The American Baseball League

[NYY #23]

Year 3 of Hall of Fame voting, and we'll have three players on the ballot, who retired in 1877. For the third to last year we'll have players appear on the ballot without the required 10 years, but we'll get to some more interesting players shortly.

Kevin Stroik - P, Cleveland Trolleys (1871-1872), Chicago Pirates (1873-1877)


Stroik was born in Jefferson, Virginia, and drafted by the Cleveland Trolleys in the inaugural draft in the 39th round. As a 32 year old Stroik filled a utility role in the bullpen for both the Trolleys, and later the Pirates. His 15-22 record with 7 saves and a 1.87 ERA made him a valuable member of the bullpen, long before bullpens were valued. Stroik was never a standout, and doesn't stand any chance of being the first player elected to the Hall of Fame.

Jason Lampkin - 1B, St. Louis Browns (1871-1877), Philadelphia Keystone (1874-1876)


Lampkin was a fifth round pick of the inaugural draft, and started for six seasons for the Browns from age 31 to age 36, and spent one season as a reserve. His career batting average of .306 and 219 RBI made him a better than average player, but not a great player.

The highlights of Lampkin's career included a World Championship, a 26 game hitting streak, and a 5-6 night against the Kansas City Blues.

Adam Pettet - SS/2B/1B, Milwaukee Broncos (1871-1877)


There are many parallels between Pettet and Lampkin, as they both were early round picks of the inaugural draft, entered the league in their 30's, and played their entire career for one team. Pettet had a career batting average of .303 and 231 RBI, while winning three Gold Gloves at shortstop, before moving over to second base, and later first base.

A six year starter before moving to the bench for his final season at the age of 40, Pettit was born in Derry, New Hampshire. Pettet never was elected to an All-Star team or won a World Championship, but was known as one of the best bunter's in the league. Pettet will be remembered for his defense on the field, and his hustle on the field.

Hall of Fame Voting Results
-------------------------------------
Adam Pettet - 0.6%
Jason Lampkin - 0.2%
Kevin Stroik - 0%

No player reached the required 5% of the vote to remain on the ballot. Next year we'll have a larger cast of seven players on the ballot, of a little higher caliber, but I'm pretty positive will include no Hall of Famers. I'm sure I started this too soon, but I'm enjoying taking a closer look at players who retired at least.

I haven't found the best way to report retired players, but in the next several draft classes we'll have four of the players coming up on the ballot that we've profiled and have retired, including my first two profiles, Joe Cox and Chris Price.

[NYY #23]

The top ten prospect list of 1883:

1) SP - Brain Wallace, 19, Boston Americans
2) SP - Jean L'Ecuyer, 22, Cleveland Trolleys
3) SP - Noah Wallace, 24, Philadelphia Keystone
4) MR - Josh Able, 23, St. Louis Browns
5) SP - Ed Collins, 22, Washington Capitals
6) SP - Bobby Hershman, 23, Boston Americans
7) SP - Kelly McNutt, 24, Boston Americans
8) SP - Rick Bierman, 23, Pittsburgh Rebels
9) SP - Steve Fitch, 20, Detroit Wolverines
10) SP - John Clarkson, 21, Philadelphia Keystone

For the 1883 amateur draft I'll be adding 14 players to the draft class, including two of my favorites from my Players League dynasty, Jersey Bakely and Toad Ramsey:
Oyster Burns
Jimmy McAleer
Bob Caruthers
Ed McKean
Doggie Miller
Patsy Tabeau
Joe Quinn
George Williams
Jack Clements
Toad Ramsey
Jersey Bakely

[NYY #23]

Standings


Season Notes


Evan Gardner of the Buffalo Bisons became the first pitcher in league history to collect 200 wins for his career.

The 37 year old is now 211-186 for his career.

World Series
For the eighth straight year a Western League team captured the World Series, with the St. Louis Browns capturing their second championship by knocking off the Pittsburgh Rebels in seven games.

Profile
This year we'll take a look at two Philadelphia Keystone pitchers, and the different paths they took to success

SP Kevin 'Piranha' Grossman - Philadelphia Keystone


Kevin Grossman was drafted in the first round with the 5th overall pick in the 1872 amateur draft by the Philadelphia Keystone and by 1874 was named the top prospect in baseball. The New Albany, Ohio native bounced between the #1 and #2 overall prospect in the yearly rankings until 1878, when he made his debut in Philadelphia going 2-1 with a 2.96 ERA. In 1879 Grossman won the Rookie of the Year award after going 10-13 with a 2.66 ERA.

Grossman made just 8 starts the following year, but returned to the rotation fulltime in 1881 and has won 13, 20, and 22 games respectively in each of the following years. In 1172.2 career innings, Grossman has won 70 games against 61 losses, and boasts a career ERA of 1.73. This season Grossman led the Eeastern league in ERA, VORP, hits and strikeouts per 9 innings, opponents AVG, and FIP, but lost out in the Pitcher of the Year award to his teammate in a controversial decision, despite besting him in every category except wins(24-22), losses(22-14), and games started (49-38).

The 28 year old has become a team leader, and one of the most popular players in Philadelphia, and his only comment to the slight was "I'm happy for Vince, he's a great pitcher."

