OOTP historic rerun.

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1st January 1876

The fans of the Brooklyn Atlantics were hoping for some continuity to hopefully help the team bed in and improve next year. This they got as there was very little action from the front office in the off season.

The team did see one player change during the off season as 39 year old Catcher Lew Carl decided to hang up his cleats. Carl never made it to the Major League squad as he spent 2 seasons in the minor leagues (real life he played 1 game for 0 hits).

The players were not expecting much recognition for this years struggles and they were not surprised as only Centre Fielder Wes Fisler made the Defensive team this year. He picked up his Golden Glove award.

The team took a full part in the first year draft and selected 5 players. The first round pick was used to increase the pitching options with the selection of Foghorn Bradley. This is the third time in 3 years the team has gone for pitching up top. The full draft log is below.



The team failed to sign 5th round draft pick Dave Pierson by the deadline so he will return to next years draft.

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1st January 1876

After the superb season the White Stockings had this last year, the fans were not expecting any changes in front office staff. This is exactly what they got as no front office moves were made by the owners.

The players on the other hand will be very busy during the off season clearing room in their trophy cabinets for all the awards that the team claimed.



Firstly the NL Pitcher of the Year award went to Jim Britt



The Batter of the Year award also went to a Chicago player in the form of Short Stop Ross Barnes.

Manager Bruce Harvey picked up the Manager of the Year award.

The team had 5 players voted into the defensive team of the year all of who pick up Golden Glove Awards. They were Catcher Deacon White, Third Baseman Ezra Sutton, Short Stop Ross Barnes, Left Fielder Tom York and Right Fielder Clipper Flynn.

The team participated in the first year draft but decided to only select 3 players this year. Their first round choice was pitcher Dale Williams. The full draft log is shown below



All draftees signed by the deadline.

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1st January 1876

Fans of the Cincinnati Reds have seen the owner decide to stick with the current front office set up. This does bring some stability to the club and hopefully this can be built on in the coming season.

The player awards were quiet for the team as they failed to get anybody in the Defensive team.



The only good news from the awards was that Rookie Pitcher Lon Knight was a surprised recipient of the NL Rookie of the Year award.

The team took part in the first year player draft and selected 4 players. They went for second basemen in all but one round with the first chosen being John Morrill. The full draft log is below.



It was a good thing they selected more than 1 second baseman in the draft as first round pick John Morrill could not come to terms with the team and will go back into next years draft. All other draftees signed by the deadline.

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1st January 1876

The front office of the Blues has again been given a shake up to try and bring success to the team. GM Troy Willis has been fired after the 23-37 season the team had. His replacement is Kenny Butler who spent 1871 and 1872 as the Brooklyn Atlantics General Manager. Iin that time he picked up the NL Pennant and MLB Championship. Hopefully he can bring that good work with him to the Blues.

The player was short on the ground as only 1 player made the AL Defensive team of the year. First Baseman Joe Miller picked up the Golden Glove.



Their was good news for Rookie pitcher Tricky Nichols as he was voted the Rookie of the Year in the AL.

The team made 5 selections in the first year player draft this year. They opted to go for pitching again up top as they selected Mike Golden in the first round. The full draft log is below



5th round pick George Fair could not agree a contract with the team by the deadline so will be back in next years draft. All other draftees were signed.

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1st January 1876

The fans of the Athletics were not expecting any bad news to come out of the owners office for this year and were happy to see that it was only good news that came out. GM Luis Garcia was awarded for last seasons pennant with a 1 year contract extension to his current deal.

On the playing front their was news that minor leaguer George Popplein decided that at 33 his career was not going anywhere and his future lie away from baseball. In his time with the Philadelphia Athletics he played 8 games MLB squad and have 1 at bat. (real life stats saw him have 1 game with 4 at bats).

Manager Bill Lee picked up the Manager of the Year award.

The award season was very busy for some of the Philadelphia players. Pitcher Dick McBride and Catcher Doug Allison were both voted onto the AL Defensive team of the year. They both picked up Golden Glove Awards.



Dick McBride was also awarded the AL Pitcher of the Year.



John Peters was awarded the Batter of the Year award after a solid second season in the league.

The team participated in the first year draft and selected 4 players. They chose to go for a pitcher in the first round as they selected Dory Dean. The full draft log is below



They signed all the draftees by deadline day.

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1st January 1876

The fans of the Brown Stockings have seen major upheavals during the off season as the owner signalled his unhappiness with the way things have gone the last season or two. He fired both GM Mark Bass and Manager Kyle Finley within 15 minutes of each other on the fateful 14th of October.

He then went out and acquired the services of Pat Brown as Manager. Brown has had 3 losing seasons as manager of the White Stockings and the Atlantics finishing 4th each time. That does not bode well for the team. He then signed GM Bill Murphy. Murphy spent 4 seasons with the White Stockings including their 1872 MLB Championship win and 1874 NL Pennant title. Hopefully he can bring the needed wins.

