Federal League

[Hekeziah]

It was an exciting pennant race in the Federal League that went down to the wire in 1917. The perennial bridesmaid Chicago Whales (after two straight second-place finishes) finished with a strong August to overtake the Brooklyn Tip-Tops on the second to last day of the season, finishing a half-game in front.

The Tip-Tops had led most of the season (as much as a nine-game lead at the start of August), but a slump at the end of the season led to a disappointing second-place finish - spoiling the fantastic sophomore seasons by Rogers Hornsby and Poindexter Williams, and the record setting season (21 home runs) from newly-acquired Babe Ruth (acquired from Baltimore in a winter trade).

Buffalo, Saint Louis, and Newark filled out the rest of the first division, all with strong individual stand-outs but lacking the total package the Whales had/ While Chicago had no one atop the leaderboards, they balanced the best overall pitching, strong defense, and second-best batting to eke out the championship.

[Hekeziah]

If Newark Peppers starter Smokey Joe Williams doesn't win the Pitcher of the Year Award this year, there may be calls for a recount.

Williams wrapped up the pitching triple crown, one of the rarest feats in baseball, in topping all pitchers in Major League Baseball in wins, strikeouts, and ERA. In 39 starts, Williams lead the league with a 29-6 record, 489 strikeouts and a 1.73 ERA.

Amongst batters, Braggo Roth again led the league in batting average, although it was Brooklyn team-mates Rogers Hornsby and Babe Ruth who topped most offensive categories. Ruth set a new single-season home run record (with 21)

[Hekeziah]

All the votes have been tabulated, and the prestigious Rookie of the Year Award recipient is Miller Huggins of Baltimore.

This gifted first-year performer won the honors by batting .304 with a .412 OBP. In 151 games this year, the second baseman laced 156 hits in 514 at-bats, hit 2 home runs, drove in 48 runs, and scored 65 times.

He received 9 first-place votes out of a possible 10. Sherry Magee of the Detroit Wolverines finished second in the voting with 1 first-place vote, while Moose McCormick of the Buffalo Blues finished third.

Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Miller Huggins - Baltimore Terrapins - 9 - 46
Sherry Magee - Detroit Wolverines - 1 - 17
Moose McCormick - Buffalo Blues - 0 - 11
Art Devlin - Kansas City Packers - 0 - 7
Harry Lumley - Philadelphia Quakers - 0 - 4
Tom Needham - Pittsburgh Rebels - 0 - 4
Ed Walsh - Brooklyn Tip-Tops - 0 - 1

[Hekeziah]

Smokey Joe Williams of the Newark Peppers will be adding a new centerpiece to his mantel after being tabbed for the Pitcher of the Year Award today.

The 31-year-old hurler started 39 games this season, tallying a 29-6 record. In 353.2 innings, Williams gave up 194 hits, struck out 489, walked 103, and held opponents to a .158 average as he posted a fine 1.73 ERA.

He received 10 first-place votes, as a unanimous winner. Erv Lange of the Chicago Whales finished second in voting, while Claude Hendrix of the Chicago Whales finished third.

Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Smokey Joe Williams - Newark Peppers - 10 - 70
Erv Lange - Chicago Whales - 0 - 34
Claude Hendrix - Chicago Whales - 0 - 28
Hooks Wiltse - Brooklyn Tip-Tops - 0 - 13
Flame Delhi - Buffalo Blues - 0 - 11
Charles Bender - Baltimore Terrapins - 0 - 5
Ad Brennan - Chicago Whales - 0 - 5
Urban Shocker - Buffalo Blues - 0 - 2
Fred Anderson - Buffalo Blues - 0 - 1
Dave Davenport - St. Louis Terriers - 0 - 1

[Hekeziah]

Braggo Roth took Major League Baseball by storm this year and did it all at 25.

The St. Louis Terriers star has been named the 1917 Most Valuable Player Award recipient for his spectacular campaign.

"To be considered amongst the best in the league is overwhelming," said the third baseman.

On the season he compiled a .362 batting average to go with a .460 on-base percentage. The native of Burlington, North Carolina also added 31 doubles, 15 triples, 16 home runs, 93 RBIs and 99 runs scored.

He received 10 first-place votes, as a unanimous winner. Babe Ruth of the Brooklyn Tip-Tops finished second in voting, while Rogers Hornsby of the Brooklyn Tip-Tops finished third.

Player - Team - First Place - Total Points
Braggo Roth - St. Louis Terriers - 10 - 140
Babe Ruth - Brooklyn Tip-Tops - 0 - 84
Rogers Hornsby - Brooklyn Tip-Tops - 0 - 79
Smokey Joe Williams - Newark Peppers - 0 - 72
Cristobal Torriente - Buffalo Blues - 0 - 58
Edd Roush - Newark Peppers - 0 - 44
Miller Huggins - Baltimore Terrapins - 0 - 38
Moose McCormick - Buffalo Blues - 0 - 16
Sherry Magee - Detroit Wolverines - 0 - 15
Les Mann - Chicago Whales - 0 - 12
Johnny Lush - Chicago Whales - 0 - 8
Hooks Wiltse - Brooklyn Tip-Tops - 0 - 7
Tom Needham - Pittsburgh Rebels - 0 - 6
Art Devlin - Kansas City Packers - 0 - 3
Claude Hendrix - Chicago Whales - 0 - 3
Harry Lumley - Philadelphia Quakers - 0 - 3
Alejandro Oms - Newark Peppers - 0 - 2