SP Vince 'Puke' Davis - Philadelphia Keystone


With a nickname of Puke, you have to be good. Or at least you hope that you are good. Vince 'Puke' Davis was the first overall pick in the 1873 amateur draft, selected by the Minnesota Millers. In 1874 and 1875 he was named one of the top ten prospects in baseball, and was on the Minnesota Millers roster in 1878 when they won the World Series.

But the Millers grew sour on Davis, never letting him pitch in a major league game before releasing him in 1882. Davis no longer has the talent he once did, or the promise he once held, but when the Keystones offered him a second shot last December he jumped at the chance. The Keystones placed Davis in their rotation at the start of the year, and with an 8-3 record he earned Pitcher and Rookie of the Month honors. 'Puke' was selected to the All-Star team, and the awards continued all season, until he earned both the Rookie of the Year award, and the Outstanding Pitcher of the Year, the first time a player has won both awards in the same year. All of this as a 31 year old rookie. After a 24-23 season in which he posted a 1.86 ERA in 400 2/3 innings, 'Puke' got his second chance and succeeded. Nobody knows what his future holds, but after his shot of redemption and success, Davis will at least go down in the history books.

League Leaders
Batting Average:
Tom Billick, PIT .358
Mark DeWerff, KC .349
Mike Leck, WAS .348
Levi Meyerle, SYR .345
Dan Brouthers, BRK .344

OBP:
Sam Millie, MIN .423
Tom Billick, PIT .414
Mark DeWerff, KC .390
Dan Brouthers, BRK .385
Mike Leck, WAS .381

Hits:
Dan Brouthers, BRK 160
Levi Meyerle, SYR 158
Mark DeWerff, KC 153
Zachary Schrieber, CIN 149
Mike Leck, WAS 148

RBI:
Levi Meyerle, SYR 86
Dan Brouthers, BRK 85
Scott Compton, BRK 77
Bobby Gargus, STL 73
Justin Higgs, CLE 74
Alex Villacorta, PIT 73

Runs:
Caleb MacIntosh, BRK 110
Jared Simons, SYR 91
Mike Leck, WAS 90
Jim Fine, MIL 89
Jon Ebling, PIT 88

SB:
Travis Beveridge, KC 39
Jimmy Ridley, CHI 38
Jason Dean, CHI 34
Bill Kuehne, BUF 34
Bid McPhee, DET 28

ERA:
Kevin Grossman, PHI 1.51
Ben Sorrentino, BUF 1.51
Trent Silverman, STL 1.72
Chris Gilmore, STL 1.73
Bubba LaRosa, PIT 1.80

Wins:
Robby McBride, WAS 26
Trent Silverman, STL 26
Pud Galvin, BOS 25
Vince Davis, PHI 24
Nate Johnson, MIN 24

K's:
Mickey Welch, BOS - 224
Murilo Nabais, SYR 215
Mike Booker, MIL 213
Kevin Grossman, PHI 210
Charley Radbourn, CIN 171

Eastern League Awards
Outstanding Hitter:
Tom Billick - PIT (.358/.414/.484, 1 HR, 58 RBI, 47.4 VORP)

Outstanding Pitcher:
Vince Davis - PHI (24-23, 1.86 ERA, 400.2 IP, 151 K, 57.2 VORP)

Rookie of the Year:
Vince Davis - PHI (24-23, 1.86 ERA, 400.2 IP, 151 K, 57.2 VORP)

Western League Awards
Outstanding Hitter:
Bobby Gargus - STL (.298/.350/.468, 6 HR, 73 RBI, 32.8 VORP)

Outstanding Pitcher:
Trent Silverman - STL (26-18, 1.72 ERA, 381.1 IP, 163 K, 62.9 VORP)

Rookie of the Year:
Andy Boyack - DET (12-6, 1 SV, 3.11 ERA, 167.2 IP, 59 K, 5.3 VORP)

[NYY #23]

With the additional games almost all the season records were set. I expect they'll all get reset when we move to 162 games as well.

Season Batting Records Set
AVG: Tom Billick, PIT .358
SLG: Mike Leck, WAS .506
G: Jim Fine, MIL 107
R: Caleb MacIntosh, BRK 110
H: Dan Brouthers, BRK 160
TB: Jim Fine, MIL 223
1B: Mark DeWerff, KC 126
2B: Jim Fine, MIL 35
3B: Jim Fine, MIL 20

Season Pitching Records Set
SV: Paul DeThomas, CLE 6
GS: Charley Radbourn, CIN 53
HA: Charley Radbourn, CIN 486
HRA: Oyster Burns, CLE 17
K's: Mickey Welch, BOS 224

Milestone Watch
Travis Beveridge, KC - needs 3 SB to reach 400
Trent Silverman, STL - needs 11 wins to reach 200
Jamie Sadler, BUF - needs 15 wins to reach 200

Career Wins
1. Evan Gardner# - 211
2. Trent Silverman# - 189
3. Jamie Sadler# - 185
4. Nate Johnson# - 179
5. Chris Price - 173
6. Isaiah Scott# - 156
7. George Zettlein - 150
8. Bob Lahr - 147
9. Mike McCormick# - 147
10. Andy Gill# - 145

