The Simplest Beginnings: From Amateurism in 1857, to Pro Ball (1870), Int'l Ball, & More - Page 6

tm1681 · 09-11-2023, 06:28 PM

1901 YEAR IN REVIEW: AWARDS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR

APBL: Gilles Joubert (1B, Boston – 3rd pro BotY)

• 582 PA, .366/.454/.487, .941 OPS (163 OPS+), 182 H, 32 2B, 11 3B, 2 HR, 58 RBI, 16 SB, 242 TB, 4.13 WPA, 7.1 oWAR

MWBA: Mark Cronan (1B, Missouri)

• 479 PA, .392/.426/.539, .966 OPS (146 OPS+), 176 H, 27 2B, 5 3B, 9 HR, 94 RBI, 240 TB, 3.66 WPA, 6.0 oWAR

SEAL: Isaiah Grier (1B, Richmond)

• 575 PA, .356/.471/.491, .963 OPS (148 OPS+), 166 H, 24 2B, 3 3B, 11 HR, 99 RBI, 98 BB, 11 SB, 229 TB, 5.81 WPA, 5.7 oWAR

HURLER OF THE YEAR

APBL: Charles Wilkerson (Buffalo – 3rd APBL HotY)

• 278.2 IP, 24-7, 2.16 ERA (174 ERA+), 28 CG, 4 SHO, 59 BB, 155 K, 1.25 WHIP, 5.0 K/9, 2.6 K/BB, 6.0 WPA, 8.7 WAR, 10.7 R/9 WAR

MWBA: Gerald Pierotti (Columbus)

• 341.2 IP, 31-8, 2.71 ERA (147 ERA+), 35 CG, 3 SHO, 110 BB, 133 K, 1.26 WHIP, 2.3 WPA, 6.0 WAR, 11.2 R/9 WAR

SEAL: Charles Fisk (Old Dominion)

• 330.1 IP, 28-10, 2.56 ERA (150 ERA+), 32 CG, 4 SHO, 82 BB, 215 K, 1.20 WHIP, 5.9 K/9, 2.6 K/BB, 2.6 WPA, 9.7 WAR, 10.6 R/9 WAR

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

APBL: Charley Rankin (SS, Providence – 7th APBL MVP)

• 582 PA, .349/.435/.518, .953 OPS, 96 R, 175 H, 24 2B, 23 3B, 5 HR, 67 RBI, 44 SB, 260 TB, +35.3 ZR at SS, 4.71 WPA, 6.5 oWAR, 10.4 WAR

MWBA: Martin Kearns (P, Detroit)

• 302.1 IP, 23-10, 2.14 ERA (184 ERA+), 30 CG, 5 SHO, 98 BB, 200 K, 1.05 WHIP, 6.0 K/9, .240 BABIP, 5.4 WPA, 6.5 WAR, 12.9 R/9 WAR

SEAL: Edward Mathis (SS, Charleston)

• 582 PA, .383/.418/.536, .954 OPS, 96 R, 207 H, 23 2B, 27 3B, 2 HR, 66 RBI, 21 SB, 290 TB, 3.45 WPA, 7.0 WAR

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

APBL: Gilles Joubert (1B, Boston, age 23)

• 582 PA, .366/.454/.487, .941 OPS (163 OPS+), 182 H, 32 2B, 11 3B, 2 HR, 58 RBI, 16 SB, 242 TB, 4.13 WPA, 6.6 WAR, BotY, TotY

MWBA: Jake Hinton (RF, Kansas City, age 23)

• 609 PA, .346/.471/.440, .911 OPS, 97 R, 170 H, 10 3B, 3 HR, 73 RBI, 106 BB, 63 SB, 5.40 WPA, 5.1 WAR, TotY

SEAL: Dan Stringer (P, Charleston, age 24)

• 301.2 IP, 22-12, 3.97 ERA (100 ERA+), 31 CG, 91 BB, 117 K, 1.55 WHIP, 7.0 WAR, 3.9 R/9 WAR

NBBO AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR
Jacob Milburn (1B, Peoria Cardinals – GLBC)

• 490 PA, .404/.503/.551, 1.055 OPS (177 OPS+), 165 H, 23 2B, 11 3B, 5 HR, 66 RBI, 74 BB, 16 SB, 225 TB, 5.42 WPA, 7.2 oWAR
• Great Lakes Baseball Conference Batsman of the Year & MVP

HURLER OF THE YEAR
Marion Gregory (Des Moines Oaks – PL)

• 286.0 IP, 23-6, 2.23 ERA (174 ERA+), 24 CG, 7 SHO, 110 BB, 185 K, 1.21 WHIP, 4.6 WPA, 5.6 WAR, 11.8 R/9 WAR
• Prairie League Hurler of the Year

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Charles Ryan (CF, Gulf Coast Pelicans – SL)

• 484 PA, .372/.436/.553, .989 OPS (170 OPS+), 83 R, 159 H, 19 3B, 7 HR, 70 RBI, 55 SB, 236 TB, 5.30 WPA, 6.9 WAR
• Southern League MVP, Runner-up for Batsman of the Year

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
George Cottrell (P, Vermont Green Stockings – NEBA)

• 252.0 IP, 21-6, 2.14 ERA (160 ERA+), 24 CG, 7 SHO, 56 BB, 114 K, 1.10 WHIP, 4.4 WPA, 6.9 WAR, 8.8 rWAR
• New England Baseball Association Hurler of the Year, MVP, & Newcomer of the Year

PROFESSIONAL TEAM OF THE YEAR (APBL, MWBA, SEAL, CBL)

C: M. Powell (St. Paul) - .371/.416/.440, 3 HR, 81 RBI, 2.71 WPA, 4.0 oWAR, 5.3 WAR
1B: G. Joubert (Boston) - .366/.454/.487, 2 HR, 58 RBI, 4.13 WPA, 7.1 oWAR, 6.6 WAR, APBL BotY & NotY
2B: O. Wilkie (Penn.) – .356/.432/.506, 105 R, 8 HR, 90 RBI, 37 SB, 2.62 WPA, 6.8 oWAR, 8.3 WAR
3B: E. Flint (Baltimore) - .313/.408/.424, 6 HR, 72 RBI, 22 SB, 1.58 WPA, 4.5 oWAR, 6.9 WAR, APBL Golden Glove
SS: C. Rankin (Providence) - .349/.435/.518, .953 OPS, 5 HR, 67 RBI, 44 SB, 4.71 WPA, 6.5 oWAR, 10.4 WAR, APBL MVP & GG
OF: A. Gelmetti (Knicks) - .328/.457/.485, 3 HR, 75 RBI, 104 BB, 74 SB, 3.40 WPA, 6.9 oWAR, 7.6 WAR
CF: P. Lund (Columbus) - .343/.418/.501, 6 HR, 86 RBI, 63 SB, 5.16 WPA, 4.7 oWAR, 6.2 WAR
OF: C. Pleasance (Columbus) - .337/.412/.487, 102 R, 5 HR, 72 RBI, 56 SB, 3.87 WPA, 5.4 oWAR, 6.4 WAR

P: C. Fisk (Old Dominion) – 28-10, 2.56 ERA (150 ERA+), 215 K, 9.7 WAR, 10.7 R/9 WAR, SEAL HotY
P: G. Pierotti (Columbus) – 31-8, 2.71 ERA (147 ERA+), 133 K, 6.0 WAR, 11.2 R/9 WAR, MWBA HotY
P: M. Kearns (Detroit) – 23-10, 2.14 ERA (184 ERA+), 200 K, 5.4 WPA, 6.5 WAR, 12.9 R/9 WAR, MWBA MVP
P: C. Wilkerson (Buffalo) – 24-7, 2.16 ERA (174 ERA+), 155 K, 6.0 WPA, 8.7 WAR, 10.7 R/9 WAR, APBL HotY

MGR: Joseph Gray (Old Dominion) – 75-51 record, OD 2nd in SEAL (3 GB) after 8 straight last place finishes (min 26 GB)

tm1681 · 09-13-2023, 06:32 PM

JACOB MILBURN ENDS HIS LEGENDARY CAREER
THE “RUSHVILLE CRUSHER” WON 13 BotY AWARDS, 6 MVPs, & HIT .402 AS A PRO

As promised when he made a U-turn over his proposed contract with the New York Athletics before retiring from pro baseball and signing with the Great Lakes Baseball Conference’s Peoria Cardinals ahead of the 1899 season, Jacob Milburn played out the three-year contract he signed for the team closest to his Illinois hometown and ended his playing days.

And how did Jacob Milburn’s playing days come to an end? The same way they began in 1882: by hitting .400 and winning a championship. To be exact, he hit .404 while leading the league in on-base percentage (.503), slugging (.551), OPS (1.055), OPS+ (177), hits (165), walks (74), WPA (5.42), oWAR (7.2), and WAR (5.8). He accomplished all of that for a Peoria team that finished 64-44 and took their first GLBC title since 1894.

His post-retirement plan was the same as original “greatest ever” hitter Konrad Jensen: go straight into coaching as a Hitting Coach. Not surprisingly, he was able to skip working his way up the lower ranks of the sport and was hired by the St. Paul North Stars to work with their MWBA team, as well as their very best prospects in the reserves.

In all, Milburn played for twenty years. His record over seventeen seasons as a pro:

And Milburn’s record during his final three years in Peoria:

His career totals (MWBA, APBL, & GLBC – BOLD indicates all-time, all-levels leader):

2272 G, 10464 PA, .401/.473/.554, 1.026 OPS, 2,011 R, 3,636 H, 530 2B, 355 3B, 48 HR, 1,493 RBI, 1,158 BB, 620 SB, 5,020 TB
189 OPS+, 177 wRC+, 111.01 WPA, 112.2 WAR

Milburn is the all-time professional leader in the same categories except total bases. His 162-game averages (MWBA & APBL):

747 PA, .402/.468/.557, 1.025 OPS, 146 R, 262 H, 38 2B, 27 3B, 3 HR, 109 RBI, 77 BB, 31 K, 46 SB, 8.06 WPA, 8.2 WAR

His list of accomplishments is almost innumerable:

PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS (MWBA & APBL)

• 3x champion (1882, 84, 85)
• 13x Batsman of the Year (1882-88, 90, 91, 93-96)
• 6x Most Valuable Player (1883, 84, 86, 91-93)
• 15x Team of the Year (1882-96)
• 11x .400 hitter (1882-88, 91, 93, 94, 96)
• 29x Player of the Week
• 27x Batsman of the Month

• 11x Batting Champion (1882-88, 91, 93, 94, 96)
• 13x leader in On-base % (1882-88, 90, 91, 93-96)
• 13x leader in Slugging % (1882-88, 90-94, 96)
• 13x leader in OPS (1882-88, 90-94, 96)
• 12x leader in Hits (1882-87, 89, 91-94, 96)
• 8x leader in Extra-base Hits (1882-84, 87, 88, 91, 94, 96)
• 6x leader in Triples (1882, 83, 88, 91, 93, 94)
• 5x leader in Doubles (1883, 84, 87, 91, 96)
• 5x leader in Runs (1883, 84, 86, 91, 96)
• 3x leader in Runs Batted In (1882, 95, 96)
• 3x leader in position player WAR (1886, 91, 94)

• Career leader in AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, H, BB, OPS+, wRC+, WPA
• 9 career five-hit games (ABA record)
• 1 career six-hit game (5/14/1886 vs. Cincinnati)
• 1883: .643 Slugging % (ABA record)
• 1891: .438 Average (highest at any level since pitching restrictions removed in 1884)
• 1891: 225 OPS+ (ABA record)
• 1893: .509 On-base % (ABA record)
• 1893: 1.140 OPS (ABA record)
• 1896: 36-game Hitting Streak (ABA record)
• 1896: 215 Hits (APBL record)

GREAT LAKES BASEBALL CONFERENCE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 1x Champion (1901)
• 3x Batsman of the Year (1899-1901)
• 3x Most Valuable Player (1899-1901)
• 3x Team of the Year (1899-1901)
• 3x leader in AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, OPS+, H, WAR
• 2x .400 hitter (1899, 1901)

• 1899: .408 AVG, .507 OBP (GLBC records)
• 1900: 226 Total Bases (GLBC record)
• 1901: 165 H, 1.055 OPS (GLBC records)

How did a hitter like Jacob Milburn stay so good for so long? Here’s what Milburn looked like when he was at his peak:

GAME UNIVERSE CREATOR’S NOTES: Essentially what the OOTP23 player creation engine spit out at the time I started the MWBA, in Jacob Milburn, was a 22-year-old who hit like Ty Cobb in his prime but playing before the Dead Ball Era, while unable to run as fast. The game had him at 100% of potential in all categories at age 22, which is something that frequently happens with young players – as young as 18 – when random batches are created in-game outside of the amateur draft, whether as free agents or when starting a new league. Why the game does this? I don’t know, but in this instance it made for a hell of a player.

Milburn’s “prime” basically lasted about fifteen years. I had the “Batter Aging” speed set to .850 for most of his career since yearly league schedules were much shorter until the middle of the 1890s, but even then he was an outlier for how long it took before his attributes started to decline even slightly.

I didn’t have the AI engine set to automatically update league totals and auto-calculations for each season, because in mid-to-late 1800s leagues auto-calc can get pretty janky. Instead what I did was import totals in 1880, 85, 90, & 95 and fiddle with modifiers to keep the hitting as realistic to the time as possible, while letting the parks play a factor as well. There was one year where Milburn was the Midwestern Baseball Association batting champ by 75 points & OPS champ by 190 – mentioned that in another post in this thread. He was just that much better than everyone else.

By his last season in 1901, Milburn’s BABIP rating had fallen from 196 to 165-170, his “Avoid K’s” had fallen from 238 to about 225, and his “Gap” rating had shot down from 175 to 124. His “Running Speed” rating had also roughly halved by that time, making first base the only position he could feasibly play.

You'd think Milburn would have more career WAR, but in the 1880s and 1890s there were still so many fielding errors that elite fielding could have almost as much of an impact on WAR as elite batting. This is why Charley Rankin has led the APBL in WAR 10 of the previous 12 years.

And that’s the final word on Jacob Milburn’s playing career. Milburn was regarded as the best hitter in the sport while he played for St. Louis, but more snobbish baseball fans on the east coast were suspicious that the more hitter-friendly MWBA had helped him out. Once he hit .430 in the APBL that suspicion ended, and he was universally regarded as the best technical hitter ever to pick up a bat. That’s how Jacob Milburn retires: as one of two players who put the MWBA on the map – Hans Ehle being the other – and displaying prowess with the bat that was simply superior to anyone else who’s played the game of baseball. Milburn was known for his work ethic, intelligence, and friendly manner, leaving little doubt that he’ll be a successful Hitting Coach, and that means his actual baseball career is far from over.

This leaves one important thought for the future: Konrad Jensen was originally the “greatest ever” hitter because he combined unparalleled contact with a selective eye at the plate. Jacob Milburn then surpassed Jensen because he took what Jensen did and added significant gap power to that arsenal. Who will become the first hitter to build on what Jensen & Milburn have done, and add enormous home run power on top of it?

tm1681 · 09-26-2023, 07:03 PM

J. NELSON TAPPAN SELLS EXCELSIOR TO GRANT INGRAHAM
TAPPAN HAD RUN THE KNIGHTS SINCE THEIR FOUNDATION IN 1854

(In real life, Jeremiah Nelson Tappan was the first President of the Excelsior of Brooklyn Base Ball Club when it was created in 1854, and he ran it until sometime in 1857 (LINK). He later became the Chamberlain/Treasurer of the city of New York (LINK). I put him in my fictional universe just for the heck of it since I saw his name on the Excelsior Wikipedia article, and I did not think at all that he would end up owning my fictional version of the team for 44 in-game years.)

BROOKLYN, NY – An important chapter of New York baseball history came to a close today, as Jeremiah Nelson Tappan sold the Excelsior Knights to New York City businessman Grant Ingraham. Ingraham, born in Wisconsin and having made his money in the beef and dairy industries, has big long-term plans for the club. He told gathered reporters that he plans on putting plenty of his own money into Excelsior operations, while at the same time claiming to have a six-year plan to see Excelsior both become the highest-attended of the four professional NYC-area clubs and have the best stockpile of young talent in the APBL.

At the same time, the career of one of New York’s longest-serving baseball executives has come to an end. Until today, Jeremiah Nelson Tappan has been the only president or owner that the Excelsior Knights have ever had, becoming their first President in 1854, running the club through its days as one of the founding clubs of the NBBO, through its initial snub by the APBL in 1870-71, through its dominant 1870s that led Excelsior to be invited to the APBL eight years later (1879), and all the way through to the start of the Twentieth Century. In total, Tappan was the head of the club for forty-eight years – nearly a half-century. By the final years of his tenure in the Excelsior owner’s suite, the club had won its first President’s Cup and become one of the dominant teams in the APBL. On top of that, after initially struggling to turn profits in professional baseball Excelsior could also boast of some of the most stable finances in the sport, thanks to consistent profits in the mid-to-high five figures in recent years.

Tappan, who is 78 years old, said that now was a good time to finally slow down and retire. The man has certainly earned the right to do just that.

tm1681 · 09-27-2023, 06:35 PM

PITTSBURGH TO GET NEW OWNER, STADIUM, & NAME
INDUSTRIALS FINISHED LAST IN 10 OUT OF 22 YEARS UNDER PREVIOUS OWNER

PITTSBURGH, PA – After two decades of near total futility under his leadership, Brad Tolmay has sold the Pittsburgh Industrials to local steel magnate Bradley Clay. The sale brings Tomay’s reign over the Industrials to an end, and the final figures make for frightening reading:

• Ten last place finishes in 22 seasons
• 2/22 seasons finishing in the top half of the standings (1st-4th)
• 1/22 seasons over .500
• No season closer than 13 games out of first place
• Eight straight years with under .400 win %
• Lowest payroll in the league five years in a row
• Cumulative record of 1,034-1,602 (.392)

The new owner has decided that the Industrials have been so poor for so long that the club needs a total overhaul, both on and off the field.

To start with, Manager Ryan Rogers has been fired after four years at the helm. General Manager Fred Royster, also with Pittsburgh for four years, has been sent packing. Pitching Coach Arthur Tuncay: fired after five years. Upcoming free agents: all certain to be gone because none, except perhaps third baseman Sylvester Jaworski, were positive contributors.

Mr. Clay has decided that while Recreation Park was a first-class facility when it was expanded to seat 17,000+ in the late 1860s (as it was in real life) the venue is now one that is aging, and its enjoyable lifespan is nearing an end. To fix that, he has secured the land, plans, and permits to build a new venue for the professional team and its fans. Based on the documents reporters were given, the new stadium will have the highest capacity of any in the APBL when it is ready to go in 1902, and it should be friendlier for hitters. (in the 1800s and early 1900s, it wasn’t uncommon for venues to be built in well under a year).

(The new stadium, which I have in the game as William Pitt Field, is modeled after a combo of the 1901 & 1911 versions of Forbes Field, which means it has a smaller playing surface than Recreation Park and seats 23,616).

Furthermore, Mr. Clay has concluded that the Industrials name has effectively been tainted by decades of terrible baseball and a change in the club’s identity is in order. Given the owner’s background and city’s status as a major metalworking powerhouse, the club’s name will be changed from the Pittsburgh Industrials to the Pittsburgh Vulcans. Those who have studied up on their Classical History will remember that Vulcan was the Roman God of, among other things, metalworking and the forge. Indications are that the color scheme will remain mostly the same.

