- and it still can’t get them into the World Series!

Major milestones reached include- Jimmie Foxx- 300 HR, Tris Speaker- 3000 Hits, Carl Hubbell- 300 Wins, Mark Prior- 2500 Ks, Bob Watson- 1500 RBI, Jimmie Foxx- 1500 RBI, Mike Donlin- 1500 RBI, Mike Donlin- 1500 Runs, Mike Donlin- 3000 Hits

New Records set over this 5-year period include-

Single Season SLG- Dan Brouthers- .7967
Single Season OPS- Dan Brouthers- 1.2776
Single Season Runs- Dan Brouthers- 165
Single Season Total Bases- Dan Brouthers- 478
Single Season Doubles- Dan Brouthers- 77
Single Season Triples- Peter Bourjos- 31
Single Season Winning Percentage- Bowden Francis- .871
Single Season Games Started- Fred Frankhouse- 47

NL Single Game Runs Record- Ryan Schimpf- 6

I haven’t mentioned “Streak Records” in a while, so here’s an update-

Hitting Streak- 34 Games by 4 players….Joe Azcue, Mike Donlin, Hugh Duffy and Kirby Puckett
Scoring Streak- 17 Games by Ivan Calderon
HR Streak- 6 Games by Jimmie Foxx
RBI Streak- 13 Games by Carl Yastrzemski
On Base Streak- 57 Games by Sam Crawford
Most Consecutive Hits- 10 by 3 Players- Yogi Berra, Lenny Dykstra and Dan Brouthers

Saves Streak- 50 by Masanori Murakami
Winning Streak- 16 Games by Wade Blasingame and Fernando Valenzuela
Most Consecutive Ks- 6 by Felix Hernandez and Billy Loes
Scoreless Innings- 43 by Joe Magrane
Hitless Innings- 16.2 by Fernando Valenzuela


Hall of Fame Candidates

1926
No additions to the Hall of Fame this year. I voted for the same 2 guys I’ve been advocating for, but no one new this time around.

OF Jeff Stone (3rd round, 1905 draft, Athletics) got no votes and will be dropped….Athletics- 9 seasons, Yankees- 7 seasons….Retired at age 37….2x Player of the Week, 2x Batter of the Month, 1906 Rookie of the Year, 1x Platinum Stick at LF, 2x World Champion, 1x World Series MVP….34.6 WAR, .305/.363/.383, 7th all-time in SB with 591

P Bob Sadowski (3rd round, 1906 draft, Senators) got no votes and will be dropped….Senators- 6.5 seasons, Yankees- 8.5 seasons….Retired at age 38….1x Player of the Week, 1x World Champion….170-175, 2 Saves, 3.51 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 29.8 WAR

OF Bobby Murcer (1st round, 1903 draft, Naps) got .6% of the vote and will be dropped….Cleveland- 15.5 seasons, Cubs– 2.5 seasons….Retired at age 35….5x Player of the Week, 2x Batter of the Month, 3x Platinum Stick at RF….37.4 WAR, .283/.352/.388

OF James Wood (1st round, 1903 draft, Senators) got 1.6% of the vote and will be dropped….Senators- 9 seasons, White Sox- 9 seasons….Retired at age 38….2x Player of the Week, 2x World Champion….15.6 WAR, .286/.364/.374….Only played in 100+ games in about half of his seasons

SS Travis “Stonewall” Jackson (1st round, 1907 draft, Browns) got 1.9% of the vote and will be dropped….Browns- 3 seasons, Athletics- 11 seasons….Retired at age 36….4x Player of the Week, 1x Gold Glove at 3B, 1x Platinum Stick at SS, 2x World Champion….41.7 WAR, .253/.300/.338

P Chappie McFarland went down to 2.6% in his 3rd year and will be dropped.

C Bill Salkeld (1st round, 1908 draft, Superbas) got 2.9% of the vote and will be dropped….Superbas- 1 season, Giants- 12 seasons….Retired at age 39….2x Player of the Week, 1909 Rookie of the Year….2x Platinum Stick at C….28.3 WAR, .246/.349/.325

P Jeff Fassero (1st round, 1906 draft, Browns) got 4.2% of the vote and will be dropped….Browns- 1.5 seasons, 13.5 seasons, Retired at age 41….2x Player of the Week, 2x Pitcher of the Month, 2x Rookie of the Month, 1x Pitcher of the Year….130-145, 29 Saves, 3.08 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 34.3 WAR

P David “Houdini” Robertson got 6.4% of the vote and will just hang on for another year.

OF Roy “Squirrel” Sievers (1st round, 1906, Doves) got 7% of the vote….Boston- 6.5 seasons, Cubs- 8.5 seasons….Retired at age 36….5x Player of the Week, 3x Batter of the Month, 3x Gold Glove in LF, 3x Platinum Stick at LF, 1x MVP, 2x World Champion….43 WAR, .279/.353/.382, 20th All-time in HR with 95

P Roy “Doc” Halladay got 7.7% in his 8th year.

P Bob Welch still got 7.7% this time, but since it was his 10th year on the ballot, he will be dropped.

P Joe Magrane got 8.3% in his 6th year on the ballot.

OF Bill Buckner is down to 9.6% in his 2nd year.

1B Matt Carpenter continues to hang in there with 10.9% in his 6th year.

P Doug Fister is at 12.1% in his 4th year.

SS Jason Bartlett (1st round, 1905 draft, Reds) got 12.5% of the vote….Spent whole career with the Reds….Retired at age 39….2x Player of the Week, 1x Batter of the Month, 1906 Rookie of the Year, 3x Gold Glove at SS, 4x Platinum Stick at SS, 1x World Champion….1873 H, .284/.359/.346, 936 R, 244 doubles, 76 triples, 4 HR, 552 RBI, 294 SB, 49.5 WAR

P Jason Jennings is at 13.4% in his 3rd year.

P Sandy Alcantara (1st round, 1905 draft, Athletics) got 16% of the vote….Athletics- 12 seasons, Cardinals- 4 seasons….Retired at age 36….1x Player of the Week, 2x Pitcher of the Month, 2x World Champion….154-123, 12 Saves, 461 Games, 182 CG, 25 Shutouts, 2688.1 IP, 2.95 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 1071 Ks, 32 WAR

P Jackie Collum got 16.6% of the vote in his 5th year.

1B Wally Moon received 18.5% in his 4th year on the ballot.

C Ellie Rodriguez also got 18.5% in his 3rd year.

P Manny Sarmiento is in his 2nd year on the ballot and got 22% of the vote.

P Doug “Buzz” McWeeny went up just a tiny bit to 22.7% in his 8th year.

OF Paul “Big Poison” Waner is at 22.7% after 2 years on the ballot.

2B Denis Menke (1st round, 1901 draft, Browns) got 24.6% of the vote….Browns- 7 seasons, Tigers- 13 seasons….Retired at age 40….4x Player of the Week, 2x Batter of the Month, 5x Gold Glove (4x at 2B, 1x at 1B), 4x Platinum Stick at 2B, 2x World Champion….2427 Hits (10th), .267/.352/.349, 1166 R (14th), 396 doubles (11th), 127 triples, 31 HR, 969 RBI (17th), 216 SB, 78.2 WAR (10th)....Surprised he didn’t get a few more votes. As a 2B, he is in the top 3 of a lot of categories, but was more of an accumulator than a truly great player.

SS Bud Harrelson (3rd round, 1903 draft, White Sox)....Spent whole career with Chicago….Retired at age 37….2x Player of the Week, 2x Batter of the Month, 2x Gold Glove at SS, 3x Platinum Stick at SS, 2x MVP, 1x World Champion….1747 H, .266/.357/.346, 981 R, 221 doubles, 148 triples, 5 HR, 612 RBI, 326 SB, 91.6 WAR (5th)

P Larry Sorenson is still holding steady at 27.8% in his 4th season.

P Jose Urquidy (1st round, 1908 draft, Doves) got 38.7% of the vote….Boston- 5 seasons, Giants- 8 seasons….Retired at age 35….4x Player of the Week, 4x Pitcher of the Month, 2x Rookie of the Month….197-169, 16 Saves, 543 Games, 183 CG, 30 Shutouts (14th), 3538.2 IP, 3.05 ERA, 1.16 WHIP (16th), 1159 K, 56.2 WAR

P Reyes Moronta got 44.1% of the vote (including mine) in his 3rd year.

1B Billy Goodman got 67.4% of the vote (including mine) in his 7th year….he’s getting closer, but not sure he will have enough to get there by year 10.


1927- It’s getting so there are so many guys on the ballot I can’t update them all. Going forward, I will continue to recap the career of 1st year guys, but after that I will just mention those who drop off the ballot or, obviously, those who get elected.

I voted for my usual two guys this year….no one new seemed worthy of 1st ballot election to me, but one guy seems like he will get in eventually. Again, there were no players elected to the Hall of Fame.

C Brad Ausmus (3rd round, 1909 draft, Athletics) got .3% of the vote and will be dropped….Athletics- 9 seasons, Giants- 4 seasons….Retired at age 35….2x World Champion….28.2 WAR, .274/.329/.340

OF Duke “The Silver Fox” Snider (1st round, 1907, Tigers) got 3.2% of the vote and will be dropped (always hard to see real-life HOFers not make the cut…has happened a lot though)....Tigers- 10.5, Yankees- 4.5 (only used as an occasional PH for them)....Retired at age 35….3x Player of the Week, 2x Batter of the Month, 1x Rookie of the Month, 1908 Rookie of the Year, 2x Platinum Stick at RF, 1x World Champion….43.4 WAR, .272/.341/.395, led league in RBI 2x

Roy Halladay, Bill Buckner and David Robertson were all dropped as well for having under 5% of the vote.