Career Strikeouts
1. Nate Johnson# - 991
2. Trent Silverman# - 932
3. Murillo Nabais# - 911
4. Charley Radbourn# - 898
5. Evan Gardner# - 826
6. Chris Price - 772
7. Isaiah Scott# - 763
8. Sean Wise# - 733
9. Mike Booker# - 681
10. George Zettlein - 677

Career Hits
1. Levi Meyerle# - 1344
2. Travis Beveridge# - 1312
3. Mike Leck# - 1262
4. Caleb MacIntosh# - 1240
5. Brian Cherry# - 1183
6. Josh Tidaback# - 1175
7. Andy Bigelow# - 1164
8. Justin Lewis# - 1160
9. Cody Albano# - 1132
10. Craig Schulenberg# - 1113

Career Runs
1. Mike Leck# - 810
2. Travis Beveridge# - 759
3. Levi Meyerle# - 734
4. Caleb MacIntosh# - 733
5. Brian Cherry# - 728
6. Andy Bigelow# - 703
7. Craig Schulenberg# - 676
8. Tony Andrade# - 663
9. Justin Higgs# - 663
10. Josh Tidaback# - 661

Career Home Runs
1. Levi Meyerle# - 27
2. Brian Cherry# - 25
3. Josh Tidaback# - 22
4. Travis Beveridge# - 19
5. Chris Daniel# - 19
6. Luke Hyler# - 17
7. Lip Pike# - 17
8. Mike Walker# - 15
9. Aaron Simonin# - 14
10. Dan Brouthers# - 13

Career RBI
1. Travis Beveridge# - 604
2. Brian Cherry# - 597
3. Levi Meyerle# - 590
4. Josh Tidaback# - 573
5. Mike Leck# - 548
6. Andy Bigelow# - 533
7. Jared Simons# - 515
8. Caleb MacIntosh# - 514
9. Justin Higgs# - 503
10. Justin Lewis# - 500

Stolen Bases
1. Travis Beveridge# - 397
2. Colby Lineberry# - 347
3. Justin Higgs# - 283
4. Ross Barnes# - 237
5. Roger Brower - 233
6. Mike Leck# - 225
7. Scott Wheeler# - 223
8. Josh Tidaback# - 220
9. Craig Schulenberg# - 213
10. Tony Andrade# - 212

[NYY #23]

Year 4 of Hall of Fame voting, and we'll have five players on the ballot, who retired in 1878. After this and the next Hall of Fame election we'll feature players that only meet the minimum of 10 years.

Jason McDonald - SP, Pittsburgh Rebels (1871-1878)


Jason McDonald was selected in the ninth round of the inaugural draft by the Rebels, and was selected to attend the first All-Star game. McDonald never was a consistent member of the starting rotation, but made 59 career starts for the Rebels and was 38-25 for his career with a 1.83 ERA.

Chris Cashen - C, Syracuse Stars (1871-1878)


The fifth round pick of the inaugural draft was selected by the Syracuse Stars, who made the 32 year old their starting catcher, a position he held for the next eight seasons. His first year was his best year, hitting .346 in 243 at bats. For his career Cashen hit .294 with 468 career hits, and 215 RBI.

Cashen was named Player of the Week once during his career, and was selected to the 1875 All-Star game.

Dave Clark - P, Philadelphia Keystone (1871-1878)


Clark was always a long shot as a professional athlete, being selected in the late, late rounds of the inaugural draft after a tryout in Baltimore. After the Keystones selected him, Clark quit his job and moved a couple hours north to the city of brotherly love to pitch for the Keystones with no guarantees of a starting job.

When injury struck, Clark got an opportunity to make four starts, losing them all despite a 1.38 ERA. Over the next four years Clark would get a chance to make 22 starts, winning 16 games and losing 6. When the Keystones made it to the World Series, they gave Clark an opportunity to start four games, and he won 3 of those starts with a 1.03 ERA and became a fan favorite in Philadelphia when they won the World Series.

From 1876-1878 Clark would make 20 starts per year for the Keystones, and pitch a few games in relief. Over his career Clark won 40 games and lost 47. His career ERA was 1.99. His improbable story led him to Philadelphia, where he got to live his dream for eight year.

Tim Massey - SP, Pittsburgh Rebels (1871-1872), Washington Capitals (1872-1876), Detroit Wolverines (1877-1878)


Massey was an eighth round pick by the Pittsburgh Rebels in the inaugural draft, and started 34 games as a 30 year old in Pittsburgh going 15-12 with a 2.74 ERA. After just 6 starts in 1872, the Rebels had seen enough and traded him to the Washington Capitals, where he bounced between the bullpen and rotation for the next four years before being traded to the Wolverines where he finished his career.

For his career Massey was 51-45 with a 2.03 ERA in 110 starts, and 133 games. Massey retired at age 37 following a shoulder injury.

Joe Dunbar - SP, Kansas City Blues (1871-1878)


Dunbar won two World Series titles with the Blues during his career, and had a 64-58 career record, and a postseason record of 3-1. His best season came in 1877, when he was selected to the All-Star game and went 17-6 with a 1.53 ERA, and won the Outstanding Pitcher of the Year award.

He decided to hang it up after 1878 when he made just 12 starts, and had trouble finding the plate, walking more batters in less than half the innings. The Blues brought Dunbar back as a coach, and following the Blue's World Series title, he told the team he had enough of the big city, and moved back home to La Vergne, Tennessee.