One might think that this is too much of an organizational overhaul to take on at once, but the owner of Quaker State Steel is one for massive tasks. Clay is a larger-than-life figure, standing six-foot-six, and the figurative giant has a giant personality to go with it as well as the money to make giant things happen.

Will these changes bring good fortune to Pittsburgh’s professional baseball outfit? Time will tell, but at the very least the new man in charge of everything is wasting no time in shaking things up to try to pull the club out of the muck.

tm1681 · 10-23-2023, 05:08 PM

BROOKLYN SIGNS KEARNS AS PART OF OVERHAUL
KINGS MISSED APBL FINALS APPEARANCE BY TWO GAMES

The Brooklyn Kings were excellent again in 1901, finishing with a 79-53 record. However, that wasn’t quite good enough as the New York Athletics were two games better and kept the Kings from playing for the APBL title for the third year in a row. The Kings front office responded, and quickly.

Less than a week after Free Agency started in the American Baseball Association on October 17th, the Kings traded two prospects to Jersey City for backup third baseman Kazimir Micek. That was the first in a series of transactions involving several star players, with the key move being the signing of Detroit Robins legend Martin Kearns:

• October 23rd – traded two reserve players to Jersey City for 3B Kazimir Micek
• October 25th – signed Eddie Flint (1x MVP, 4x GG, 3x TotY, 76.5 career WAR) to a 5-year contract ($32,500)
• November 2nd – signed Martin Kearns (1x MWBA MVP & HotY, 13x K leader), to a 3-year contract ($19,200)
• November 4th – signed top college prospect Douglas Benford (SP, 3.5* current ability) to a 6-year contract ($23,620)
• December 4th – traded a backup 3B & cash to Cincinnati for OF Daniel Snell (1x BotY, 4x TotY, 7 APBL titles w/ Providence)

The accolades of the group that Brooklyn brought in are vast.

Daniel Snell spent two years with Cincinnati in the MWBA after a decade with the Providence Saints. He won seven APBL titles over his last eight years with the Saints, and during his time there he earned one APBL Batsman of the Year award and four APBL Team of the Year selections. He was the #3 hitter in the lineup for all seven of the Providence President’s Cup winners he was a part of, and has a 76.9 career WAR between the ABA (47.4 w/ PRO, 7.1 w/ CIN) and his six years with Dubuque in the Prairie League (22.4).

Eddie Flint is back in Brooklyn, where he spent the first five years of his career (1889-93) before playing for New Jersey (1984-1900) and Baltimore (1901). He spent the start of his career playing shortstop in Charley Rankin’s shadow, but since moving to third base in 1896 he’s earned four Golden Gloves and three Team of the Year nominations. His 76.9 career WAR is fourth among active position players.

Martin Kearns doesn’t have the most accolades on the list, but that’s because he spent his entire time with the Detroit Robins pitching in the shadow of living legend Hans Ehle. He’s only won one MWBA Hurler of the Year and one Most Valuable Player award, but the rest of his numbers speak for themselves:

That’s thirteen straight seasons leading the MWBA in both strikeouts and K/9, and his 4,047 K’s for Detroit are more than a thousand better than any pro not named Ehle or Charles Wilkerson. His career WAR of 159.7 also makes him one of the “Big Three” with Ehle and Wilkerson. He won 20+ games thirteen times for Detroit. He set the professional single-season shutout record with 13 in 1894 – the only pitcher with ten or more in a season. His 380 wins is sixth all-time, and he was the ace for four championship winners in Detroit.

On paper, Brooklyn’s offseason haul has left them with such a talent-rich starting lineup that their weakest link might actually be first baseman George Bixby, who’s hit over .350 four times and been in the APBL’s Team of the Year twice. The Kings will enter the 1902 season as clear favorites to be the kings of the Metropolitan Conference.

tm1681 · 10-31-2023, 05:41 PM

APBL 1902: SAINTS CRUISE TO FINAL BEFORE INJURY STOPS THEM
MB’S KELLER NEARLY WINS TRIPLE CROWN; KEARNS BRILLIANT IN 1ST APBL SEASON

Preseason predictions for the APBL had the baseball establishment picking two clear favorites: the Providence Saints in the Colonial Conference and the retooled Brooklyn Kings in the Metropolitan Conference. In the end, the 1902 American Professional Baseball League season was more of the same: the Providence Saints ruled the Colonial and there was a knock-down, drag-out pennant fight in the Metropolitan.

In the Colonial, up until early June it looked like the almighty Saints would have some stiff competition as the trio of Buffalo, Boston, & Washington were all roughly a handful of games back. However, from mid-June to mid-July Providence went 20-5 and, thanks to some disastrous baseball from the rest of the pack, increased their conference lead from three games to a whopping fourteen. From there they never looked back, winning the Colonial by those same fourteen games thanks to the 48-21 baseball they played after the fateful Ides of June.

Over in the Metropolitan, early on it became evident that Brooklyn wouldn’t just waltz their way to the pennant as the usual suspects – Manhattan, New York, & Pennsylvania – proved up to the task of giving the most talented team in the league a challenge. At the season’s halfway point Brooklyn were the Metropolitan leaders, but by just a single game over Manhattan and four over New York & Pennsylvania. Unlike what happened over in the Colonial, the competition didn’t wilt. Over the next month Brooklyn played .500 ball while Manhattan went 20-6, leaving the Knicks in front by five games. By the latter half of August, the Kings were able to pull within a game and from there it set up a hectic sprint to the finish. Brooklyn was never able to pull level, and Manhattan came out as Metropolitan champions.

Brooklyn led the APBL in runs, average, on-base, OPS, and Batting WAR while having Hurler of the Year Martin Kearns (28-11, 2.44 ERA, 221 K’s) as their pitching ace, but mediocre defense and lack of quality at the back end of the rotation tripped them up. Meanwhile, the Knicks had a rotation that was second in the league in Starters’ ERA and they could boast of a trio of 20-game winners age 25 or younger. It was a classic case of defense and pitching holding the winning hand over dominant offense.

As per the annual standard, Providence was waiting and ready to take on the Metropolitan’s finest. However, disaster struck on the final day of the season when eight-time MVP shortstop Charley Rankin injured his back while warming up with his teammates:

Although Rankin received around-the-clock care from the finest physicians New England had to offer, relief for the spasms in his back proved elusive. This left him unable to field or throw without major discomfort, and as a result Rankin missed the final series for the Doc Adams Trophy.

In the past, setbacks and personnel changes were things that Providence treated like small anthills to be stomped into the ground. However, having to play for the APBL championship without the sport’s most successful player was simply too much, and Manhattan took the APBL title by shutting out Providence twice over five games:

It should also be noted that thanks to runs scored after errors the Knicks pitching staff only allowed five Earned Runs during the five-game series, while the Saints allowed fifteen. Homer Wyatt took a well-earned Doc Adams Trophy MVP as he allowed just ten baserunners over 19 innings, winning twice, earning one save, and allowing zero earned runs.

The biggest surprise of the season had to be Massachusetts Bay first baseman James Keller (.360, 12 HR, 115 RBI, 6.2 oWAR). Bought from Vermont in the NEBA ahead of 1901 play, Keller was considered an outstanding young talent but performed barely above replacement level in his first APBL season. In year two he started the season strong and only improved from there, ending up as the league leader in Home Runs & RBI while being just four points of Batting Average from taking the Triple Crown. His 115 RBI were an APBL & ABA record, and as a result he took home the APBL Batsman of the Year Award over some awe-inspiring competition.

Lindsey Christianson of Brooklyn (.356, 9 HR, 104 RBI, 7.4 WAR) finished a close second in the Batsman of the Year voting in addition to barely missing out on postseason play, but he did earn his eighth Team of the Year nomination and his fourth Golden Glove.

The man who barely beat Keller to the batting average title, New York’s Avery White at .363 (7 HR, 88 RBI, 7.1 oWAR), became the youngest ABA Batting Champion at the age of 21. 24-year-old Gilles Joubert, in third place at .358 (2 HR, 72 RBI, 6.1 oWAR), needed just six more points to win his fifth straight batting title between the Canadian Baseball League and the APBL.

There was other young talent in the hunt for major awards, as New York’s 22-year-old ace Homer Dabry nearly won Hurler of the Year thanks to a 24-11 record and 2.32 ERA. He didn’t win the major individual award but was named in the Team of the Year, and through four years as a pro he’s 96-54 with a 2.40 ERA and 31.1 WAR.

To the surprise of nobody, Charley Rankin (.319, 3 HR, 65 RBI, 8.6 WAR) won Most Valuable Player award number eight after leading the APBL in Position Player WAR for the eleventh time over the past thirteen seasons. He was also named to his tenth Team of the Year, although it’s likely none of that will take the sting out of missing the postseason due to injury.

The sale of Pittsburgh’s team to Bradley Clay and its subsequent rebranding, combined with a new stadium, still left the team struggling on the field. They finished 44-88, but that did represent an eight-game improvement over 1901. They also managed to trade for a hidden gem in the New York Athletics reserves: two-way left fielder & pitcher Milton Royce (.294, 1 HR, 31 RBI, 13-15, 3.28 ERA, 120 K’s), who was named Rookie of the Month four times in a row while cruising to a unanimous Newcomer of the Year Award.

Finally, the era of the Buffalo Blues playing Second Fiddle to Providence appeared to come to an end in 1902. At the halfway mark they were above .500 and four games back of Providence in the Colonial, but over the second half of the season the Blues were 25-41 and fell from second to sixth place. After the season was over, legend Charles Wilkerson (415 wins, 6x champ, 3x HotY) and rotation #2 Ed Millard, who’s won 353 games in a Blues uniform, both filed for Free Agency, and unless somehow the Blues can find like-for-like replacements they’ll find themselves down in the middle of the pack going forward.

tm1681 · 10-31-2023, 05:59 PM

MWBA 1902: MILWAUKEE BACK ON TOP, BUT IT WASN’T EASY
TIGHT RACE IN THE WEST; PETTER LUND WINS BotY & MVP

Going into the 1902 MWBA season, tight pennant races were expected on both sides of the competition. However, in the Eastern League Milwaukee was projected to slide to fourth place thanks to poor defense and an aging rotation, while Indianapolis and a surging young Columbus team were expected to fight for the pennant. In the Western League, Minneapolis and Missouri were projected as 1A and 1B – Minneapolis expected right up there to win their third straight Western League pennant with Missouri blossoming thanks to its collection of young talent to go with shock BotY Mark Cronan.

Well, after two years of letting other teams in the Eastern League have a chance the Milwaukee Bavarians were back on top in 1902. The team’s offense was #1 in the league, Hans Ehle had his best season in half a decade, and the rest of the rotation was good enough. They didn’t run away from the division but spent almost the entirety of the season after mid-May five to seven games in front of the combo of Indianapolis & Columbus, neither of whom were able to close the gap. In particular, Columbus suffered after star two-way player Gerald Pierotti missed the middle of the season due to injury. The Detroit Robins, defending Lincoln Cup winners and two-time defending Eastern League champs, took an expected fall after losing team legend Martin Kearns to the APBL and finished in fourth place.

The West went exactly as predicted: with Minneapolis & Missouri one game apart as 1A and 1B. However, it was Missouri that won the West by a single game and neither won the estimated two-thirds of contests that pundits had them down for. The entire season was a nail-biter in the West, as after mid-May Chicago, Kansas City, Minneapolis, & Missouri all had leads at various times. The Kansas City Bulls were actually 4.5 games up in mid-July before their form cooled off, and over the last month of the season Minneapolis & Missouri traded leads in the West, never being more than a couple of games apart.

The Lincoln Memorial Cup was certainly one for the history books. Missouri won Game One in a 10-7 stunner in Milwaukee, a game in which they put up eight runs (3 ER) on Hans Ehle and scored half a dozen times over the final two innings to earn the victory. They eased to a 7-1 win in Game Two, and after a Game Three home loss they incredibly scored eight more runs on Ehle (5 ER) in Game Four and held off a late rally to win 8-7. After pulling off such heroics against baseball’s greatest pitcher twice in four games, everyone assumed the cup was Missouri’s. However, the Bavarians rode a Complete Game from James Randle to win Game Five and seven K’s from Alexander Nagel to win Game Six, evening the series. That set up a home Game Seven for Ehle and the Bavarians, and, as they've done many times before, the Bavarians rose to the challenge. Ehle allowed one run in a Complete Game, the offense scored early, and the Bavarians won 6-1 to come back from a 3-1 deficit and take the Lincoln Memorial Cup for the sixth time.

There was no doubt who the best pitcher in the MWBA was: Hans Ehle (29-10, 2.34 ERA, 173 K’s, 10.0 WAR). He nearly won 30 games for the first time 1896, had his lowest ERA since 1895, and once again led the league in Pitching WAR. His reward: Hurler of the Year Award number thirteen.

There was also no doubt who the best position player in the MWBA was: Columbus center fielder Petter Lund (.393, 9 HR, 87 RBI, 9.7 WAR), who took home both Batsman of the Year and Most Valuable Player in a feat reminiscent of Jacob Milburn. Lund led the MWBA in Batting Average by 20+ points, Slugging (.564) by nearly 50, OPS (1.010) by 40-50, Total Bases (297) by thirty, Stolen Bases (103) by about ten, Win Probability Added (8.1) by two full points, and Wins Above Replacement by two full points. It’s a very good thing the Columbus front office has him under contract for four more years, because otherwise he'd almost certainly be baseball first $10,000/year player.

The best young talent in the league was Indianapolis’ Aldous Clifford (22-13, 3.03 ERA, 96 K’s), who finished third in the Hurler of the Year vote for Indianapolis and took home Newcomer of the Year as a result. Fellow Eastern League rookie Fred Doss of Columbus (20-13, 3.25 ERA, 116 K’s) also received a few votes for Hurler of the Year. Charles Nutter of Kansas City (.335, 7 HR, 66 RBI, 3.6 WAR) was easily the league’s best young batsman, as he took advantage of the KC coaching focus on patience at the plate and combined it with his own superior batting eye to walk 111 times and finish the year with a .467 On-Base Percentage, which was second in the MWBA only to teammate Jake Hinton (.471).

Cleveland was the most improved team in the league. Their record was only 63-69 but it was a 25-win improvement over 1901. The improvement came thanks to some excellent young talent, especially Russell Klockow (.311, 2 HR, 49 RBI, 95 SB, 7.6 WAR, GG), but they remain quite deficient at a number of positions. Kansas City was the other team in the MWBA that showed major improvement, having won fifteen more games than in 1901. Adding Nutter to a lineup with Hinton, Charles Nolan, and Edward Zuberek gave the Bulls four hitters with enough contact and patience that they can all put up a .400 On-Base figure annually. Nolan is also a four-time 20-game winner as a pitcher, while fellow staff members Ferdinand Wicks and Emmanuel Blackman appear to be finally performing to their potential under their famous manager, the 20-year former Knick Charles Brophy.

tm1681 · 10-31-2023, 06:29 PM

PRESIDENT’S CUP II: KNICKS WIN SEVEN-GAME CLASSIC
SERIES NOT DECIDED UNTIL FINAL INNING

The second edition of the ABA President’s Cup, which determined the champion of professional baseball, was a classic. A polar opposite of Providence’s breezy four-game sweep of Minneapolis last year, the series between Manhattan & Milwaukee took until the final inning of Game Seven to decide, and four of the seven games were decided by a single run.

Game One was an easy Milwaukee victory, as James Randle pitched a five-hit shutout while the Bavarians attack did most of its scoring over the first five innings.

Game Two was a tight one, as Milwaukee scored in the top of the seventh to make 3-2 and the Knicks were able to hold on from there thanks to a Complete Game effort from Jake Brooks, one of the Knicks’ trio of 20-game winners.

Game Three was another close contest. The teams were one run apart for most of the game until Manhattan scored an insurance run in the top of the ninth to go up 4-2, with George Bullock closing out his Complete Game to get the best of Hans Ehle and put the Knicks up 2-1.

Game Four saw Manhattan take a commanding 3-1 series lead thanks to a Complete Game from the third member of the Knicks’ 20-win club, Homer Wyatt. He allowed seven hits and struck out three, while Alan Gelmetti’s 4/5 performance from the leadoff spot helped lead the team to a 3-2 win and put them within the cup’s reach.

Game Five was easily the wildest game of the series. Far from being cautious, defensive, and tightly-played, the game was 12-8 in favor of Milwaukee by the end of the fourth inning. The full contest ended up with more than a dozen extra-base hits, a pair of home runs, and 43 men reaching base in total (33 hits, 8 errors, 2 HBP). Knicks starter Jake Brooks struggled so much (1.2 IP, 8 H, 8 ER) that Pitching Coach Adam Atherby brought in fellow starter Homer Wyatt to relieve him. Everyone who started the game except Knicks catcher Charles Crowley recorded a hit, and nine players had more than one.

With Game Six back in Manhattan, the Knicks were expected to win and raise the President’s Cup. However, Hans Ehle was back on the mound for Milwaukee and his Complete Game, six-K effort was good enough to see Milwaukee escape with a 3-2 win to force the series to Game Seven.

With both staffs’ best pitchers having been so recently used, the deciding Game Seven was going to be a fascinating once since nobody was sure who the teams were going to put on the mound. Visiting Milwaukee went with James Randle, who’d done well over his two appearances in the series. Manhattan countered with Olaf Rude, their little-used fourth starter who was 10-3 (126.1 IP, 2.21 ERA) over the course of the regular season. After a run in the top of the sixth courtesy of a Joseph Tally single, the Bavarians were up 3-1 and in control. It stayed that way until the bottom of the ninth, when the Knicks put up one of the greatest rallies in the history of the sport. With Randle still on the mound to close out the cup win for the Bavarians, the Knicks scored five times, with third baseman Chris Lindsey winning the cup via a bases-loaded triple with one out. There was initial confusion as to whether Lindsey’s hit was out of the park or came off the top of the fence, so players just kept running the bases. In any event, it was a walk-off, cup-winning triple to end a rainy Game Seven – one that will never be forgotten.

Manhattan first baseman Shaun Scott was named MVP of the President’s Cup, as he hit .360 (9/25), walked five times (.480 OBP) and drove in a series-high eight runs while scoring three of his own. His prize? A case of wine that was without a doubt passed around the clubhouse.

tm1681 · 10-31-2023, 10:11 PM

NBBO 1902: THE TUCKER-WHEATON CUP RETURNS
GARDNER STARS AFTER MOVING FROM NY TO TX; VERMONT WINS 6TH TITLE IN A ROW

For 1902, the National Baseball Organization was in its second year with six member leagues. Thanks to that nice, even number league executives felt the time was right to bring back the Tucker-Wheaton Cup, which had gone on hiatus when the NBBO’s single-competition format ended in 1889. There wouldn’t be a cup playoff as there was before – six teams was considered unwieldy and it meant some teams would have an extra break. Instead, there was a ten-game Round Robin competition held in the various NBBO parks in New York City & Brooklyn to determine who would lift the Tucker-Wheaton Cup for the first time in thirteen years.

In addition to bringing back the TWC, the NBBO saw four new teams enter its ranks in 1902: a pair each in the Great Lakes Baseball Conference and the Prairie League to bring the membership of both to an even dozen:

GLBC EXPANSION TEAMS

PL EXPANSION TEAMS

The GLBC and PL remain without playoffs, but the hope is that after a couple of years of having 12+ teams the league can divide the competition up geographically to lessen travel cost/time, and in the process bring them more in line with the three Northeastern circuits.