P Steve Barber (1st round, 1905, Americans) got 5.1% of the vote to just squeak by for another year….Americans- 9.5 seasons, Phillies- 7.5 seasons….Retired at age 37….1x Player of the Week, 1x Rookie of the Month, 2x World Champion….230-286 (13th in W), 16 Saves, 702 Games (10th), 202 CG, 25 Shutouts, 4585 IP (7th), 3.38 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 1979 Ks (7th), 56.1 WAR

OF Dixie “The People’s Cherce” Walker (1st round, 1902, Cardinals) got 11.5% of the vote….Cardinals- 12.5 seasons, Senators- 7.5 seasons (Mostly a PH with them)….Retired at age 39….5x Player of the Week, 3x Batter of the Month, 3x Gold Glove (2x in RF, 1x in LF), 1x Platinum Stick in RF, 1x World Champion….2009 H, .276/.336/.397, 946 R, 292 doubles, 116 triples, 118 HR (14th), 1085 RBI (11th), 210 SB, 45.9 WAR, led the league in HR 4x

P “King” Felix Hernandez (1st round, 1905 draft, Cardinals) got 32.3% of the vote….Cardinals- 13 seasons, Reds- 4 seasons….Retired at age 35….247-242 (8th in W), 18 Saves, 681 Games (11th), 298 CG (5th), 28 Shutouts (17th), 4426.1 IP (8th), 3.33 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 1887 Ks (9th), 57.8 WAR (20th)

OF Tommy Dowd (3rd round, 1907 draft, Senators) got 60.1% of the vote….Spent whole career with Washington….Retired at age 35….5x Player of the Week, 5x Batter of the Month, 7x Platinum Stick at LF, 1x MVP, 2x World Champion….1979 H, .283/.350/.407, 1165 R (18th), 282 doubles, 154 triples (18th), 91 HR, 791 RBI, 794 SB (3rd), 51.8 WAR, led league in SB 6x….He’s a close call for me. His Metrics are actually mostly pretty solid, but he’s really lacking in career numbers other than SB. I like the 7 Platinum Sticks though. We’ll see where his vote goes.

Billy Goodman and Reyes Moronta are, of course, the two I voted for. Goodman is in his 8th year and got all the way up to 71.2%....maybe he gets there next year? Reyes is only in his 4th year, but is also only at 40.6%....still a long ways to go.


1928
We finally got our first HOF inductee for this 5-year time period. I voted for 4 guys, but only the one made it. I think another one will and am still holding out hope for one of the other two.

OF Gary Pettis (2nd round, 1910, Dodgers) got 2.9% of the vote and will be dropped….Brooklyn- 11.5 seasons, Browns- 1.5 seasons….Retired at age 35….3x Player of the Week, 3x Gold Glove at CF, 2x Platinum Stick at CF….42.6 WAR, .266/.371/.342, Led league in SB 4x

P Hong-Chi Kuo (1st round, 1908 draft, Giants) got 3.2% of the vote and will be dropped….Giants- 6.5 seasons, Pirates- 8.5 seasons….Retired at age 37….1x Reyes Moronta Award….136-192, 106 Saves (8th), 4.09 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 31.6 WAR

1B Mark Teixeira (1st round, 1908 draft, Superbas) got 3.8% of the vote and will be dropped….Spent whole career with Brooklyn….Retired at age 36….6x Player of the Week, 3x Batter of the Month, 1x Rookie of the Month, 10x Gold Glove at 1B, 2x Platinum Stick at 1B….52.7 WAR, .280/.357/.415, 17th in RBI….No respect for 10 Gold Gloves, I guess….as of now, that’s the record. He was a pretty solid hitter, so I thought he’d do a lot better. Maybe a need for something in the voting process to respect a great defensive player (even at a weaker spot like 1B)?

Roy Sievers, Joe Magrane and Steve Barber all fell below 5% and will be dropped. Doug McWeeny still got 14.7% but was up to his 10th year on the ballot and will also be dropped.

C Gabby “Old Tomato Face” Hartnett (1st round, 1908 draft, Browns) got 23.3% of the vote….Spent whole career with the Browns….Retired at age 36….1x Player of the Week, 6x Platinum Stick at C, 1x World Champion, Led league in HR 3x….1590 H, .258/.334/.381, 750 R, 220 doubles, 109 triples, 107 HR (18th), 869 RBI, 223 SB, 53.2 WAR

C Jason Kendall (1st round, 1906, Cardinals) got 24.8% of the vote….Spent whole career with the Cardinals….Retired at age 37….2x Player of the Week, 2x Batter of the Month, 1907 Rookie of the Year, 5x Platinum Stick at C….1575 H, .298/.380/.386, 746 R, 219 doubles, 104 triples, 14 HR, 704 RBI, 231 SB, 59.9 WAR

1B Frank “The Big Hurt” Thomas (1st round, 1905 draft, Senators) got 67% of the vote, including mine….Senators- 15.5 seasons, Guardians- 2.5 seasons….Retired at age 38….14x Player of the Week, 10x Batter of the Month, 10x Platinum Stick at 1B, 2x MVP, 3x World Champion, 1x World Series MVP, 3x Batting Champion, Led league in RBI 4x, BB 5x, OBP 6x, SLG 3x, OPS 4x….2472 H (9th), .309/.411/.426 (6th in OBP), 1202 R (16th), 380 doubles (19th), 50 triples, 151 HR (8th), 1227 RBI (8th), 25 SB, 67.6 WAR (17th), 1st all-time in Walks (1374)....Seems like the resume of a 1st ballot HOFer to me, although his HOF Monitor score is a bit low. He was still the best player at his position for 10 years based on Platinum Sticks and was one of the best early players of this league.

Reyes Moronta and Billy Goodman were again two of the other players I voted for. Reyes stayed right about where he has been with 39.5% in his 5th year. Billy Goodman keeps falling just short and is running out of time. In his 9th year, he got 68.4%. He is so close!

Finally that brings us to our newest Hall of Famer. It is a pitcher who has not received many accolades, but who has been one of the most consistently good players we’ve had in the league and who is among the career leaders in most every category. Congratulations to Adam Wainwright! He will go into the Hall as a member of the Cleveland Naps.

Adam Wainwright was a 1st round pick in the 1904 draft by the Naps. His awards were- 12x Player of the Week, 3x Pitcher of the Month, 2x Rookie of the Month, 1x Gold Glove at P. His career rankings are- 1st in Wins (also 1st in Losses!), 1st in Games, 1st in GS, 1st in CG (385), 1st in Shutouts (52), 1st in IP, 3rd in Ks, 1st in WAR. His Metrics are- JAWS- 83.6/77 average, Black Ink- 37/39 average, Gray Ink- 286/228 average, HOF Standards- 54/51 average, HOF Monitor- 185/168 average. He got in with 98.2% of the vote.






1929
I voted for 3 players this time around and 2 of them were elected to the Hall. I meant to vote for a 4th but missed him…more on that below.

OF Kip Selbach (1st round, 1908, Pirates) got .4% of the vote and will be dropped….Spent whole career with Pittsburgh….Retired at age 36….5x Player of the Week, 2x Batter of the Month, 1x Rookie of the Month, 1x Gold Glove at LF, 2x Platinum Stick at LF….39.7 WAR, .275/.367/.370

OF Earle “The Kentucky Colonel” Combs (1st round, 1905, Tigers) got .7% of the vote and will be dropped….Spent whole career with Detroit (Fulltime player for about 7.5 seasons, then mostly a PH for about 11 seasons)....Retired at age 42….2x Player of the Week, 2x Batter of the Month, 3x Gold Glove in LF, 1x Platinum Stick in LF, 1x World Champion….29.8 WAR, .291/.358/.373

C Del Crandall (2nd round, 1909, Tigers) got 1.1% of the vote and will be dropped….Tigers- 8 seasons, Pirates- 7 seasons….Retired at age 34….4x Player of the Week, 5x Gold Glove at C, 1x World Champion….30.3 WAR, .261/.303/.352

OF Roy “Stormy” Weatherly (2nd round, 1907 draft, Athletics) got 1.8% of the vote and will be dropped….Spent whole career with the Athletics….Retired at age 36….8x Player of the Week, 1x Batter of the Month, 3x Gold Glove at LF, 2x Platinum Stick at CF, 2x World Champion….36.4 WAR, .278/.310/.375

OF Kirby Puckett (1st round, 1911 draft, Red Sox) got 1.8% of the vote and will be dropped….Spent whole career with Boston….Retired at age 35….4x Player of the Week, 1912 Rookie of the Year, 8x Gold Glove at RF….39.6 WAR, .308/.336/.389

SS Ha-Seong Kim (1st round, 1908 draft, Highlanders) got 4% of the vote and will be dropped….Spent whole career in New York….Retired at age 40….1x Player of the Week, 1909 Rookie of the Year, 10x Gold Glove (9x at SS, 1x at 3B), 1x World Champion….60.7 WAR, .249/.314/.315

P Stan Baumgartner (6th round, 1905 draft, Giants) got 4.7% of the vote and will be dropped….Giants- 15 seasons, Robins- 4 seasons….Retired at age 38….2x Player of the Week, 1x Pitcher of the Month….173-184, 23 Saves, 3.37 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 58.9 WAR

2B Tex McDonald (3rd round, 1907 draft, Pirates) got 4.7% of the vote and will be dropped….Spent whole career with the Pirates….Retired at age 36 (last 6 years were mostly part time and PH duty)....3x Player of the Week, 1x Gold Glove at 2B, 5x Platinum Stick at 2B….52.8 WAR, .289/.353/.350….A very typical Pirates player- very good, but not great and got Pittsburgh to all those 2nd place finishes but never over the top (at least so far)

The following players were also dropped for not reaching 5% this year- Wally Moon, Manny Sarmiento, Sandy Alcantara, Dixie Walker and Jason Bartlett

1B Yordan Alvarez (1st round, 1905, Highlanders) got 12.4% of the vote and will comfortably move on to next year….Spent whole career with New York….Retired at age 39….4x Player of the Week, 5x Batter of the Month, 1x Platinum Stick at 1B, 1x World Champion….2356 Hits (19th), .280/.377/.386, 1125 R, 364 doubles, 30 triples, 158 HR (7th), 1197 RBI (9th), 15 SB, 36.7 WAR

P Daniel “Van Man” Norris (2nd round, 1904, Phillies) got 24.1% of the vote….Phillies- 12 seasons, Browns- 8 seasons….Retired at age 39….2x Player of the Week, 1x Pitcher of the Month, 1x Rookie of the Month, 4x Gold Glove at P, 2x World Champion, 1x World Series MVP….269-273 (6th in W), 2 Saves, 729 G (10th), 222 CG (20th), 30 Shutouts (14th), 5174 IP (2nd), 3.47 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 2068 Ks (6th), 76 WAR (7th)

The player I missed voting for was Frank Thomas….I really feel like he deserves more votes than he’s gotten so far. He only got to 47.1% this time around. He’s one of the best on-base players we’ve seen and a top run producer/power hitter from the early years of the league. All of his metrics are strong with only HOF Monitor falling short of the average so far. I definitely need to vote for him going forward and see what happens. I did vote for Reyes Moronta, but he seems stuck right around that 40% mark. He was such a great reliever….I’ll keep voting!