Hall of Fame Voting Results
-------------------------------------
Joe Dunbar 4.8%
Jason McDonald 4.8%
Tim Massey 4.2%
Chris Cashen 0.8%
Dave Clark 0.8%

No players receive enough votes to move forward.

[NYY #23]

The top ten prospect list of 1884:

1) SP - Brian Wolfe, 20, Boston Americans
2) SP - Toad Ramsey, 19, St. Louis Browns
3) SP - Jean L'Ecuyer, 23, Cleveland Trolleys
4) SP - Noah Wallace, 25, Philadelphia Keystone
5) MR - Josh Able, 24, St. Louis Browns
6) SP - Rick Bierman, 24, Pittsburgh Rebels
7) SP - Bobby Hershman, 24, Boston Americans
8) SP - Ed Collins, 23, Washington Capitals
9) 2B - Willie Garcia, 18, Chicago Pirates
10) SP - Jersey Bakely, 19, Brooklyn Wonders

For the 1884 amateur draft I'll be adding 13 players to the draft class:
Frank Grant
Bobby Lowe
Bill George
Abe Harrison
Michael Griffin
Billy Nash
Lou Bierbauer
Patsy Donovan
Bill Joyce
Jim Donnelly
Farmer Weaver
Bert Cunningham
Ben Sanders

[NYY #23]

Standings


Season Recap
There hasn't been a team with more wins than the Buffalo Bisons, who have gone 598-485 in their history, and appeared in seven playoffs, and six World Series. Unfortunately for the Bisons they have lost all seven World Series, leading many to believe that the Bisons are cursed. That curse traces back to 1872, when the Bisons Art Talbot with the first overall pick in the amateur draft, instead of hometown favorite Justin Higgs, who was selected second overall by the Cleveland Trolleys, much to the chagrin of Bison fans.

Higgs is in the midst of a long and successful career with the Trolleys, with one Batter of the Year award, and one World Series Championship under his belt, while Talbolt is out of baseball, released by the Bisons after never appearing in a game.

Fans of the Bisons, and proponents of the curse, point to their World Series failures as proof. The 1882 Bison team that finished with a 70-36 record, and could do no wrong in the regular season, and do no right against the 56 win Millers. The '81 Bisons who were swept in the World Series after dominating the Capitals, or the current Bisons, who after winning more games than any other team in baseball, were one out from winning their first World Series, before surrendering three runs in the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series.

Whether cursed, unlucky, or just outplayed, the Bisons have again proven that regular season success isn't enough to guarantee a World Series.

Trent Silverman of the St. Louis Browns became the second pitcher to win 200 career games, and then pitched a no hitter three starts later. Silverman pitched the first perfect game of the league in 1881, and has now pitched two of the four no hitters in the ABL.

Teammate Dean Tims won the WL Outstanding Hitter of the Year award while clubbing a record 13 home runs.

Chris Paisley of the Chicago Pirates became the sixth player to hit for the cycle.

World Series
The Bisons tried once again to break the Eastern League losing streak of eight World Series losses, but the Milwaukee Broncos refused to quit, coming behind to win Game seven 5-4, and the World Series. Mike Booker picked up 3 of the four wins for Milwaukee and posted a 0.89 ERA.

[NYY #23]

Profiles

LF Mark DeWerff - Kansas City Blues


Mark DeWerff was drafted in the 1875 amateur draft as the second player overall out of Kentucky Country Derby High School in Louisville, Kentucky. DeWerff was on the Kansas City Blues 1876 World Series Championship team, but didn't appear in a game until 1977 when he hit .287 in 20 games, where he won his second World Series in just his second year with the team. DeWerff has shown steady improvement each year, and led the league in batting average the past two seasons.

After moving from left field to right, DeWerff has captured a pair of Gold Glove awards. He has represented the Western League in six All-Star games, and the 27 year old has become a fixture on the league leaders. His .317 career batting average currently ranks 6th of all-time.

SP Mickey 'Smiling Mickey' Welch - Boston Americans

Only one team has ever lost 70 games in one season, or 600 games in the league, or never made the playoffs, so when the Boston Americans selected 'Smiling Mickey' Welch with their first pick in the 1878 amateur draft many wondered if Welch would lose his famous smile.

It hasn't been easy for Welch, becoming the first pitcher to lose 30 games in a season twice. The 25 year old has led the league twice in strikeouts, but his 35-63 record in 100 career starts is making people notice him for all the wrong reasons.

The Hall of Famer won 307 games in his career against 210 losses, but has a long way to go to come close to matching those totals, especially in Boston.