The double expansion also means that the Southern League is now the only NBBO member league with less than a dozen teams (10).

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In the New York League two teams came out clearly on top, as familiar champions Marathon BBC won the Brooklyn Championship by nine games and the Yonkers Hilltoppers were best in the New York City Championship by a full ten. The rest of the competition was, as usual, fairly even, with only one team winning less than 40% of their games. That unfortunate side was the Morrisania Unions, who were 42-70 (.375).

Marathon’s extensive high-pressure experience paid off once again in the New York City Finals as they beat Yonkers, who were five games better during the season (73-39 vs 68-44), in four games to win the NYL title. Thomas Huddleston, who’s led the NYL in wins five teams during his eight-year career, threw two Complete Game victories and was named NYC Finals MVP.

There were no major standout performers in the NYL, but Yonkers’ Carl Wells (.362, 1 HR, 59 RBI, 5.8 WAR) won his third straight batting title in an NBBO league, earning both Batsman of the Year and a Golden Glove at first base. The aforementioned Huddleston (20-8, 2.21 ERA, 125 K's, 6.0 WAR) was Hurler of the Year for the third time, but 21-year-old rising star Dave Penny of Baltic BBC (18-13, 2.19 ERA, 180 K’s, 8.0 WAR) took the pitcher spot in the Team of the Year after leading the league in K’s and Pitching WAR.

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The New England Baseball Association had a very familiar look to it, as the Vermont Green Stockings won 70% of their games (81-31) for the third time in four years and raised the Ben Franklin Cup for the sixth year running. However, it took them the full five games to beat Cantabrigians BBC (75-37) in the cup series, and the Green Stockings needed a run-scoring double from Mark Poole, the NEBA leader in RBI (89), in the bottom of the 8th to win Game Five 2-1.

There was one star player who stood out above all others: Cantabrigians’ Cuban ace Manny Sesmas (24-7, 1.72 ERA, 157 K’s), who led the league in Wins, ERA, Complete Games (26), Shutouts (10), WPA (7.0), WAR (7.5) and R9-WAR (12.5). Vermont’s Robert Maples (178) and Worcester’s Peter McHugh (178) both struck out more batters, but otherwise no other NEBA pitcher came close to Sesmas’ accomplishments in 1902.

There were a number of stars who excelled with the bat in the NEBA, and following are the most notable. Richard Bertolucci of Camden (.369, 9 HR, 66 RBI, 6.1 oWAR) won Batsman of the Year after leading the league in Average, Home Runs, On-Base (.470), and OPS (.977). Vermont stalwart Frank Holbrook (.300, 2 HR, 72 RBI, 50 SB, 5.6 WAR) was named league MVP for the second time. Second-year Hartford outfielder James Broadbent (.327, 4 HR, 58 RBI, 59 SB, 6.5 WAR) led all position players in WAR. Finally, 24-year-old Cantabrigians outfielder Severin van der Kooi (.355, 4 HR, 52 RBI, 63 SB, 6.1 oWAR) led the league in WPA (4.6), Triples (15), and Slugging (.534) while finishing in the top five in numerous other offensive categories: Average, On-Base (.434), OPS (.968), Stolen Bases, and WAR (5.5).

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The 1902 Northeastern League season was a bit of “Something Old, Something New”. In the New York Conference, five-time cup winners Syracuse went 79-35 (.693) even though they lost team legend Emerson Gardner to Houston in the Southern League, with Gardner saying that he wanted a new challenge near the end of his career. Over in the Northeastern Conference, Olympic BBC made it to the Adams Cup final for the second time after keeping Reading a handful of games away at the end of the season.

As dominant as the Syracuse Emeralds were, it was Olympic who lifted the Adams Trophy after scoring three runs in the top of the 7th in the deciding Game Five and holding off a fierce Syracuse rally from there.

There were no truly dominant performers in the NEL this season. Different players led the league in Average (Tom McCarty of Auburn: .362), Home Runs (Lewis Berry of Albany: 10), RBI (Charles Scott of Syracuse: 75), Stolen Bases (Teemu Soininen of Harrisburg: 69), OPS (Charles Reinhart of Elmira: .903), WAR (Vincent Justice of Syracuse: 5.1), ERA (Grover Gannon of Albany: 1.84), Wins (Emmett Hancock of Olympic: 22), and Pitching WAR (Charles Church of Elmira: 8/0).

On the other hand, there was one truly memorable player in the NEL in 1902, and that was rookie Olympic center fielder George Stanton (.340, 4 HR, 72 RBI, 5.5 oWAR). The 24-year was Olympic’s #1 offensive contributor, led the NEL in Total Bases (213), hit nearly .400 during the Adams Cup series (9/23, 5 RBI), and earned two major awards: Batsman of the Year & Newcomer of the Year.

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The Great Lakes Baseball Conference was mostly a tale of two teams: the Erie Lakers (68-42) and the Saginaw Lumberjacks (67-43). Erie led almost wire-to-wire, while Saginaw stayed within a couple of games for most of the season. With one week of play left the two teams were tied in the standings, but Erie took a one game lead on August 4th and kept the lead at exactly one game for the final six days of the season to win the GLBC title.

Champions Erie had the league’s star batter: 22-year-old outfielder Gabriel Duclos (.341, 13 HR, 92 RBI, 5.9 WAR). He was the only GLBC player to reach double-digits in Home Runs, drove in twenty more runs than any other player, finished second in Batting Average (John Wheelock of Peoria: 350), and led the league in Total Bases (213), OPS (.936), and WAR.

The league’s most exciting batter was Newcomer of the Year Michael Horak of Duluth (.271, 6 HR, 27 RBI, 2.9 WAR), who led the league in Stolen Bases (84, 13 CS) by no less than three dozen and was the only player to reach the century mark in Runs (100).

As Duclos was clearly the league’s best hitter, runners-up Saginaw had the man who was clearly the league’s best pitcher: Andrew Carides (21-7, 1.98 ERA, 120 K’s, 5.6 WAR). Carides led the league in Wins, ERA, Complete Games (26), and R9-WAR (9.4) while finishing top-five in several other pitching categories.

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In the Prairie League, the Wichita Wranglers (69-41) were much deserved champions after spending nearly the entire season at the top of the standings and ending 1902 five to seven games ahead of three other teams – Des Moines, Dubuque, & Sioux City – in the standings.

There was one undisputed superstar in the Prairie League during the season: Wichita outfielder Charles “Happy” Hairston (.376, 2 HR, 83 RBI, 6.1 oWAR), the former Brooklyn Kings regular. He came up short in the race for the Batting Title (Mike Carlson of Sioux City: .393), but his ability to find the gap left him the league leader in RBI, Slugging (.567), OPS (1.004) by roughly 100 points, Triples (27), WPA (4.58), and Position Player WAR (5.3). It almost goes without saying: he was the PL Batsman of the Year.

Joseph Lilly of Des Moines (20-9, 2.12 ERA, 166 K’s, 6.3 WAR) took Hurler of the Year after leading the league in both Wins and ERA while finishing in the top five in Strikeouts. It was his second HotY in the Prairie League, and he’s been in the voting two other times.

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The Southern League was another two-team affair, with the Gulf Coast Pelicans & Austin Texans trading first place for much of 1902. With one month left Austin was 52-32 and sitting four games up on Gulf Coast, but the Pelicans finished the season on an extraordinary 23-5 run to take the SL championship by three games, even though Austin themselves played over-500 baseball over the last month.

Much of the excitement in the Southern League came from star outfielders. Austin center fielder Bob Burger* (.344, 1 HR, 62 RBI, 7.1 WAR) had a Stolen Base total (99, 25 CS) nearly double that of the second-best thief (James Casper of New Orleans: 55). That in addition to finishing second in both Average and OPS (.889) earned the 22-year-old Batsman of the Year honors. Center fielder Charles Still of Fort Worth (.314, .4 HR, 76 RBI, 7.2 WAR) only led the league in Triples (18) and Walks (76) but stellar play elsewhere earned him the league lead in WPA (4.60), WAR (7.2), a Golden Glove at CF, and Most Valuable Player honors as a result. In a normal year, Gulf Coast CF Charles Ryan (.347, 8 HR, 77 RBI, 5.6 oWAR) would have won either BotY or MVP since he led the league in Average, Slugging (.507), OPS (.909), Hits (159), and Total Bases (232), but with Burger finishing so close in the batting race the Austin man’s incredible season on the bases put him over the top.

*(Creator's note: Bob Burger was a name generated by the game engine when I created the league. I did not manually name him in tribute to one of my favorite long-running cartoons.)

The best pitcher in the league was an old hand who came in from New York: Houston’s Emerson Gardner (18-11, 1.91 ERA, 161 K’s), who was also the team’s third baseman when he didn’t pitch. His batting WAR (3.2; .328, 5 HR, 46 RBI) was actually higher than any other regular third baseman in the league and award voters talked about putting him at 3B in the Team of the Year in addition to giving him the Hurler of the Year Award, but they decided against it since he only started 60 games at third.

As it was, the six-time Northeastern League HotY, who’d won 349 games while pitching for Syracuse, nearly won the SL’s Pitching Triple Crown, leading the league in Wins and ERA while finishing second in strikeouts (James Gates of Gulf Coast: 180). Gardner’s 7.2 Pitching WAR led the league but was his third-lowest since 1890. At the same time, given his performance in the field and at the plate Gardner just might have had his best overall season.

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The first Tucker-Wheaton Cup in thirteen years was extremely competitive, with experienced New York champions Marathon BBC coming out on top and no team finishing worse than 4-6:

To the winners went the cup and the Most Valuable Player award, and the MVP was clearly Tom Huddleston. Huddleston followed up his 2-0 performance in the New York City Finals with a 4-0 performance over the ten games of the Tucker Wheaton Cup, throwing four Complete Games while putting up a 1.50 ERA with 18 K’s, making him the first pitcher to win six games in a single postseason.

If the Tucker-Wheaton Cup MVP were to be given to any player instead of one on the winning team, it could easily have gone to Olympic center fielder George Stanton, who followed up his amazing debut campaign in the Northeastern League by hitting .436 (14/39, 1.155 OPS, 232 OPS+) with seven RBI in the cup competition. His Average and OPS were easily #1, with his OPS coming in nearly 135 points higher than the second-place hitter (Frank Holbrook of Vermont: 1.021).

tm1681 · 11-02-2023, 06:07 PM

DOC ADAMS RETIRES, SELLS KNICKERBOCKERS
HAD RUN KNICKS SINCE 1847; HELPED DEVELOP GROUND RULES OF BASEBALL

Manhattan (Oct. 13, 1902) – One of the biggest transactions in the history of pro baseball took place on Monday, as Daniel Lucius “Doc” Adams retired from his position as Owner & Chairman of the Manhattan Knickerbockers and sold the team to local industrialist Marvin Graham. Adams figured that since he was about to turn 88 years old he should “probably slow himself down a bit”.

(Creator’s Notes: In real life, Doc Adams did nearly live until the 1900s, passing away early in 1899 at the age of 84. However, he wasn’t involved with the Knickerbocker club for his entire life, leaving his roles in baseball in March of 1862. After retiring from the sport, among other things he was a Connecticut State Congressman, a doctor, the President of a bank, helped found a library, and continued following the sport of baseball closely. Near the end of his life, Adams was quoted as saying, “"We pioneers never expected to see the game so universal as it has now become."

An original edition of “The Laws of Base Ball” confirmed to have been authored by Adams was auctioned for over three million dollars in 2016, a record for baseball-related documents)

Doc Adams had been involved with the Manhattan Knickerbockers since their inception as Knickerbocker BBC in 1845, first as a player and then as their second president in 1847, succeeding Alexander Cartwright. Before that, he played for New York BBC from 1837 to 1845. After becoming President of Knickerbocker, he used his executive power to help develop some of the basic ground rules of baseball. Among them:

• Nine men becoming the official size of the starting lineup for an organized team
• Games had occasionally been played with 7-8 men per team up to that point
• Games ending after nine innings if one team was ahead
• Previously the first team to score 21 runs was declared the winner
• The first regulations on bat & ball sizes
• The first official prohibitions against gambling on baseball by players or umpires
• Fixing the bases at a set distance of 30 yards, or 90 feet, from each other
• The distance was originally set at “42 paces”, but was realized as too vague
• Setting the first official distance of the pitcher’s position from home plate
• Originally 15 yards, or 45 feet
• The introduction of strikes
• Meant to reduce pitches and game time
• Changing how hitters could be put out by removing the “Bound Rule”
• Meant fielders would have to catch a ball on the fly, similar to cricket, instead of after one bounce to retire a batter
• Met resistance but was adopted in the 1860s
• Writing the first book of baseball rules & regulations, titled “The Laws of Base Ball”
• While a player: along with others, helped to invent the position of shortstop

After doing all the above, he continued to run the Knickerbocker club for almost another half-century, from the creation of the first organized amateur leagues through the creation of the first professional league, and all the way through to the first championship series between teams from different regions of the United States.

It’s only fitting that Adams’ final Knicks team had the best record in professional baseball and won the second edition of the President’s Cup, as it appeared to all to be the culmination of his life’s work. The club was very influential in the NBBO but never won the Tucker-Wheaton Cup. They won the APBL twice before the creation of the APBL President’s Cup, and then won it four times in six years (1886-91). They took their seventh APBL title this past year, and beat Milwaukee in a memorable PC after Providence won the maiden edition of the professional championship series the previous year.

In 46 years of organized, competitive baseball under the leadership of Doc Adams, Knickerbocker BBC & the Manhattan Knickerbockers finished under .500 eleven times, with only four of those happing over the 27-season span since 1875. To match the club’s success on the field the Knicks have been one of pro baseball’s most financially successful teams off it, and to top it off the team’s home stadium of the Elysian Fields can stake a claim to be the first seated venue dedicated solely to the sport of baseball.

From helping usher in the first formal standards for the sport of baseball, to its first organized competition, to its first professional competition, to the sport’s development nationwide, Doc Adams’ influence on the sport will never be forgotten. If there is to be a pantheon for baseball, Adams may well be one of its primordial figures.

tm1681 · 11-02-2023, 06:20 PM

APBL SHOCKER! BotY JAMES KELLER TRADED!
KELLER WAS .004 OF AVG FROM WINNING 1902 TRIPLE CROWN

Boston, MA (October 18, 1902) – The baseball world was left in stunned disbelief on Saturday afternoon after telegrams shot out to offices around the Northeast and Midwest stating that the just-named APBL Batsman of the Year, Massachusetts Bay’s James Keller, had been traded to the MWBA’s Minneapolis Lakers for one of the top young prospects in the sport.

Keller won the 1902 APBL Batsman of the Year Award after coming just four points of Batting Average short of taking the Triple Crown. As it was, he hit .360 while leading the league with a dozen home runs and a record-setting 115 RBIs. The achievement came in only his second season as a pro regular after he was purchased from the Vermont Green Stockings in the New England Baseball Association:

Given the massive improvement between his first year with Mass. Bay and his second, it had been presumed that the 24-year-old would be the central fixture of the Pilgrims’ lineup for years to come. However, the team was only able to follow up its 52-80 season in 1901 with a 62-70 record in ’02 even though they were in the top half of the APBL in every basic offensive category. The reason: pitching was a major problem, as the Pilgrims allowed the most runs in the 16-team league and they were in the bottom quarter in ERA, strikeouts, walks, and opponents’ average.

To remedy this, the Mass. Bay front office decided to act before signing any free agents by trading the APBL’s reining BotY to Minneapolis for Levi Butcher, a recent signee from the University of Missouri. Butcher, a 21-year-old lefty, is considered a five-star potential talent and one of the top prospects in the ABA. Those who watched the Lakers’ reserve team have responded to his role in the trade by saying that if Butcher can develop an off-speed pitch then he could be a credible starter for Mass. Bay next year as a 22-year-old.

On one level there is logic to the trade as Mass. Bay has 26-year-old Clarence Riggs, who’s been able to reach base at least 40% of the time in each of the last five seasons (3 NBBO, 2 APBL) and can move from left field to first base. However, he lacks Keller’s power and hasn’t hit as well with men on base.

If this incredibly bold move is to work out, the Mass. Bay front office will have to make a notable free agent signing at a corner outfield spot, hope Butcher is able to join their pitching rotation next season, and perhaps add other signings to help #1 George Roundtree in what was otherwise the worst group of pitchers in the league. If they don’t, we know of at least one team’s fanbase that will spend the 1903 season in a very curmudgeonly mood.

RMc · 11-03-2023, 06:11 AM

(see title)

tm1681 · 11-03-2023, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RMc

(see title)

I post about the stuff I do in the mod forum (one of the two links in my sig) and I think in 1905 what I'm doing to do is, at the very least, post a whole bunch of templates that go all the way from the whole work to leagues grouped by region.

