OOTP historic rerun.

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1st January 1877

The fans are very confused with what the owner has been doing in the off season this year. After a season where the team finished third both the GM and Manager have been retained and handed extensions to their contracts. Manager Pedro Salinas signed a 3 year contract extension and GM Karl Bakewell signed a 2 year contract extension.

The player news was very quiet this off season as the main roster were retained as is.

Pitcher Bobby Mathews and Left Fielder Charley Jones were honoured at the awards dinner as they were both voted onto the NL defensive team of the year. This gives both of them a golden glove.

The team took part in the first year draft. The options were limited but the team still went and drafted 4 players in the first 3 rounds. The first round pick was spent on Pitcher Bobby Mitchell. The full draft log is shown below



All draftees were signed by deadline day.

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1st January 1877

The fans of the Atlantics were happy to see that after last season the front office has not had any changes this year. This quiet off season give the fans hope that there is something to build on this coming season.

The player news wasn't as quiet as the team traded away a fan favourite to try and progress towards the pennant.

Brooklyn traded First Baseman 28 year old Jim Carleton and 24 year old minor league Right Fielder Henry Renville to Cincinnati Reds in exchange for 34 year old Right Fielder Bob Addy. The fans are not sure if this was wise as Bob Addy is starting to show his age while Jim Carleton was in his prime.

The fans were upset to see the elder statesman of the Atlantics organisation, 41 year old Harry Wright, decide to hang up his cleats. Wright was a mainstay of the team between 1871 and 1874 as he picked up 168 games with 135 starts and managed 149 hits from 616 at bats for an average of .242. he will be missed as he was well respected by all his team mates. He spent the last 2 years as an unused replacement on the roster. (real life stats were 180 games with 816 at bats and 222 hits for an average of .272)

Also retiring this year is 35 year old Centre Fielder Marty Swandell. Swandell joined the club in the 1871 first year draft. He played a few games for the big club in 1872 and 1873 to show 23 games with 3 starts with 24 at bats and 9 hits for an average of .375. (real life stats 16 games, 64 at bats and 12 hits for an average of .188)



The award season was fairly fruitful for Atlantics players as Foghorn Bradley was honoured with the NL Rookie of the Year award.

Also being honoured were Short Stop Davy Force and Right Fielder John McMullin who both picked up Golden Gloves as they were voted onto the NL Defensive team of the year.

The draft pool this year was small at 22 players. The team decided to pick only 2 players in the first 2 round this year. The first round pick was used to get Second Baseman Harry Smith. The full draft log is shown below.



Both draftees were signed by the deadline.

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1st January 1877

The front office has been very quiet this year as the fans of the White Stockings lick their wounds after the MLB Championship Series loss. Manager Bruce Harvey was honoured again as he picked up another NL Manager of the Year award.

Their was some sad news for one of the youngsters within the White Stockings organisation after he was forced to retire without ever showing his true potential. 19 year old Centre Fielder John Bergh broke his knee cap playing for the single A affiliate of the White Stockings in April last year. He never managed to recover from this injury and the doctors finally gave him the bad news that his career was over at the end of the season. (real life stats 12 games and 46 at bats for 8 hits and an average of .182)

The playing staff on the main roster had an excellent awards dinner.



Jim Britt picked up the NL Pitcher of the year awarding



Catcher Deacon White Picked up the NL Batter of the Year

Deacon White was also voted to the defensive team of the year along with First Baseman Herman Dehlman to claim golden gloves

The team decided to only pick 2 players in the first year draft this year as their was very little on offer for them. In the first round they selected Catcher George Miller. The full draft log is given below



Both draftees signed by the deadline.

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1st January 1877

The fans of the Reds saw changes in the front office this year. GM Todd Bett was allowed to leave the organisation as his contract was not renewed. The Owner decided that a new direction was needed and opted to go with Gordon Thomas as the new GM. Thomas has no experience in baseball management but is very enthusiastic about the future of the Reds. The fans are not so sure the team should go with inexperience.

The new GM made himself felt very early on as he traded 34 year old Right Fielder Bob Addy to the Brooklyn Atlantics in exchange for 28 year old First Baseman Jim Carleton and 24 year old minor league Right Fielder Henry Renville. The fans are looking forward to see Carleton play as he has been putting good numbers up in his career so far.