[NYY #23]

League Leaders
Batting Average:
Mark DeWerff, KC .349
Jeremy Cooke, SYR .343
Justin Higgs, CLE .324
Kent Glassburn, CIN .320
Dean Tims, STL .317

OBP:
Sam Millie, MIN .443
Dean Tims, STL .395
Jeff Whitehill, BAL .383
Dave Cooper, BUF .380
Jeremy Cooke, SYR .379

Hits:
Mark DeWerff, KC 156
Kent Glassburn, CIN 146
Levi Meyerle, SYR 141
Travis Beveridge, KC 140
Justin Higgs, CLE 139

HR:
Dean Tims, STL 13
Cody Cleary, MIL 9
Josh Tidaback, BAL 9
Jeremy Cooke, SYR 8
Justin Higgs, CLE 8

RBI:
Jim Fine, MIL 81
Scott Compton, BRK 78
Jeremy Cooke, SYR 76
Todd Grippando, MIN 75
Jimmy Ridley, CHI 75

Runs:
Jason Dean, CHI 104
Andy Bigelow, MIN 93
Kent Glassburn, CIN 91
Jim Fine, MIL 88
Dave Cooper, BUF 87

SB:
Jason Dean, CHI 46
Travis Beveridge, KC 43
Jimmy Ridley, CHI 35
King Kelly, CHI 34
Brad Lawrence, BOS 34

ERA:
Ben Sorrentino, BUF 1.42
Kevin Grossman, PHI 1.52
Julius Jones, PHI 1.53
James Wright, MIL 1.61
Tim Keefe, PIT 1.64

Wins:
Charley Radbourn, CIN 30
John Mazur, CHI 27
Robby McBride, WAS 26
Tim Keefe, PIT 25
Ben Sorrentino, BUF 25

K's:
Mickey Welch, BOS - 288
Kevin Grossman, PHI 264
Murilo Nabais, SYR 253
Ben Sorrentino, BUF 253
Mike Booker, MIL 250

[NYY #23]

The end of year awards brought a group of first time winners, including a 20 loss pitcher for pitcher of the year, and a 28 loss pitcher for rookie of the year.

Eastern League Awards
Outstanding Hitter:
Jeremy Cooke - SYR (.343/.379/.524, 8 HR, 76 RBI, 41.5 VORP)

Outstanding Pitcher:
Ben Sorrentino - BUF (25-13, 1.42 ERA, 343.0 IP, 253 K, 65.0 VORP)

Rookie of the Year:
Kelly McNutt - BOS (6-3, 1.51 ERA, 83.2 IP, 63 K, 15.0 VORP)

Western League Awards
Outstanding Hitter:
Dean Tims - STL (.317/.395/.500, 13 HR, 74 RBI, 49.4 VORP)

Outstanding Pitcher:
Charley Radbourn - CIN (30-21, 2.11 ERA, 435.1 IP, 187 K, 52.0 VORP)

Rookie of the Year:
Guy Hecker - MIN (18-28, 2.25 ERA, 412.2 IP, 160 K, 43.1 VORP)

[NYY #23]

Season Batting Records Set
OBP: Sam Millie, MIN .443
SLG: Jeremy Cooke, SYR .524
HR: Dean Tims, STL 13
BB: Sam Millie, MIN 89
K's: Logan Weaver, PIT 130

Season Pitching Records Set
W: Charley Radbourn, CIN 30
IP: Tommy Bond, CLE 437.0
HRA: Bob Lipinski, BAL 19
K's: Mickey Welch, BOS 288
HA/9: Julius Jones, PHI 6.69
K's/9: Kevin Grossman, PHI 7.70
VORP: Tim Keefe, PIT 73.3
Opp AVG: Julius Jones, PHI .197

[NYY #23]

Milestone Watch
Evan Gardner, BUF - needs 15 wins to reach 250
Nate Johnson, MIN - needs 16 wins to reach 200

Career Wins
1. Evan Gardner# - 235
2. Trent Silverman# - 209
3. Jamie Sadler - 185
4. Nate Johnson# - 184
5. Chris Price - 173
6. Isaiah Scott# - 166
7. Chris Gilmore# - 155
8. Dave Docter# - 154
9. Andy Gill# - 154
10. Mike McCormick# - 151

Career Strikeouts
1. Murillo Nabais# - 1164
2. Trent Silverman# - 1106
3. Charley Radbourn# - 1085
4. Nate Johnson# - 1014
5. Evan Gardner# - 935
6. Mike Booker# - 931
7. Sean Wise# - 926
8. Kevin Grossman# - 911
9. Isaiah Scott# - 891
10. Dan Maurer# - 772
11. Chris Price - 772

Career Hits
1. Levi Meyerle# - 1485
2. Travis Beveridge# - 1452
3. Mike Leck# - 1350
4. Caleb MacIntosh# - 1326
5. Andy Bigelow# - 1279
6. Josh Tidaback# - 1263
7. Justin Higgs# - 1250
8. Justin Lewis# - 1229
9. Craig Schulenberg# - 1225
10. Mike Starling# - 1201

Career Runs
1. Mike Leck# - 856
2. Travis Beveridge# - 845
3. Levi Meyerle# - 816
4. Caleb MacIntosh# - 804
5. Andy Bigelow# - 796
6. Justin Higgs# - 745
7. Craig Schulenberg# - 744
8. Brian Cherry# - 729
9. Tony Andrade# - 724
10. Josh Tidaback# - 717

Career Home Runs
1. Levi Meyerle# - 31
2. Josh Tidaback# - 31
3. Brian Cherry# - 25
4. Chris Daniel# - 23
5. Justin Higgs# - 21
6. Travis Beveridge# - 20
7. Dan Brouthers# - 19
8. Aaron Simonin# - 19
9. Todd Grippando# - 18
10. Luke Hyler# - 18
11. Dean Tims# - 18