I might still do a Quickstart, though, because it's easy enough to make. Just a matter of making sure it works with other people's devices.

tm1681 · 11-03-2023, 03:22 PM

1902 YEAR IN REVIEW: THE CHAMPIONS

AMERICAN BASEBALL ASSOCIATION

APBL Colonial Conf: Providence Saints (85-47, Boston 14 GB)
APBL Metropolitan Conf: Manhattan Knickerbockers (86-46, Brooklyn 3 GB)
APBL Doc Adams Trophy: Manhattan beats Providence 4-1

• MVP: Homer Wyatt (KNI – 19.0 IP, 2-0, 1 SV, 0.00 ERA, 2 BB, 8 K)
• NOTABLE: Providence SS Charley Rankin (8x APBL MVP) missed series due to back injury

MWBA Eastern League: Milwaukee Bavarians (85-47, Indianapolis 5 GB)
MWBA Western League: Missouri Bluebirds (76-56, Minneapolis 1 GB)
MWBA Lincoln Memorial Cup: Milwaukee beats Missouri 4-3

• MVP: Thierry Moreau (MIL – 14/29, 6 RBI, 2 SB)
• NOTABLE: Milwaukee came back from 3-1 down to win LMC; Ehle threw CG in Game 7

President’s Cup II: Knickerbockers beat Milwaukee 4-3

• Game 1: MIL 6-0 KNI – SP J. Randle (MIL) CG shutout, 5 H, 1 BB, 3 K
• Game 2: MIL 2-3 KNI – SP J. Brooks (KNI) CG, 8 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
• Game 3: KNI 4-2 MIL – SP G. Bullock (KNI) CG, 10 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K
• Game 4: KNI 3-2 MIL – SP H. Wyatt (KNI) CG, 7 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
• Game 5: KNI 14-15 MIL – LF H. Scott (MIL) 3/4, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 3 R, 1 HBP
• Game 6: MIL 3-2 KNI – SP H. Ehle (MIL) CG, 7 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
• Game 7: MIL 3-6 KNI – PH C. Lindsey (KNI) 1/1, walk-off 3B, 3 RBI
• MVP: Shaun Scott (KNI – 9/25, 8 RBI, 5 BB, 3 R)
• NOTABLE: Manhattan won Game 7 by scoring five runs in bottom of 9th

INDEPENDENT PROFESSIONAL LEAGUES

Southeastern & Atlantic Lg: Charleston Battery (83-45, Nashville 9 GB)

• Third straight SEAL championship for Charleston
• Melvin Sheridan (P, Nash) led SEAL in Wins for 6th time, won 4th HotY
• James Olson (P/1B, Mem) led SEAL in HR, finished 2nd in Wins & ERA

Canadian Baseball Lg: Ville Marie Guardians (75-51, Quebec City 4 GB)

• Harry Steele (1B, Danforth) won batting title by 34 points (.379, Alex McNeeley of London hit .345)
• Tim Boyum (P, London) broke Cecil Richards’ four-year streak leading CBL in Wins, won HotY

NATIONAL BASEBALL ORGANIZATION

New York Lg.: Marathon BBC (68-44, beat Yonkers 3-1 in NYC Finals)
New England Baseball Ass’n: Vermont Green Stockings (81-31, six-peat, beat Cantabrigians 3-2 for Ben Franklin Cup)
Northeastern Lg: Olympic BBC (75-39; beat Syracuse 3-2 for Adams Trophy)
Great Lakes Baseball Conf: Erie Lakers (68-42; Saginaw 1 GB)
Prairie Lg: Wichita Wranglers (69-41; Des Moines 4 GB)
Southern Lg: Gulf Coast Pelicans (71-41; Austin 3 GB)

Tucker-Wheaton Cup results:

• Marathon BBC (NYL): 7-3
• Erie Lakers (GLBC): 6-4
• Gulf Coast Pelicans (SL): 5-5
• Wichita Wranglers (PL): 4-6 (H2H tiebreaker)
• Olympic BBC (NEL): 4-6
• Vermont Green Stockings (NEBA): 4-6
• MVP: Thomas Huddleston (P, Marathon) – 36.0 IP, 4-0, 1.50 ERA, 18 K, 4 CG
• NOTABLE: 1st Tucker-Wheaton Cup since 1889

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUES

All-Ireland Champ.: Monaghan Farney Army (49-35, beat Westmeath 3-2 in All-Ireland Final)
Cuban Nat’l Series: Santa Clara Saints (63-49, Havana 1 GB)

* Won title or reached championship series via one-game playoff

tm1681 · 11-03-2023, 03:45 PM

1902 YEAR IN REVIEW: AWARD WINNERS

MAJOR AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR

APBL: James Keller (24 y/o 1B, Mass. Bay Pilgrims)

• 579 PA, .360/.394/.508, .902 OPS, 83 R, 196 H, 31 2B, 7 3B, 12 HR, 115 RBI, 29 BB/27 K, 277 TB, 5.5 oWAR, 4.4 WAR
• Four points of batting average from winning Triple Crown (A. White of NYA hit .363)
• 115 Runs Batted In set APBL & ABA record

MWBA: Petter Lund (32 y/o CF, Columbus Capitols – 2nd MWBA BotY)

• 593 PA, .393/.446/.564, 1.010 OPS/167 OPS+, 110 R, 207 H, 25 2B, 19 3B, 9 HR, 87 RBI, 51 BB, 103 SB, 293 TB, 7.7 oWAR. 9.7 WAR
• Also won MWBA Most Valuable Player
• Finished in top five in R, 3B, HR, XBH, & OBP

SEAL: George Sales (22 y/o RF, Evansville Angels)

• 587 PA, .386/.431/.496, .927 OPS, 94 R, 207 H, 29 2B, 12 3B, 2 HR, 84 RBI, 41 BB/26 K, 38 SB, 266 TB, 6.1 oWAR, 6.9 WAR
• Youngest SEAL Batsman of the Year
• Also earned Golden Glove at RF

HURLER OF THE YEAR

APBL: Martin Kearns (36 y/o, Brooklyn Knights – 2nd pro HotY)

• 331.1 IP, 28-11, 2.44 ERA, 49 G, 32 CG, 2 SHO, 93 BB, 221 K, 1.23 WHIP, 6.0 K/9, 7.7 WAR, 9.0 R9-WAR
• 14th straight year leading MWBA or APBL in K’s

MWBA: Hans Ehle (38 y/o, Milwaukee Bavarians – 13th MWBA HotY)

• 311.1 IP, 29-10, 2.34 ERA/166 ERA+, 50 G, 30 CG, 3 SHO, 44 BB, 173 K, 1.13 WHIP, 1.3 BB/9, 5.0 K/9, 3.9 K/BB, 5.0 WPA, 10.0 WAR, 11.6 R9-WAR
• 18th straight season leading MWBA in Pitching WAR
• 10th time leading MWBA in Wins and/or ERA
• Won 500th game as a pro on June 27th vs. Cleveland

SEAL: Melvin Sheridan (33 y/o, Nashville Bobcats – 4th SEAL HotY)

• 328.2 IP, 27-6, 2.79 ERA, 37 GS, 27 CG, 3 SHO, 103 BB, 191 K, 1.33 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9, 5.2 K/9, 3.3 WPA, 7.0 WAR, 9.5 R9-WAR
• 6th time leading SEAL in Wins
• 2nd straight year leading SEAL in Complete Games

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

APBL: Charley Rankin (33 y/o SS, Providence – 8th APBL MVP)

• 587 PA, .319/.412/.474, .886 OPS, 106 R, 161 H, 35 2B, 17 3B, 3 HR, 65 RBI, 64 BB/30 K, 42 SB, +18.8 ZR (SS), 3.7 WPA, 5.2 oWAR, 8.6 WAR
• 11th time leading APBL in Position Player WAR

MWBA: Petter Lund (32 y/o CF, Columbus Capitols – 3rd MWBA MVP)

• 593 PA, .393/.446/.564, 1.010 OPS, 110 R, 207 H, 25 2B, 19 3B, 9 HR, 87 RBI, 51 BB, 103 SB, 293 TB, 8.1 WPA, 7.7 oWAR, 9.7 WAR
• Has led MWBA in Position Player WAR four of past five seasons

SEAL: Mahon Bailey (33 y/o CF, Nashville Bobcats)

• 585 PA, .350/.399/.461, .860 OPS, 90 R, 186 H, 28 2B, 11 3B, 3 HR, 67 RBI, 46 BB/33 K, 93 SB, 245 TB, 3.8 WPA, 7.1 WAR
• Led SEAL in Stolen Bases for 4th straight season

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

APBL: Milton Royce (25 y/o P & LF, Pittsburgh Vulcans)

• 377 PA, .294/.375/.367, .742 OPS, 13 2B, 4 3B, 1 HR, 31 RBI, 39 BB, 20 SB, 1.8 WPA, 2.9 oWAR, 2.1 WAR
• 252.2 IP, 13-15, 3.28 ERA, 24 CG, 1 SHO, 99 BB, 120 K, 1.38 WHIP, 4.3 K/9, 2.8 WAR, 4.4 R9-WAR
• APBL Rookie of the Month in April, May, June, & July

MWBA: Aldous Clifford (23 y/o, Indianapolis Indians)

• 318.0 IP, 22-13, 3.03 ERA, 31 CG, 4 SHO, 74 BB, 96 K, 1.36 WHIP, 2.7 K/9, 1.8 WPA, 5.6 WAR, 7.6 R9-WAR
• MWBA Hurler of the Year 3rd place

SEAL: Charles Bell (24 y/o LF, Charleston Battery)

• 528 PA, .374/.432/.501, .933 OPS/139 OPS+, 82 R, 179 H, 27 2B, 8 3B, 6 HR, 85 RBI, 46 BB/28 K, 240 TB, 3.3 WPA, 4.0 WAR
• Hit at clean-up spot in batting order for SEAL champions

APBL TEAM OF THE YEAR

C: R. Leonard (Prov; 2nd.) - .295/.390/.376, 65 R, 17 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 80 RBI, 62 BB, +7.4 ZR, 1.0 WPA, 4.4 WAR, APBL Runner-up
1B: J. Keller (MB; 1st) - .360/.394/.508, 83 R, 31 2B, 7 3B, 12 HR, 115 RBI, 29 BB/27 K, 4.4 WPA, 5.5 oWAR, 4.4 WAR, BotY
2B: O. Wilkie (Penn; 8th) - .317/.393/.451, 97 R, 34 2B, 8 3B, 7 HR, 90 RBI, 61 BB, 43 SB, 3.4 WPA, 5.1 oWAR, 7.1 WAR
3B: E. Dunn (Phi; 1st) - .326/.405/.472, 74 R, 26 2B, 6 3B, 11 HR, 80 RBI, 62 BB, 16 SB, 3.6 WPA, 5.1 oWAR, 5.5 WAR
SS: C. Rankin (Prov; 10th) - .319/.412/.474, 106 R, 35 2B, 17 3B, 3 HR, 65 RBI, 64 BB/30 K, 42 SB, +18.8 ZR, 3.7 WPA, 5.2 oWAR, 8.6 WAR, MVP, APBL Runner-up
OF: L. Christianson (Brk; 8th) - .356/.421/.500, 113 R, 25 2B, 14 3B, 9 HR, 104 RBI, 61 BB/38 K, 79 SB, 278 TB, 5.8 WPA, 6.2 oWAR, 7.4 WAR, GG
CF: C. Kirk (NJ; 7th) - .346/.437/.474, 94 R, 23 2B, 18 3B, 2 HR, 57 RBI, 81 BB/33 K, 61 SB, 4.1 WPA, 6.1 oWAR, 5.6 WAR
RF: A. Gelmetti (Kni; 3rd) - .332/.447/.475, 108 R, 22 2B, 22 3B, 1 HR, 72 RBI, 92 BB/22 K, 68 SB, 6.1 WPA, 6.3 oWAR, 6.6 WAR, APBL Champ

P: M. Kearns (Brk; 2nd) – 28-11, 2.44 ERA, 49 G, 32 CG, 2 SHO, 93 BB, 221 K, 1.23 WHIP, 6.0 K/9, 3.1 WPA, 7.7 WAR, 9.0 R9-WAR, HotY
P: H. Dabry (NY A’s) – 24-11, 2.32 ERA, 33 CG, 6 SHO, 110 BB, 167 K, 1.14 WHIP, 4.5 K/9, 6.0 WPA, 7.1 WAR, 11.5 R9-WAR
P: F. Barber (Prov) – 26-10, 2.20 ERA, 29 CG, 9 SHO, 83 BB, 135 K, 1.16 WHIP, 3.8 K/9, 3.6 WPA, 7.0 WAR, 8.7 R9-WAR, GG, APBL Runner-up
P: J. Brooks (Kni) – 22-12, 2.38 ERA, 29 CG, 1 SHO, 71 BB, 128 K, 1.22 WHIP, 3.8 K/9, 3.9 WPA, 6.9 WAR, 8.4 R9-WAR, APBL Champ

MGR: F. Gannon (Kni; 1st) – 86-46, won President’s Cup in first year as Manhattan manager

MWBA TEAM OF THE YEAR

C: E. Martin (Ind; 5th) - .357/.436/.477, 94 R, 32 2B, 9 3B, 3 HR, 103 RBI, 64 BB, 5.3 WPA, 5.7 oWAR, 5.6 WAR
1B: R. Morris (Mil; 4th) - .360/.423/.451, 82 R, 22 2B, 4 3B, 6 HR, 87 RBI, 50 BB, 4.1 WPA, 5.0 oWAR, 4.7 WAR, GG, MWBA Champ
2B: S. Fisher (Mpls; 1st) - .328/.394/.430, 103 R, 32 2B, 7 3B, 3 HR, 73 RBI, 52 BB/19 K, 88 SB, 3.8 WPA, 4.4 oWAR, 6.4 WAR
3B: B. Walker (Det; 1st) - .275/.365/.361, 42 R, 23 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 66 RBI, 58 BB, 0.6 WPA, 1.9 oWAR, 2.8 WAR
SS: K. van Steen (Miss; 1st) - .369/.409/.474, 107 R, 208 H, 22 2B, 17 3B, 1 HR, 76 RBI, 36 BB, 78 SB, 3.9 WPA, 4.8 oWAR, 5.7 WAR, MWBA Runner-up
OF: J. Hinton (KC; 2nd) - ..348/.469/.968, 92 R, 31 2B, 12 3B, 6 HR, 90 RBI, 100 BB, 57 SB, 5.9 WPA, 7.1 oWAR, 6.1 WAR
CF: P. Lund (Clb; 6th) - .393/.446/.564, 1.010 OPS, 110 R, 25 2B, 19 3B, 9 HR, 87 RBI, 51 BB, 103 SB, 297 TB, 8.1 WPA, 7.7 oWAR, 9.7 WAR, BotY & MVP
RF: E. Crosby (Mpls; 6th) - .373/.465/.504, 64 R, 22 2B, 7 3B, 5 HR, 80 RBI, 60 BB, 21 SB, 5.7 WPA, 5.6 oWAR, 5.2 WAR

P: H. Ehle (Mil; 16th) – 29-10, 2.34 ERA, 50 G, 30 CG, 3 SHO, 44 BB, 173 K, 1.13 WHIP, 1.3 BB/9, 5.0 K/9, 3.9 K/BB, 5.0 WPA, 10.0 WAR, 11.6 R9-WAR, HotY, MWBA Champ
P: J. Leyton (Ind) – 25-13, 2.95 ERA, 31 CG, 5 SHO, 75 BB, 147 K, 1.32 WHIP, 4.1 K/9, 0.5 WPA, 8.3 WAR, 7.9 R9-WAR
P: A. McCullough (StP) – 22-15, 2.64 ERA, 337.1 IP, 33 CG, 1 SHO, 114 BB, 140 K, 1.40 WHIP, 3.7 K/9, 0.7 WPA, 6.5 WAR, 7.1 R9-WAR
P: F. Wicks (KC) – 22-14, 3.16 ERA, 28 CG, 5 SHO, 95 BB, 187 K, 1.32 WHIP, 5.2 K/9, 0.9 WPA, 6.8 WAR, 7.7 R9-WAR

MGR: G. Ham (Mil; 4th) – 85-47, Milwaukee won first MWBA title in three years

NBBO AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Charles Hairston (33 y/o LF, Wichita Wranglers – PL)

• 478 PA, .376/.437/.567, 1.004 OPS/158 OPS+, 83 R, 160 H, 21 2B, 27 3B, 2 HR, 83 RBI, 45 BB/21 K, 241 TB, 4.6 WPA, 6,1 oWAR, 5.3 WAR
• Prairie League Batsman of the Year
• Prairie League Champion

HURLER OF THE YEAR: Manny Sesmas (29 y/o, Cantabrigians BBC – NEBA)

• 267.1 IP, 24-7, 1.72 ERA/205 ERA+, 26 CG, 10 SHO, 85 BB, 157 K, 1.13 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 5.3 K/9, 7.0 WPA, 7.5 WAR, 12.5 R/9 WAR
• New England Baseball Association Hurler of the Year
• Led all six NBBO member leagues in ERA

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Charles Still (22 y/o CF, Fort Worth Panthers – SL)

• 522 PA, .314/.418/.458, .876 OPS, 70 R, 16 2B, 18 3B, 4 HR, 46 RBI, 76 BB/44K, 39 SB, 19 AST & 9.7 ZR (CF), 4.6 WPA, 7.2 WAR
• Southern League MVP
• Also won Golden Glove at CF
• Southern League Batsman of the Year 3rd Place

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: George Stanton (24 y/o CF, Olympic BBC – NEL)

• 508 PA, .340/.413/.483, .896 OPS, 150 H, 29 2B, 11 3B, 4 HR, 72 RBI, 52 BB/34 K, 24 SB, 213 TB, 2.2 WPA, 5.2 oWAR, 4.0 WAR
• Northeastern League Batsman of the Year
• Northeastern League Champion

NBBO TEAM OF THE YEAR (NYL, NEBA, NEL, GLBC, PL, SL)

C: S. Bergsjo (Syracuse/NEL) - .311/.383/.433, 24 2B, 5 HR, 69 RBI, 39 BB, 1.2 WPA, 3.8 oWAR, 3.4 WAR
1B: R. Bertolucci (Bridgeport/NEBA) - .369/.470/.508, .977 OPS/166 OPS+, 24 2B, 9 HR, 66 RBI, 61 BB/23 K, 3.4 WPA, 6.1 oWAR, 5.3 WAR, NEBA BotY
2B: G. Brock (Cantabrigians/NEBA) - .304/.372/.417, 22 2B, 9 3B, 2 HR, 49 RBI, 39 BB, 39 SB, +18.9 ZR, 1.140 dEFF, 5.7 WAR, GG
3B: H. Orville (Lancaster/NEL) - .330/.422/.466, 25 2B, 4 3B, 9 HR, 66 RBI, 54 BB, 2.5 WPA, 5.7 oWAR, 4.8 WAR
SS: J. Wheelock (Peoria/GLBC) - .350/.412/.448, 150 H, 22 2B, 7 3B, 2 HR, 58 RBI, 35 BB, 2.2 WPA, 4.8 oWAR, 5.3 WAR
OF: G. Duclos (Erie/GLBC) - .341/.416/.520, .936 OPS/163 OPS+, 24 2B, 5 3B, 13 HR, 92 RBI, 43 BB/30 K, 35 SB, 213 TB, 4.8 WPA, 5.8 oWAR, 5.9 WAR, GLBC Champ & BotY
CF: B. Burger (Austin/SL) - .344/.413/.476, 153 H, 26 2B, 15 3B, 1 HR, 62 RBI, 99 SB, 3.8 WPA, 7.1 WAR, SL BotY
OF: C. Hairston (Wichita/PL) - .376/.437/.567, 1.004 OPS/158 OPS+, 160 H, 21 2B, 27 3B, 2 HR, 83 RBI, 45 BB/21 K, 241 TB, 4.6 WPA, 6.1 oWAR, 5.3 WAR, PL Champ & BotY

P: M. Sesmas (Cantabrigians/NEBA) – 24-7, 1.72 ERA, 26 CG, 10 SHO, 85 BB, 157 K, 1.13 WHIP, 7.0 WPA, 7.5 WAR, 12.5 R9-WAR, NEBA HotY
P: A. Carides (Saginaw/GLBC) – 21-7, 1.98 ERA, 26 CG, 4 SHO, 76 BB, 120 K, 1.13 WHIP, 4.9 WPA, 5.6 WAR, 9.4 R9-WAR, GLBC HotY
P: E. Hancock (Olympic/NEL) – 22-9, 3.06 ERA, 29 CG, 3 SHO, 104 BB, 204 K, 1.30 WHIP, 1.6 WPA, 5.1 WAR, 5.3 R9-WAR, NEL Champ & HotY
P: J. Lilly (Des Moines/PL) – 20-9, 2.12 ERA, 24 CG, 4 SHO, 75 BB, 166 K, 1.13 WHIP, 4.4 WPA, 6.3 WAR, 9.4 R9-WAR, PL HotY

MGR: G. Hanson (Wichita/PL) – 69-41, PL champs in 1st year managing Wranglers (team was 44-64 in 1901)

tm1681 · 11-03-2023, 05:52 PM

PRO BASEBALL REACHES THE PACIFIC COAST!

1903 has brought with it the spread of baseball all the way to the west, as ten of the Pacific Coast’s finest amateur clubs have formed their own competition, the Pacific Coast League (PCL).

(Creator’s Notes: I originally came up with my idea for the PCL during downtime while taking care of my now three-year-old during 2020-2021 during dad duty shortly after she was born, when MiLB was first on hiatus and then we were all told that the real-life PCL had ceased to exist due to MLB’s centralized control of the minor league system. Well….that sure changed! I may end up changing this to the Pacific Baseball League for any templates or Quickstarts that I make, even though this PCL was inspired by the original real-life PCL that started play in 1903 and became an Open, nearly-MLB league in 1952 before it was re-established as a AAA league in 1958.)