That brings us to our two HOFers. One is a newly eligible player and the other is one you may have guessed already. Congratulations to P Fernando Valenzuela and our old friend, 1B Billy Goodman! Fernando will go into the Hall as a member of the Yankees, while Billy will go in as a member of the White Sox.

Billy Goodman got into the Hall in his 10th year of eligibility with 79.9% of the vote.






Fernando Valenzuela was a 1st round pick in the 1906 draft by the Highlanders. His awards were- 7x Player of the Week, 14x Pitcher of the Month, 2x Rookie of the Month, 4x Best Pitcher Award, 1x World Champion, 1x World Series MVP. His career rankings are- 4th in ERA, 7th in Wins, 9th in G, 2nd in Shutouts, 18th in IP, 5th in Ks, 7th in WHIP and 11th in WAR. He also holds the following Single Season records- Most Wins (37), Most Shutouts (12), Most IP (405), Fewest Hits/9 (5.61), Opponents AVG (.1763), Opponents SLG (.2168), Opponents OPS (.4605) His Metrics are- JAWS- 86.8/78 average, Black Ink- 72/44 average, Gray Ink- 247/232 average, HOF Standards- 57/52 average, HOF Monitor- 216/176 average. He got in with 98.2% of the vote. Finally, after much deliberation, I have decided to name the Best Pitcher Award after Fernando. There are other pitchers who had careers that put them in the running- Whit Wyatt and Adam Wainwright were candidates, as would Bert Blyleven and Mark Prior once they hit eligibility. However, Fernando has the most dominant single season with that incredibly 1909 season and that is what the award is for….the best season. So, to me the pitcher with the best season who also had a worthy career (and is from early in the league) gets to have the award named for them.






1930
I only voted for two guys this time around and one of them made it into the HOF. As a hint, all of the 1st ballot guys are being removed for too few votes, so you know it’s a guy we’ve seen before.

P Steve Blass (2nd round, 1905, Senators) got no votes and will be dropped….Sentaors 1 seasons, White Sox- 17 seasons….Retired at age 40….2x Player of the Week, 1x Gold Glove at P, 1x World Champion….170-212, 3 Saves, 3.68 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 45.2 WAR

P “Grunting Jim” Shaw (1st round, 1906, Americans) got no votes and will be dropped….Boston- 12 seasons, Phillies- 7 seasons….Retired at age 37….3x Player of the Week, 1x World Champion….160-176, 7 Saves, 3.67 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 38.3 WAR

C Ernie “Schnozz” Lombardi (1st round, 1910, Red Sox) got no votes and will be dropped….Spent whole career with Boston….Retired at age 36….3x Player of the Week, 1911 Rookie of the Year….21.3 WAR, .255/.310/.329

C Chris Hoiles (1st round, 1911, Dodgers) got no votes and will be dropped….Spent whole career with Brooklyn….Retired at age 36….1x Gold Glove at C, 1x Platinum Stick at C….27.2 WAR, .235/.323/.316

P Erik Sabrowski (2nd round, 1913, White Sox) got 1.8% of the vote and will be dropped….White Sox- 9.5 seasons, Cleveland- 2.5 seasons….Retired at age 37….1x Reyes Moronta Award, 4x World Champion (barely pitched for Cleveland, but enough to get 3 rings with them in that great run)....53-44, 83 Saves (11th), 2.52 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 4.9 WAR

Matt Carpenter only got 6.9% in his 10th year on the ballot, so he will also be dropped.

I again voted for Reyes Moronta and he got 43.7% of the vote….a little higher here in his 7th year, but still a long way to go.

The other player I voted for is our newest HOF Inductee. He will go into the Hall as a member of the Washington Senators. Congratulations to Frank “The Big Hurt” Thomas!!

Frank already had a post with most of his information, but here are his HOF Metrics and how they compare to other members- JAWS- 53.6/49, Black Ink- 60/29, Gray Ink- 249/159, HOF Standards- 45/41, HOF Monitor- 118/146. He wasn’t a 1st ballot guy in hindsight, but his numbers, especially in the era he played, are too good to keep him out.

[Highlander]

Going to need a few parts for this one to fit the screenshots I need for the HOF.

League Changes/Major Player Additions

1931
1-1 Frank Tanana (BSN)- The Cardinals couldn’t sign him last year.
1-3 David Cone (STL)- Hopefully they can sign him after missing out on Tanana
1-6 Julio Franco (DET)- Wonder if he will be able to play until age 47 in this league?
1-11 Tony Phillips (PHI)
1-12 Mariano Rivera (CLE)- Will be interesting how he does in this era
1-13 Joe Carter (BOS)

1932
Brooklyn has switched their name back to the Brooklyn Dodgers….I think they might stick with this name for a while!

1-1 Ron Guidry (BSN)
1-2 Gary Carter (NYY)- Just missed getting Guidry on the Yankees
1-3 Frank Howard (CHW)
1-7 Willie McGee (STL)- A good match!
1-8 Dennis Martinez (CIN)
1-9 Dave Kingman (DET)
1-13 Bryan Reynolds (PIT)- Again, a good match!

1933
This year will introduce the All-Star Game to the league. Not sure I will do much with it other than add it to the report for HOF Candidates as another determining factor.

1-1 Rickey Henderson (NYY)- Very interested how he does in this era…so unpredictable with who ends up doing well and who doesn’t
1-3 Jim Edmonds (BSN)
1-4 Jack Chesbro (SLA)
1-5 Waite Hoyt (PHI)
1-9 Chili Davis (STL)

1934
1-1 Rickey Henderson (NYY)- Couldn’t sign him last year so they are trying again
1-2 Orlando Cepeda (NYY)- Worth not signing Rickey! What a boost to the offense getting these two guys
1-3 Paul Skenes (CHC)- He should help the Cubs get back on track
1-6 Edd Roush (BSN)
1-16 Randy Jones (PIT)- Not a bad pickup for the 2nd to last pick. Maybe they can make a run of 1sts instead of 2nds.


1935
1-1 Rico Petrocelli (NYY)- They have to get better soon with all these top picks.
1-2 CC Sabathia (STL)- Same with the Cardinals
1-5 Bret Boone (BRO)

A few more pitchers in this bunch and a few that will need time to develop. The Yankees and Cardinals keep getting high picks but it’s not helping much….similar to the Red Sox earlier on. It’s interesting how many team fortunes have switched in this league….top MLB teams like the Yankees, Cards, Dodgers, etc have had few World Series appearances, while teams like the Cubs, Phillies, Senators, etc have done very well. The Bizarro World of Baseball!


World Series Results
1931- The Cleveland Guardians (91-63) defeated the Philadelphia Phillies (92-62) 4 games to 3
The Phillies joined the Cubs with their 8th World Series appearance and it’s their 3rd in the last 5 years (the other two were, of course, the Cubs). The strength of their team was actually their pitching, with guys like Sheldon Jones, Steve Trachsel, Jim Kaat and Daniel Hudson all having strong seasons, among others. On offense, it was Dave Bancroft, Justin Bour and Dan Wilson leading the way for a pretty balanced offense that wasn’t spectacular…just solid. Seeing Cleveland back in the World Series was surprising enough after it seemed like their time had passed. While this wasn’t their best season ever, it may have been their most impressive performance in the World Series, as the following players were injured and couldn’t play in the Series- Dizzy Dean (seems to happen a lot), Carl Hubbell, Bill Dahlen and Sam Crawford. That didn’t leave much, as they were their main top players. The bullpen was a big strength, however, with Tom Gorman still there and the addition of Mariano Rivera. On offense, besides Dahlen and Crawford still doing well, they had Bill White and Jim Eisenreich. It was incredible they overcame all those injuries to win, though. George Brett ended up getting the World Series MVP even though his overall line wasn’t that impressive- .346/.370/.423, 2 R, 2 doubles, 2 RBI, 1 SB.


1932- The Philadelphia Athletics (94-60) defeated the Chicago Cubs (90-64) 4 games to 1
The Cubs are becoming a very familiar face in the World Series, with this being their 9th appearance and 3rd in the past 4 years. They and the Phillies have been the dominant teams in the NL for a few years now. And yes, the Pirates came in 2nd again….by 1 game. The Cubs were led on the mound by Tony Gonsolin and Dave Rozema. Josh Fields was solid out of the bullpen as well. Their lineup is still focused on that big three of Jesse Barfield, Brian McCann and Eddie Joost, with Gus Mancuso being a big contributor as well. The Athletics hadn’t been to the World Series since their two in a row back in 1912-13. They are now 3-0 in the World Series, though, which is pretty impressive. On the mound, they had a solid staff with a number of guys who “pitched” in (sorry!). Bill James, Casey Cox and Javier Vazquez led the way with Chris Britton going 11-1 out of the bullpen. Their offense wasn’t quite as strong, but had Steve Sax, Terry Whitfield and some good power from Gary Roenicke. They also had a good luck charm with Ray Lamanno from the great Cleveland dynasty teams of a few years ago.

1933- The Boston Red Sox (89-65) defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates (84-70) 4 games to 3
You read that right…the Red Sox made their first appearance and the Pirates finally got out of 2nd place to make it into their 2nd World Series. The Pirates had good pitching, with Emmet Sheehan, Bill Bevens, and Juan Rincon all having solid seasons with Takashi Saito out of the bullpen. On offense, Odubel Herrera, Bryan Reynolds and Mike Napoli were all good for them. They also made a deadline deal with the Cubs to get Jesse Barfield who added one more really good bat. The Cubs, after a really good run of success, finished in last and made a ton of trades. We’ll see how quickly they can turn it back around. The Red Sox finally made their first World Series and made the most of it. On offense, it begins and ends with Dan Brouthers who was absolutely amazing this season….even more amazing is that the Red Sox won this series and Brouthers was actually injured! Carl Yastrzemski had a solid season, but not up to his usual standards. Pitching, however, was very good for Boston with Silvio Martinez and Daniel Bard as starters and Jimmie Sherfy and Glenn Liebhardt out of the pen. Denney Wilie was named World Series MVP, hitting .417/.517/.792 with 7 R, 1 doubles, 4 triples and 8 RBI.