Career RBI
1. Levi Meyerle# - 664
2. Travis Beveridge# - 663
3. Josh Tidaback# - 625
4. Brian Cherry# - 597
5. Mike Leck# - 587
6. Andy Bigelow# - 583
7. Jared Simons# - 575
8. Justin Higgs# - 560
9. Caleb MacIntosh# - 560
10. Tony Andrade# - 539

Stolen Bases
1. Travis Beveridge# - 440
2. Colby Lineberry# - 347
3. Justin Higgs# - 306
4. Ross Barnes# - 259
5. Tony Andrade# - 235
6. Roger Brower - 233
7. Mike Leck# - 231
8. Josh Tidaback# - 229
9. Craig Schulenberg# - 228
10. Scott Wheeler - 223

[NYY #23]

Before we begin year 5 voting I've made a couple of changes. I've increased the minimum career VORP to qualify for the ballot, to prevent me from scraping the bottom of the barrel. I needed some players to start the process, but I don't want to take a look at everyone, especially a group where nobody will get in. We'll still have a couple players each year though, and soon we'll be getting towards some more interesting cases. Maybe not Hall of Famers, but at least ones I can make a compelling case for. This will be the last year where players appear who don't meet the minimum 10 years in the majors.

Eric Davis - OF, Philadelphia Keystone (1871-1879)


Eric Davis was the fifth overall pick of the inaugural draft, and at 25 years old was one of the top "prospects" in the game. The Keystones made him a starter right away, and Davis responded by hitting .323 with a .347 OBP.

A four time All-Star, with a World Championship under his belt, Davis hit .311 for his career, and retired at the age of 33 from baseball after losing his starting job. His last season line of .425/.439/.500 in 40 at bats showed he may have still had some gas left in his tank. Davis was definitely a good player, maybe even a very good player, but certainly not a great player. His exit from baseball at an early age is troubling, as troubling as the fact that he was pushed out by a player named Bum-ho Lee.

Tim Roehrich - SP, Washington Capitals (1871-1876), Detroit Wolverines (1877-1879)


The 30 year old Roehrich was selected in the 14th round of the inaugural draft by the Capitals, where he spent 6 seasons, winning 44 games and a World Series ring before being traded to the Wolverines. At the ages of 36-38 Roehrich found a bit of success in Detroit, winning 13 games twice, and 19 games in his final year. In fact, Roehrich went out on top after arguably having his best season at the age of 38 going 19-10 with a 2.23 ERA in a career high 258 1/3 innings.

Roehrich reached the postseason five times, and his only award, a Player of the Week award, occurred the week before he announced his retirement. That's going out with a bang! For his career Roehrich won 89 games and lost 72 in 173 career starts.

Hall of Fame Voting Results
-------------------------------------
Tim Roehrich 4.8%
Eric Davis 4.0 %

Next year we'll feature what I believe is our best candidate to date.

[NYY #23]

The top ten prospect list of 1885:

1) SP - Toad Ramsey, 20, St. Louis Browns
2) SP - Brian Wolfe, 21, Boston Americans
3) SP - Jean L'Ecuyer, 24, Cleveland Trolleys
4) SP - Bobby Hershman, 25, Boston Americans
5) MR - Josh Able, 25, St. Louis Browns
6) SP - Ed Collins, 24, Washington Capitals
7) SP - Rick Bierman, 25, Pittsburgh Rebels
8) 1B - Willie Garcia, 20, Chicago Pirates
9) SP - Ben Sanders, 20, Baltimore Terrapins
10) SP - John Clarkson, 23, Philadelphia Keystone

For the 1885 amateur draft I'll be adding 19 players to the draft class. This period features a lot of familiar names from my Players League dynasty, so it is much harder to pare down the list of names:
Hugh Duffy
Kid Gleason
Billy Hamilton
Lave Cross
Herman Long
George Van Haltren
Mike Tiernan
Thomas Daly
Denny Lyons
Duke Farrell
Clarence Williams
Matt Kilroy
William Seldon
Jack Boyle
Eddie Burke
Harry Staley
George Stovey
Guy Weyhing
Pete Conway

[NYY #23]

Standings


Season Recap
Season number 15 is now in the books in the ABL. Apparently all I had to do was write about the Bisons curse to reverse the curse. The big story this year is the Bisons winning the World Series, and ending the Eastern League streak of World Championships. I was starting to get a little bit worried.

There were no milestones, or no-hitters, or long hitting streaks this year. Just a lot of new names that I've noticed this season, which is fun for me. A former Rookie of the Year winning his first Pitcher of the Year award at age 37. Cody Clearly winning the Hitter of the Year award, and a 26 year old, Mike 'Fang' Booker getting his 100th win this year, and his first Pitcher of the Year award.

On a personal note, I'm really enjoying the league so far, and having a lot of fun with it. Hopefully you are enjoying reading it. I don't quite know how to describe this league, mostly fictional with a good dose of "real-life" players each year? It doesn't look like one side of the "fictional" vs "real-life" has been dominating so far, and for me it has been fun to see some players develop, and other fail. And I'm enjoying following along with the fictional players as well, more than I thought I would. Hopefully I'm not watering down the talent too much by having too many good players in the league, but I'm having fun with it, so I suppose that is all that matters.