The original lineup of PCL teams come from nine cities along the Pacific Coast of the United States & Canada, with Vancouver having recently grown big enough (its population as of 1900 was around 52,000) to host a pro team. The ten founders:

• Los Angeles Wings – Los Angeles is the fastest growing new city in California, and while the Wings are the only LA team for the inaugural season of the PCL it’s likely only a matter of time before they’re joined by another. If it wasn’t obvious, they take their name from the city’s nickname “The City of Angels”. (stadium named after real-life Washington Park of the time)

• Oakland Oaks – One of the two major cities of the San Francisco Bay Area, Oakland’s team name is right on the nose. They even play in Oaks Park! (team name & stadium modeled after real-life early 1900s sports in Oakland)

• Portland Beavers – The professional team representing the major port city of Oregon, where the weather makes the baseball feel a bit different. (named after the real-life Beavers, which existed in four different versions from 1903-2010, & stadium modeled after real-life Portland stadium of the time)

• Sacramento Grizzlies – The professional team from the capitol of California. Driving the point home is that the team is named after the animal on the California state flag and the team colors are taken from the same flag.

• San Francisco Gold Sox – One of two San Francisco entrants, the founders of the club harkened to the California Gold Rush when coming up with the original colors for the team.

• San Francisco Bay Seals – The second San Francisco entry, the Seals are the largest club in the inaugural PCL and they play in the largest stadium: San Francisco Recreation Park, which holds nearly 15,000. (Team modeled after the real-life San Francisco Seals, which were a fixture in SF from 1903 until the Giants moved there in the late 50s)

• Seattle Navigators – The second team representing the Pacific Northwest, Seattle’s team plays in Dugdale Field and experiences the same kinds of rainy, windy conditions often found in Portland.

• Spokane Raptors – Eastern Washington’s professional baseball team, playing in a venue that seats about 7,500. (inspired by the Spokane Indians’ three-year existence as the Spokane Hawks in the 1930s)

• Tacoma Cascaders – Located about 30 miles east of Seattle, the Cascaders are Washington’s third inaugural PCL team. The team’s name and existence are inspired by nearby Mount Rainier. (actually the team’s name is a play on the name of the real-life Tacoma Rainiers)

• Vancouver Mounties – The lone Canadian entry in the PCL, inspired by Canada’s relatively new and extremely popular federal police force. (Team inspired by real-life team that existed from about 1955-70. Uniform below inspired by real-life Mountie uniform)

While most of the teams in the PCL are donning uniforms you’d expect to see elsewhere around the baseball world, the Vancouver Mounties will have a look wholly unique, inspired by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police force that inspired the team’s name, with colors inspired by the RCMP flag:

One big difference between the PCL and 1901 startup the Southern League is that markets in the PCL have been deemed easily big enough for the PCL to immediately begin as an independent professional league, like the Southeastern & Atlantic League. However, unlike the SEAL the PCL won’t be an ABA Partner League due to distance issues.

Another area in which the Pacific Coast League is quite unique is their stadiums. Since baseball in the Pacific Time Zone is relatively new when compared to its presence in the old strongholds of the Northeast and New England, many of the stadiums that PCL teams call home had to be built to fit the constraints of the land that the clubs owned. Some are built to fit in neighborhoods, some built to fit between the streets of commercial districts, and some wedged amongst industrial buildings.

One extreme example of this is Portland’s Vaughn Street Park, which was built with a center field fence just 371 feet from home plate (Elysian Fields in New York: 517 ft) so the venue was able fit in between the nearby trolley lines and the rest of the neighborhood. Another example of such constraints is San Francisco’s Recreation Park, with center field and power alleys just 373 feet from home so the venue could seat 14-15,000 while fitting inside of the larger park – San Francisco’s Central Park – the stadium was built in.

A third area in which the PCL will be different than all its counterparts is in length of season. Since the Pacific Coast doesn’t have to worry about snow much outside of the months of December, January, and February, the PCL has decided that its inaugural season will consist of 144 games, longer than any other league in existence. The longer season means that the PCL will be able to leapfrog the SEAL in revenue and they’ll be able to offer better pay than any non-ABA league straight out of the proverbial gate. (in real life, the old PCL had seasons as long as TWO HUNDRED GAMES, as evidenced at this link)

The first year of baseball on North America’s Pacific Coast should offer fans plenty of high-quality action with more chances to attend games than any other league. Due to the solidity of the structure already in place, expect to see the PCL make a big name of itself before long.

tm1681 · 11-06-2023, 06:25 PM

TEN YEARS OF BASEBALL IN CANADA

April 7th, 1903 will mark the tenth anniversary of the start of professional baseball north of the border.

After ten years, the Canadian Baseball League remains a solid, if unspectacular, presence on the baseball landscape. The league has produced a couple of notable ABA stars and the CBL is now one of three independent professional leagues in existence. While the decade of competition among the eight founding teams has been fairly tight, one team has separated itself from the rest:

In 1897, the Quebec City Voyageurs finished fifth in the CBL, eleven games out of first place. Since then? Four straight championships and a second-place finish (4 GB) in 1902. Starting with the 1897 offseason, the Quebec City front office focused heavily on building the strongest pitching staff possible, and the results speak for themselves. A bit more luck in 1902 and the Voyageurs would be five-time defending Canadian champions.

The best of the Quebec City championship teams was the 1900 edition. Their 82-44 record wasn’t quite the best in CBL history – the Danforth Minotaurs went 84-42 in 1894 – but their thirteen-game title margin was the best. The 1900 Voyageurs were led by what was by far the best pitching rotation in CBL history:

• #1 – Cecil Richards: 29-10, 2.53 ERA, 337.0 IP, 33 CG, 4 SHO, 69 BB, 196 K, 1.13 WHIP, 5.1 K/9, 2.7 K/BB, 7.1 WPA, 8.7 WAR, HotY
• #2 – Leland Littlewood: 27-8, 2.45 ERA, 305 IP, 33 CG, 4 SHO, 75 BB, 163 K, 1.19 WHIP, 4.8 K/9, 5.0 WPA, 6.6 WAR
• #3 – George Denton: 14-17, 3.31 ERA, 293.1 IP, 28 CG, 0 SHO, 94 BB, 153 K, 1.33 WHIP, 4.7 K/9, 0.1 WPA, 4.9 WAR
• #4 – Olivier Laborde: 12-8, 2.20 ERA, 190.2 IP, 15 CG, 2 SHO, 44 BB, 107 K, 1.16 WHIP, 5.1 K/9, 2.5 WPA, 3.5 WAR

Richards, Littlewood, and Denton were all in the top five in the CBL in ERA, while Richards & Littlewood were #1-2 in wins. The Quebec City pitching staff led the league in runs allowed (3.7/G), Complete Games (109) by fifteen, Shutouts (8), ERA (2.99), Hits Allowed (1,087; 8.55/9), Opponents’ Average (.250) by 23 points, WHIP (1.25), and finally strikeouts by (619) by an incredible 122 – nearly one per game.

At the plate, they led the league in runs (629, 5.0/G) and walks (394) while finishing second in hits (1,290). Clay Brunt won his fifth straight Golden Glove (SS), new signing John DeLorme was named to the Team of the Year (OF), and they had 3-4 other regulars who produced well above replacement level.

Any extended talk of the Voyageurs isn’t complete without placing particular emphasis on superstar ace Cecil Richards, the best pitcher in Canadian history. Richards was a 20-year-old pitcher for the Voyageurs in the CBL’s first season, and since then he’s done nothing but establish himself as easily the #1 pitcher over the CBL’s first ten years:

Nobody else is remotely close. His achievements:

• CBL career leader in Wins (by ~50), ERA, Strikeouts (by ~250), Innings, Complete Games, Shutouts, WAR (by ~12.25)

• 4x CBL champion (1898-1901)
• 4x CBL Hurler of the Year (1894, 96, 99, 1900)
• 2x CBL Most Valuable Player (1899, 1900)
• 1x CBL Pitching Triple Crown (1896: 30-14, 1.80 ERA, 197 K’s)
• 7x CBL Team of the Year (P) (1894-97, 1899, 1900, 1902)

• 7x CBL leader in Wins (1894-96, 98-1901)
• 2x CBL leader in ERA (1896, 99)
• 6x CBL leader in Strikeouts (1894-96, 1900-02)
• 7x CBL leader in Pitching WAR (1895-97, 1899-1902)

• 8x CBL leader in Complete Games (1894-1900, 1902)
• 8x CBL leader in K/BB Ratio (1894-97, 1899-1902)
• 7x CBL leader in Innings (1894-98, 1900, 1902)
• 7x CBL leader in WHIP (1894-1900)
• 5x CBL leader in BB/9 (1894-97, 99)
• 5x CBL leader in K/9 (1895, 96, 1900-02)
• 3x CBL leader in Shutouts (1896, 1899, 1900)

• 2x 30-Win season (1894, 96)
• 1x ERA Below 2.00 (1896)
• 1st pitcher (any league) to record 10+ WPA in season (1896: 10.6)

After the 1897 season, Richards had the chance to become the first star pitcher to jump from the CBL to either of the leagues in the American Baseball Association, but instead the Voyageurs offered him a fifty percent pay raise to remain in Quebec City. Richards stayed home, and the silverware started rolling in. Since then, former teammate Littlewood has become the first Canadian Hurler of the Year to join the ABA ranks, where he was 5-7 for Providence in 1902.

When it comes to the issue of who the best position player to play in the CBL has been, two players come to mind: shortstop Patrick Henry and first baseman Gilles Joubert.

Patrick Henry was a day-one regular for the Danforth Minotaurs, winners of the first two CBL titles. Over the league’s first four years he took a pair of Batsman of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards each while being named to the Team of the Year all four times. He also led the league in hits three times and won a pair of batting titles. His stats per 162 games in the CBL:

• PER 162: .351/.414/.492, .906 OPS/154 OPS+, 134 R, 236 H, 43 2B, 18 3B, 5 HR, 103 RBI, 68 BB/25 K, 330 TB, 6.1 WPA, 7.5 WAR

Over his time in Danforth, Henry missed all of three games and was consistently one of the best players in the CBL. However, by the end of the 1896 season the team had fallen to seventh place out of eight with a 51-75 record, so when four-time APBL champions the Brooklyn Kings came to Toronto with an offer he jumped at the chance. Henry would be the Kings’ starting shortstop for the next six years.

Gilles Joubert was signed out of St. Joseph’s Catholic High School in Guelph by the London Monarchs in the summer of 1896. Joubert was an advanced-enough hitter as a teenager that he was London’s starting first baseman by the next spring, and he proceeded to hit .330 with an .877 OPS as a 19-year-old. That was the last time Joubert hit under .375 in the CBL. In each of his last three seasons in the CBL Joubert led the league in Hits, Average, and OPS, winning Batsman of the Year all three times before he was 23 years old.

Joubert’s CBL stats per 162 games:

• PER 162: .371/.455/.526, 970 OPS/173 OPS+, 102 R, 232 H, 39 2B, 26 3B, 2 HR, 89 RBI, 80 BB/45 K, 329 TB, 6.0 WPA, 6.5 WAR

Joubert signed with the Boston Shamrocks ahead of the 1901 season and made further history by leading the APBL in Batting Average while being awarded both Batsman of the Year and Newcomer of the Year.

If there was one pick for a player to be nominated as the best current position player in the CBL it would be London’s Alexander McNeeley, who came home to Canada and signed for London in 1901 after spending his first four years as a pro in the APBL. Since arriving in Canada, he’s won a pair of Golden Gloves (CF) while winning the 1902 Most Valuable Player award and setting a record for WAR (7.3; 10.0/162) last season.

While baseball in Canada has mostly been going forward without many issues, there was one notable black mark during the past offseason. On November 15th, 1902 Batsman of the Year Harry Steele of Danforth (.379 AVG, .910 OPS, 203 H, 7 HR, 54 RBI) signed with the Southern Missouri Ozarks of the Prairie League, which is not only outside of the ABA but is known as the lowest-paying of the six leagues in the National Baseball Organization. For those players who don’t end up in the ABA leagues, the CBL will have to do a better job of keeping their premier talents in house going forward.

Another issue has been offense, which has fallen from 5.2 runs per game in the inaugural season to 4.3 per game last year. Many other leagues are seeing scoring declines, but not do that degree. Canada has become known for its pitching talent, but hopefully its hitting talent begins to catch up.

tm1681 · 11-06-2023, 06:41 PM

THE WILLIE MUNOZ SWEEPSTAKES
21 Y/O CUBAN MOST TALENTED HURLER IN CNS; PUT UP FOR SALE BY CLUB

Just as the professional baseball preseason was about to move on to Spring Training and clubs were coming closer to setting their senior rosters, one big prize went up for grabs on the market: five-star Cuban prospect Willie Muñoz.

The 21-year-old Muñoz was put up for transfer by 1901/02 Cuban National Series champs Pinar del Rio for the record amount of $15,000, with any pro team available to sign him so long as they were able to meet PdR’s asking price.

It’s easy to see why Muñoz is viewed as having such significant potential. Even though he didn’t win the award that goes to the CNS’ premier pitcher – teammate Rogelio Diaz won it instead – he was named to the league’s Team of the Year after being part of a trio of pitchers to tie for the league lead in wins (19) and leading the league in strikeouts (213) by more than fifty.

Muñoz entered the Cuban league ahead of the inaugural CNS season in 1899 as a 17-year-old in the Pinar del Rio reserves who was extremely unrefined. He could throw rather hard but do little else. After spending one season in the Tobacco Growers’ reserves, Muñoz has since rapidly developed into the most intimidating pitcher outside of the United States other than Cecil Richards. The scouting reports on him and his three-year playing record for PdR show just that:

Muñoz still has a couple of pitches that need a bit of work and his control isn’t as far along as the two other main areas of his pitching, but with the speed of his development it shouldn’t be long before Muñoz becomes an elite pitcher at the highest level.

Pinar del Rio had just won their first championship in Cuba, so why let such a talented player go? Even though the Cuban league heavily restricts player movement, Muñoz apparently expressed a desire to move to the states and the opportunity to fill the club’s coffers with such a relatively large sum of money – PdR’s revenue in the 01/02 season was less than $30,000 – was seen as too good to pass up.

After almost a month of offers and counteroffers, it was the Pittsburgh Vulcans led by flashy new owner Bradley Clay who came out with the contract offer Muñoz liked the most, beating out the likes of Brooklyn, Manhattan, Providence, Milwaukee – where he would have been Hans Ehle’s heir apparent – and Minneapolis. Those other clubs offered more money, but since the Vulcans are still in building mode they were the only club with the available money who could offer Muñoz both a top spot in the rotation and the ability to be patient with him as he continues to develop.

The major signing capped off quite an offseason for Pittsburgh, who signed two major NBBO stars – OF Severin van der Kooi and P Onofrio Barberini – and made signings to improve defense in several other positions. Thanks to the offseason maneuvering, Northeastern pundits have put the Vulcans down for an improvement of about twenty wins for the upcoming season. That would have Pittsburgh winning more than double the games they won two years ago.

tm1681 · 11-13-2023, 06:31 PM

CHARLESTON’S HORACE FARLEY GOES CYCLING!
CF HITS FIRST CYCLE IN THE SEAL IN 7 YEARS

Charleston, SC (5/18/1903) – It took extra innings, but the Charleston Battery’s star center fielder Horace Farley made a bit of history on Monday afternoon, going for the Southeastern & Atlantic League’s first cycle in more than seven years.

Farley, in his thirteenth year playing for Charleston and jokingly called “The Ho Train” by the more facetious of his Battery teammates, accomplished the feat by doing the following:

• 1st inning: hit a single off Evansville starting pitcher Robert Hagerty
• 3rd inning: hit an RBI double off Hagerty
• 4th inning: struck out by Hagerty
• 6h inning: walked by Hagerty
• 8th inning: hit an RBI triple off Hagerty
• 10th inning: hit a two-run HR of reliever Edward Lapley
• TOTAL: 4/5, 4 RBI, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 10 TB, 1 OF Assist

Unfortunately, Farley’s heroics came in a losing effort as visiting Evansville won 11-10 in extra innings thanks to three runs in the top of the tenth.

This was the third cycle in the history of the SEAL, with the previous one coming from Savannah’s Leon Miller on April 18th, 1896 (also) against Evansville and the first cycle achieved by Atlanta’s Beauregard Kemp on June 30th, 1892 against the Memphis Showboats.

tm1681 · 11-13-2023, 06:41 PM

SONS OF THE OCEAN BACK ON TOP WITH HISTORIC PITCHING
PITCHERS LED NEBA IN NEARLY EVERY MAJOR CATEGORY; DEFENSE BEST IN LEAGUE

The famous Sons of the Ocean were the only team in the NBBO’s single competition format to win the Tucker-Wheaton Cup four times, but thanks in large part to the dominance of the Vermont Green Stockings they’d been unable to lift the New England Baseball Association’s Ben Franklin Cup before the 1903 season.

No more. SotO were 50-62 in 1902 but erupted to a league-best 77-35 record this season before sweeping six-time defending league champions Vermont in the Ben Franklin Cup series by an aggregate score of 22-14 over the three games.

How did the Sons of the Ocean make an incredible 27-game turnaround in one season? With what was be best, though not most talented, pitching staff in the nearly five-decade history of the NBBO. What did the SotO pitchers do? Everything:

• Runs Allowed: 316 (2.82/G) – 1st by 87
• Earned Run Average: 2.19 – 1st by 69 points
• Complete Games: 94 – 1st by 1
• Shutouts: 17 – 1st by 2
• Hits Allowed: 903 (8.06 HA/G) – 1st by 47
• Opponents’ AVG: .238 – 1st by 13 points
• Opponents’ OBP: .300 – 1st by 19 points
• Opponents’ SLG: .301 – 1st by 25 points
• Opponents’ OPS: .601 – 1st by 51 points
• Opponents’ BABIP: .270 – 1st by 10 points
• Bases on Balls: 309 (2.7 BB/9) – 1st by 3
• Walks + Hits / IP: 1.18 - 1st by 9 points
• Win Probability Added: 17.9 – 1st by 9.8 points
• Wins Above Replacement: 22.7 – 1st by 1.4 points
• Runs Allowed per 9 WAR: 33.8 – 1st by 12.6 points

The SotO’s offense was closer to the middle of the NEBA pack, but the pitching staff was so dominant that they finished the season with the league’s best Run Differential: +183 (+1.63 R/G).

The six SotO pitchers who contributed to such an extraordinary season were:

• #1 Starter: George Bryan – 24-6, 2.06 ERA, 167 K, 279.2 IP, 27 CG, 4 SHO, 64 BB, 1.14 WHIP, 6.9 WPA, 8.1 WAR, 10.7 R9-WAR
• #2 Starter: Eli Morehead – 16-8, 2.45 ERA, 89 K, 228 IP, 20 CG, 4 SHO, 86 BB, 1.31 WHIP, 4.2 WPA, 4.1 WAR, 6.5 R9-WAR
• #3 Starter: Adrian O’Hara – 12-5, 2.33 ERA, 75 K, 150.1 IP, 15 CG, 3 SHO, 44 BB, 1.13 WHIP, 2.5 WPA, 3.0 WAR, 4.9 R9-WAR
• #4 Starter: Charles Denny – 13-7, 1.85 ERA/178 ERA+, 87 K, 194.1 IP, 18 CG, 3 SHO, 44 BB, 1.09 WHIP, 2.8 WPA, 4.4 WAR, 6.6 R9-WAR
• #1 Reliever: Henry Weeks – 9-5, 2.19 ERA, 57 K, 119.1 IP, 11 CG, 2 SHO, 40 BB, 1.16 WHIP, .228 oAVG, 2.1 WPA, 1.9 WAR, 3.4 R9-WAR
• #2 Reliever: Francis McDowell – 2-3, 2.01 ERA, 10 K, 40.1 IP, 2 CG, 12 BB, 1.26 WHIP, -0.8 WPA, 0.6 WAR, 0.7 R9-WAR

Staff ace Bryan became the first pitcher to win the NEBA’s Most Valuable Player, and he took home Hurler of the Year and a Golden Glove to go with it, making him the first NEBA pitcher to win three awards in the same season.