His first job was the trade of 29 year old Right Fielder Ed Pinkham to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for 25 year old Second Baseman Eddie Booth and 20 year old minor league Right Fielder John Gaffney. The fans are excited to see Booth join the team and hope he can help to bring the success.

On the award front for the players the only awards were Golden Gloves for 5 players as they made the defensive team of the year. These were Second Baseman Charlie Sweasy, Third Baseman Harry Schafer, Left Fielder George Hall, Centre Fielder Frank McCarton and Right Fielder Henry Luff.

The team took a full role in the first year player draft but selected only 3 players. They went for pitching in the first round and selected Flip Lafferty. The full draft log is given below.



The team signed all draftees by the deadline.

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The 1876 predictions are below

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1st April 1876

The fans of the Orioles are looking forward to another season of baseball and are hoping their team can return to the top of the AL table and win another pennant. The Independent League Assessors definitely think it is a good possibility that they will. They see the team winning 39 games out of 60 on their way to the top spot.

As you can gather the MLB schedule continues on as a 60 game season with no changes to the format.

With no new signings since the start of the year the following 25 players have been selected as the opening day roster by the GM and Manager

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1st April 1876

Fans of the newly names Boston Red Caps are hoping their team can run the Chicago White Stockings closer for the NL pennant this season. The Independent League Assessors feel that the team has actually worsened and that they will not be able to do so. They have them finishing with only 26 wins and 3rd place in the Nl table. The fans hope they are wrong.

The season will continue to be 60 games long this year with no change in the format.

The team has not changed any playing staff since the turn of the year so the 25 man roster that the GM and Manager have picked is listed as below.

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1st April 1876

Fans of the Brooklyn Atlantics are going to have to find new seating partners this season as the club has had to move ground. The team will now play their NL home games at the Washington Park stadium in Brooklyn. The fans hope the change of stadium may also bring about a change in fortunes on the field. The Independent League Assessors feel that this is not the case as they again see the Brooklyn Atlantics failing and finishing in 4th place with only 20 wins.

The season continues to be a 60 game run with no changes to any of the format.

The GM and Manager have not added any new players since the 1st of January. This means the 25 man opening day roster looks as below.

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1st April 1876

The fans of the White Stockings are hoping that their team can continue last seasons excellent form and win another MLB Championship Series. The Independent League Assessors definitely think they are capable of it as they put the team 1st in the NL table with 42 wins again this season.

The team will face 60 games again this season as the MLB does not change the format of the season.

The GM made a move in the trade market during pre-season. He traded minor league players 24 year old catcher George Seward, 23 year old Short Stop Pete Treacey and 23 year old Short Stop U Quinlan to the Cleveland Blues in exchange for 23 year old Reliever Charlie Withrow. The fans hope this can strengthen their bull pen and give them all the fire power they need to retain the title.

The full 25 man roster for the opening day, as selected by the GM and Manager, is shown below.

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1st April 1876

The fans of the Reds are hoping that this season will bring a much closer run at the pennant than the last couple have seen. The Independent League Assessors think the team will have a better season as they see the team picking up 33 wins and 2nd place in the NL table.

The team will continue to play 60 games this season as the MLB schedule stays unaltered.

The GM and Manager have stuck with the players available on the 1st January. This has led to the below 25 man roster being selected for opening day.

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1st April 1876

The fans of the Blues are just hoping to see some improvement from their team this year. The Independent League Assessors feel that their will be a slight improvement as they manage 26 wins and 3rd place in the AL table. The fans would see this as a step forward if this were to happen.

The league continues with its 60 game schedule as the Blues see no change in format.

The team has entered the trade market again as the GM traded relief pitcher Charlie Withrow to the Chicago White Stockings in exchange for 3 prospects. 24 year old catcher George Seward, 23 year old Short Stop Pete Treacey and 23 year old Short Stop U Quinlan. The fans are sad to see Withrow go as it weakens the bull pen for this season.

The GM and Manager then decided on the following 25 man roster for the opening day.

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1st April 1876

The fans of the Athletics will be hoping that last seasons pennant win can be built on and another run be made at the title. The Independent League Assessors are not so sure they will be able to repeat as they see the team missing out on the pennant by 4 games with only 35 wins. This would leave them finishing second in the AL table.

The schedule has been left alone and the team will continue to play 60 games in the season.

There have been no player changes since the new year so the GM and Manager have opted to go with the following 25 man roster for opening day.

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1st April 1876

The fans of the Brown Stockings are hoping the team can find some form this year, especially all their highly rated batting stars. The Independent League Assessors don't think they will and see them failing to win more than 21 games. This would see them in last place in the AL.

The team will continue to play 60 games in the regular season schedule as the MLB leaves things alone this year.

The GM and Manager have selected the below 25 man roster for the opening day after no new players joined the team since the turn of the year.

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Standings after the April games

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1st May 1876

The fans of the Orioles cannot believe that for the second season running the team have gotten off to a slow start. This slow start has seen the team win 3 of the 9 games played while 6 have been lost. This has left the team in 3rd place in the AL table, 4 games behind the surprise leaders, the Cleveland Blues.