World Series
Up until this point a Buffalo Bisons game 7 in the World Series has been an adventure, but this year they knocked off the Cardinals 7-1 in Game 7 to capture their first World Series to become the first Eastern League Champion since 1875.

[NYY #23]

Profiles

CF Cody Cleary - Milwaukee Broncos


Cleary was the fifth player selected in the 1883 amateur draft out of Mississippi and made his debut later that year, going 41-165 for a .248 batting average in 36 games. The next year Cleary won both a Gold Glove and the World Series while hitting .242 with 71 RBI for the Broncos. Cleary showed some glimpses of the hitter he could be, and this season as a 25 year old he broke out in a big way, hitting .308 while driving in 62 RBI and scoring 82 runs on his way to the Hitter of the Year award. His defense in centerfield also earned him his second straight Gold Glove award. Cleary has great speed, leading the league in stolen bases, good plate discipline, and is well liked by his teammates. He's now moved into the upper echelon of players in the American Baseball League, and appears to have a bright future.

SP Robby McBride - Washington Capitals


It's been a long, strange trip for the 37 year old Ohio native in the ABL. I haven't mentioned him much, but McBride has been around the league since the beginning. The Washington Capitals made McBride the 12th overall pick in the amateur draft as a 22 year old back in 1871, and was among the top twenty prospects in baseball the next five years.

McBride was in the dugout when the Washington Capitals won the World Series in 1875, and finally got to make his major league debut in 1877 where he went 6-3 with a 1.78 ERA in 10 starts at the age of 28. But his opportunities were few and far between until 1879, getting just 15 starts in 1878. 1879 appeared to be his breakout year, going 20-15 with a 2.55 ERA in 37 starts while being selected to the All-Star game, but the Capitals began to lose faith, giving him the opportunity to make just six starts the next season.

It looked like McBride would spend the rest of his career as a spot starter, filling in whenever needed, but things started to change again in 1881 when he made 21 starts, went 15-6 and posted a 1.69 ERA. Both his innings (197, 358.1, 366.2, 409), and wins (15, 23, 26, 26, 30) have been on the rise each year. As a 36 year old McBride had his finest season, going 30-16 with a 2.20 ERA to capture the Pitcher of the Year award.

SP Mike 'Fang' Booker - Milwaukee Broncos


Mike Booker always seemed destined for success in baseball. He was the top pick in the amateur draft out of high school in Norfolk, Virginia, and the top prospect in the ABL for three straight seasons (1879-1881). Except being destined for success doesn't always translate to success in most cases. But Booker has made the most of every opportunity though, debuting in 1880 with a 8-4 record and 1.85 ERA, as the Broncos improved by 6 games and moved into second place. At 22 years old Booked would have a season he wouldn't forget, going 16-11 to help the Broncos win the World Series. Booker won 3 games that postseason for the Broncos.

Booker has been an All-Star every year since, going 19-16, 20-12, 22-14, and 25-11 this season. His next trip to the postseason resulted in a 3-0 record to go along with a 0.89 ERA en route to another World Series title. Booker won the Western League Pitcher of the Year award this season, and at 26 years old he has won 110 games for his career, against 68 losses. His career ERA stands at 1.93, and he has collected 1150 strikeouts in 1593.2 innings pitched. Booker has become not only one of the best young pitchers in the game, but one of the best overall pitchers in the game. His career VORP of 236.13 currently stands at 21st on the all-time career leaders, and is 13th among active players.

SP Josh Able - St. Louis Browns


Its hard to remember any rookie making as big of an impact as Able did this season. His 25-5 record, 1.57 ERA, 3 shutouts, and 27 complete games in 30 has turned many heads in the ABL. Albe has teamed up with Trent Silverman and given the Browns perhaps the best one-two punch in the league, and with Toad Ramsey ready to take a place in their rotation the Browns could be a team to watch for the next few years.

The first round pick from 1878 has been waiting eight years to get his opportunity to pitch in the big leagues, and he has made the most of it so far.

[NYY #23]

League Leaders
Batting Average:
Tom Billick, PIT .328
Adam Sobczak, SYR .315
Jeremy Cooke, SYR .315
Sam Millie, MIN .314
Justin Higgs, CLE .312

OBP:
Sam Millie, MIN .443
Tom Billick, PIT .420
Matt Safko, BAL .396
Cody Cleary, MIL .393
Mike Walker, CIN .376

Hits:
Tom Billick, PIT 133
Justin Higgs, CLE 132
Addison Trant, CIN 132
Kent Glassburn, CIN 130
Adam Sobczak, SYR 130

HR:
Sam Thompson, PHI 13
Dan Brouthers, BRK 10
Darryl Kile, DET 9
Chris Gilbert, CIN 7
Aaron Jacobson, STL 7
Devin King, BRK 7

RBI:
Devin King, BRK 93
Chris Gilbert, CIN 75
Sam Thompson, PHI 74
Todd Grippando, MIL 72
Mike Winkler, DET 66

Runs:
Mike Walker, CIN 87
Eric Evans, MIL 83
Cody Cleary, MIL 82
Scott Compton, BRK 82
Kent Glassburn, CIN 81

SB:
Cody Cleary, MIL 47
Tom Haas, DET 46
Tyler Benjamin, PIT 43
Jason Dean, CHI 38
Darryl Kile, DET 36