On top of the pitching staff’s achievements, Sons of the Ocean’s defense was easily the best in the New England Baseball Association:

• Errors: 164 – 1st by 4
• Zone Rating: +49.2 – 1st by 2.8 points
• Defensive Efficiency: .702 – 1st by four points
• Golden Gloves: 4 (P George Bryan, C Harvey Costello, 2B Kenneth Lowe, LF Rex Waltz)

The front office deserves plenty of credit for the team’s success as well. Sons of the Ocean plays in New Bedford (MA) Commons, which is famous for its size. Center field is 503 feet from home, while the power alleys are 494 feet (LCF) and 479 feet (RCF) and distances down the lines are longer than average. A stadium in New England with such a large field is a very tough place to hit, and to give an idea of just how tough the SotO batters were 13th in the NEBA in Batting Average and 8th in OPS, but 3rd in Batting WAR. General Manager Emil Hoffman and Chief Scout Charles Thompson dedicated themselves to building a roster focused on pitching and defense to maximize the venue’s inherent advantages, and their plans paid off.

09-11-2023, 06:28 PM	#101
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,274	1901 YEAR IN REVIEW: AWARDS BATSMAN OF THE YEAR APBL: Gilles Joubert (1B, Boston – 3rd pro BotY) • 582 PA, .366/.454/.487, .941 OPS (163 OPS+), 182 H, 32 2B, 11 3B, 2 HR, 58 RBI, 16 SB, 242 TB, 4.13 WPA, 7.1 oWAR MWBA: Mark Cronan (1B, Missouri) • 479 PA, .392/.426/.539, .966 OPS (146 OPS+), 176 H, 27 2B, 5 3B, 9 HR, 94 RBI, 240 TB, 3.66 WPA, 6.0 oWAR SEAL: Isaiah Grier (1B, Richmond) • 575 PA, .356/.471/.491, .963 OPS (148 OPS+), 166 H, 24 2B, 3 3B, 11 HR, 99 RBI, 98 BB, 11 SB, 229 TB, 5.81 WPA, 5.7 oWAR HURLER OF THE YEAR APBL: Charles Wilkerson (Buffalo – 3rd APBL HotY) • 278.2 IP, 24-7, 2.16 ERA (174 ERA+), 28 CG, 4 SHO, 59 BB, 155 K, 1.25 WHIP, 5.0 K/9, 2.6 K/BB, 6.0 WPA, 8.7 WAR, 10.7 R/9 WAR MWBA: Gerald Pierotti (Columbus) • 341.2 IP, 31-8, 2.71 ERA (147 ERA+), 35 CG, 3 SHO, 110 BB, 133 K, 1.26 WHIP, 2.3 WPA, 6.0 WAR, 11.2 R/9 WAR SEAL: Charles Fisk (Old Dominion) • 330.1 IP, 28-10, 2.56 ERA (150 ERA+), 32 CG, 4 SHO, 82 BB, 215 K, 1.20 WHIP, 5.9 K/9, 2.6 K/BB, 2.6 WPA, 9.7 WAR, 10.6 R/9 WAR MOST VALUABLE PLAYER APBL: Charley Rankin (SS, Providence – 7th APBL MVP) • 582 PA, .349/.435/.518, .953 OPS, 96 R, 175 H, 24 2B, 23 3B, 5 HR, 67 RBI, 44 SB, 260 TB, +35.3 ZR at SS, 4.71 WPA, 6.5 oWAR, 10.4 WAR MWBA: Martin Kearns (P, Detroit) • 302.1 IP, 23-10, 2.14 ERA (184 ERA+), 30 CG, 5 SHO, 98 BB, 200 K, 1.05 WHIP, 6.0 K/9, .240 BABIP, 5.4 WPA, 6.5 WAR, 12.9 R/9 WAR SEAL: Edward Mathis (SS, Charleston) • 582 PA, .383/.418/.536, .954 OPS, 96 R, 207 H, 23 2B, 27 3B, 2 HR, 66 RBI, 21 SB, 290 TB, 3.45 WPA, 7.0 WAR NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR APBL: Gilles Joubert (1B, Boston, age 23) • 582 PA, .366/.454/.487, .941 OPS (163 OPS+), 182 H, 32 2B, 11 3B, 2 HR, 58 RBI, 16 SB, 242 TB, 4.13 WPA, 6.6 WAR, BotY, TotY MWBA: Jake Hinton (RF, Kansas City, age 23) • 609 PA, .346/.471/.440, .911 OPS, 97 R, 170 H, 10 3B, 3 HR, 73 RBI, 106 BB, 63 SB, 5.40 WPA, 5.1 WAR, TotY SEAL: Dan Stringer (P, Charleston, age 24) • 301.2 IP, 22-12, 3.97 ERA (100 ERA+), 31 CG, 91 BB, 117 K, 1.55 WHIP, 7.0 WAR, 3.9 R/9 WAR NBBO AWARD WINNERS BATSMAN OF THE YEAR Jacob Milburn (1B, Peoria Cardinals – GLBC) • 490 PA, .404/.503/.551, 1.055 OPS (177 OPS+), 165 H, 23 2B, 11 3B, 5 HR, 66 RBI, 74 BB, 16 SB, 225 TB, 5.42 WPA, 7.2 oWAR • Great Lakes Baseball Conference Batsman of the Year & MVP HURLER OF THE YEAR Marion Gregory (Des Moines Oaks – PL) • 286.0 IP, 23-6, 2.23 ERA (174 ERA+), 24 CG, 7 SHO, 110 BB, 185 K, 1.21 WHIP, 4.6 WPA, 5.6 WAR, 11.8 R/9 WAR • Prairie League Hurler of the Year MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Charles Ryan (CF, Gulf Coast Pelicans – SL) • 484 PA, .372/.436/.553, .989 OPS (170 OPS+), 83 R, 159 H, 19 3B, 7 HR, 70 RBI, 55 SB, 236 TB, 5.30 WPA, 6.9 WAR • Southern League MVP, Runner-up for Batsman of the Year NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR George Cottrell (P, Vermont Green Stockings – NEBA) • 252.0 IP, 21-6, 2.14 ERA (160 ERA+), 24 CG, 7 SHO, 56 BB, 114 K, 1.10 WHIP, 4.4 WPA, 6.9 WAR, 8.8 rWAR • New England Baseball Association Hurler of the Year, MVP, & Newcomer of the Year PROFESSIONAL TEAM OF THE YEAR (APBL, MWBA, SEAL, CBL) C: M. Powell (St. Paul) - .371/.416/.440, 3 HR, 81 RBI, 2.71 WPA, 4.0 oWAR, 5.3 WAR 1B: G. Joubert (Boston) - .366/.454/.487, 2 HR, 58 RBI, 4.13 WPA, 7.1 oWAR, 6.6 WAR, APBL BotY & NotY 2B: O. Wilkie (Penn.) – .356/.432/.506, 105 R, 8 HR, 90 RBI, 37 SB, 2.62 WPA, 6.8 oWAR, 8.3 WAR 3B: E. Flint (Baltimore) - .313/.408/.424, 6 HR, 72 RBI, 22 SB, 1.58 WPA, 4.5 oWAR, 6.9 WAR, APBL Golden Glove SS: C. Rankin (Providence) - .349/.435/.518, .953 OPS, 5 HR, 67 RBI, 44 SB, 4.71 WPA, 6.5 oWAR, 10.4 WAR, APBL MVP & GG OF: A. Gelmetti (Knicks) - .328/.457/.485, 3 HR, 75 RBI, 104 BB, 74 SB, 3.40 WPA, 6.9 oWAR, 7.6 WAR CF: P. Lund (Columbus) - .343/.418/.501, 6 HR, 86 RBI, 63 SB, 5.16 WPA, 4.7 oWAR, 6.2 WAR OF: C. Pleasance (Columbus) - .337/.412/.487, 102 R, 5 HR, 72 RBI, 56 SB, 3.87 WPA, 5.4 oWAR, 6.4 WAR P: C. Fisk (Old Dominion) – 28-10, 2.56 ERA (150 ERA+), 215 K, 9.7 WAR, 10.7 R/9 WAR, SEAL HotY P: G. Pierotti (Columbus) – 31-8, 2.71 ERA (147 ERA+), 133 K, 6.0 WAR, 11.2 R/9 WAR, MWBA HotY P: M. Kearns (Detroit) – 23-10, 2.14 ERA (184 ERA+), 200 K, 5.4 WPA, 6.5 WAR, 12.9 R/9 WAR, MWBA MVP P: C. Wilkerson (Buffalo) – 24-7, 2.16 ERA (174 ERA+), 155 K, 6.0 WPA, 8.7 WAR, 10.7 R/9 WAR, APBL HotY MGR: Joseph Gray (Old Dominion) – 75-51 record, OD 2nd in SEAL (3 GB) after 8 straight last place finishes (min 26 GB) Last edited by tm1681; 09-12-2023 at 06:57 PM.

09-13-2023, 06:32 PM	#102
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,274	JACOB MILBURN ENDS HIS LEGENDARY CAREER THE “RUSHVILLE CRUSHER” WON 13 BotY AWARDS, 6 MVPs, & HIT .402 AS A PRO As promised when he made a U-turn over his proposed contract with the New York Athletics before retiring from pro baseball and signing with the Great Lakes Baseball Conference’s Peoria Cardinals ahead of the 1899 season, Jacob Milburn played out the three-year contract he signed for the team closest to his Illinois hometown and ended his playing days. And how did Jacob Milburn’s playing days come to an end? The same way they began in 1882: by hitting .400 and winning a championship. To be exact, he hit .404 while leading the league in on-base percentage (.503), slugging (.551), OPS (1.055), OPS+ (177), hits (165), walks (74), WPA (5.42), oWAR (7.2), and WAR (5.8). He accomplished all of that for a Peoria team that finished 64-44 and took their first GLBC title since 1894. His post-retirement plan was the same as original “greatest ever” hitter Konrad Jensen: go straight into coaching as a Hitting Coach. Not surprisingly, he was able to skip working his way up the lower ranks of the sport and was hired by the St. Paul North Stars to work with their MWBA team, as well as their very best prospects in the reserves. In all, Milburn played for twenty years. His record over seventeen seasons as a pro: And Milburn’s record during his final three years in Peoria: His career totals (MWBA, APBL, & GLBC – BOLD indicates all-time, all-levels leader): 2272 G, 10464 PA, .401/.473/.554, 1.026 OPS, 2,011 R, 3,636 H, 530 2B, 355 3B, 48 HR, 1,493 RBI, 1,158 BB, 620 SB, 5,020 TB 189 OPS+, 177 wRC+, 111.01 WPA, 112.2 WAR Milburn is the all-time professional leader in the same categories except total bases. His 162-game averages (MWBA & APBL): 747 PA, .402/.468/.557, 1.025 OPS, 146 R, 262 H, 38 2B, 27 3B, 3 HR, 109 RBI, 77 BB, 31 K, 46 SB, 8.06 WPA, 8.2 WAR His list of accomplishments is almost innumerable: PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS (MWBA & APBL) • 3x champion (1882, 84, 85) • 13x Batsman of the Year (1882-88, 90, 91, 93-96) • 6x Most Valuable Player (1883, 84, 86, 91-93) • 15x Team of the Year (1882-96) • 11x .400 hitter (1882-88, 91, 93, 94, 96) • 29x Player of the Week • 27x Batsman of the Month • 11x Batting Champion (1882-88, 91, 93, 94, 96) • 13x leader in On-base % (1882-88, 90, 91, 93-96) • 13x leader in Slugging % (1882-88, 90-94, 96) • 13x leader in OPS (1882-88, 90-94, 96) • 12x leader in Hits (1882-87, 89, 91-94, 96) • 8x leader in Extra-base Hits (1882-84, 87, 88, 91, 94, 96) • 6x leader in Triples (1882, 83, 88, 91, 93, 94) • 5x leader in Doubles (1883, 84, 87, 91, 96) • 5x leader in Runs (1883, 84, 86, 91, 96) • 3x leader in Runs Batted In (1882, 95, 96) • 3x leader in position player WAR (1886, 91, 94) • Career leader in AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, H, BB, OPS+, wRC+, WPA • 9 career five-hit games (ABA record) • 1 career six-hit game (5/14/1886 vs. Cincinnati) • 1883: .643 Slugging % (ABA record) • 1891: .438 Average (highest at any level since pitching restrictions removed in 1884) • 1891: 225 OPS+ (ABA record) • 1893: .509 On-base % (ABA record) • 1893: 1.140 OPS (ABA record) • 1896: 36-game Hitting Streak (ABA record) • 1896: 215 Hits (APBL record) GREAT LAKES BASEBALL CONFERENCE ACHIEVEMENTS • 1x Champion (1901) • 3x Batsman of the Year (1899-1901) • 3x Most Valuable Player (1899-1901) • 3x Team of the Year (1899-1901) • 3x leader in AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, OPS+, H, WAR • 2x .400 hitter (1899, 1901) • 1899: .408 AVG, .507 OBP (GLBC records) • 1900: 226 Total Bases (GLBC record) • 1901: 165 H, 1.055 OPS (GLBC records) How did a hitter like Jacob Milburn stay so good for so long? Here’s what Milburn looked like when he was at his peak: GAME UNIVERSE CREATOR’S NOTES: Essentially what the OOTP23 player creation engine spit out at the time I started the MWBA, in Jacob Milburn, was a 22-year-old who hit like Ty Cobb in his prime but playing before the Dead Ball Era, while unable to run as fast. The game had him at 100% of potential in all categories at age 22, which is something that frequently happens with young players – as young as 18 – when random batches are created in-game outside of the amateur draft, whether as free agents or when starting a new league. Why the game does this? I don’t know, but in this instance it made for a hell of a player. Milburn’s “prime” basically lasted about fifteen years. I had the “Batter Aging” speed set to .850 for most of his career since yearly league schedules were much shorter until the middle of the 1890s, but even then he was an outlier for how long it took before his attributes started to decline even slightly. I didn’t have the AI engine set to automatically update league totals and auto-calculations for each season, because in mid-to-late 1800s leagues auto-calc can get pretty janky. Instead what I did was import totals in 1880, 85, 90, & 95 and fiddle with modifiers to keep the hitting as realistic to the time as possible, while letting the parks play a factor as well. There was one year where Milburn was the Midwestern Baseball Association batting champ by 75 points & OPS champ by 190 – mentioned that in another post in this thread. He was just that much better than everyone else. By his last season in 1901, Milburn’s BABIP rating had fallen from 196 to 165-170, his “Avoid K’s” had fallen from 238 to about 225, and his “Gap” rating had shot down from 175 to 124. His “Running Speed” rating had also roughly halved by that time, making first base the only position he could feasibly play. You'd think Milburn would have more career WAR, but in the 1880s and 1890s there were still so many fielding errors that elite fielding could have almost as much of an impact on WAR as elite batting. This is why Charley Rankin has led the APBL in WAR 10 of the previous 12 years. And that’s the final word on Jacob Milburn’s playing career. Milburn was regarded as the best hitter in the sport while he played for St. Louis, but more snobbish baseball fans on the east coast were suspicious that the more hitter-friendly MWBA had helped him out. Once he hit .430 in the APBL that suspicion ended, and he was universally regarded as the best technical hitter ever to pick up a bat. That’s how Jacob Milburn retires: as one of two players who put the MWBA on the map – Hans Ehle being the other – and displaying prowess with the bat that was simply superior to anyone else who’s played the game of baseball. Milburn was known for his work ethic, intelligence, and friendly manner, leaving little doubt that he’ll be a successful Hitting Coach, and that means his actual baseball career is far from over. This leaves one important thought for the future: Konrad Jensen was originally the “greatest ever” hitter because he combined unparalleled contact with a selective eye at the plate. Jacob Milburn then surpassed Jensen because he took what Jensen did and added significant gap power to that arsenal. Who will become the first hitter to build on what Jensen & Milburn have done, and add enormous home run power on top of it? Last edited by tm1681; 09-13-2023 at 06:40 PM.

09-26-2023, 07:03 PM	#103
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,274	J. NELSON TAPPAN SELLS EXCELSIOR TO GRANT INGRAHAM TAPPAN HAD RUN THE KNIGHTS SINCE THEIR FOUNDATION IN 1854 (In real life, Jeremiah Nelson Tappan was the first President of the Excelsior of Brooklyn Base Ball Club when it was created in 1854, and he ran it until sometime in 1857 (LINK). He later became the Chamberlain/Treasurer of the city of New York (LINK). I put him in my fictional universe just for the heck of it since I saw his name on the Excelsior Wikipedia article, and I did not think at all that he would end up owning my fictional version of the team for 44 in-game years.) BROOKLYN, NY – An important chapter of New York baseball history came to a close today, as Jeremiah Nelson Tappan sold the Excelsior Knights to New York City businessman Grant Ingraham. Ingraham, born in Wisconsin and having made his money in the beef and dairy industries, has big long-term plans for the club. He told gathered reporters that he plans on putting plenty of his own money into Excelsior operations, while at the same time claiming to have a six-year plan to see Excelsior both become the highest-attended of the four professional NYC-area clubs and have the best stockpile of young talent in the APBL. At the same time, the career of one of New York’s longest-serving baseball executives has come to an end. Until today, Jeremiah Nelson Tappan has been the only president or owner that the Excelsior Knights have ever had, becoming their first President in 1854, running the club through its days as one of the founding clubs of the NBBO, through its initial snub by the APBL in 1870-71, through its dominant 1870s that led Excelsior to be invited to the APBL eight years later (1879), and all the way through to the start of the Twentieth Century. In total, Tappan was the head of the club for forty-eight years – nearly a half-century. By the final years of his tenure in the Excelsior owner’s suite, the club had won its first President’s Cup and become one of the dominant teams in the APBL. On top of that, after initially struggling to turn profits in professional baseball Excelsior could also boast of some of the most stable finances in the sport, thanks to consistent profits in the mid-to-high five figures in recent years. Tappan, who is 78 years old, said that now was a good time to finally slow down and retire. The man has certainly earned the right to do just that. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here

09-27-2023, 06:35 PM	#104
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,274	PITTSBURGH TO GET NEW OWNER, STADIUM, & NAME INDUSTRIALS FINISHED LAST IN 10 OUT OF 22 YEARS UNDER PREVIOUS OWNER PITTSBURGH, PA – After two decades of near total futility under his leadership, Brad Tolmay has sold the Pittsburgh Industrials to local steel magnate Bradley Clay. The sale brings Tomay’s reign over the Industrials to an end, and the final figures make for frightening reading: • Ten last place finishes in 22 seasons • 2/22 seasons finishing in the top half of the standings (1st-4th) • 1/22 seasons over .500 • No season closer than 13 games out of first place • Eight straight years with under .400 win % • Lowest payroll in the league five years in a row • Cumulative record of 1,034-1,602 (.392) The new owner has decided that the Industrials have been so poor for so long that the club needs a total overhaul, both on and off the field. To start with, Manager Ryan Rogers has been fired after four years at the helm. General Manager Fred Royster, also with Pittsburgh for four years, has been sent packing. Pitching Coach Arthur Tuncay: fired after five years. Upcoming free agents: all certain to be gone because none, except perhaps third baseman Sylvester Jaworski, were positive contributors. Mr. Clay has decided that while Recreation Park was a first-class facility when it was expanded to seat 17,000+ in the late 1860s (as it was in real life) the venue is now one that is aging, and its enjoyable lifespan is nearing an end. To fix that, he has secured the land, plans, and permits to build a new venue for the professional team and its fans. Based on the documents reporters were given, the new stadium will have the highest capacity of any in the APBL when it is ready to go in 1902, and it should be friendlier for hitters. (in the 1800s and early 1900s, it wasn’t uncommon for venues to be built in well under a year). (The new stadium, which I have in the game as William Pitt Field, is modeled after a combo of the 1901 & 1911 versions of Forbes Field, which means it has a smaller playing surface than Recreation Park and seats 23,616). Furthermore, Mr. Clay has concluded that the Industrials name has effectively been tainted by decades of terrible baseball and a change in the club’s identity is in order. Given the owner’s background and city’s status as a major metalworking powerhouse, the club’s name will be changed from the Pittsburgh Industrials to the Pittsburgh Vulcans. Those who have studied up on their Classical History will remember that Vulcan was the Roman God of, among other things, metalworking and the forge. Indications are that the color scheme will remain mostly the same. One might think that this is too much of an organizational overhaul to take on at once, but the owner of Quaker State Steel is one for massive tasks. Clay is a larger-than-life figure, standing six-foot-six, and the figurative giant has a giant personality to go with it as well as the money to make giant things happen. Will these changes bring good fortune to Pittsburgh’s professional baseball outfit? Time will tell, but at the very least the new man in charge of everything is wasting no time in shaking things up to try to pull the club out of the muck. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 09-27-2023 at 06:37 PM.