1934- The Chicago White Sox (86-68) defeated the New York Giants (87-67) 4 games to 0.
Congrats to the New York Giants for finally making their first World Series appearance….the Cardinals are the last ones that have never been and they came in last place this year. The Giants had a pretty balanced staff, but were led by Bill Dinneen, Bryce Miller, and Adam Eaton won 7 games out of the bullpen. On offense, there weren’t any big stars, but Jonathan Villar, John Stone and Fred Clarke had some of the best seasons. The White Sox hadn’t been to the World Series since 1928 and hadn’t won since 1920. They had a pretty strong staff with Chan Ho Park and Joey Hamilton leading the starters and Jon Huber having a strong season in the bullpen. Their hitting was strong as well, with Andruw Jones, Ivan Calderon, Don Hurst and Frank Malzone. Scott Hatteberg was named World Series MVP, but had a pretty unimpressive line- .353/.353/.471, 1 R, 2 doubles….he didn’t even drive in a run. To me, Jon Huber deserved it, as he saved 2 wins and got a win himself in another.


1935- The Chicago Cubs (93-61) defeated the Cleveland Guardians (93-61) 4 games to 2
Despite these teams being the top two in World Series appearances, they haven’t faced off against each other since 1907. Cleveland doesn’t have too many players left from their great dynasty years, but Dizzy Dean is still the ace of the staff. He was helped by Michael Pineda and Andy Coakley as starters and Mariano Rivera in the bullpen. On offense, Ed Konetchy was probably the best player on a fairly mediocre offense. Bill Dahlen still had a good year, but was injured for the whole World Series….Sam Crawford and Yogi Berra are still starters as well, but not the type of players they were a few years ago. Chicago was a team in the cellar not long ago and they were trading a lot of their guys away….guess it worked! They were kind of the opposite of Cleveland, as they had a great offense with Eddie Joost, John Valentin, Brook Jacoby, Brian McCann and John Castino among others. On the mound things were a little shaky but their ace, Paul Skenes, had a great season. Dave Rozema also had a good season. The World Series MVP was Eddie Joost, who hit .346/.346/.846 with 7 R, 1 double, 4 HR and 7 RBI. The 4 HRs were a World Series record.


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…..3-5
Chicago Cubs/Orphans…..5-5
Detroit Tigers…..2-1
Philadelphia Phillies…..5-3
Cincinnati Reds…..2-4
St. Louis Browns…..2-2
Boston Beaneaters/Doves/Braves…..2-2
Brooklyn Superbas/Robins…..1-3
Cleveland Naps/Guardians…..5-4
New York Highlanders…..1-0
Washington Senators…..3-3
Philadelphia Athletics…..3-0
Pittsburgh Pirates…..0-2
Boston Red Sox…..1-0
New York Giants…..0-1
St. Louis Cardinals…..No appearances


Award Winners

Rookie of the Year
1931 AL ROY- P Al Mamaux (CHW)- 20-11, 283.2 IP, 2.44 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 139 Ks (led league), 4.6 WAR….1st round pick….Finished 2nd in Fernando Valenzuela Award voting

1932 AL ROY- OF Red Murray (WAS)- .342/.385/.609, 131 R, 32 doubles, 20 triples (led league), 30 HR, 124 RBI, 17 SB, 8.9 WAR….1st round pick….Won the Gold Glove and Platinum Stick at CF, Finished 3rd in MVP Award voting

1933 AL ROY- OF Jose Cruz (WAS)- .346/.415/.489, 95 R, 46 doubles, 5 triples, 7 HR, 84 RBI, 8 SB, 6.6 WAR….1st round pick….Named an All-Star

1934 AL ROY- 1B Orlando Cepeda (NYY)- .341/.367/.543, 102 R, 53 doubles, 10 triples, 18 HR, 125 RBI, 5 SB, 4.5 WAR….1st round pick

1935 AL ROY- 2B Alexei Ramirez (WAS)- .342/.376/.503, 97 R, 32 doubles, 7 triples, 14 HR, 97 RBI, 7 SB, 5.2 WAR….2nd round pick….Named an All-Star, Won the Platinum Stick at 2B


1931 NL ROY- OF Odubel Herrera (PIT)- .340/.398/.471, 103 R, 43 doubles, 7 triples, 7 HR, 94 RBI, 7 SB, 5.1 WAR….2nd round pick….Won the Platinum Stick at CF

1932 NL ROY- 3B Chris Stynes (CHC)- .329/.370/.444, 80 R, 22 doubles, 7 triples, 5 HR, 52 RBI, 11 SB, 3.3 WAR (done in 441 AB)....2nd round pick

1933 NL ROY- OF Jim Edmonds (BSN)- .326/.374/.542, 79 R, 38 doubles, 15 triples (led league), 18 HR, 110 RBI (led league), 1 SB, 7.5 WAR….1st round pick….Named an All-Star, Won the Gold Glove and Platinum Stick at CF

1934 NL ROY- 1B Keith Moreland (PHI)- .354/.381/.508, 108 R, 41 doubles (led league), 10 triples, 11 HR, 109 RBI, 7 SB, 3.9 WAR….1st round pick….Named an All-Star, Won the Platinum Stick at 1B

1935 NL ROY- SS John Valentin (CHC)- .326/.418/.491, 105 R, 49 doubles, 3 triples, 11 HR, 83 RBI, 4 SB, 8.2 WAR….1st round pick….Hit for the Cycle, Named an All-Star, Won the World Series

Only one pitcher out of all 10 awards. The Senators had 3 winners to lead the way, so we’ll see if they can rise back up and make it to a few World Series since these players didn’t help them get there over this past 5 years.

Reliever of the Year
1931 AL Reyes Moronta Award- Chris Britton (PHA)- 8-3, 24 Saves (led league), 101.1 IP, 1.87 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 40 Ks, 1.0 WAR….4th round pick in 1922 by the Pirates

1932 AL Reyes Moronta Award- Mariano Rivera (CLE)- 8-5, 18 Saves, 85.2 IP, 2.31 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 42 Ks, 1.1 WAR….1st round pick in 1930 by Cleveland

1933 AL Reyes Moronta Award- Jon Huber (CHW)- 5-4, 23 Saves (led league), 120.2 IP, 2.24 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 38 Ks, 1.6 WAR….2nd Moronta Award

1934 AL Reyes Moronta Award- Jon Huber (CHW)- 4-7, 18 Saves, 111.2 IP, 3.06 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 41 Ks, 1.1 WAR….3rd Moronta Award….Named an All-Star, WOn the World Series

1935 AL Reyes Moronta Award- Brendan Donnelly (CHW)- 7-4, 23 Saves, 102 IP, 1.50 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 56 Ks, 1.4 WAR….1st round pick in 1934 by the White Sox….Named an All-Star


1931 NL Reyes Moronta Award- Daniel Hudson (PHI)- 7-5, 18 Saves, 90.1 IP, 2.79 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 37 Ks, 1.0 WAR….4th Moronta Award

1932 NL Reyes Moronta Award- Justin Thompson (NYG)- 7-10, 12 Saves, 97.2 IP, 2.67 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 34 Ks, 1.5 WAR….1st round pick in 1919 by Washington

1933 NL Reyes Moronta Award- Takashi Saito (PIT)- 6-6, 23 Saves (led league), 88.1 IP, 3.06 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 41 Ks, 1.4 WAR….2nd round pick in 1931 by the Pirates….Named an All-Star

1934 NL Reyes Moronta Award- Orber Moreno (PHI)- 9-7, 28 Saves (led league), 110.2 IP, 3.42 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 43 Ks, 1.0 WAR….2nd round pick in 1928 by the Phillies….Named an All-Star

1935 NL Reyes Moronta Award- Orber Moreno (PHI)- 12-6, 27 Saves (led league), 114 IP, 2.76 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 41 Ks, 1.0 WAR….2nd Moronta Award….Named an All-Star

The Phillies and White Sox dominated the awards but had different pitchers winning them. The Pirates got their usual winner as well. Donnelly looks like he could go on a run in the AL if his skills stay intact for a while, but don’t count out Mariano. Moreno looks pretty good in the NL. I would say Saito too, but he came into the league at a pretty late age so may not last too much longer…we’ll see.

Most Valuable Player
1931 AL MVP- 1B Dan Brouthers (BOS)- .416/.481/.772 (led league in all 3), 149 R (led league), 65 doubles (led league), 16 triples, 38 HR (led league), 155 RBI (led league), 22 SB, 11.9 WAR (led league)....2nd MVP Award….Had a 20 game hitting streak, Won the Triple Crown, Won the Platinum Stick at 1B

1932 AL MVP- 1B Dan Brouthers (BOS)- .369/.452/.693 (led league in all 3), 142 R (led league), 52 doubles, 19 triples, 32 HR, 134 RBI, 21 SB, 9.5 WAR (led league)....3rd MVP Award….Hit for the Cycle, Won the Platinum Stick at 1B

1933 AL MVP- 1B Dan Brouthers (BOS)- .390/.448/.781 (led league in all 3), 124 R (led league), 54 doubles (led league), 25 triples (led league), 43 HR (led league), 183 RBI (led league), 16 SB, 12.6 WAR (led league)....4th MVP Award….Named an All-Star, Won the Triple Crown, Won the Platinum Stick at 1B, Won the World Series

1934 AL MVP- 1B Dan Brouthers (BOS)- .363/.437/.666 (led league in OBP and SLG), 129 R (led league), 44 doubles, 8 triples, 39 HR (led league), 146 RBI (led league), 11 SB, 8.4 WAR (led league)....5th MVP Award….Named an All-Star, Won the All-Star MVP, Won the Platinum Stick at 1B

1935 AL MVP- 1B Dan Brouthers (BOS)- .359/.431/.610 (led league in BA and SLG), 122 R (led league), 50 doubles, 13 triples, 23 HR, 121 RBI, 16 SB, 7.4 WAR (led league)....6th MVP Award….Named an All-Star, Won the Platinum Stick at 1B


1931 NL MVP- SS Dave Bancroft (PHI)- .326/.403/.464, 103 R, 37 doubles, 5 triples, 11 HR, 96 RBI, 12 SB, 8.6 WAR (led league)....2nd MVP Award….Won the Platinum Stick at SS

1932 NL MVP- OF Odubel Herrera (PIT)- .353/.401/.532, 119 R (led league), 49 doubles, 14 triples, 12 HR, 93 RBI, 15 SB, 7.5 WAR….2nd round pick in 1930 by the Pirates….Won the Platinum Stick at CF

1933 NL MVP- 3B George Davis (CIN)- .341/.406/.533, 105 R, 38 doubles, 7 triples, 20 HR, 94 RBI, 10 SB, 9.1 WAR….3rd MVP Award….Named an All-Star, Won the Platinum Stick at 3B

1934 NL MVP- OF Jimmy Wynn (CIN)- .301/.422/.587 (led league in SLG), 119 R, 24 doubles, 4 triples, 41 HR (led league), 133 RBI (led league), 6 SB, 6.9 WAR….1st round pick in 1930 by the Reds….Named an All-Star, Won the Platinum Stick at RF

1935 NL MVP- SS Dave Bancroft (PHI)- .355/.424/.521, 105 R, 35 doubles, 8 triples, 15 HR, 91 RBI, 11 SB, 9.6 WAR….3rd MVP Award….Named an All-Star, Won the Gold Glove and Platinum Stick at SS

Dan Brouthers is up to 6 MVPs in a row and, while he’s dropped off a little bit, he could still get more depending on who else emerges in the AL. Dave Bancroft had a nice pair of bookends, but at 33 it will be a shock if he gets another MVP. David is getting up there in age as well, winning his at age 34. We’ll see if Wynn is going to go on a run or if someone else will step up. Also interesting that only one of the MVP seasons was for a player whose team won the championship.