The team saw 3 bit part players decide to retire this season.

36 year old Centre Fielder, Washington Fulmer decided that he was not going to make the roster this year so has hung up his cleats. He did not play any games in the MLB. (real lifestats 1 game and 4 at bats for 2 hits)

30 year old Catcher Andrew Thompson felt he was never going to make it into the starting line up and has decided to call a halt to his career. He never played a game for the organisation. (real life stats 11 games, 41 at bats and 4 hits)

The final player to decide his career is over was 29 year old Second Baseman George Keerl. Keerl never played for the main roster and decided that he was not going to make the roster this year. (real life stats 6 games and 23 at bats for 3 hits)

Their was some success at the awards dinner this year as Second Baseman Ed Somerville, Third Baseman Bob Ferguson and Centre Fielder Cal McVey all picked up golden glove awards as they made the defensive team of the year.

While their were very few players available in the draft this year the team went all out and selected 4 players in the first 3 rounds. The team had 2 first round picks and selected both First Baseman John Morrill and Right Fielder Mike Dorgan. The full draft log is shown below



All the players signed by the deadline.

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1st January 1877

Despite the team finishing last in the AL this year the owner decided not to make any changes to the front office.

The player movement was also very quiet with the only news being the fact that Right Fielder George Fields was selected to the AL defensive team for a golden glove award.

The team played its full part in the draft as they selected a player in each of the three rounds available. The first round pick was spent on pitcher Will White. The full draft log is shown below



The team failed to sign third round pick Live Oak Taylor. All other draftees signed.

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1st January 1877
The fans of the Athletics have hardly had any time to celebrate their MLB Championship Series win than their world was shaken up again. The first piece of news was that the successful manager Bill Lee has decided that his win is enough for his career and he has decided to retire. His replacement is Kyle Finley. Finley has one MLB Championship to his name but the last 2 or 3 years have not been so kind as he had a losing record with the Brown Stockings in both 1874 and 1875. He was also out of work during the 1876 season. The fans are not happy to lose Lee and are not impressed by his replacement. GM Louis Garcia was rewarded by the Owner for the success last season as he signed a one year contract extension.

If losing your esteemed manager wasn't bad enough for the Athletics fans they must also now find new seats in a new stadium as the owner decided to move the team from their home and relocate to the Oakdale Park stadium.

On the player front 36 year old Short Stop Charlie Smith decided to call it a day on his career. He joined the club at the inauguration of the MLB and spent all 6 years with the club. He played 52 games for the club with 32 starts, 30 of these in 1871. This saw him have 107 at bats along with 22 hits for an average of .206. (real life stats 14 games, 72 at bats and 19 hits for .264 average)

The awards ceremony seemed to be taken over by the Athletics players.



John Cassidy picked up both the Batter of the Year and the Rookie of the Year



George Bradley was voted the Pitcher of the Year

The following players picked up golden glove awards as they were voted to the defensive team of the year. Catcher Doug Allison, First Baseman Joe Start, Second Baseman Paul Hines, Third Baseman Andy Leonard and Short Stop John Peters.

The team took part in the first year draft but only managed to pick 2 players. The first round pick went on First Baseman Chub Sullivan. The full draft log is shown below



Both players signed by the deadline

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1st January 1877

After another tough season the fans of the Brown Stockings saw a shake up in the front office. The team decided to sack Manager Pat Brown and then promote bench coach Aaron Compton to the Manager position. While this is a strange move by the club, Aaron Compton is highly thought of and the fans hope he will turn the fortunes round.

Left Fielder George Hall and Centre Fielder Frank McCarton both won golden gloves as they were voted to the AL defensive team of the year.

The team took part in the first year draft. They selected 3 players in the 3 round available. The first round pick was Pitcher Laurie Reis. The full draft log is shown below.



All draftees were signed by the deadline day.

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AL Predictions for the 1877 season



NL Predictions for the 1877 season

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1st April 1877

Another season comes around and the fans of the Orioles are not sure what to make of their team this year. There was very little change in the playing staff that finished the last season and that worries them. The independent league assessors agree that the team are not what they once were as they seem them struggling to play .500 ball. They see the team finishing in third place with 27 wins.