ERA:
Noah Wallace, PHI 0.94
Mike Booker, MIL 1.40
Josh Able, STL 1.57
Trent Silverman, STL 1.63
Pete Conway, BAL 1.68

Wins:
Robby McBride, WAS 30
Ben Sorrentino, BUF 27
Tommy Bond, CLE 26
Charley Radbourn, CIN 26
Josh Able, STL 25
Mike Booker, MIL 25

K's:
Mickey Welch, BOS - 261
Ben Sorrentino, BUF 221
Mike Booker, MIL 219
Tommy Bond, CLE 214
Kellly McNutt, BOS 197

[NYY #23]

Eastern League Awards
Outstanding Hitter:
Tom Billick - PIT (.328/.420/.452, 3 HR, 49 RBI, 45.1 VORP)

Outstanding Pitcher:
Robby McBride - WAS (30-16, 2.20 ERA, 400.1 IP, 178 K, 52.8 VORP)

Rookie of the Year:
Noah Wallace - PHI (15-2, 0.94 ERA, 163.0 IP, 116 K, 42.0 VORP)

Western League Awards
Outstanding Hitter:
Cody Cleary - MIL (.308/.393/.432, 5 HR, 62 RBI, 37.2 VORP)

Outstanding Pitcher:
Mike Booker - MIL (25-11, 1.40 ERA, 314.0 IP, 219 K, 69.6 VORP)

Rookie of the Year:
Josh Able - STL (25-5, 1.57 ERA, 275.0 IP, 152 K, 50.0 VORP)

[NYY #23]

Season Batting Records Set
RBI: Devin King, BRK 93

Season Pitching Records Set
W%: Noah Wallace, PHI .882
G: Dave Foutz, CHI 53
SHU: Tim Keefe, PIT 6
IP: Tommy Bond, CLE 442.0
HA/9: Noah Wallace, PHI 5.85
WHIP: Ross Long, BUF 0.89
Opp AVG: Noah Wallace, PHI .178
Opp SLG: Noah Wallace, PHI .232
Opp OPS: Noah Wallace, PHI .466

[NYY #23]

Milestone Watch
Travis Beveridge, KC - needs 90 runs to reach 1000
Mike Leck, WAS - needs 91 runs to reach 1000
Travis Beveridge, KC - needs 36 SB to reach 500
Evan Gardner, BUF - needs 14 wins to reach 250
Trent Silverman, STL - needs 18 wins to reach 250
Nate Johnson, MIN - needs 9 wins to reach 200
Murilo Nabais, SYR - needs 158 strikeouts to reach 1500

Career Wins
1. Evan Gardner# - 236
2. Trent Silverman# - 232
3. Nate Johnson# - 191
4. Jamie Sadler - 185
5. Isaiah Scott# - 176
6. Chris Price - 173
7. Charley Radbourn# - 173
8. Dave Docter - 167
9. Chris Gilmore# - 159
10. Robby McBride# - 157

Career Strikeouts
1. Murillo Nabais# - 1342
2. Charley Radbourn# - 1279
3. Trent Silverman# - 1269
4. Mike Booker# - 1150
5. Sean Wise# - 1082
6. Kevin Grossman# - 1068
7. Nate Johnson# - 1041
8. Isaiah Scott# - 1012
9. Evan Gardner# - 941
10. Robby McBride# - 909

Career Hits
1. Levi Meyerle# - 1572
2. Travis Beveridge# - 1569
3. Mike Leck# - 1437
4. Andy Bigelow# - 1384
5. Justin Higgs# - 1382
6. Josh Tidaback# - 1351
7. Caleb MacIntosh# - 1326
8. Craig Schulenberg# - 1306
9. Mike Starling# - 1293
10. Ross Barnes# - 1290

Career Runs
1. Travis Beveridge# - 910
2. Mike Leck# - 909
3. Andy Bigelow# - 852
4. Levi Meyerle# - 849
5. Justin Higgs# - 816
6. Caleb MacIntosh# - 804
7. Craig Schulenberg# - 793
8. Ross Barnes# - 791
9. Josh Tidaback# - 767
10. Tony Andrade# - 735

Career Home Runs
1. Levi Meyerle# - 33
2. Josh Tidaback# - 32
3. Dan Brouthers# - 29
4. Sam Thompson# - 27
5. Justin Higgs# - 26
6. Brian Cherry# - 25
7. Chris Daniel# - 25
8. Todd Grippando# - 24
9. Aaron Simonin# - 23
10. King Kelly# - 22
11. Dean Tims# - 22

Career RBI
1. Travis Beveridge# - 708
2. Levi Meyerle# - 697
3. Josh Tidaback# - 661
4. Andy Bigelow# - 629
5. Mike Leck# - 626
6. Jared Simons# - 623
7. Justin Higgs# - 611
8. Brian Cherry# - 597
9. Craig Schlenberg# - 564
10. Luke Hyler# - 561

Stolen Bases
1. Travis Beveridge# - 464
2. Colby Lineberry# - 347
3. Justin Higgs# - 325
4. Ross Barnes# - 272
5. Craig Schulenberg# - 238
6. Tony Andrade# - 237
7. Mike Leck# - 237
8. Josh Tidaback# - 235
9. Roger Brower - 233
10. Scott Wheeler - 223