10-23-2023, 05:08 PM	#105
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,274	BROOKLYN SIGNS KEARNS AS PART OF OVERHAUL KINGS MISSED APBL FINALS APPEARANCE BY TWO GAMES The Brooklyn Kings were excellent again in 1901, finishing with a 79-53 record. However, that wasn’t quite good enough as the New York Athletics were two games better and kept the Kings from playing for the APBL title for the third year in a row. The Kings front office responded, and quickly. Less than a week after Free Agency started in the American Baseball Association on October 17th, the Kings traded two prospects to Jersey City for backup third baseman Kazimir Micek. That was the first in a series of transactions involving several star players, with the key move being the signing of Detroit Robins legend Martin Kearns: • October 23rd – traded two reserve players to Jersey City for 3B Kazimir Micek • October 25th – signed Eddie Flint (1x MVP, 4x GG, 3x TotY, 76.5 career WAR) to a 5-year contract ($32,500) • November 2nd – signed Martin Kearns (1x MWBA MVP & HotY, 13x K leader), to a 3-year contract ($19,200) • November 4th – signed top college prospect Douglas Benford (SP, 3.5* current ability) to a 6-year contract ($23,620) • December 4th – traded a backup 3B & cash to Cincinnati for OF Daniel Snell (1x BotY, 4x TotY, 7 APBL titles w/ Providence) The accolades of the group that Brooklyn brought in are vast. Daniel Snell spent two years with Cincinnati in the MWBA after a decade with the Providence Saints. He won seven APBL titles over his last eight years with the Saints, and during his time there he earned one APBL Batsman of the Year award and four APBL Team of the Year selections. He was the #3 hitter in the lineup for all seven of the Providence President’s Cup winners he was a part of, and has a 76.9 career WAR between the ABA (47.4 w/ PRO, 7.1 w/ CIN) and his six years with Dubuque in the Prairie League (22.4). Eddie Flint is back in Brooklyn, where he spent the first five years of his career (1889-93) before playing for New Jersey (1984-1900) and Baltimore (1901). He spent the start of his career playing shortstop in Charley Rankin’s shadow, but since moving to third base in 1896 he’s earned four Golden Gloves and three Team of the Year nominations. His 76.9 career WAR is fourth among active position players. Martin Kearns doesn’t have the most accolades on the list, but that’s because he spent his entire time with the Detroit Robins pitching in the shadow of living legend Hans Ehle. He’s only won one MWBA Hurler of the Year and one Most Valuable Player award, but the rest of his numbers speak for themselves: That’s thirteen straight seasons leading the MWBA in both strikeouts and K/9, and his 4,047 K’s for Detroit are more than a thousand better than any pro not named Ehle or Charles Wilkerson. His career WAR of 159.7 also makes him one of the “Big Three” with Ehle and Wilkerson. He won 20+ games thirteen times for Detroit. He set the professional single-season shutout record with 13 in 1894 – the only pitcher with ten or more in a season. His 380 wins is sixth all-time, and he was the ace for four championship winners in Detroit. On paper, Brooklyn’s offseason haul has left them with such a talent-rich starting lineup that their weakest link might actually be first baseman George Bixby, who’s hit over .350 four times and been in the APBL’s Team of the Year twice. The Kings will enter the 1902 season as clear favorites to be the kings of the Metropolitan Conference. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 10-31-2023 at 07:08 PM.

10-31-2023, 05:41 PM	#106
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,274	APBL 1902: SAINTS CRUISE TO FINAL BEFORE INJURY STOPS THEM MB’S KELLER NEARLY WINS TRIPLE CROWN; KEARNS BRILLIANT IN 1ST APBL SEASON Preseason predictions for the APBL had the baseball establishment picking two clear favorites: the Providence Saints in the Colonial Conference and the retooled Brooklyn Kings in the Metropolitan Conference. In the end, the 1902 American Professional Baseball League season was more of the same: the Providence Saints ruled the Colonial and there was a knock-down, drag-out pennant fight in the Metropolitan. In the Colonial, up until early June it looked like the almighty Saints would have some stiff competition as the trio of Buffalo, Boston, & Washington were all roughly a handful of games back. However, from mid-June to mid-July Providence went 20-5 and, thanks to some disastrous baseball from the rest of the pack, increased their conference lead from three games to a whopping fourteen. From there they never looked back, winning the Colonial by those same fourteen games thanks to the 48-21 baseball they played after the fateful Ides of June. Over in the Metropolitan, early on it became evident that Brooklyn wouldn’t just waltz their way to the pennant as the usual suspects – Manhattan, New York, & Pennsylvania – proved up to the task of giving the most talented team in the league a challenge. At the season’s halfway point Brooklyn were the Metropolitan leaders, but by just a single game over Manhattan and four over New York & Pennsylvania. Unlike what happened over in the Colonial, the competition didn’t wilt. Over the next month Brooklyn played .500 ball while Manhattan went 20-6, leaving the Knicks in front by five games. By the latter half of August, the Kings were able to pull within a game and from there it set up a hectic sprint to the finish. Brooklyn was never able to pull level, and Manhattan came out as Metropolitan champions. Brooklyn led the APBL in runs, average, on-base, OPS, and Batting WAR while having Hurler of the Year Martin Kearns (28-11, 2.44 ERA, 221 K’s) as their pitching ace, but mediocre defense and lack of quality at the back end of the rotation tripped them up. Meanwhile, the Knicks had a rotation that was second in the league in Starters’ ERA and they could boast of a trio of 20-game winners age 25 or younger. It was a classic case of defense and pitching holding the winning hand over dominant offense. As per the annual standard, Providence was waiting and ready to take on the Metropolitan’s finest. However, disaster struck on the final day of the season when eight-time MVP shortstop Charley Rankin injured his back while warming up with his teammates: Although Rankin received around-the-clock care from the finest physicians New England had to offer, relief for the spasms in his back proved elusive. This left him unable to field or throw without major discomfort, and as a result Rankin missed the final series for the Doc Adams Trophy. In the past, setbacks and personnel changes were things that Providence treated like small anthills to be stomped into the ground. However, having to play for the APBL championship without the sport’s most successful player was simply too much, and Manhattan took the APBL title by shutting out Providence twice over five games: It should also be noted that thanks to runs scored after errors the Knicks pitching staff only allowed five Earned Runs during the five-game series, while the Saints allowed fifteen. Homer Wyatt took a well-earned Doc Adams Trophy MVP as he allowed just ten baserunners over 19 innings, winning twice, earning one save, and allowing zero earned runs. The biggest surprise of the season had to be Massachusetts Bay first baseman James Keller (.360, 12 HR, 115 RBI, 6.2 oWAR). Bought from Vermont in the NEBA ahead of 1901 play, Keller was considered an outstanding young talent but performed barely above replacement level in his first APBL season. In year two he started the season strong and only improved from there, ending up as the league leader in Home Runs & RBI while being just four points of Batting Average from taking the Triple Crown. His 115 RBI were an APBL & ABA record, and as a result he took home the APBL Batsman of the Year Award over some awe-inspiring competition. Lindsey Christianson of Brooklyn (.356, 9 HR, 104 RBI, 7.4 WAR) finished a close second in the Batsman of the Year voting in addition to barely missing out on postseason play, but he did earn his eighth Team of the Year nomination and his fourth Golden Glove. The man who barely beat Keller to the batting average title, New York’s Avery White at .363 (7 HR, 88 RBI, 7.1 oWAR), became the youngest ABA Batting Champion at the age of 21. 24-year-old Gilles Joubert, in third place at .358 (2 HR, 72 RBI, 6.1 oWAR), needed just six more points to win his fifth straight batting title between the Canadian Baseball League and the APBL. There was other young talent in the hunt for major awards, as New York’s 22-year-old ace Homer Dabry nearly won Hurler of the Year thanks to a 24-11 record and 2.32 ERA. He didn’t win the major individual award but was named in the Team of the Year, and through four years as a pro he’s 96-54 with a 2.40 ERA and 31.1 WAR. To the surprise of nobody, Charley Rankin (.319, 3 HR, 65 RBI, 8.6 WAR) won Most Valuable Player award number eight after leading the APBL in Position Player WAR for the eleventh time over the past thirteen seasons. He was also named to his tenth Team of the Year, although it’s likely none of that will take the sting out of missing the postseason due to injury. The sale of Pittsburgh’s team to Bradley Clay and its subsequent rebranding, combined with a new stadium, still left the team struggling on the field. They finished 44-88, but that did represent an eight-game improvement over 1901. They also managed to trade for a hidden gem in the New York Athletics reserves: two-way left fielder & pitcher Milton Royce (.294, 1 HR, 31 RBI, 13-15, 3.28 ERA, 120 K’s), who was named Rookie of the Month four times in a row while cruising to a unanimous Newcomer of the Year Award. Finally, the era of the Buffalo Blues playing Second Fiddle to Providence appeared to come to an end in 1902. At the halfway mark they were above .500 and four games back of Providence in the Colonial, but over the second half of the season the Blues were 25-41 and fell from second to sixth place. After the season was over, legend Charles Wilkerson (415 wins, 6x champ, 3x HotY) and rotation #2 Ed Millard, who’s won 353 games in a Blues uniform, both filed for Free Agency, and unless somehow the Blues can find like-for-like replacements they’ll find themselves down in the middle of the pack going forward. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 10-31-2023 at 07:19 PM.

10-31-2023, 05:59 PM	#107
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,274	MWBA 1902: MILWAUKEE BACK ON TOP, BUT IT WASN’T EASY TIGHT RACE IN THE WEST; PETTER LUND WINS BotY & MVP Going into the 1902 MWBA season, tight pennant races were expected on both sides of the competition. However, in the Eastern League Milwaukee was projected to slide to fourth place thanks to poor defense and an aging rotation, while Indianapolis and a surging young Columbus team were expected to fight for the pennant. In the Western League, Minneapolis and Missouri were projected as 1A and 1B – Minneapolis expected right up there to win their third straight Western League pennant with Missouri blossoming thanks to its collection of young talent to go with shock BotY Mark Cronan. Well, after two years of letting other teams in the Eastern League have a chance the Milwaukee Bavarians were back on top in 1902. The team’s offense was #1 in the league, Hans Ehle had his best season in half a decade, and the rest of the rotation was good enough. They didn’t run away from the division but spent almost the entirety of the season after mid-May five to seven games in front of the combo of Indianapolis & Columbus, neither of whom were able to close the gap. In particular, Columbus suffered after star two-way player Gerald Pierotti missed the middle of the season due to injury. The Detroit Robins, defending Lincoln Cup winners and two-time defending Eastern League champs, took an expected fall after losing team legend Martin Kearns to the APBL and finished in fourth place. The West went exactly as predicted: with Minneapolis & Missouri one game apart as 1A and 1B. However, it was Missouri that won the West by a single game and neither won the estimated two-thirds of contests that pundits had them down for. The entire season was a nail-biter in the West, as after mid-May Chicago, Kansas City, Minneapolis, & Missouri all had leads at various times. The Kansas City Bulls were actually 4.5 games up in mid-July before their form cooled off, and over the last month of the season Minneapolis & Missouri traded leads in the West, never being more than a couple of games apart. The Lincoln Memorial Cup was certainly one for the history books. Missouri won Game One in a 10-7 stunner in Milwaukee, a game in which they put up eight runs (3 ER) on Hans Ehle and scored half a dozen times over the final two innings to earn the victory. They eased to a 7-1 win in Game Two, and after a Game Three home loss they incredibly scored eight more runs on Ehle (5 ER) in Game Four and held off a late rally to win 8-7. After pulling off such heroics against baseball’s greatest pitcher twice in four games, everyone assumed the cup was Missouri’s. However, the Bavarians rode a Complete Game from James Randle to win Game Five and seven K’s from Alexander Nagel to win Game Six, evening the series. That set up a home Game Seven for Ehle and the Bavarians, and, as they've done many times before, the Bavarians rose to the challenge. Ehle allowed one run in a Complete Game, the offense scored early, and the Bavarians won 6-1 to come back from a 3-1 deficit and take the Lincoln Memorial Cup for the sixth time. There was no doubt who the best pitcher in the MWBA was: Hans Ehle (29-10, 2.34 ERA, 173 K’s, 10.0 WAR). He nearly won 30 games for the first time 1896, had his lowest ERA since 1895, and once again led the league in Pitching WAR. His reward: Hurler of the Year Award number thirteen. There was also no doubt who the best position player in the MWBA was: Columbus center fielder Petter Lund (.393, 9 HR, 87 RBI, 9.7 WAR), who took home both Batsman of the Year and Most Valuable Player in a feat reminiscent of Jacob Milburn. Lund led the MWBA in Batting Average by 20+ points, Slugging (.564) by nearly 50, OPS (1.010) by 40-50, Total Bases (297) by thirty, Stolen Bases (103) by about ten, Win Probability Added (8.1) by two full points, and Wins Above Replacement by two full points. It’s a very good thing the Columbus front office has him under contract for four more years, because otherwise he'd almost certainly be baseball first $10,000/year player. The best young talent in the league was Indianapolis’ Aldous Clifford (22-13, 3.03 ERA, 96 K’s), who finished third in the Hurler of the Year vote for Indianapolis and took home Newcomer of the Year as a result. Fellow Eastern League rookie Fred Doss of Columbus (20-13, 3.25 ERA, 116 K’s) also received a few votes for Hurler of the Year. Charles Nutter of Kansas City (.335, 7 HR, 66 RBI, 3.6 WAR) was easily the league’s best young batsman, as he took advantage of the KC coaching focus on patience at the plate and combined it with his own superior batting eye to walk 111 times and finish the year with a .467 On-Base Percentage, which was second in the MWBA only to teammate Jake Hinton (.471). Cleveland was the most improved team in the league. Their record was only 63-69 but it was a 25-win improvement over 1901. The improvement came thanks to some excellent young talent, especially Russell Klockow (.311, 2 HR, 49 RBI, 95 SB, 7.6 WAR, GG), but they remain quite deficient at a number of positions. Kansas City was the other team in the MWBA that showed major improvement, having won fifteen more games than in 1901. Adding Nutter to a lineup with Hinton, Charles Nolan, and Edward Zuberek gave the Bulls four hitters with enough contact and patience that they can all put up a .400 On-Base figure annually. Nolan is also a four-time 20-game winner as a pitcher, while fellow staff members Ferdinand Wicks and Emmanuel Blackman appear to be finally performing to their potential under their famous manager, the 20-year former Knick Charles Brophy. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 10-31-2023 at 06:20 PM.

10-31-2023, 06:29 PM	#108
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,274	PRESIDENT’S CUP II: KNICKS WIN SEVEN-GAME CLASSIC SERIES NOT DECIDED UNTIL FINAL INNING The second edition of the ABA President’s Cup, which determined the champion of professional baseball, was a classic. A polar opposite of Providence’s breezy four-game sweep of Minneapolis last year, the series between Manhattan & Milwaukee took until the final inning of Game Seven to decide, and four of the seven games were decided by a single run. Game One was an easy Milwaukee victory, as James Randle pitched a five-hit shutout while the Bavarians attack did most of its scoring over the first five innings. Game Two was a tight one, as Milwaukee scored in the top of the seventh to make 3-2 and the Knicks were able to hold on from there thanks to a Complete Game effort from Jake Brooks, one of the Knicks’ trio of 20-game winners. Game Three was another close contest. The teams were one run apart for most of the game until Manhattan scored an insurance run in the top of the ninth to go up 4-2, with George Bullock closing out his Complete Game to get the best of Hans Ehle and put the Knicks up 2-1. Game Four saw Manhattan take a commanding 3-1 series lead thanks to a Complete Game from the third member of the Knicks’ 20-win club, Homer Wyatt. He allowed seven hits and struck out three, while Alan Gelmetti’s 4/5 performance from the leadoff spot helped lead the team to a 3-2 win and put them within the cup’s reach. Game Five was easily the wildest game of the series. Far from being cautious, defensive, and tightly-played, the game was 12-8 in favor of Milwaukee by the end of the fourth inning. The full contest ended up with more than a dozen extra-base hits, a pair of home runs, and 43 men reaching base in total (33 hits, 8 errors, 2 HBP). Knicks starter Jake Brooks struggled so much (1.2 IP, 8 H, 8 ER) that Pitching Coach Adam Atherby brought in fellow starter Homer Wyatt to relieve him. Everyone who started the game except Knicks catcher Charles Crowley recorded a hit, and nine players had more than one. With Game Six back in Manhattan, the Knicks were expected to win and raise the President’s Cup. However, Hans Ehle was back on the mound for Milwaukee and his Complete Game, six-K effort was good enough to see Milwaukee escape with a 3-2 win to force the series to Game Seven. With both staffs’ best pitchers having been so recently used, the deciding Game Seven was going to be a fascinating once since nobody was sure who the teams were going to put on the mound. Visiting Milwaukee went with James Randle, who’d done well over his two appearances in the series. Manhattan countered with Olaf Rude, their little-used fourth starter who was 10-3 (126.1 IP, 2.21 ERA) over the course of the regular season. After a run in the top of the sixth courtesy of a Joseph Tally single, the Bavarians were up 3-1 and in control. It stayed that way until the bottom of the ninth, when the Knicks put up one of the greatest rallies in the history of the sport. With Randle still on the mound to close out the cup win for the Bavarians, the Knicks scored five times, with third baseman Chris Lindsey winning the cup via a bases-loaded triple with one out. There was initial confusion as to whether Lindsey’s hit was out of the park or came off the top of the fence, so players just kept running the bases. In any event, it was a walk-off, cup-winning triple to end a rainy Game Seven – one that will never be forgotten. Manhattan first baseman Shaun Scott was named MVP of the President’s Cup, as he hit .360 (9/25), walked five times (.480 OBP) and drove in a series-high eight runs while scoring three of his own. His prize? A case of wine that was without a doubt passed around the clubhouse. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 10-31-2023 at 07:24 PM.

