Any Given Sunday - The Sequel

[NYY #23]

It shouldn't come as a shocking surprise that Shoeless Joe Jackson captured the Rookie of the Year in the NBC. Jackson hit .433 for the Maroons with no home runs, 9 RBI, and 7 runs scored.

[NYY #23]

Erik Crawford of the New York Titans captured his fourth Pitcher of the Year award after going 11-4 with a 2.80 ERA, striking out a league leading 165 batters in 141 2/3 innings.

Bryan Hayes of the Rivercats finished second in voting after going 9-5 with a 3.61 ERA with 119 strikeouts in 144 2/3 innings. Jeffrey Koch of the Ravens finished third after going 5-5 with a 2.61 ERA.

[NYY #23]

Pedro Rodriguez of the Arizona Wildcats won his fourth Pitcher of the Year Award after going 8-2 with a save and 1.56 ERA while striking out 124 batters in 92 1/3 innings. This had to be the most satisfying of his four awards after Rodriguez lost his starting pitcher job last season, and started the season in the bullpen.

Christian Oliver of the Saints finished second after going 14-2 with a 2.60 ERA, while Smoky Joe Wood of the Lions finished third after going 11-5 with a 2.73 ERA.

[NYY #23]

David Griffin of the San Diego Sailors won his first MVP Award this year after hitting .394 with 6 home runs, 20 RBI, and 16 runs scored. It was the first award of any kind for Griffin, who spent the first eight years of his career with the Minnesota Muskies.

Teammate Leonardo Estrada hit .338 with 5 home runs and 16 RBI to finish second, with Robbie Mitchell of the Pittsburgh Rivercats finishing third while hitting .400 with a home run, 13 RBI, and 8 runs scored.

[NYY #23]

It was a big year for catcher Raul Sanchez of the Carolina Breakers who won a Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, and now MVP Award. The 34 year old hit .371 with 6 home runs, 19 RBI, and 11 runs scored.

Joe Walsh hit .429 with 3 home runs and 19 RBI to finish in second place for the Arizona Wildcats. Finishing third was Pedro Angel of the Bisons who hit .436 with 6 home runs and 14 RBI.

[NYY #23]

As we head into the 1909 season I'll be trying something new for the tenth season of the league, and not moving week to week. I'll see how things work out, and if I continue moving forward this way, or go back to the week to week.

For the first time in the league's history there will be a change to a team name. The Michigan Wolverines will be playing as the Detroit Motors starting in the 1909 season.



The Buffalo Blizzard were selecting first in the amateur draft this year and selected 21 year old right fielder Jack Barnes. Coming out of college Barnes may even get a chance to take over as the Blizzard starting right fielder as soon as this season.



I've previously mentioned that I add real players to the draft each year, and will select a random number between one and five to determine how many players. This year that is only one, and that player is starting pitcher Dolf Luque, who was selected as the 29th pick in the first round by the Carolina Breakers.

[NYY #23]

The New York Titans entered this year as the favorites in the ABC East and shook off a 1-2 start to finish 12-4 on the season and head back to the playoffs. It's the sixth straight year the Titans are heading to the playoffs, and the Titans have won the ABC East five of the past six years.



Four time Pitcher of the Year Erik Crawford had another strong year for the Titans, going 10-4 with a 3.03 ERA. For the ninth straight year Crawford struck out at least 150 batters, and Crawford became the first pitcher in the history of the league to reach 100 career wins, and is the all-time win leader:

1) Erik Crawford - 102
2) Rey Ray - 89
3) Luis Cano - 76
4) Felix Nuno - 75
5) Christian Oliver - 74
6) Leroy Unicume - 72
7) Al Mejia - 67
8) Bryan Hayes - 66
9) Pedro Rodriguez - 66
10) Fraser Davenport - 61
11) Tariyel Turkestanov - 61
12) Christy Mathewson - 58
13) Charles Barber - 54
14) Valentin Bastardo - 50
15) Roger Henderson - 50
16) Danny Bailey - 48
17) Ben Howell - 39
18) Floriano Sardinha - 39
19) Jose Vazquez - 39
20) Quniton Brown - 38
21) Mike Jenkins - 38

It has been four years since the Titans won a Championship though, and this year they scored the 11th most runs in the league and had the 10th ranked defense. If pitching and defense win championships the Titans are missing half of that equation, and could be headed for an early playoff exit.