The batting for the Orioles in April was a real struggle as they scored only 35 runs during the month. The best batter during the month was a shared contribution between Catchers Fergy Malone and Harry Berthrong. The both started 4 of the 9 games for a combined 29 at bats. These at bats produced a combined 11 hits for an average of .380. This also included 0 runs and 4 RBI.s The best of the full time starters was Lip Pike with an average of .289

Ted McGinley showed some of his promise as he picked up the AL Rookie of the Month award.

The pitching will continue to be behind the arm of Cherokee Fisher this season. Fisher pitched all 9 games and got through 73 innings. This work load saw him give up 75 hits and 14 earned runs for a very good ERA of 1.73. The team gave up a total of 52 runs.

Full pitching stats for April


Full batting stats for April


The Orioles played 9 games in April
The team were swept 0-3 in the first series of the season by the Cleveland Blues. 4-15, 3-8 and 1-2
The second series was better with a 1-2 loss to the Philadelphia Athletics. 2-3, 2-7 and 2-1
The final series of the month saw a 2-1 win against the St. Louis Brown Stockings. 4-3, 11-6 and 6-7

The team will play 10 games in May. We will give you a full report next month

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1st May 1876

The fans of the Red Caps have seen a slow start by their team. The team won only 3 games in April while losing 6. This left them 2 games behind the rest of the NL table as the other 3 teams all won 5 games to share the lead. The fans are hoping things will pick up next month.



The batting produced a fairly solid month as they scored 49 runs. The batter with the hot bat in the month was First Baseman Levi Meyerle. Meyerle started all 9 games and had 42 at bats. These at bats saw him collect 15 hits to produce an average of .357. He also saw his tally of runs scored increase by 3 and he batted in another 5 RBI's.

Bobby Mathews continues to be the starter again this season. He pitched all 9 games in the month of April and had a work load of 68.1 innings. His time on the mound in April saw him give up 82 hits and 24 earned runs for an unspectacular 3.16 ERA. The team gave up a total of 65 runs

Full pitching stats for April


Full batting stats for April


The Red Caps played 9 games in April
They started with a 1-2 series loss to the Chicago White Stockings. 5-6, 4-3 and 3-4
The second series saw another 1-2 loss, this time against the Brooklyn Atlantics. 8-16, 9-8 and 5-10
The final series of the month was another 1-2 loss against the Cincinnati Reds. 8-4, 4-7 and 3-7

The team will be facing 10 games in May and we will bring you all the news from these games next month.

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1st May 1876

The fans of the Atlantics are much happier with the start of the season their team has had this year. The team has managed to post 5 wins during April with only 4 losses. This has left them joint top of the NL Table along with the White Stockings and the Reds.



The batting went ballistic in April, scoring a whopping 88 runs. The batter who saw the best month was Roght Fielder John McMullin. McMullin managed to put bat on ball 19 time from his 45 at bats in 9 games started. This showed him an average of .422 and also saw him score 17 runs and 8 RBI's. The voters for the NL Batter of the Month award were impressed as they decided to give the award to McMullin.

The Brooklyn Atlantics have decided to go with another Rookie again this season as starter. They have opted to give Foghorn Bradley the starts. Bradley started all 9 games and pitched 72 innings. This work saw him give up 89 hits and 29 earned runs for a quiet first ERA of 3.63. The team gave up a total of 76 runs in the month.

Full pitching stats for April


Full batting stats for April


The Atlantics played 9 games in April
They started the month with a 1-2 series loss against the Cincinnati Reds. 10-15, 6-13 and 10-2
The next series against the Boston Red Caps finished with a win 2-1. Scores were 16-8, 8-9 and 10-5
The final series of the month was a second 2-1 win against the Chicago White Stockings. 12-9, 10-11 and 6-4

The team will be playing 10 games in May. We will give you a full review of these games next month.

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1st May 1876

The fans of the White Stockings are hoping that the teams start to the season is just a warm up for another run at the pennant. The team picked up 5 wins and 4 losses during April. This left them joint top of the NL alongside the Reds and the Atlantics.



The batting produced a solid 66 runs during the month. The batter that produced the best month was Catcher Deacon White. White has started the season how he finished the last. He started all 9 games and had 37 plate appearances. These appearances saw him hit the ball into open space 12 times. This gave him an average of .324 and also saw him score 9 runs and 5 RBI's.

Jim Britt continues to be the NL pitcher that all others are judged by. He started all 9 games in April and pitched 76 innings. This work saw him hit 90 times and give up 16 earned runs for an average of 1.89. These figures were good enough to again see him voted the Pitcher of the Month in the NL. The team gave up 50 runs in the month.

Full pitching stats for April


Full batting stats for April


The White Stockings played 9 games in April
The team started with a 2-1 series win against the Boston Red Caps. 6-5, 3-4 and 4-3
The next series was a 2-1 series win against the Cincinnati Reds. 4-6, 13-3 and 12-1
The final series saw a 1-2 loss against the Brooklyn Atlantics. 9-12, 11-10 and 4-6

The team will be playing another 10 games in May. We will give you a full round up of all the news next month.