MLHR: Major League Historical Replay... what if?

[darnoff]

Season Awards


Batter of the Year




Pitcher of the Year




Rookie of the Year




Fireman Award




Gold Gloves
P - Ed Morris, PIT
C - Buck Ewing, SFG (5th overall)
1B - Henry Larkin, PHI (3rd consecutive)
2B - Bid McPhee, CIN (2nd consecutive)
3B - Arlie Latham, STL (2nd overall)
SS - Jack Glasscock, PIT (4th overall)
LF - George Hall, PHI
CF - Jim Fogarty, PHI
RF - Sam Thompson, CIN (2nd consecutive - in only 2 seasons played!)

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by darnoff

Just curious, is anyone following a specific team?

Not yet. Give me a call in 69

[darnoff]

Originally Posted by canadiancreed

Not yet. Give me a call in 69

What's up JF? You won't even root for the Reds?

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by darnoff

What's up JF? You won't even root for the Reds?

JF? And I might follow along wit the Reds....for old times sake of course

[darnoff]

1887 Key Retirees


George Zettlein, SP, Phillies

George Zettlein was the Phillies #1 starter for a number of seasons. He won 20 games in 1877, the league's second season. He likely would have had more than his 115 wins if he had played for anyone other than the basement dwelling Phillies.




Dick Higham, RF, Dodgers

Higham was the Dodgers primary right fielder for his entire 8-year career. He was in the top 10 in batting average three of his first five seasons. He eventually lost his spot on the Dodgers club, perhaps too soon, as several young prospects hit the scene.

[darnoff]

1887 Rookies


Lave Cross, 3B, Age 21, Phillies

Cross is a nice, all-around talent. He hits for a solid average and puts the ball in play, rarely striking out. He has below-average speed, but plays good defense. He arrives at the right time as long-time third baseman Levi Meyerle (.281, 65 R, 60 RBI in 480 AB) turns 36 in July.




Mike Griffin, CF, Age 22, Dodgers

Griffin should fit into what was the Dodgers biggest offensive weakness nicely. For the past three seasons, defensive standout Pop Corkhill (.221, 29 R, 27 RBI in 294 AB) has led the centerfield platoon. Griffin solves that problem because he plays great defense in addition to his ability to reach base at a fast rate.




Ed McKean, SS, Age 23, Reds

McKean should provide an offensive upgrade for the Reds at shortstop. The biggest question is his defense, but their current shortstop Sam Wise (.251, 18 HR, 88 R, 55 RBI, 140 K in 514 AB) is also more known for his bat than his glove. Wise may see some time at short, but he will more than likely split time at first base with John Reilly (.248, 17 HR, 59 R, 60 RBI, 135 K in 480 AB).




Mike Tiernan, RF, Age 21, Giants

Tiernan is the top offensive prospect to sign this offseason. That's certainly not the first time the Giants have added the top hitter of the offseason. Once again, the problem is finding him a spot in the lineup. If he plays in his primary position, right field, where he is a defensive asset, the team will be forced to replace defensive standout Curt Welch (.216, in 301 AB) with current right fielder Dave Orr (.302, 23 HR, 83 RBI). While that would be a clear offensive upgrade, it would be a major defensive downgrade. Their other option is to move Tiernan to his second best position, left field, and unseat #2 hitter Tip O'Neill (.265, 115 R, 19 HR, 72 RBI, 28 SB). Whatever the Giants do will likely bring criticism, but they clearly need to get Tiernan in the lineup every day.




Tommy Tucker, 1B, Age 24, Braves

Tucker is one of the few exciting new players to join the Braves in recent memory. He will move right in at first base, replacing the platoon of aging veterans John Morrill and Jack Manning. The Braves need a lot more than Tucker, though, if they plan on getting out of the cellar.