After going 3-13 last season the Blizzard had the honor of selecting first in the amateur draft and selected RF Jack Barnes. Barnes had an impressive debut hitting .373 with 4 home runs and 12 RBI, worth 1.3 WAR. He wasn’t the only reason the Blizzard will be heading to the playoffs after going 9-7, although he certainly helped.

Last year Blizzard starting pitcher Bill Egan was 3-12 with a 5.06 ERA, but improved to 8-5 with a 3.60 ERA this year. Looking at only his FIP though Egan saw that increase from 4.07 last year to 4.31 this year.



Last year Adrian Diaz made just three starts for the Massachusetts Generals, but took over as starting pitcher full time this year and went 6-5 with a 5.47 ERA. The 30 year old doesn't appear to be a permanent solution for the 7-9 Generals.



Juan Rivas is perhaps one of the most underrated pitchers in the league, and it doesn't help his case that he's playing for the Miami Hurricanes. This year Rivas went 5-11 with a 3.89 ERA as a 26 year old. Getting some run support will definitely help Rivas and the Hurricanes, who finished last in the ABC with just 45 runs scored.

[NYY #23]

This year in the ABC North the Indianapolis Ravens ended the Rivercats run of three straight division titles.



Jeffrey Koch settled in during his second year as the starting pitcher going 8-4 with a 2.33 ERA with 96 strikeouts in 108 innings. With a strong defense the Ravens allowed just 50 runs this year, second fewest in the league.



It's been six years since 35 year old catcher Gonzalo De La Torre has played this well, but Torre hit 340 for the second place Tigers with 2 home runs and 12 RBI. The 8-8 Tigers fell just short of making the playoffs though. Roberto Solis was 4-6 with a 3.99 ERA as a starter this year, and appears to be holding the job until top prospect Antonio Adame is ready to take over the job.



Bryan Hayes had a rough start to the season for the Rivercats, going 1-3 with a 6.51 ERA in 4 starts before losing his job to 36 year old Gilbert Bird, who went 5-6 with a 4.96 ERA. The lack of good options in their system could lead the Rivercats to selecting a starting pitcher in the draft, or making a trade.



After going 14-2 with a 2.60 ERA last year for the Brooklyn Saints Christian Oliver started the season 0-3 with a 10.07 ERA. Oliver moved to the bullpen, and after asking the Saints for a trade they accommodated him about a month later, shipping him off to the Lakers for three players, none of whom were under 35 years old.

Oliver finally got the call for the Lakers, making three starts and going 1-2 with a 3.91 ERA. While the Lakers were already out of the race at the time it will be interesting to see if the 31 year old Oliver can bounce back and have an impact on the ABC North race next year.

[NYY #23]

Bomber fans have been waiting a long time for Walter Johnson to make his debut as a starting pitcher, and Johnson got the chance this year and did not disappoint. Johnson went 11-4 with a 4.22 ERA with 90 strikeouts in 138 2/3 innings while leading Los Angeles to the playoffs. While Johnson showed signs of inexperience (giving up 8 runs in 5 2/3 innings in an 8-0 loss to the Ravens), he also showed flashes of dominance (complete game three hit shutout against Rivercats).

Bomber fans also have to be encouraged by the play of 24 year old Arturo Figueroa who hit .314 with 4 home runs and 17 RBI, and combined with Mark Cruz (.305, 3 HR, 11 RBI) the Bombers have a big 1-2 punch in their lineup which scored more runs than any other team in the league.



Natives fans have also been restless waiting for top pitching prospect Orlando Ramos to arrive, but got their wish this year and Ramos went 10-6 with a 3.45 ERA as a rookie, and the 10-6 Natives are heading to the playoffs as a Wild Card team. Their 87 runs scored this year are second only to the Bombers.



Mal Wyatt was the third pitcher to start for the Denver Bears this year, and struggled like Roger Henderson and Angelo Molina before him going 1-1 with a 8.64 ERA as the 6-10 Bears finished tied for last place, despite the third best offense in the league. 38 year old catcher Francisco Velasquez led the team with a .448 batting average.