The MLB will again be 60 games this season.

The GM and Manager have put the squad through their paces in pre-season and have decided on the following 25 for the opening day roster.

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1st April 1877

After last seasons struggles the fans of the Red Caps are hoping for a better season this year. The independent league assessors feel that the team still have the nucleus of a strong side and can see them pushing all the way for the pennant. They see the team winning 34 games and topping the NL table by 2 games.

There will be 60 games in the regular season again this year.

The GM and Manager have assessed all the players in the organisation and have come up with the following 25 players for the opening day roster.

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1st April 1877

The fans of the Atlantics are hoping that their team can produce a similar or better season to last year. The independent league assessors are not sure they are capable of that as they see the team slipping back to third place in the NL table with 29 wins.

The team will face 60 regular season games again this year as the MLB schedule is not changed.

The team has been working hard in pre-season training and the GM and Manager have selected the following players as the opening day roster.

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1st April 1877

The fans of the White Stockings are looking forward to another season and hope that their team will produce another pennant winning season. The independent league assessors are not sure they have quite the strength this year to win the pennant as they see the team falling to second place with 32 wins.

The MLB schedule will continue to be 60 games again this year.

The only off-season news that has affected the squad is that Short Stop Ross Barnes injured his shoulder throwing his alarm clock at the wall. This injury was assessed as a 4 week injury and he will miss at least the first 2 weeks of the season.

With this in mind the GM and Manager have selected the following players for the opening day roster.

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1st April 1877

The fans of the Reds are hoping that this season will bring a much better performance from their team than they saw last season. The independent league assessors are not of the same mind as they see a poor season from the Reds to finish bottom of the NL table with only 26 wins.

The MLB will be a 60 game league again this year.

The GM and Manager have run a close eye over all the players in pre-season and have selected the following 25 men to be the opening day roster.

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1st April 1877

After finishing bottom for the last 3 seasons the fans of the Blues are hoping their team can find a spark and make their season better. The independent league assessors don't see that spark happening as they see the Cleveland Blues being the worst team in baseball again this year. They see them finishing bottom of the AL table with only 22 wins.

The team will be playing in 60 regular games again this year as the MLB keeps its schedule the same.

The GM and Manager have run the rule over all the players available to them and have opted for the following opening day roster.

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1st April 1877

After last seasons heroics to win the MLB Championship Series, the fans will be hoping for the same again this season. The independent league assessors agree totally with the fans and see an easy AL pennant win for the Athletics. The will finish top of the league and win the title by 10 games according to the assessors.

The season will again consist of 60 games for the Athletics to play.

The GM and Manager have assessed the players during the pre-season and have selected the following 25 players for the opening day roster.

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1st April 1877

The Brown Stockings had a tough season last year and the fans are hoping for an improvement this year. The independent league assessors can see this improvement and feel the team will finish second in the AL table and win 31 games.

The team will be in action in 60 games again this season.

The GM and Manager are hopefully that the following 25 men will be the team to take them to the top.

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Standings after the April games

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1st May 1877

The fans of the Orioles saw a mixed month to start the season. The team managed to win 4 games and lose 5. This record saw the team sit in joint second place, along with the Blues and the Brown Stockings, 2 games behind the leading Athletics. There was also frustration for the fans as they saw injuries hurt the team in April



The batting saw 46 runs in what was an up and down month. The leading batter for the month was veteran Second Baseman Lip Pike. Pike continues to be the star with the bat as he picked up 13 hits from 37 at bats in 9 games. These hits saw him claim 5 runs and 8 RBI's for an average of .351

Charlie Hautz played 6 games for 7 this from 23 at bats and an average of .304 to earn the AL Rookie of the Month.

The pitching was a mixed bag during the month as 2 starters were used. The starter for the first half of the month was Cherokee Fisher. He played 4 games as starter and pitched 33 innings. He gave up 39 hits and 6 earned runs for an ERA of 1.64. Once Fisher picked up his injury he was replaced as starter by newly acquired Rynie Wolters. Wolters started 4 games and played in 5 for an ERA of 3.38 from 34.2 innings pitched and 13 earned runs given up. The team gave up a total of 38 runs.