George Van Haltren, CF, Age 21, Cubs

Van Haltren is the kind of young talent that the Cubs desperately need as their veteran roster continues to age quickly. "Rip" will compete for time in center field with incumbent George Gore (.282, 16 HR, 90 RBI, 99 R, 103 BB). Gore, who turns 31 in May, is one of only three regulars in the Cubs lineup under age 33. The Cubs also added a new young left field prospect Marty Sullivan (6-5-8-8-5 ratings, 8 defense, 5 speed). Van Haltren could also find himself competing with Sullivan for time in left field this season along with 33-year-old veteran Charlie Eden (.210, 13 HR, 71 RBI), who has really struggled since becoming a starter two seasons ago.

[darnoff]

1887 Preseason Predictions

The Dodgers are favored to repeat as league champs this season. They may now have the best offense around - depending on which Giants team shows up. The Dodgers' challenge will be to field a strong enough pitching staff to hold leads. They also need to play better defense. They are a team, similar to the Giants, who have sacrificed defense for hitting at some key positions.

Those Giants can hit as well, or better, than any team. Similar to L.A. though, they need to pitch consistently and improve on defense. The latter may be a tall order as they have decided to move below-average right fielder Dave Orr to center field in order to get rookie Mike Tiernan's bat in the lineup. Their bullpen is also a concern. Those reasons are why they are not predicted to finish closer to the Dodgers at season's end.

The Pirates are looking to get back on top after finishing four games behind the Dodgers last season. Their offense is solid, but there is some concern about an aging pitching staff that was once this team's heart and soul. For the first time, two-time PoY Jim Devlin will not be the team's opening day starter. The 35-year-old Devlin, who has won 19 games twice and 20 games three times, has shown his age this offseason. Taking over the top spot in the rotation will be 25-year-old Ed Morris, who went 16-11 with a 3.93 ERA last season. Personnel within the organization are high on Morris, but many people on the outside, including those in the media, are bemoaning the team's decision, feeling that Morris is not seasoned enough for the role. This just speaks to Pittsburgh's potential pitching concerns this season.

The Reds, Cubs and Phillies are all teams on the cusp of truly competing for the pennant. Chicago received a much-needed infusion of young players to their aging offense, but they have once again largely ignored their pitching staff. The Reds' Tony Mullane quietly won the PoY last season. He leads a staff that should be above-average, which could be all they need to compete if the offense plays up to its potential. One position to watch though is rookie closer Bill Smith, who anchors a solid bullpen. As for Philadelphia, their offense is in transition as younger players are slowly taking playing time away from aging veterans. Those kids must be impactful for this team to finally post their first winning season. The pitching staff is strong, but the bullpen is a concern.





MLB results for 1887

Champs: Detroit Wolverines (Reds), (79-45, .637)

Batting Title: Sam Thompson, DTN, .372
OPS+: Dan Brouthers, DTN, 169
AB/HR: Billy O'Brien, WHS, 23.8
RBI: Sam Thompson, DTN, 166
Runs: Dan Brouthers, DTN, 153
SB: Piggy Ward, NYG, 111

ERA+: Dan Casey, PHI, 147
Win%: Pretzels Getzien, DTN, .690
WHIP: Tim Keefe, NYG, 1.124
K/9: Mark Baldwin, CHC, 4.419 (rookie!)

[darnoff]

Mid-Season Report

It has been another competitive season so far with several teams having led in the standings at one point or another. The Dodgers currently lead, and they have seen the most time on top, but there are five other teams within 3 games of them. They are winning as a team too because there are few statistical standouts on the team. As a matter of fact, they rank 3rd or worse in most major team categories with the exception of stolen bases (1st) and home runs (2nd). Leadoff hitter Monte Ward was among the batting race leaders until mid May. He is now hitting .287, but his 40 stolen bases put him on pace to break his own single season record for the 5th time.