Best Pitcher Award
1931 AL Fernando Valenzuela Award- Dizzy Dean (CLE)- 19-8, 253 IP, 1.96 ERA (led league), 1.00 WHIP (led league), 98 Ks, 5.3 WAR….6th Valenzuela Award….Won the World Series

1932 AL Fernando Valenzuela Award- Jim Merritt (DET)- 20-12, 303 IP (led league), 2.73 ERA (led league), 1.04 WHIP (led league), 131 Ks, 7.6 WAR (led league)....1st round pick in 1928 by the Tigers

1933 AL Fernando Valenzuela Award- Jim Merritt (DET)- 20-8 (led league in W), 284.2 IP, 2.47 ERA, 1.12 WHIP (led league), 123 Ks (led league), 6.5 WAR (led league)....2nd Valenzuela Award….Named an All-Star

1934 AL Fernando Valenzuela Award- Jim Merritt (DET)- 17-10 (led league in W), 268.2 IP, 3.12 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 119 Ks, 6.5 WAR (led league)....3rd Valenzuela Award….Named an All-Star

1935 AL Fernando Valenzuela Award- Dizzy Dean (CLE)- 17-5, 237 IP, 2.54 ERA (led league), 1.28 WHIP, 94 Ks, 5.6 WAR (led league)....7th Valenzuela Award….Was named an All-Star, Won the Platinum Stick at P


1931 NL Fernando Valenzuela Award- Tony Gonsolin (CHC)- 23-8 (led league in W), 289.1 IP (led league), 1.80 ERA (led league), .99 WHIP (led league), 104 Ks, 5.3 WAR….2nd Valenzuela Award….Finished 2nd in MVP voting

1932 NL Fernando Valenzuela Award- Tony Gonsolin (CHC)- 18-9, 271.2 IP, 3.01 ERA (led league), 1.17 WHIP, 78 Ks, 2.8 WAR….3rd Valenzuela Award

1933 NL Fernando Valenzuela Award- Bill Bevans (PIT)- 23-11 (led league in W), 288.2 IP, 2.90 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 93 Ks, 4.0 WAR….1st round pick in the 1932 draft by the Pirates….Named an All-Star, Finished 3rd in ROY voting

1934 NL Fernando Valenzuela Award- Waite Hoyt (PHI)- 21-14 (led league in W), 294.2 IP, 3.36 ERA (led league), 1.29 WHIP, 139 Ks, 5.8 WAR….1st round pick in 1932 by the Phillies….Named an All-Star

1935 NL Fernando Valenzuela Award- Paul Skenes (CHC)- 24-7 (led league in W), 295.2 IP (led league), 3.32 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 132 Ks, 5.9 WAR….1st round pick in 1933 by the Cubs….Named an All-Star, Won the World Series

Merritt and Dean dominated the AL…amazing how Dean just keeps rolling along. In the NL, Gonsolin had some good seasons but was actually traded by Chicago to the Athletics in their big trading flurry, so he’s in the AL now. Skenes looks tough in Chicago now, but we’ll see if he can keep it going as many star MLB pitchers have struggled to do.

Other Accomplishments, Records and Misc.

In the AL, Dick Green won 4 of 5 Gold GLoves at 2B and has 7 overall. Spike Owen is also up to 7 after a sweep at SS in this period. Carl Yastrzemski won 4 of 5 for his first appearances on the Gold Glove board.

In the NL, Ivan Rodriguez continued his takeover at the C position with 7 Gold Gloves in a row and 8 overall. Tommy Corcoran won 4 of 5 at 2B to raise his total to 6.

Six more players hit 3 HR in a game. Gary Carter did it in 1932 and Barry Bonds in 1933. The rest were in 1934- Mike Napoli, Jim Edmonds, Jimmy Wynn and Dan Brouthers.

This 5-year period saw only 3 more players get 6 hits in a game- Duff Cooley in 1931, Tommy Corcoran in 1932 and Chris Stynes in 1933.

Hitting for the cycle has become much more common, so I’m dropping it from the report.

There were 4 No-Hitters in this 5-year stretch….still no Perfect Games! In 1931, Tony Kaufmann (1 K, 0 BB) and Jim Hardin (4 K, 1 BB) did it. Andy Coakley (3K, 0 BB) pitched one in 1933 and in 1934 it was Frank Tanana (6 K, 1 BB)

This 5-year stretch gave us 2 more seasons for the 150 RBI club, but both were by a familiar player. Dan Brouthers got 155 RBI in 1931 and a record 183 in 1933.

Major milestones reached include- Carl Hubbell- 350 W, Sam Crawford- 3500 H, Dizzy Dean- 300 W, George Davis- 3000 H

New Records set over this 5-year period include-

Single Season RBI Record- Dan Brouthers- 183

NL Single Game RBI Record- Joe Dugan- 9

New Streak Records include-

Hitting Streak- 37 Games by Willie McGee
Scoring Streak- 18 Games by Orlando Cepeda
On-Base Streak- 66 Games by Jose Cruz

Hitless Innings- 18.2 by Andy Coakley

A closer look at some of the career records including players to watch who might be able to catch the leaders-

Sam Crawford has run away with the Hits record with 3,583. The next closest is George Davis with 3,111. He is active and Crawford has finally retired, but Davis is 37 so it will be tough for him to catch up. Most anyone else who is remotely close is at least 34 years old, so barring a very long career for someone, Crawford may have the record for a long time.

The Runs record is much closer. Sam Crawford has 1,875, but Lenny Dykstra is not far behind at 1,807. Lenny is 36 but scored 115 in 1935 and his skills look strong. No one else stands out yet.

Jimmie Foxx has held the HR record for a number of years and still sits at the top with 331. Next in line is Andruw Jones with 277. At 34 years old, Jones has a shot to catch Foxx, but even though he hit 21 in 1935, his skills have dropped off so it’s no sure thing. Right now, Dan Brouthers looks like the best bet to take over the HR record as he has 266 and is only 26 years old with still strong power skills. There are others who could pass Foxx….Don Hurst and David Ortiz stand out… but to keep up with Brouthers will be tough.

Sam Crawford also has a lock on the RBI record right now. He is at 1,815 with George Davis in 2nd with 1,658. Maybe George keeps going and passes him…he drove in 72 in 1935….but those skills are dropping. Most anyone else who seems to have a shot needs a number of seasons to get there. Just shows how great Sam Crawford reall has been for a long time.

Wins was a competitive category until the career resurgence of Carl Hubbell when he went to Cleveland. He had 10 losses and a career high 1.35 WHIP when Chicago traded him to Cleveland at age 33, so you could forgive them for thinking he may be on his way down. Unfortunately for Chicago, he went on to win 183 more to get up to 386 Wins. The next closest active player is former teammate Dizzy Dean with 311. Dizzy is 34 but coming off his 7th Fernando Valenzuela Award with 17 wins, so anything is possible, but he will need 5 more strong seasons to get there. If Dizzy falls short, the next closest is 34 year old Chris Volstad with 208 Wins….I doubt he’s got 178 more wins in him, but you never know.

The Saves category is hard to predict as guys will come and go from the role at a moment’s notice. Right now, it’s Masanori Murakami in the lead with 231 Saves. 39-year old Daniel Hudson is next with 214, so he isn’t too far away but only got 3 Saves in 1935 and is currently stuck behind Mariano Rivera in Cleveland. Speaking of Rivera, he’s only 29 and is up to 106 Saves, so he has a chance.

Finally, we’ll take a look at the Strikeouts record. Currently, it is held by Whit Wyatt with 2833. He’s been at the top of the list for a long time and right now it seems like Ks are a bit down. Pitchers aren’t throwing as many innings as they were when Wyat was pitching and they aren’t getting a ton of Ks in the innings they are throwing. The next active guy is Dizzy Dean with 2,143. He was a big K guy early in his career but has dropped off a lot recently….he only had 94 in 1935, so to get close to 700 more will be tough but not impossible.

[Highlander]

Hall of Fame Candidates

1931
I only voted for 1 player this time around. Some solid candidates added to the ballot, but I didn’t see any of them as 1st ballot material and maybe not at all. I’m guessing 2-3 of the guys we have on the ballot now….including both new and prior guys….will eventually get in, but I’m not sure they will get my vote.

C Joe “The Immortal” Azcue (1st round, 1910, Tigers) got .8% of the vote and will be dropped….Tigers- 6 seasons (played very little for them), Senators- 10 seasons….Retired at age 35….1x Player of the Week, 1x Platinum Stick at C, 1x World Champion….26.5 WAR, .282/.334/.381

OF Darryl Strawberry (1st round, 1909, Doves) got 1.5% of the vote and will be dropped….Boston- 8.5 seasons, Yankees- 8.5 seasons (Really only played regularly for his 1st 4 seasons)....Retired at age 36….1x Player of the Week, 5x Batter of the Month, 1910 Rookie of the Year, 1x Platinum Stick at RF….26.1 WAR, .266/.352/.424

OF Beals Becker (1st round, 1911, Browns) got 3.8% of the vote and will be dropped….Spent whole career with the Browns….Retired at age 35….7x Player of the Week, 1x Gold Glove at RF, 1x World Champion….43.0 WAR, .284/.335/.411

Other players dropped because of not getting enough votes are Yordan Alvarez and Doug Fister. Also, Jackie Collum only got 15.6% in his 10th year so he will be dropped as well.