Age looks to be finally catching up to 42 year old Felix Nuno who went 6-7 with a 4.45 ERA for the last place Sailors. Nuno struck out a career low 116 batters this year. Ty Cobb hit .437 this year and swiped 18 bases, just two off the best season mark which was set by Cipriano Padilla in 1902.

[NYY #23]

It's not often that a pitcher will go eight years in between starts, but that was the case for Carl Pluckrose, who last started for the Texans in 1901 when he went 8-5 with a 2.91 ERA. He made 13 starts this year and was 10-3 with a 2.52 ERA. He has to wonder what could have been if Fraser Davenport didn't come around for the Texans.



For four years the Orlando Wizards have been sending out Troy Osborn out to right field, and have waited patiently for him to show signs of why they made him their top pick in the 1904 draft. The 24 year old Osborn is hitting third for the Wizards, but is hitting just .224 for his career with 3 home runs and 8 RBI and in four years he's produced 0.2 WAR.



Christy Mathewson briefly lost his starting pitcher job last year, but got it back this year and went 7-5 with a 3.41 ERA before seeing his season cut short with injury. Roger Gilbert filled in the final three starts and went 1-2 with a 5.04 ERA as the Longhorns finished 8-8 and just missed making the playoffs.



Hornet's starter David Hazard gave up 7.1 BB/9 this year while going 5-11 with a 4.74 ERA. With the 15th ranked lineup in the ABC the Hornets will need more out of both Hazard and their offense which scored just 56 runs all year if they are going to contend.

[NYY #23]

While the Baltimore Atlantics got off to an early lead in the NBC East the Saints won 8-2 of their last ten games, including their last four straight to see the teams finished tied atop the division, forcing a tie-breaker game.



The Atlantics trade for 1B Tony Dominguez continues to look like a great move with Dominguez hitting .359 with 3 home runs and 17 RBI for the Atlantics, while the two players that were traded for Dominguez have yet to play a game for the Muskies.



Tony Ochoa has been tasked with replacing a legend after Christian Oliver was traded to the Lakers. For eight years Oliver was the starting pitcher for the Atlantics and had 73 wins for the Saints and 819 strikeouts. The 29 year old Ochoa looked comfortable this year though going 9-3 with a 3.30 ERA with the Saints finishing the season hot.



The Liberty missed the playoffs for the third straight year, and have gone 9-8, 7-9, and 8-8 during that time. Jose Garcia again started the majority of games for the Liberty this year going 6-5 with a 3.70 ERA, but the Liberty have started Garcia and Dan Reed in each of the last three seasons. Neither have really stood out, but haven't been terrible either. That's pretty much the story of the Liberty, who are stuck in the middle of the road.



Caleb Brown is the latest victim to be named starter for the Maroons, and Brown went 1-9 with a 8.68 ERA. In the last three years the Maroons have lost 14, 11, and then 14 games. For the third straight year the Maroons will have a high first round pick though, and Shoeless Joe Jackson has already started to make in impact, while last year's sixth overall pick Michael Locke hit just .164 during his rookie year his future appears to be bright.

[NYY #23]

The Detroit Motors have a new name and new starting pitch in Daryl Blevins. The 25 year old Blevins went 6-6 with a 2.85 ERA this year as the Motors won the NBC North for the second straight year.



The Muskies traded Jose Lozano to the Blizzard during the offseason and named Walt Spencer their new starting pitcher. Spencer was 8-6 with a 4.27 ERA as a first time starter, striking out 103 batters in 130 2/3 innings.



Ashton Blackmore is leading the next wave of Blues' stars, hitting 370 with 3 home runs and 12 RBI. The 27 year old was the only regular to hit above .300, and the Blues scored a league worse 46 runs, so Blackmore is going to need some help at the plate because he can't do it alone.



Tariyel Turkestanov has started at least one game for the Milwaukee Bisons for ten years. This year Turkestanov went 7-8 with a 4.37 ERA and is now 61-64 with a 3.64 ERA during his career. The Bisons scored just 54 runs this year, which ranked 14th in the NBC.

[NYY #23]

The Arizona Wildcats looked like they were on the way to repeating with Pedro Rodriguez going 11-1 with a 2.07 ERA in his first 12 starts. A shoulder injury ended Rodriguez's season and Manny Reyes took over the starting pitcher job, going 0-3 with a 5.34 ERA. With four straight losses to end the season the Wildcats finished tied for first in the NBC West.