The Pirates pitching rotation has passed the test so far this season. They have allowed the fewest runs of any team, and Ed Morris has silenced his critics. He has a 10-6 record and 2.81 ERA in the #1 spot. On the flip side, Jim Devlin has performed worse than expected with a 3-7 record and a 6.20 ERA just two seasons removed from back-to-back PoY awards. The Pirates need him to get back on track in order to win the pennant. It is also worth noting that he is 8 wins away from 200.

Speaking of 200 wins, the Cubs' Al Spalding is sitting at 199 at the halfway point. After a few down seasons, he is making a comeback at age 35. He is 10-4 and leads the league with a 2.62 ERA. The Cubs as a whole are doing well. They have the best bullpen ERA and second best starters' ERA in the league. Their offense is also producing. They have the best batting average and OBP in the league. That sounds like a recipe for a pennant to me!

The Giants continue to score the most runs in the league, but their pitching staff is imploding. It is a miracle they have won as many games as they have. Or perhaps they are lucky that no other team is performing well enough to run away with the pennant.

The top six teams are rounded out by the up-and-coming Phillies and Reds. The Phillies rotation has been outstanding and leads the league in ERA, but their bullpen has been sorry at times. Their offense also has not quite put it together. They have scored the 2nd fewest runs in the league. The Reds have scored the 2nd most runs in the league and their pitching staff is ranked 4th. Their defense has been poor at times though. Rookie closer Bill Smith has more than held his own at this point, posting a 2-3 record and 12 saves with a 2.05 ERA.


Standings



Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders

[darnoff]

Season Wrap-up

The defending champion Dodgers went 14-16 in August and then dropped 11 of their first 15 in September to fall out of contention. Their starting rotation was the main reason for their struggles. No starting pitcher had an ERA below 4.00. The bullpen, though, was dominant when they got a lead. They posted a league-best 3.20 ERA, led by closer John Cattanach's 30 saves and impressive 0.92 ERA in 59 innings.

With L.A.'s struggles, the Cubs took control of first place. However from September 23-25, they dropped 2-of-3 to the 2nd place Pirates in Pittsburgh. That limited the Cubs' lead to 2 games with a week remaining in the season. The Pirates went on to sweep the Phillies in Pittsburgh while the Cubs won 2-of-3 at home against the Dodgers. So with just 3 days left, the Cubs' lead had shrunk to one game.

On the final day of September, both teams would lose their matchup - the Cubs lost 5-3 at home versus the Giants while the Pirates dropped their game 3-1 on the road in St. Louis. On the following day, Pittsburgh's new ace Ed Morris was lit up for 5 runs in 4 innings as the Pirates again lost to the Cardinals, this time 9-2. Meanwhile in Chicago, the Cubs took a 7-3 lead into the 7th inning. Cubs starter Jocko Flynn was not sent back to the mound in the 7th, instead replaced by reliever Joe Brown. Brown would cough up 4 runs on 3 hits and a walk in 1/3rd of an inning, including a 2-run homer to Giants' third baseman Roger Connor.

The game remained tied 7-7 in the bottom of the 9th, so the Giants sent out closer Myron Allen (3-6, 33 Sv, 2.21 ERA). Rookie George Van Haltren led off the inning with a single. Defensive replacement Bill Kreig followed with another single, but Van Haltren was thrown out while trying to advance to 3rd. However, the Cubs added another single off Allen from shortstop John Peters, and then slumping outfielder Charlie Eden was sent to the plate as a pinch hitter for the pitcher's spot in the rotation. The 33-year-old Eden, a powerful hitter, stepped to the plate with 203 career home runs on his resume, but he was hitting just .218 on the season and had been relegated to a backup role all year. But this was Eden's day. On the very first pitch from Allen, the left-handed Eden sent the ball 390 feet over the right-center field fence for a 3-run homer, winning the game and clinching the pennant for Chicago for the first time in 7 seasons.