P Bob Anderson (2nd round, 1906, Athletics) got 13.7% of the vote and will continue on the ballot for another year….Philadelphia- 14 seasons, Brooklyn- 6 seasons….Retired at age 40….5x Player of the Week, 1x Pitcher of the Month, 2x Gold Glove at P, 2x World Champion….246-282 (10th in W…3rd in L), 11 Saves, 742 G (10th), 187 CG, 26 Shutouts, 4932 IP (6th), 3.41 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 1786 Ks (12th), 66 WAR (10th)

3B Bobby Byrne (1st round, 1910, Cubs) got 27% of the vote….Spent whole career with the Cubs….Retired at age 37….5x Player of the Week, 2x Platinum Stick at 3B, 2x World Champion….2276 H, .286/.359/.394, 1259 R (15th), 421 doubles (17th), 178 triples (8th), 26 HR, 864 RBI, 511 SB (12th), 62.1 WAR

P Duaner Sanchez (3rd round, 1908, Athletics) got 46.4% of the vote….Athletics- 1 season, Browns- 16 seasons….Retired at age 39….1x Player of the Week, 1x Pitcher of the Month, 3x Gold Glove at P, 1x World Champion….234-166 (12th in W), 17 Saves, 610 G, 91 CG, 18 Shutouts, 3696.2 IP, 3.04 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 1248 Ks, 45.2 WAR

2B Eddie “Cocky” Collins (1st round, 1907, Senators) got 52.5% of the vote….Spent whole career with Washington….Retired at age 36….4x Player of the Week, 3x Platinum Stick at 2B, 2x World Champion….2569 H (12th), .291/.338/.366, 1217 R (20th), 307 doubles, 144 triples, 23 HR, 888 RBI, 550 SB (10th), 35.3 WAR

Reyes Moronta was again my vote and he did get up to 50.2%, but still a lot of votes needed with just 2 more years to get them. A couple of other guys got really close….Jason Heyward got 67.3% in his 7th year and Tommy Dowd barely missed with 72.6% in his 5th year. Dowd is a tough one…a fantastic base stealer and solid all around player but just falls a little short for me. Metrics are pretty good, though. We’ll see!


1932
We have another new member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. He is a first ballot guy and a pitcher. I voted for him and one other player who still hasn’t made it. As always, more information below!

C Tom Haller (2nd round, 1914, Braves) got no votes and will be dropped….Braves- 8 seasons, Phillies- 5 seasons….Retired at age 35….2x Gold Glove at C, 1x Platinum Stick at C, 2x World Champion….25.4 WAR, .238/.335/.327

2B Hank Thompson (1st round, 1910, Reds) got .3% of the vote and will be dropped….Reds- 10 seasons, Cubs- 7 seasons….Retired at age 37….2x Player of the Week, 1911 Rookie of the Year….50.2 WAR, .266/.351/.346

P Frank “Sweet Music” Viola (1st round, 1914, Tigers) got 1% of the vote and will be dropped….Tigers- 11 seasons, White Sox- 2 seasons….Retired at age 35….1x Rookie of the Month….141-152, 14 Saves, 3.69 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 36.4 WAR

C Gabriel Moreno (2nd round, 1911, Highlanders) got 1.4% of the vote and will be dropped….Spent 8 years with each New York team….Retired at age 36….5x Player of the Week, 1x Batter of the Month, 1x Platinum Stick at C….31.3 WAR, .288/.351/.367

Jason Jennings will also be dropped due to lack of votes and Larry Sorenson reached his 10th year on the ballot and will be dropped after getting just 8.4%.

P Slick Castleman (2nd round, 1909, Washington) got 11.5% of the vote and will remain on the ballot for another year….Spent his whole career with Washington….Retired at age 38….4x Player of the Week, 3x Pitcher of the Month, 2x World Champion….212-158, 5 Saves, 529 G, 139 CG, 25 Shutouts, 3494.2 IP, 3.13 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 1512 Ks (20th), 54.8 WAR

OF “Big Sam” Thompson (1st round, 1913, White Sox) got 17.8% of the vote….Spent whole career with Chicago….6x Player of the Week, 5x Batter of the Month, 2x Rookie of the Month, 1914 Rookie of the Year, 6x Platinum Stick at RF, 1x World Champion….1501 H, .315/.375/.457, 753 R, 226 doubles, 121 triples, 70 HR, 744 RBI, 213 SB, 32.5 WAR….Really only had 6-7 full seasons, but they were really good ones.

2B/3B/SS Tony Fernandez (1st round, 1907, Giants) got 45.8% of the vote….Spent whole career in NY….Retired at age 39….4x Player of the Week, 2x Batter of the Month, 1x Gold Glove at SS, 5x Platinum Stick (1 at 2B, 1 at 3B, 3 at SS), 2x MVP….2590 H (11th), .294/.362/.376, 1247 R (16th), 353 doubles, 169 triples (14th), 11 HR, 892 RBI, 285 SB, 90.5 WAR (8th)

SS Corey Seager (1st round, 1908, Cubs) got 73.8% of the vote….Spent 18 seasons with the Cubs and then his last season he played for the Cardinals where he fractured his wrist with only a couple of days left in the season. That may or may not have led him to retire….Retired at age 38….8x Player of the Week, 1x Batter of the Month, 2x Gold Glove at SS, 7x Platinum Stick at SS, 2x World Champion, 1x World Series MVP….2621 H (8th), .287/.362/.389, 1209 R, 445 doubles (15th), 160 triples (18th), 55 HR, 1154 RBI (16th), 350 SB, 94.7 WAR (5th)

Seager was a close one and likely should/will get in, but I agree he wasn’t a first ballot guy. I did vote for Reyes again, but his support seems to be waning…just 35% this time with 1 year of eligibility left. That brings us to my 2nd vote who did get in. Congratulations to the newest member of the RDL HOF, Bert Blyleven! Bert will go in as a member of the Reds.

Bert Blyleven was a 1st round pick in the 1907 draft by the Reds. His awards were- 6x Player of the Week, 7x Pitcher of the Month, 3x Rookie of the Month, 1908 Rookie of the Year, 5x Fernando Valenzuela Award, 1x World Champion, 1x World Series MVP. His career rankings are- 5th in Wins, 9th in Games, 10th in CG (271), 3rd in Shutouts (48), 7th in IP, 4th in Ks, 4th in WAR. His Metrics are- JAWS- 84.5/79, Black Ink- 64/47, Gray Ink- 203/227, HOF Standards- 51/52, HOF Monitor- 186/177. He got in with 99% of the vote…..Interesting that he was actually below the average on HOF Standards.






I will mention here that I am planning to rename awards for other players as warranted. That won’t happen here, as I still think Fernando is more deserving than Bert to have the Best Pitcher Award named for him….however, there may be changes in the future. I will also be renaming the MVP Award when someone is deserving of it.


1933
We have two new members of the Hall of Fame. One is a first ballot guy and one is not. I voted for two guys, but not one of the ones who made it. I agree he is deserving, but was going to wait one more year to add my vote. The first ballot player I definitely voted for as he is very deserving.

Ivey Wingo (2nd round, 1912, Yankees) got no votes and will be dropped….Yankees- 9 seasons, Pirates- 7 seasons….Retired at age 35….No Awards….23.1 WAR, .268/.326/.369

C Victor Martinez (1st round, 1913, Naps) got no votes and will be dropped….Cleveland- 6.5 seasons, Pittsburgh- 8.5 seasons….Retired at age 37….2x Player of the Week, 1x Gold Glove at C, 2x Platinum Stick at C….23.7 WAR, .271/.335/.340

P Jose Torres (3rd round, 1915, Robins) got .6% of the vote and will be dropped….Brooklyn- 2.5 seasons, Red Sox 10.5 seasons….Retired at age 37….76-85, 77 Saves, 3.87 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 10.0 WAR

OF Ichiro Suzuki (1st round, 1914, Pirates) got 1.7% of the vote and will be dropped….Pirates- 2 seasons, Senators- 12 seasons (In 4 he barely played)....Retired at age 40….5x Player of the Week, 1x Platinum Stick at RF, 1x World Champion….23 WAR, .312/.341/.377

OF Garrett Mitchell (1st round, 1915, White Sox) got 1.7% of the vote and will be dropped….White Sox- 8 seasons, Red Sox- 5 seasons (Barely played in 4 of them)....Retired at age 35….2x Batter of the Month, 4x Platinum Stick at CF, 1x World Champion….22.7 WAR, .315/.389/.419

P Scott Chiamparino (2nd round, 1913, Cubs) got 2.3% of the vote and will be dropped….Cubs- 8 seasons, Reds- 7 seasons….Retired at age 38….1x Player of the Week, 2x Pitcher of the Month, 3x World Champion, 1x World Series MVP….168-204, 25 Saves, 3.78 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 43.1 WAR

3B Abraham Nunez (4th round, 1912, Yankees) got 2.9 % of the vote and will be dropped….Yankees- 1 season, Pirates- 14 seasons….Retired at age 35….3x Player of the Week, 2x Gold Glove at 3B, 2x Platinum Stick (1 at 2B, 1 at 3B)....49.5 WAR, .305/.376/.386

P Ramon Monzant (3rd round, 1913, Cubs) got 4.3% of the vote and will be dropped….Cubs- 9 seasons, Browns- 6 seasons….Retired at age 35….2x Reyes Moronta Award, 2x World Champion….75-64, 127 Saves (6th), 3.40 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 9.0 WAR

The following players were also dropped due to lack of votes- Bud Harrelson, Jason Kendall and Ellie Rodriguez. Also, Paul Waner and Reyes Moronta will both be dropped after not being elected in their 10th year of eligibility. There will be a “Veteran’s Committee” of sorts in the future, so this may not be the end of Moronta’s chances to get in.