Martin Garcia started 13 games this year for the Angels and finished with a 10-2 record and 3.95 ERA as the Angels finished tied with the Wildcats for first place in the NBC West. Shortstop Jorge Rojas hit .481 this year, the second highest season batting average in history, and the Angels scored 94 runs, more than any other team in the NBC.



Smoky Joe Wood had a career low 1.86 ERA and went 10-6 with 151 strikeouts in 145 innings as the Lions finished the year one game behind the Wildcats and Angels. The Lions will need to wait until the results of the tie-breaker games are finalized before they learn their fate.

The Legion tied for the second most runs in the NBC, but the Legion need to find a solution for who the starting pitcher is going to be. Flint Baker (1-2, 6.15), AL Mejia (3-4, 5.43), and Juan Negron (0-0, 7.36) each started a game this year.



Pat Shelton was the second overall pick, and was named the #9 prospect in baseball, and appears to be the future solution. Until he arrives the Legion will likely struggle though.

[NYY #23]

The Atlanta Thrashers won their first NBC South title since 1905 this year, and Luis Cano went 9-3 with a 3.71 ERA for the Thrashers. Mike Anderson led the Thrashers with a .365 batting average while hitting 3 home runs and 14 RBI.



The Carolina Breakers ended their streak of making the playoffs four straight years with a 9-7 finish this year. Rex Ray went 9-6 with a 3.75 ERA this year and is now 89-63 for his career with a 3.09 ERA.



Only two teams in the league, the Miami Hurricanes and New Orleans Crescents have failed to make the playoffs during the ten years in the league. It's a little bit ironic since the Crescents were the most dominating team in round one. Ronald Roberts was the Crescents first round pick selected fourth overall in the 1909 draft. He looks to break a string of first round draft failures by the Crescents.



Ronald Zuwiski has been with the Pirates since 1901 and took over as starting pitcher this year, going 3-13 with a 4.39 ERA. He'll be replacing a local legend, Leroy Unicume who went 72-56 during his career with a 3.14 ERA and led the Pirates to two World Championships.

[NYY #23]

Baltimore Atlantics (10-6) @ Brooklyn Saints (10-6)



Mike Jenkins won his career high 10th game as the Atlantics capture the NBC East with a 5-3 win over the Brooklyn Saints. Luis Roldan and Freddie Wilson each drove in a pair of runs for the Atlantics, who won their first NBC East since 1905, and will be heading to the playoffs for the third time in their history.

[NYY #23]

Arizona Wildcats (11-5) @ Seattle Angels (11-5)





Manny Reyes picked a good time to win his first game of the season as he pitched a complete game five hitter, allowing one run as the Wildcats beat the Angels 3-1. Jarod Gillett, Jose Garcia, and Arturo Silvera each drove in runs for the Wildcats.

The Wildcats will now head back to the playoffs where they'll face an uphill battle trying to win their second straight Championship.

[NYY #23]

Brooklyn Saints (10-7) @ St Louis Lions (10-6)





Smoky Joe Wood turned in a dominating performance allowing just 1 run on 4 hits while striking out 11 batters as the Lions beat the Saints 2-1 to advance to the playoffs for the second straight year. Wood improved to 11-6 on the year with a 1.81 ERA, and will join the Arizona Wildcats and Seattle Angels as NBC West teams in the playoffs.

[NYY #23]

[NYY #23]

Buffalo Blizzard (9-7) @ New York Titans (12-4)





While Erik Crawford didn't have the best game on the mound allowing 5 runs on 8 hits he did strike out 14 batters and was 3-4 at the plate with 3 RBI as the Titans beat the Blizzard 7-5 to advance to the Division Round. Cesar Cruz added a solo homer for the Titans.

[NYY #23]

Kansas City Natives (10-6) @ Indianapolis Ravens (11-5)



The Kansas City Natives waited ten years to make their playoff debut, which ended after just one game after losing to the Ravens 6-4. The game turned in the fifth inning when Natives' starter Orlando Ramos left the game with an injury after 4 2/3 shutout innings, allowing just 3 hits while striking out 5.



Gavvy Cravath was 3-5 at the plate for the Ravens with 3 RBI in the win, while Jeffrey Koch drove in a run while striking out 12 batters while earning the win.