In other news, Cubs second baseman Ross Barnes led the league with 232 hits and won his first batting title in 6 years with his .336 average. Meanwhile, Giants rookie Mike Tiernan hit .287 with 30 home runs and led the league with 120 runs and 87 walks. Dodgers shortstop Monte Ward stole 71 bases, just short of setting a new record. But unfortunately, Braves centerfielder John O'Rourke broke his own record for strikeouts from the 1881 season with 201 K's - the first time anyone has ever struck out over 200 times.


Standings




Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders

[darnoff]

Season Awards

There were some interesting results in the various award races, many of which were very close. Dan Brouthers edged out Cincinnati's Sam Thompson (.300, 30 HR, 108 RBI) for his 6th BoY. Ed Morris silenced his critics - for now - by winning the PoY in his first season atop the Pirates' vaunted rotation. John Cattanach narrowly edged out Pittsburgh's Will Sawyer (8-4, 32 Sv, 1.82 ERA) and San Francisco's Myron Allen (3-6, 33 Sv, 2.21 ERA) for the Fireman's Award. There were also several very close races in the Gold Glove categories, including first base where the Cubs' Cap Anson showed he's still got it at age 35, winning his first Gold Glove since 1880.


Batter of the Year




Pitcher of the Year




Rookie of the Year




Fireman Award




Gold Gloves
P - Mickey Welch, SFG
C - Buck Ewing, SFG (6th overall)
1B - Cap Anson, CHN (4th overall)
2B - Hardy Richardson, STL (4th overall)
3B - Billy Nash, ATL (2nd overall)
SS - Jack Glasscock, PIT (5th overall)
LF - Tip O'Neill, SFG
CF - Jim Fogarty, PHI (2nd consecutive)
RF - Jimmy Ryan, CHN

[darnoff]

1888 Key Retirees


Cal McVey, C, Cubs

McVey was the Cubs #1 catcher for most of his career. He won one Gold Glove and had a respectable career at the plate, hitting .284 and collecting 1666 hits. In his heyday, he was considered the top catcher in the league.







Ezra Sutton, SS, Phillies

Sutton was a natural third baseman, but he was forced to play shortstop by the presence of Levi Meyerle on the team. Sutton posted a .258 lifetime batting average along with 1728 hits.







George Wright, SS, Braves

Wright's career batting stats may appear mediocre, but he hung around with the Braves for many seasons due to his glove. He won the first five consecutive Gold Gloves at shortstop from 1876-1880. He would have won more had his bat been able to keep him in the lineup everyday.

[darnoff]

1888 Rookies

This impressive rookie class features no less than 4 Hall of Famers! There was also an incredible influx of over 20 new pitchers into the league. Most of them were the 2 to 3 star variety, but several teams will benefit significantly, especially in the bullpens.


Jake Beckley, 1B, Age 21, Pirates

For most of their history, the Pirates have not had a top-tier hitter at first base. That changes now that Beckley is on board. He will improve their above-average offense as the team looks to capture another pennant after back-to-back second place finishes.




Cupid Childs, 2B, Age 21, Phillies

Childs is the first of many impressive additions to the Phillies roster this offseason. He replaces Dummy Hoy at second. It was not Hoy's primary position, and Childs plays excellent defense. He gets on base a lot and rarely strikes out. He may find himself leading off.




Ed Delahanty, LF, Age 21, Phillies

Big Ed is the most impressive hitter to join the league since 6-time BoY Dan Brouthers joined the Giants in 1879. Despite his superior defense in left field, Delahanty's career will likely begin in right due to the fact that George Hall (.287, 14 HR, 65 RBI) is a fixture in Philly and he has anchored left field since the inaugural 1876 season.




Hugh Duffy, CF, Age 22, Cubs

The addition of Duffy will likely move George Gore (.270, 22 HR, 66 RBI) into a backup role in CF and at 1B a bit prematurely. Not only is Duffy a fine offensive specimen, but he has better speed than Gore and is a slight defensive upgrade.