SS Freddy Parent (1st round, 1908, Senators) got 12.8% of the vote….Spent his whole career in Washington….Retired at age 42….1x Player of the Week, 3x Platinum Stick at SS, 2x World Champion….2221 Hits, .271/.323/.357, 1024 R, 356 doubles, 121 triples, 34 HR, 1016 RBI, 295 SB, 55.6 WAR

P Charlie Wheatley (4th round, 1911, Cardinals) got 13.6% of the vote….Cardinals- 14 seasons, Athletics- 1 season….Retired at age 35….2x Player of the Week, 3x Gold Glove at P….204-232, 15 Saves, 598 G, 232 CG (16th), 17 Shutouts, 3964.2 IP, 3.78 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 1535 Ks (17th), 62.5 WAR (15th)

1B Bob “Bull” Watson (1st round, 1907, Pirates) got 34.8% of the vote….Spent whole career with the Pirates….Retired at age 39….15x Player of the Week, 4x Platinum Stick at 1B….2859 H (6th), .297/.361/.422, 1455 R (9th), 442 doubles (17th), 176 triples (9th), 138 HR (20th), 1510 RBI (4th), 531 SB (11th), 68.2 WAR….Career leader in AB with 9636….Thought he’d get more votes- top 10 in hits, runs, RBI and top 20 in both HR and SB is pretty strong. 2-3 Metrics are good, but the others are a little low. I will probably end up voting for him in the next ballot or two.

One other player came super close to being elected this year, and that was Tommy Dowd. He got up to 73.3% in his 3rd year. It seems like he will get in there soon, but I still haven’t voted for him. Going to let it play out a little more.

That brings us to the two guys who did get voted in. Congratulations to SS Corey Seager and OF Tris Speaker! Corey will go in as a member of the Cubs and Speaker will go in as a member of Brooklyn.

Corey Seager got most of his write-up already, but his Metrics are- JAWS- 76.5/80, Black Ink- 2/32, Gray Ink- 110/168, HOF Standards- 49/45, HOF Monitor- 148/163. He got in with 75.4% of the vote. I didn’t vote for him, but I’m OK with him getting in. Some of his numbers and Metrics are a little lower than I’d like, but as a SS, he’s one of the best we’ve seen so far.






Tris “The Grey Eagle” Speaker was a 1st round pick in the 1909 draft by the Superbas. His awards were- 22x Player of the Week, 16x Batter of the Month, 8x Gold Glove in RF, 9x Platinum Stick (2x in CF, 7x in RF), 5x MVP. His career rankings are- 18th in OBP, 19th in SLG, 17th in OPS, 2nd in R, 2nd in Hits, 2nd in Total Bases, 5th in doubles, 1st in triples, 13th in HR, 6th in RBI, 9th in SB, 1st in WAR. His Metrics are- JAWS- 89.2/76, Black Ink- 86/32, Gray Ink- 291/168, HOF Standards- 71/45, HOF Monitor- 295/163. He got in with 98.3% of the vote. As an added honor, the MVP Award will now be known as the Tris Speaker Award. He is definitely the first muliple MVP player to be elected to the HOF and is deserving of this honor….at least until someone comes along who can overtake him. The award name change will take place in the next period.

[Highlander]

1934
I voted for 4 players this year and 3 first ballot guys got in….quite a year! The 4th guy I voted for wasn’t a first ballot guy but he did get a lot closer than last time. As always, see below for more information.

OF Jose Guillen (2nd round, 1912, Reds) got no votes and will be dropped….Reds- 9 seasons, Cubs- 8 seasons….Retired at age 36….4x Player of the Week, 1x Gold Glove at RF….24.4 WAR, .297/.348/.421

1B Dick “Doc” Hoblitzel (1st round, 1911, Cardinals) got .3% of the vote and will be dropped….Cardinals- 11 seasons, Cubs- 7 seasons….Retired at age 37….4x Player of the Week, 2x Batter of the Month….25.2 WAR, .299/.354/.407

SS Nico Hoerner (2nd round, 1912, Braves) got .3% of the vote and will be dropped….Spent whole career with Boston….Retired at age 37….5x Gold Glove at SS, 1x World Champion….45.7 WAR, .267/.319/.338

OF Dwight Smith (1st round, 1917, White Sox) got .3% of the vote and will be dropped….Spent whole career with Chicago….Retired at age 36….3x Player of the Week, 1x World Champion….21.8 WAR, .304/.365/.412

3B Babe Pinelli (3rd round, 1910, White Sox) got 2% of the vote and will be dropped….Spent whole career in Chicago….Retired at age 40….2x Player of the Week, 2x Batter of the Month, 2x Gold Glove at 3B, 2x Platinum Stick at 3B, 1x World Champion….51.0 WAR, .278/.342/.356

OF Lee Mazzilli (1st round, 1912, Superbas) got 2.3% of the vote and will be dropped….Brooklyn- 11 seasons, Yankees- 7 seasons….4x Player of the Week, 1x Gold Glove at LF….40.4 WAR, .278/.368/.376, Led league in RBI 3x

Other players dropped due to lack of votes are Denis Menke and Bob Anderson. Jason Heyward was also dropped after not being elected in his 10th year.

P Leon “Caddy” Cadore (1st round, 1913, Tigers) got 6.2% of the vote and will just slip by into another year on the ballot….Detroit- 9.5 seasons, Cleveland- 7.5 seasons….Retired at age 40….2x Player of the Week, 3x Pitcher of the Month, 3x Platinum Stick at P, 4x World Champion….183-165, 56 Saves, 600 Games, 145 CG, 14 Shutouts, 3028.2 IP, 3.60 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 1144 Ks, 41.6 WAR

P Joe Sambito (2nd round, 1914, Phillies) got 7% of the vote….Spent whole career with the Phillies….Retired at age 37….1x Reyes Moronta Award, 4x World Champion….123-94, 74 Saves, 553 Games, 24 CG, 6 Shutouts, 1826 IP, 3.42 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 661 Ks, 29.8 WAR

P Aneury Rodriguez (6th round, 1910, Cardinals) got 16.3% of the vote….Cardinals- 14 seasons, Phillies- 5 seasons….Retired at age 41….213-195, 12 Saves, 626 Games, 129 CG, 19 Shutouts, 3969 IP (16th), 3.51 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 1522 Ks (19th), 66.7 WAR (9th)

I voted for Bob Watson this time around and he got up to 56.3%, so we’ll see where he goes next time. That brings us to our 3 new HOFers. First up is OF Mike Donlin, who will go in as a member of the Phillies. Then we have P Mark Prior, who will wear the cap of the Washington Senators. Finally, we have the best 2-Way player we’ve seen so far in Charlie Hickman who will go into the HOF as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

“Turkey Mike” Donlin was a 1st round pick in the 1912 draft by the Phillies. His awards were- 20x Player of the Week, 11x Batter of the Month, 1913 Rookie of the Year, 2x Gold Glove in LF, 9x Platinum Stick (7x in LF, 2x in RF), 2x MVP, 4x World Champion, 1x World Series MVP . His career rankings are- 6th in Runs, 3rd in Hits, 3rd in Total Bases, 10th in doubles, 9th in triples, 6th in HR, 2nd in RBI, 7th in SB and 12th in WAR . His Metrics are- JAWS- 65.7/65, Black Ink- 35/32, Gray Ink- 304/187, HOF Standards- 67/49, HOF Monitor- 265/170. He got in with 99.4% of the vote.






Mark Prior was a 1st round pick in the 1909 draft by the Senators. His awards were- 10x Player of the Week, 10x Pitcher of the Month, 4x Rookie of the Month, 4x Platinum Stick at P, 3x Fernando Valenzuela Award, 2x World Champion, 1x World Series MVP. His career rankings are- 2nd in Wins, 17th in Saves, 1st in Games, 11th in CG, 10th in Shutouts, 5th in IP, 2nd in Ks, 7th in WAR. His Metrics are- JAWS- 73.3/78, Black Ink- 68/50, Gray Ink- 250/230, HOF Standards- 60/53, HOF Monitor- 231/184. He got in with 98.9% of the vote.






Charlie “Piano Legs” Hickman was a 1st round pick in the 1910 draft by Brooklyn. His awards were- 8x Player of the Week, 2x Batter of the Month, 1x Rookie of the Month, 10 Platinum Stick (8x at P, 1x at 2B, 1x at 1B). His career rankings are- 12th in Total Bases, 13th in doubles, 13th in triples, 11th in HR, 9th in RBI….not a career leader in any pitching categories….In 1912, he led the league in both Wins (26) and HR (24). Also of note was that his best offensive season was actually not until 1928 at age 37….he went 13-8 on the mound that year as well. His Metrics are (looks like they are counting him as a 1B)- JAWS- 75.9/58, Black Ink- 26/32, Gray Ink- 239/187, HOF Standards- 71/49, HOF Monitor- 146/170.









1935
I only voted for one player this year and he didn’t make it. However, we did have a player get into the Hall and he did it in his 9th year of eligibility.

P Tom Brewer (2nd round, 1912, Giants) got .3% of the vote and will be dropped….Giants- 9.5 seasons, Reds- 8.5 seasons….Retired at age 39….2x Player of the Week, 1x World Champion….136-144, 19 Saves, 4.01 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 25.0 WAR

OF Leon “Bull” Durham (1st round, 1914, White Sox) got 2% of the vote and will be dropped….White Sox- 7 seasons, Senators- 9 seasons (Just a PH for the last 5 seasons)....Retired at age 37….6x Player of the Week, 2x Gold Glove (1x at 1B, 1x at LF), 2x World Champion, 1x World Series MVP….32.8 WAR, .285/.350/.398

Jose Urquidy reached his 10th year on the ballot and was not elected, so he will be dropped.

I again voted for Bob Watson, but he dropped down to 40.8%.

You probably guessed who the new HOF member is by my description above, but in case you didn’t, congratulations to OF Tommy Dowd! He will go into the hall wearing a Washington Senators cap.

“Buttermilk Tommy” had most of his report done already, but his Metrics are- JAWS- 47.3/56, Black Ink- 32/32, Gray Ink- 212/189, HOF Standards- 27/48, HOF Monitor- 173/171.

[Highlander]

There's going to be a big difference in the report this time around. I had to really shorten it up or I will never finish this project! I'd love to give details on everything....World Series matchups, records set, players who retire, etc....but it takes SO much time. I am hoping this new format still includes enough information to keep things interesting but also lets me get through each 5-year period in a much more timely manner. If there is something you want to know more about....or have a player you've seen mentioned that you want to know what happened to them....please ask and I will check into it. I've also got another project I'm working on that I hope to share results of when I get through more of this one.