There were changes to the playing roster during the month. Firstly Z H Taylor was placed on waiver at the start of the month. No other team claimed him so he was moved to the minor leagues.

The Orioles did add a new pitcher in the form of Rynie Wolters, who they claimed off of waivers from the Cleveland Blues.

Fraley Rogers missed half the month after picking up a knee contusion mid month and was put on 15 day injury list until recovered. He returned at the end of the month.

Cherokee Fisher picked up an injury mid month. He was diagnosed with inflammed shoulder and will be out for four weeks.

Full pitching stats for April


Full batting stats for April


The Orioles played 9 games in April
They started the season with a 2-1 series win against the Philadelphia Athletics. 9-5, 3-5 and 4-3
The next series saw a 1-2 loss against the Cleveland Blues. 3-4, 1-3 and 9-8
The final series of the month saw another 1-2 loss against the St Louis Brown Stockings. 4-5, 12-1 and 1-4

The team will be playing 10 games in May and we will give you a full news round up next month.

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1st May 1877

The Red Caps fans saw their team start the season with a fairly solid month for April. The team picked up 5 wins and 4 losses during the month. This solid record saw the team manage to pick up joint first place in the NL table. They share this place with the Brooklyn Atlantics and the Chicago White Stockings.



The batting had a solid month as they scored 62 runs. The star with the bat was Catcher Lew Brown. 2 year veteran Brown has played himself into the starter position this year and played all 9 games for 40 at bats. These at bats saw him connect 15 times for an average of .375. He also picked up 6 runs and 10 RBI's for the month. These figures earned him the NL Batter of the Month award.

The pitching has been shaken up this year as the team decided to go with a new starter this year. This year's starter is Tommy Boyd. Boyd has spent 3 years with the club as a reliever, but this year has earned the starters job from Bobby Mathews. Boyd started all 9 games and pitched 75 innings for an ERA of 1.32. He also gave up 64 hits and 11 earned runs. These performances saw him voted the NL Pitcher of the Month for April. The team gave up a total of 39 runs

The team decided to alter the roster slightly early in the month as they put John Sheppard, Jake Knowdell and Ed Atkinson onto the waivers. None of the players were claimed by other teams so all were assigned to the minor leagues.

Full pitching stats for April


Full batting stats for April


The Red Caps played 9 games in April
They started with a 2-1 series win against the Chicago White Stockings. 8-10, 7-5 and 9-4
The next series saw a 1-2 loss against the Brooklyn Atlantics. 2-6, 2-5 and 14-2
The final series of the month saw the team win 2-1 against the Cincinnati Reds. 8-1, 10-3 and 2-3

The team will be facing 10 games in May. A full report will be bought to you next month for these games.

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1st May 1877

The Atlantics fans were glad to see their team continue to feature at the top of the NL table. The team picked up 5 wins during the month of April while only losing 4. The team share the top spot with the Boston Red Caps and the Chicago White Stockings.



The batting was up and down during the month to pick up only 43 runs. The batter that stared this month was Centre Fielder Bill Crowley. Crowley has been with the Atlantics organisation for 2 years but has only played in the team for 6 months of that. He started all 9 games during the month and picked up 13 hits from 35 at bats. This earned him an average of .371 along with 5 runs and 2 RBI's. He was voted the NL Rookie of the Month for April.

Joe Blong has been selected to continues the starter on the mound this year. He started all 9 games and pitched 70.2 innings. This work saw him give up 82 hits and 26 earned runs for an ERA of 3.31. The team gave up 58 runs during the month.

The team made roster changes in April that saw a player leave. U Spencer and U Kavanagh were both put on waivers early in the month. U Kavanagh was not claimed and was sent down to the minors. U Spencer on the other hand was claimed by the Chicago White Stockings and left the Red Caps organisation after spending 5 seasons with them.

Full pitching stats for April


Full batting stats for April


The Atlantics played 9 games in April
They started the season with a 2-1 series win against the Cincinnati Reds. 2-4, 5-4 and 10-7
The second series of the month saw a 2-1 win against the Boston Red Caps. 6-2, 5-2 and 2-14
The final series of the month saw a 1-2 loss against the Chicago White Stockings. 6-1, 2-11 and 5-13

The team will be in action 10 times in May and we will bring you a round up next month.