Billy Hamilton, CF, Age 22, Phillies

Next to Ross Barnes, I must admit that Hamilton is my favorite pre-1900 player. His impressive MLB stolen base total (914 total and 100 in a season 4 times) and career .344 average set him above most players of his day. He will bat second in the Phillies lineup behind fellow rookie Childs. He is also replacing Jim Fogarty (.231, 16 HR, 55 RBI, 55 SB) in center, a light hitter with incredible speed and winner of the past two Gold Gloves. Due to his offensive skills, Hamilton will still be a big upgrade.




Dummy Hoy, CF, Age 24, Dodgers

Hoy is a talented hitter with a fine ability to get on base. He also plays good defense and possesses good speed. However, he finds himself in a loaded lineup and will likely split time with last year's rookie Mike Griffin (.269, 9 HR, 84 R).




Ben Sanders, SP, Age 23, Phillies

Sanders improves a pitching rotation that was already one of the best in the league. His presence, along with that of fellow rookie Kid Gleason (5-7-7 ratings), also improves one of the worst bullpens in the league by moving former rotation-mates Hardie Henderson (13-14, 4.68 ERA) and "Bollicky Bill" Taylor (15-10, 3.60 ERA) into relief roles. Henderson will take over as closer and yet another rookie, Gus Weyhing (5-7-7 ratings) will become his setup man.




Walt Wilmot, LF, Age 24, Dodgers

Wilmot is an upgrade for the Dodgers. He takes over in left field, moving Oyster Burns to right, where he is more comfortable. That move forces Bob Caruthers (.267, 14 HR, 58 RBI) into a bench role. Burns will be a slight downgrade over Caruthers defensively in right, but Wilmot is a big upgrade defensively in left and he has better speed and slightly more power than Caruthers.

[darnoff]

1888 Preseason Predictions

This season could see an epic fight to the finish because we have 4 of the most loaded teams I have seen in a single season. The Cubs are coming off winning the pennant, and in the offseason they finally added some pitching which will only make them stronger. Gus Krock (6-5-8 ratings) and Dad Clarke (4-7-8 ratings) fill out the rotation. Former starter Larry Corcoran, who has been in the top 7 in the league in K's per 9 innings for each of the past 8 seasons, moves into the closer's role where he is expected to thrive. The Cubs also added Frank Dwyer (4-7-8 ratings) to their bullpen. Hall of Famer Hugh Duffy will bat third in the lineup, prompting the team to move George Van Haltren to shortstop, a position he has barely played, in order to keep his bat in the lineup.

The Dodgers further solidified their lineup with the additions of Walt Wilmot and Dummy Hoy. However, their pitching staff may be their downfall and they may fall to 4th place as the Pirates and Phillies have made additional improvements.

First, the Pirates made a major upgrade at first base with Hall of Famer Jake Beckley. They also added Harry Staley (5-6-8 ratings) to a pitching rotation that was already one of the best in the league. That move, and the addition of rookie Red Ehret (4-7-7 ratings) will subsequently improve the bullpen as well.

So the Pirates should contend all season long, but most eyes will be on the up-and-coming Phillies. They had the biggest offseason since the Giants added four Hall of Famers in 1880. The Phillies offseason was mediocre last season and their bullpen was poor. Both have been upgraded with some major talent, particularly the offense. They added two hitters with .340 career MLB averages, one a top of the lineup hitter who should steal 70+ bases a year in Billy Hamilton and the other a middle of the order monster who projects to hit well over .300 with 35+ home runs in Ed Delahanty. And don't forget on-base machine Cupid Childs will now bat leadoff ahead of both of them.