Notable Players Added to the League
St. Louis Browns- Bob Gibson, Carlos Delgado, Jack Clark, Andrew McCutchen

New York Yankees- Eddie Plank

Boston Bees- Harold Baines

Pittsburgh Pirates- Charlie Keller

Cleveland Guardians- Ray Lankford

Cincinnati Reds- Brooks Robinson

Philadelphia Phillies- Bob Shawkey

New York Giants- Edgar Martinez

Chicago Cubs- Armando Benitez

Washington Senators- Lou Whitaker, Jeff Reardon


World Series Results

1936- The New York Yankees (95-59) defeated the Chicago Cubs (89-65) 4 games to 0…..World Series MVP- Rusty Staub

1937- The Philadelphia Athletics (91-63) defeated the St. Louis Cardinals (85-70) 4 games to 3….World Series MVP- Steve Sax

1938- The Cleveland Guardians (88-67) defeated the Cincinnati Reds (89-65) 4 games to 1….World Series MVP- Sammy Byrd

1939- The Cleveland Guardians (91-63) defeated the Boston Bees (86-68) 4 games to 1….World Series MVP- Ray Lankford

1940- The Boston Bees (86-68) defeated the Cleveland Guardians (83-71) 4 games to 2….World Series MVP- Bill Serena

Cleveland on another great run…amazing that Dizzy Dean has been able to be a part of both!

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…..3-5
Chicago Cubs/Orphans…..5-6
Detroit Tigers…..2-1
Philadelphia Phillies…..5-3
Cincinnati Reds…..2-5
St. Louis Browns…..2-2
Boston Beaneaters/Doves/Braves/Bees…..3-3
Brooklyn Superbas/Robins…..1-3
Cleveland Naps/Guardians…..7-5
New York Highlanders/Yankees…..2-0
Washington Senators…..3-3
Philadelphia Athletics…..4-0
Pittsburgh Pirates…..0-2
Boston Red Sox…..1-0
New York Giants…..0-1
St. Louis Cardinals…..0-1


Awards- Listed in the following order....Tris Speaker Award, Fernando Valenzuela Award, Rookie of the Year Award, Reyes Moronta Award








The Dan Brouthers reign in the AL for the Speaker seems to have ended with 6 in a row. Lots of contenders with 5 different winners....Bibb Falk actually won the Triple Crown in 1940, so he is one to watch. I believe Tony Gonsolin is the first player to win a Valenzuela Award in different leagues, but I may be wrong. He and Jim Merritt are unexpected guys to win 4 of them! Neat to see another reliever win one as well....Murakami is the only other one to do it. Charlie Keller is on a nice run of Speaker Awards in the AL, while Paul Skenes is up to 3 Valenzuela Awards in the NL. Also neat to see Peter Munro move from a Moronta Award to a Valenzuela Award. I think Jon Huber is the only other pitcher with one of each, but I may be missing someone.

[Highlander]

Hall of Fame Inductees

Cupid Childs was a 1st round pick in the 1914 draft by the Browns. His awards were- 17x Player of the Week, 13x Batter of the Month, 1x Rookie of the Month, 1915 Rookie of the Year, 3x Gold Glove at 2B, 11x Platinum Stick at 2B, 5x Tris Speaker Award, 1x World Champion. His career rankings are- 12th in BA, 5th in OBP, 20th in OPS, 10th in R, 8th in Doubles, 8th in Triples, 3rd in WAR. His Metrics are- JAWS- 92.8/92, Black Ink- 68/33, Gray Ink- 192/192, HOF Standards- 68/49, HOF Monitor- 252/171. He got in with 98.8% of the vote and will wear the cap of the St. Louis Browns.






Bob “Bull” Watson had his writeup earlier, but his Metrics are- JAWS- 52.3/56, Black Ink- 14/33, Gray Ink- 218/192, HOF Standards- 50/49, HOF Monitor- 98/171. He got in with 75.5% of the vote. He will wear a Pittsburgh Pirates cap.






“Sir Hugh” Duffy had his writeup earlier. Here’s his Metrics- JAWS- 52.6/52, Black Ink- 5/31, Gray Ink- 200/192, HOF Standards- 55/50, HOF Monitor- 155/170. He got in with 86.6% of the vote. He will go in as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies.






OF Ty “The Georgia Peach” Cobb was a 1st round pick in the 1914 draft by the Braves. His awards were-9x Player of the Week, 1916 Rookie of the Year, 2x Gold Glove at RF, 3x Platinum Stick at RF, 1x Tris Speaker Award, 1x World Champion, 1x World Series MVP. His career rankings are- 16th in BA, 10th in R, 10th in H, 16th on Total Bases, 19th in Doubles and 4th in Triples. His Metrics are- JAWS- 57.1/70, Black Ink- 20/31, Gray Ink- 166/190, HOF Standards- 58/50, HOF Monitor- 186/171. He got in with 93.1% of the vote and will wear the cap of the Cincinnati Reds.

[Highlander]

Hall of Fame Inductees Cont.

1B “Gorgeous George” Sisler was a 1st round pick in 1915 by the Braves. His awards were- 16x Player of the Week, 2x Batter of the Month, 5x Platinum Stick at 1B, 1x World Champion, 1x World Series MVP. His career rankings are- 3rd in BA. His Metrics are- JAWS- 37.5/52, Black Ink- 50/33, Gray Ink- 163/190, HOF Standards- 40/50, HOV Monitor- 183/171. He got in with 76.5% of the vote and will wear Boston Braves cap.






3B Jimmie “Beast” Foxx was a 1st round pick in 1913 by the Braves. His awards were- 22x Player of the Week, 17x Batter of the Month, 7x Platinum Stick at 3B, 2x Tris Speaker Award, 1x World Champion. His career rankings are- 10th in SLG, 13th on OPS, 19th in R, 13th in Total Bases, 1st in HR and 5th in RBI. His Metrics are- JAWS- 55.5/63, Black Ink- 60/33, Gray Ink- 205/190, HOF Standards- 65/50, HOF Monitor- 163/171. He got 93.5% of the vote and will go in to the Hall as a member of the Boston Braves.






P “King Carl” Hubbell was a 1st round pick in 1912 by the White Sox. His awards were- 7x Player of the Week, 2x Rookie of the Month, 10x Pitcher of the Month, 1913 Rookie of the Year, 2x Fernando Valenzuela Award, 6x World Champion. His career rankings are- 1st in Wins, 2nd in CG, 7th in Shutouts, 6th in Ks and 1st in WAR. His Metrics are- JAWS- 103.9/81, Black Ink- 67/52, Gray Ink- 360/245, HOF Standards- 67/54, HOF Monitor- 264/193. He goes into the Hall as a member of the White Sox with 99.7% of the vote. Seems like he should be a Guardian since he won all those World Series with them, but his overall numbers are better with Chicago. As an additional honor, I believe Carl has earned the right to have the Best Pitcher Award named for him. He doesn’t have as many awards as Fernando, but his 386 Wins, 6 World Championships and longevity all help his cause, plus he is ahead of Fernando (and most other pitchers) in most every category and HOF Metric. ERA is greatly in Fernando’s favor, but when looking at ERA+, it is extremely close.




One more part to come....but not for a little bit.

[Highlander]

Records, Streaks, Misc

Jonathan Villar, Brook Jacoby, Donie Bush and Dave Henderson all hit 3 HR in a game. Also, Gary Carter became the first player since Jimmie Foxx to do it twice.

Red Murray, Ival Goodman and Brian Anderson all had 6 hits in a game. Rick Waits became the first pitcher to do it….he only had 22 hits the whole season! Finally, Duff Cooley became the first player to get 7 hits. He went 7 for 10 in a 20 inning game in 1940.

There were 3 No-Hitters this 5-year period- Tom Gordon (10 Ks, 2 BB), Harry Gumbert (3 Ks, 2 BB) and David Cone (6 Ks, 6 BB).

Bibb Falk (1940) and Orlando Cepeda (1936) became the newest Triple Crown winners.

This happened back in 1932 and I kept forgetting to share…..the absolute worst season I’ve seen for a pitcher. Jason Schmidt went an amazing 1-21 in 167.1 IP with a 7.80 ERA and 1.97 WHIP for the Yankees. The Yankees went 55-99 that year, so it’s not shocking they had some really bad pitchers, but this was extreme.

Milestones
3500 Hits- George Davis

1500 Runs- Andruw Jones, Bill Dahlen, Danny Green, Don Hurst

1500 RBI- Yogi Berra, Don Hurst, Andruw Jones

300 HR- Andruw Jones, Dan Brouthers, Don Hurst

350 Wins- Dizzy Dean

Streak Records Set
RBI Streak- Bibb Falk- 14 Games
XBH Streak- Gary Gaetti and Fred Whitfield- 10 Games


Single Season Records Set
Walks- Charlie Keller- 129

Career Record Notes
Rod Carew just finished a bit of a bizarre career. He retired at the end of 1940 as the all-time Batting Average leader at .3595. However, he really only played 8 full seasons. He led the league in hitting his first 5 seasons and then hit .358 in the 6th. His next two were good, too, at .315 and .339. Then his next 8 seasons he never had more than 165 AB and had only two seasons with more than 80. The lack of AB really made his BA freeze right about where it was after those first 8 seasons. He only had one injury that kept him out for a week, so none of this was injury related. I won’t vote for him for the HOF…..just see what happens. The next closest BA is .3482. So he has a big lead. Not sure there’s anyone active who will come close to Rod, so he may be there awhile.

Jimmy Wynn was making a run at Cupid Childs for the career OBP lead. Childs is at .421 while Wynn is at .4204. Jimmy’s last couple of seasons are down into the high .300’s though as his hitting has dropped off. He still has a great eye, though, so he might have a last push. Going to be tough though.

Dan Brouthers overtook Jimmie Foxx for the HR lead, 332-331. Brouthers is just 31, and although he has dropped off a lot from his early days (22, 14 and 5 his last 3 seasons), he should add a few more.

Dave Bancroft is only about 5 WAR away from Tris Speaker’s career leading 112.72. Dave got 7.7 in 1939, but only 2.2 in 1940. He’s 38 but still has some decent skills. Should be close.

Dizzy Dean is only 5 Shutouts behind Adam Wainwright’s record 52, but Dizzy is 39 and hasn’t pitched one in 3 seasons so it seems out of reach.

Dizzy is also just about 4 WAR away from Carl Hubbell's career record of 111.09. The way things look, he'll need 2-3 seasons to get there and I'm not sure he's got it in him. If he can have a throwback season with some luck, maybe he can.