The Giants failed to address their pitching concerns, and the Reds did little to upgrade their team. So both are expected to struggle to finish above .500





MLB results for 1888

Champs: New York Giants, (84-47, .641)

Batting Title: Cap Anson, CHC, .344
OPS+: Roger Connor, NYG and Cap Anson, CHC, 176
AB/HR: Jimmy Ryan, CHC, 34.3
RBI: Cap Anson, CHC, 84
Runs: Dan Brouthers, DTN, 118
SB: Dummy Hoy, WHS, 82

ERA+: Tim Keefe, NYG and Ben Sanders (rookie!), PHI, 156
Win%: Tim Keefe, NYG, .745
WHIP: Tim Keefe, NYG, 0.937
K/9: Tim Keefe, NYG, 6.942


Milestone Watch

Who will be the first to hit 400 home runs, Anson or Jones? Anson also looks to be the first to 1500 RBI. And after Al Spalding became the first to 200 wins last season, it looks like both Devlin and Cummings could join him.

George Hall, PHI - 2326 hits
Cap Anson, CHN - 387 home runs
Charley Jones, CIN - 381 home runs
Cap Anson, CHN - 1421 RBI
Monte Ward, LAD - 587 steals
Jim Devlin, PIT - 198 wins
Candy Cummings, LAD - 182 wins

[darnoff]

Mid-Season Report

This season has not begun how most people expected. The Dodgers lost their first 7 games of the season and 15 of their first 20. They hovered around the bottom of the league for the first two months or so, but they finished June by winning 16 of their final 22. The question now is can they dig out of the hole they have dug for themselves.

Teams, such as Atlanta and St. Louis, that were expected to do poorly, as well as the Giants, who many thought would struggle to have a winning record, spent a great deal of time at or near the top of the standings so far. The Braves have come back down to earth thanks to their current 9-game losing streak. The Cardinals had a poor June as well and have dropped below .500. But the Giants have stood tough and currently sit tied for first with the Phillies.

As expected, the new additions in Philadelphia have made an enormous impact. The team has the #2 offense and #1 overall pitching staff, despite the worst bullpen in the league. Closer Hardie Henderson started the season well but has struggled in June. However, the team really has no one to replace him, so much of their title hopes rest on his ability to secure leads late in games. Rookie centerfielder Billy Hamilton leads the league with a .340 average. He also leads in OBP and stolen bases (with 47 at the halfway mark!). Fellow rookie Ed Delahanty leads the league with a .980 OPS. He also leads with 23 doubles and is 4th in the batting race at .321. I should also mention that fellow Phillies rookie Cupid Childs leads the league with 55 walks and rookie pitcher Ben Sanders leads the league with a 1.08 WHIP!

The defending champion Cubs have been the biggest disappointment so far. They were expected by many - myself included - to be even better than last season's title winner. However, they find themselves in last place, 7 games below .500 and 9.5 games off the lead. They have struggled in nearly every category, but their primary shortfall so far has been defense and their ability to score runs. Their offense is 4th in batting average, home runs and steals and yet they are last in runs scored.

On another note, Cincinnati's Charley Jones is just one home run from becoming the first batter to hit 400, despite the fact that he began the season 6 home runs behind Chicago's Cap Anson. So far this season, Jones is hitting a respectable .250 with 18 homers and 54 RBI for the Reds while Anson is hitting .248 with 8 longballs and 37 RBI. This is particularly disturbing to Cubs fans because, while Jones is a career .258 hitter, Anson has a .290 career average and has been known for many years as an RBI machine. In fact, Anson is also the all-time leader in RBI and was expected to eclipse the 1500 mark this season. He is currently 42 RBI from reaching that milestone.


Standings




Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders

[darnoff]

Season Wrap-up

Only 8 days into the second half of the season, the Phillies completed a 4-game sweep of the Giants, with whom they had been tied with in first place, and found themselves with a 6-game lead. The team never looked back as they went on to not only post their very first winning season but to win 101 games, a 20-game improvement over last season, and finish 18 games ahead of the 2nd place Pirates.

Phillie rookies dominated the headlines. Ed Delahanty beat out fellow rookie teammate Billy Hamilton in the batting race by mere percentage points. Delahanty hit .3224 to Hamilton's .3219. Delahanty (.322, 26 HR, 120 RBI, 87 R, 23 SB) also led the league in SLG, OPS and RBI while Hamilton (.322, 15 HR, 78 RBI, 119 R, 109 BB, 92 SB) led the league in OBP, WAR and Runs and set a new league record with 92 stolen bases. Hamilton tied another Phillies rookie, Cupid Childs, for the league lead with 109 walks.

Cincinnati's Charley Jones became the first player to hit 400 home runs, finishing with 410. Chicago's Cap Anson had a miserable season by his standards, hitting just .227 with 11 HR and 63 RBI. He finished short of both the 400 HR and 1500 RBI marks. Pittburgh's former ace Jim Devlin scuffled again this season, finishing 11-14 with a 4.58 ERA, but he did manage to record his 200th win. He stands at 209-139 on his career with a 3.09 ERA. All-time wins leader and the only other member of the 200-win club, Al Spalding of the Cubs, had a second consecutive strong season (15-7, 3.96 ERA) after a few sub-par campaigns. He is now 221-112 on his career with a 3.18 ERA.


Standings




Batting Leaders




Pitching Leaders

[darnoff]

Season Awards

While Ed Delahanty stood out this season as only the second player in history to win both the Batter and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season, there were several standout seasons had by rookies, so I feel it is only right to share them all with you.


Billy Hamilton, CF, Phillies: .322, 146 OPS+, 187 H, 15 HR, 78 RBI, 119 R, 109 BB, 92 SB
Jake Beckley, 1B, Pirates: .303, 139 OPS+, 193 H, 38 2B, 21 HR, 102 RBI, 94 R
Hugh Duffy, CF, Cubs: .282, 138 OPS+, 164 H, 28 HR, 100 RBI, 101 R, 82 BB, 21 SB
Cupid Childs, 2B, Phillies: .267, 103 OPS+, 163 H, 56 RBI, 100 R, 109 BB, 17 SB


Kid Gleason, SP, Phillies: 15-8, 3.53 ERA, 116 ERA+, 127 K, 59% QS, 1.18 WHIP
Ben Sanders, SP, Phillies: 17-11, 3.86 ERA, 106 ERA+, 162 K, 53% QS, 11 CG, 1.14 WHIP


Also worth mentioning:
Dad Clarke, Cubs: 12-16, 4.04 ERA
Harry Staley, Pirates: 11-14, 4.34 ERA
Gus Krock, Cubs: 15-13, 4.57 ERA
Kid Madden, Braves: 14-13, 4.57 ERA




Batter and Rookie of the Year




Pitcher of the Year




Fireman Award




Gold Gloves
P - Charlie Buffington, ATL
C - Jocko Milligan, LAD
1B - Perry Werden, STL
2B - Danny Richardson, SFG
3B - Ned Williamson, PIT (3rd overall)
SS - Jack Glasscock, PIT (6th overall)
LF - Tip O'Neill, SFG (2nd consecutive)
CF - Billy Hamilton, PHI (rookie!)
RF - Mike Tiernan, SFG

[darnoff]

1889 Key Retirees


Tricky Nichols, SP, Braves

Nichols was talented, as you can see from his career 108 ERA+, but he did not have the benefit of a talented offense behind him, particularly in the second half of his career. His 1876 and 1879 seasons were his best.

[sprague]

Like seeing your replay. I do the same thing when I play a historical game. Try to modernize all the years, have 4-5 man rotations, play real stats with 1.000 ballpark factors - and only recently have I found "tricks" in the modifiers that were making it work more proper.

Since you are doing the same thing, want to ask a few questions about it, perhaps you have found a solution for some things far better than I have come up with.

Are you using regular DB or the spritze DB? Recalc or open development? Since you have fictional players, obviously "retire in real year" is off.

How are you handling when a young player plays his final season but was terrific, say Bill Keister in 1903, then w no more stats to recalc, the game keeps him at .320 average and he stays a star till 42 or 43? Are you hand altering all these kinds of players, or letting them play which can play havoc with the league stats.

ps- edit- just re read first post that says you are manually editing players at age 35. What "hit" are you giving them? Is that a lot of work year by year to do that or only 10 min or so- Because that is an idea I could work with.

With league stats are you choosing a year each pre season to convert "modernize" to, or are you using a formula to hand change the modifiers? I had to devise whole forumla, so maybe you are doing something much easier.


Curious to hear what you are doing.

Cheers

[darnoff]

1889 Rookies



Bug Holliday, CF, Age 21, Reds

Holliday is a sight for sore eyes in Cincinnati as several of their top offensive performers are aging and seeing their production decline. Holliday will jump right into the starting role in centerfield and probably bat 3rd or 4th in the lineup alongside King Kelly.




Sadie McMahon, SP, Age 21, Dodgers

McMahon comes along as the Dodgers find themselves desperate for improvements in their pitching staff. He could very well be their ace this season or next.




Amos Rusie, SP, Age 17, Cardinals

Rusie, a MLB Hall of Famer, pitched nearly his entire career with the Giants. Not so in MLHR, due to the fact that his first season was played elsewhere. He is a nice addition for the struggling Cardinals, although they need offense more than pitching. The question is whether or not Rusie can perform up to his HoF expectations. Fellow MLB HoF'er Old Hoss Radbourn has not fared as well as hoped for the MLHR Cardinals. He has a career 121-120 record and 4.10 ERA after nine seasons, despite lofty ratings.

[darnoff]

Originally Posted by sprague

Like seeing your replay. I do the same thing when I play a historical game. Try to modernize all the years, have 4-5 man rotations, play real stats with 1.000 ballpark factors - and only recently have I found "tricks" in the modifiers that were making it work more proper.

Since you are doing the same thing, want to ask a few questions about it, perhaps you have found a solution for some things far better than I have come up with.

Are you using regular DB or the spritze DB? Recalc or open development? Since you have fictional players, obviously "retire in real year" is off.

Thanks. I'm glad you're enjoying it.


I'm using the standard db that comes with the game, which requires a lot of manual editing on my part. I have development turned off, so yes I manually edit them at certain ages. That part takes about 30 minutes or so, but it's worth it for me.

How are you handling when a young player plays his final season but was terrific, say Bill Keister in 1903, then w no more stats to recalc, the game keeps him at .320 average and he stays a star till 42 or 43? Are you hand altering all these kinds of players, or letting them play which can play havoc with the league stats.

I edit all rookies. For batting average and most pitching stats, I go off their career stats (for pitchers it's H/9, K/9, HR/9 and BB/9). For hitters' doubles, triples homers, walks K's, I look at their 162-game average.


But in order to do this correctly, you have to know what the average result was for those stats in that era. For me, someone who performed right at the league average over their career would be rated a 6.

ps- edit- just re read first post that says you are manually editing players at age 35. What "hit" are you giving them? Is that a lot of work year by year to do that or only 10 min or so- Because that is an idea I could work with.

I hit them with a loss of 10 point to every rating at age 30, 35, 37, 39, etc. It was a tough decision, but up to now I feel like it is providing the most realistic numbers.


The only part I don't care for is the fact that often times I have rookies leading the league in stats such as HR and winning (or finishing 2nd) in BoY votes. But it's a tradeoff I'm willing to accept, because I am more concerned with seeing the players perform at a certain level over their career than seeing a completely realistic development arc. That's partly because I am interested to see the career results for players whose careers were shortened for various reasons.

With league stats are you choosing a year each pre season to convert "modernize" to, or are you using a formula to hand change the modifiers? I had to devise whole forumla, so maybe you are doing something much easier.

I found a set of league totals I was happy with, similar to what OOTP begins a typical new 2014 league with. I've made several adjustments, but the key for me is whether or not the historical sim accuracy (on the stats page) is within tolerance. I have chosen some historical numbers that I want to see repeated over an over. They're primarily based on 2013 with a little bit of the 70's mixed in.