10-31-2023, 10:11 PM	#109
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,274	NBBO 1902: THE TUCKER-WHEATON CUP RETURNS GARDNER STARS AFTER MOVING FROM NY TO TX; VERMONT WINS 6TH TITLE IN A ROW For 1902, the National Baseball Organization was in its second year with six member leagues. Thanks to that nice, even number league executives felt the time was right to bring back the Tucker-Wheaton Cup, which had gone on hiatus when the NBBO’s single-competition format ended in 1889. There wouldn’t be a cup playoff as there was before – six teams was considered unwieldy and it meant some teams would have an extra break. Instead, there was a ten-game Round Robin competition held in the various NBBO parks in New York City & Brooklyn to determine who would lift the Tucker-Wheaton Cup for the first time in thirteen years. In addition to bringing back the TWC, the NBBO saw four new teams enter its ranks in 1902: a pair each in the Great Lakes Baseball Conference and the Prairie League to bring the membership of both to an even dozen: GLBC EXPANSION TEAMS PL EXPANSION TEAMS The GLBC and PL remain without playoffs, but the hope is that after a couple of years of having 12+ teams the league can divide the competition up geographically to lessen travel cost/time, and in the process bring them more in line with the three Northeastern circuits. The double expansion also means that the Southern League is now the only NBBO member league with less than a dozen teams (10). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the New York League two teams came out clearly on top, as familiar champions Marathon BBC won the Brooklyn Championship by nine games and the Yonkers Hilltoppers were best in the New York City Championship by a full ten. The rest of the competition was, as usual, fairly even, with only one team winning less than 40% of their games. That unfortunate side was the Morrisania Unions, who were 42-70 (.375). Marathon’s extensive high-pressure experience paid off once again in the New York City Finals as they beat Yonkers, who were five games better during the season (73-39 vs 68-44), in four games to win the NYL title. Thomas Huddleston, who’s led the NYL in wins five teams during his eight-year career, threw two Complete Game victories and was named NYC Finals MVP. There were no major standout performers in the NYL, but Yonkers’ Carl Wells (.362, 1 HR, 59 RBI, 5.8 WAR) won his third straight batting title in an NBBO league, earning both Batsman of the Year and a Golden Glove at first base. The aforementioned Huddleston (20-8, 2.21 ERA, 125 K's, 6.0 WAR) was Hurler of the Year for the third time, but 21-year-old rising star Dave Penny of Baltic BBC (18-13, 2.19 ERA, 180 K’s, 8.0 WAR) took the pitcher spot in the Team of the Year after leading the league in K’s and Pitching WAR. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The New England Baseball Association had a very familiar look to it, as the Vermont Green Stockings won 70% of their games (81-31) for the third time in four years and raised the Ben Franklin Cup for the sixth year running. However, it took them the full five games to beat Cantabrigians BBC (75-37) in the cup series, and the Green Stockings needed a run-scoring double from Mark Poole, the NEBA leader in RBI (89), in the bottom of the 8th to win Game Five 2-1. There was one star player who stood out above all others: Cantabrigians’ Cuban ace Manny Sesmas (24-7, 1.72 ERA, 157 K’s), who led the league in Wins, ERA, Complete Games (26), Shutouts (10), WPA (7.0), WAR (7.5) and R9-WAR (12.5). Vermont’s Robert Maples (178) and Worcester’s Peter McHugh (178) both struck out more batters, but otherwise no other NEBA pitcher came close to Sesmas’ accomplishments in 1902. There were a number of stars who excelled with the bat in the NEBA, and following are the most notable. Richard Bertolucci of Camden (.369, 9 HR, 66 RBI, 6.1 oWAR) won Batsman of the Year after leading the league in Average, Home Runs, On-Base (.470), and OPS (.977). Vermont stalwart Frank Holbrook (.300, 2 HR, 72 RBI, 50 SB, 5.6 WAR) was named league MVP for the second time. Second-year Hartford outfielder James Broadbent (.327, 4 HR, 58 RBI, 59 SB, 6.5 WAR) led all position players in WAR. Finally, 24-year-old Cantabrigians outfielder Severin van der Kooi (.355, 4 HR, 52 RBI, 63 SB, 6.1 oWAR) led the league in WPA (4.6), Triples (15), and Slugging (.534) while finishing in the top five in numerous other offensive categories: Average, On-Base (.434), OPS (.968), Stolen Bases, and WAR (5.5). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 1902 Northeastern League season was a bit of “Something Old, Something New”. In the New York Conference, five-time cup winners Syracuse went 79-35 (.693) even though they lost team legend Emerson Gardner to Houston in the Southern League, with Gardner saying that he wanted a new challenge near the end of his career. Over in the Northeastern Conference, Olympic BBC made it to the Adams Cup final for the second time after keeping Reading a handful of games away at the end of the season. As dominant as the Syracuse Emeralds were, it was Olympic who lifted the Adams Trophy after scoring three runs in the top of the 7th in the deciding Game Five and holding off a fierce Syracuse rally from there. There were no truly dominant performers in the NEL this season. Different players led the league in Average (Tom McCarty of Auburn: .362), Home Runs (Lewis Berry of Albany: 10), RBI (Charles Scott of Syracuse: 75), Stolen Bases (Teemu Soininen of Harrisburg: 69), OPS (Charles Reinhart of Elmira: .903), WAR (Vincent Justice of Syracuse: 5.1), ERA (Grover Gannon of Albany: 1.84), Wins (Emmett Hancock of Olympic: 22), and Pitching WAR (Charles Church of Elmira: 8/0). On the other hand, there was one truly memorable player in the NEL in 1902, and that was rookie Olympic center fielder George Stanton (.340, 4 HR, 72 RBI, 5.5 oWAR). The 24-year was Olympic’s #1 offensive contributor, led the NEL in Total Bases (213), hit nearly .400 during the Adams Cup series (9/23, 5 RBI), and earned two major awards: Batsman of the Year & Newcomer of the Year. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Great Lakes Baseball Conference was mostly a tale of two teams: the Erie Lakers (68-42) and the Saginaw Lumberjacks (67-43). Erie led almost wire-to-wire, while Saginaw stayed within a couple of games for most of the season. With one week of play left the two teams were tied in the standings, but Erie took a one game lead on August 4th and kept the lead at exactly one game for the final six days of the season to win the GLBC title. Champions Erie had the league’s star batter: 22-year-old outfielder Gabriel Duclos (.341, 13 HR, 92 RBI, 5.9 WAR). He was the only GLBC player to reach double-digits in Home Runs, drove in twenty more runs than any other player, finished second in Batting Average (John Wheelock of Peoria: 350), and led the league in Total Bases (213), OPS (.936), and WAR. The league’s most exciting batter was Newcomer of the Year Michael Horak of Duluth (.271, 6 HR, 27 RBI, 2.9 WAR), who led the league in Stolen Bases (84, 13 CS) by no less than three dozen and was the only player to reach the century mark in Runs (100). As Duclos was clearly the league’s best hitter, runners-up Saginaw had the man who was clearly the league’s best pitcher: Andrew Carides (21-7, 1.98 ERA, 120 K’s, 5.6 WAR). Carides led the league in Wins, ERA, Complete Games (26), and R9-WAR (9.4) while finishing top-five in several other pitching categories. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the Prairie League, the Wichita Wranglers (69-41) were much deserved champions after spending nearly the entire season at the top of the standings and ending 1902 five to seven games ahead of three other teams – Des Moines, Dubuque, & Sioux City – in the standings. There was one undisputed superstar in the Prairie League during the season: Wichita outfielder Charles “Happy” Hairston (.376, 2 HR, 83 RBI, 6.1 oWAR), the former Brooklyn Kings regular. He came up short in the race for the Batting Title (Mike Carlson of Sioux City: .393), but his ability to find the gap left him the league leader in RBI, Slugging (.567), OPS (1.004) by roughly 100 points, Triples (27), WPA (4.58), and Position Player WAR (5.3). It almost goes without saying: he was the PL Batsman of the Year. Joseph Lilly of Des Moines (20-9, 2.12 ERA, 166 K’s, 6.3 WAR) took Hurler of the Year after leading the league in both Wins and ERA while finishing in the top five in Strikeouts. It was his second HotY in the Prairie League, and he’s been in the voting two other times. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Southern League was another two-team affair, with the Gulf Coast Pelicans & Austin Texans trading first place for much of 1902. With one month left Austin was 52-32 and sitting four games up on Gulf Coast, but the Pelicans finished the season on an extraordinary 23-5 run to take the SL championship by three games, even though Austin themselves played over-500 baseball over the last month. Much of the excitement in the Southern League came from star outfielders. Austin center fielder Bob Burger* (.344, 1 HR, 62 RBI, 7.1 WAR) had a Stolen Base total (99, 25 CS) nearly double that of the second-best thief (James Casper of New Orleans: 55). That in addition to finishing second in both Average and OPS (.889) earned the 22-year-old Batsman of the Year honors. Center fielder Charles Still of Fort Worth (.314, .4 HR, 76 RBI, 7.2 WAR) only led the league in Triples (18) and Walks (76) but stellar play elsewhere earned him the league lead in WPA (4.60), WAR (7.2), a Golden Glove at CF, and Most Valuable Player honors as a result. In a normal year, Gulf Coast CF Charles Ryan (.347, 8 HR, 77 RBI, 5.6 oWAR) would have won either BotY or MVP since he led the league in Average, Slugging (.507), OPS (.909), Hits (159), and Total Bases (232), but with Burger finishing so close in the batting race the Austin man’s incredible season on the bases put him over the top. (Creator's note: Bob Burger was a name generated by the game engine when I created the league. I did not manually name him in tribute to one of my favorite long-running cartoons.) The best pitcher in the league was an old hand who came in from New York: Houston’s Emerson Gardner* (18-11, 1.91 ERA, 161 K’s), who was also the team’s third baseman when he didn’t pitch. His batting WAR (3.2; .328, 5 HR, 46 RBI) was actually higher than any other regular third baseman in the league and award voters talked about putting him at 3B in the Team of the Year in addition to giving him the Hurler of the Year Award, but they decided against it since he only started 60 games at third. As it was, the six-time Northeastern League HotY, who’d won 349 games while pitching for Syracuse, nearly won the SL’s Pitching Triple Crown, leading the league in Wins and ERA while finishing second in strikeouts (James Gates of Gulf Coast: 180). Gardner’s 7.2 Pitching WAR led the league but was his third-lowest since 1890. At the same time, given his performance in the field and at the plate Gardner just might have had his best overall season. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first Tucker-Wheaton Cup in thirteen years was extremely competitive, with experienced New York champions Marathon BBC coming out on top and no team finishing worse than 4-6: To the winners went the cup and the Most Valuable Player award, and the MVP was clearly Tom Huddleston. Huddleston followed up his 2-0 performance in the New York City Finals with a 4-0 performance over the ten games of the Tucker Wheaton Cup, throwing four Complete Games while putting up a 1.50 ERA with 18 K’s, making him the first pitcher to win six games in a single postseason. If the Tucker-Wheaton Cup MVP were to be given to any player instead of one on the winning team, it could easily have gone to Olympic center fielder George Stanton, who followed up his amazing debut campaign in the Northeastern League by hitting .436 (14/39, 1.155 OPS, 232 OPS+) with seven RBI in the cup competition. His Average and OPS were easily #1, with his OPS coming in nearly 135 points higher than the second-place hitter (Frank Holbrook of Vermont: 1.021). __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-06-2023 at 10:40 PM.

11-02-2023, 06:07 PM	#110
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,274	DOC ADAMS RETIRES, SELLS KNICKERBOCKERS HAD RUN KNICKS SINCE 1847; HELPED DEVELOP GROUND RULES OF BASEBALL Manhattan (Oct. 13, 1902) – One of the biggest transactions in the history of pro baseball took place on Monday, as Daniel Lucius “Doc” Adams retired from his position as Owner & Chairman of the Manhattan Knickerbockers and sold the team to local industrialist Marvin Graham. Adams figured that since he was about to turn 88 years old he should “probably slow himself down a bit”. (Creator’s Notes: In real life, Doc Adams did nearly live until the 1900s, passing away early in 1899 at the age of 84. However, he wasn’t involved with the Knickerbocker club for his entire life, leaving his roles in baseball in March of 1862. After retiring from the sport, among other things he was a Connecticut State Congressman, a doctor, the President of a bank, helped found a library, and continued following the sport of baseball closely. Near the end of his life, Adams was quoted as saying, “"We pioneers never expected to see the game so universal as it has now become." An original edition of “The Laws of Base Ball” confirmed to have been authored by Adams was auctioned for over three million dollars in 2016, a record for baseball-related documents) Doc Adams had been involved with the Manhattan Knickerbockers since their inception as Knickerbocker BBC in 1845, first as a player and then as their second president in 1847, succeeding Alexander Cartwright. Before that, he played for New York BBC from 1837 to 1845. After becoming President of Knickerbocker, he used his executive power to help develop some of the basic ground rules of baseball. Among them: • Nine men becoming the official size of the starting lineup for an organized team • Games had occasionally been played with 7-8 men per team up to that point • Games ending after nine innings if one team was ahead • Previously the first team to score 21 runs was declared the winner • The first regulations on bat & ball sizes • The first official prohibitions against gambling on baseball by players or umpires • Fixing the bases at a set distance of 30 yards, or 90 feet, from each other • The distance was originally set at “42 paces”, but was realized as too vague • Setting the first official distance of the pitcher’s position from home plate • Originally 15 yards, or 45 feet • The introduction of strikes • Meant to reduce pitches and game time • Changing how hitters could be put out by removing the “Bound Rule” • Meant fielders would have to catch a ball on the fly, similar to cricket, instead of after one bounce to retire a batter • Met resistance but was adopted in the 1860s • Writing the first book of baseball rules & regulations, titled “The Laws of Base Ball” • While a player: along with others, helped to invent the position of shortstop After doing all the above, he continued to run the Knickerbocker club for almost another half-century, from the creation of the first organized amateur leagues through the creation of the first professional league, and all the way through to the first championship series between teams from different regions of the United States. It’s only fitting that Adams’ final Knicks team had the best record in professional baseball and won the second edition of the President’s Cup, as it appeared to all to be the culmination of his life’s work. The club was very influential in the NBBO but never won the Tucker-Wheaton Cup. They won the APBL twice before the creation of the APBL President’s Cup, and then won it four times in six years (1886-91). They took their seventh APBL title this past year, and beat Milwaukee in a memorable PC after Providence won the maiden edition of the professional championship series the previous year. In 46 years of organized, competitive baseball under the leadership of Doc Adams, Knickerbocker BBC & the Manhattan Knickerbockers finished under .500 eleven times, with only four of those happing over the 27-season span since 1875. To match the club’s success on the field the Knicks have been one of pro baseball’s most financially successful teams off it, and to top it off the team’s home stadium of the Elysian Fields can stake a claim to be the first seated venue dedicated solely to the sport of baseball. From helping usher in the first formal standards for the sport of baseball, to its first organized competition, to its first professional competition, to the sport’s development nationwide, Doc Adams’ influence on the sport will never be forgotten. If there is to be a pantheon for baseball, Adams may well be one of its primordial figures. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-06-2023 at 10:50 PM.

11-02-2023, 06:20 PM	#111
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,274	APBL SHOCKER! BotY JAMES KELLER TRADED! KELLER WAS .004 OF AVG FROM WINNING 1902 TRIPLE CROWN Boston, MA (October 18, 1902) – The baseball world was left in stunned disbelief on Saturday afternoon after telegrams shot out to offices around the Northeast and Midwest stating that the just-named APBL Batsman of the Year, Massachusetts Bay’s James Keller, had been traded to the MWBA’s Minneapolis Lakers for one of the top young prospects in the sport. Keller won the 1902 APBL Batsman of the Year Award after coming just four points of Batting Average short of taking the Triple Crown. As it was, he hit .360 while leading the league with a dozen home runs and a record-setting 115 RBIs. The achievement came in only his second season as a pro regular after he was purchased from the Vermont Green Stockings in the New England Baseball Association: Given the massive improvement between his first year with Mass. Bay and his second, it had been presumed that the 24-year-old would be the central fixture of the Pilgrims’ lineup for years to come. However, the team was only able to follow up its 52-80 season in 1901 with a 62-70 record in ’02 even though they were in the top half of the APBL in every basic offensive category. The reason: pitching was a major problem, as the Pilgrims allowed the most runs in the 16-team league and they were in the bottom quarter in ERA, strikeouts, walks, and opponents’ average. To remedy this, the Mass. Bay front office decided to act before signing any free agents by trading the APBL’s reining BotY to Minneapolis for Levi Butcher, a recent signee from the University of Missouri. Butcher, a 21-year-old lefty, is considered a five-star potential talent and one of the top prospects in the ABA. Those who watched the Lakers’ reserve team have responded to his role in the trade by saying that if Butcher can develop an off-speed pitch then he could be a credible starter for Mass. Bay next year as a 22-year-old. On one level there is logic to the trade as Mass. Bay has 26-year-old Clarence Riggs, who’s been able to reach base at least 40% of the time in each of the last five seasons (3 NBBO, 2 APBL) and can move from left field to first base. However, he lacks Keller’s power and hasn’t hit as well with men on base. If this incredibly bold move is to work out, the Mass. Bay front office will have to make a notable free agent signing at a corner outfield spot, hope Butcher is able to join their pitching rotation next season, and perhaps add other signings to help #1 George Roundtree in what was otherwise the worst group of pitchers in the league. If they don’t, we know of at least one team’s fanbase that will spend the 1903 season in a very curmudgeonly mood. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-03-2023 at 03:13 PM.

11-03-2023, 06:11 AM	#112
RMc All Star Starter Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 1,632	Quickstart? (see title) __________________ "We're all behind our baseball team..."

11-03-2023, 03:22 PM	#114
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,274	1902 YEAR IN REVIEW: THE CHAMPIONS AMERICAN BASEBALL ASSOCIATION APBL Colonial Conf: Providence Saints (85-47, Boston 14 GB) APBL Metropolitan Conf: Manhattan Knickerbockers (86-46, Brooklyn 3 GB) APBL Doc Adams Trophy: Manhattan beats Providence 4-1 • MVP: Homer Wyatt (KNI – 19.0 IP, 2-0, 1 SV, 0.00 ERA, 2 BB, 8 K) • NOTABLE: Providence SS Charley Rankin (8x APBL MVP) missed series due to back injury MWBA Eastern League: Milwaukee Bavarians (85-47, Indianapolis 5 GB) MWBA Western League: Missouri Bluebirds (76-56, Minneapolis 1 GB) MWBA Lincoln Memorial Cup: Milwaukee beats Missouri 4-3 • MVP: Thierry Moreau (MIL – 14/29, 6 RBI, 2 SB) • NOTABLE: Milwaukee came back from 3-1 down to win LMC; Ehle threw CG in Game 7 President’s Cup II: Knickerbockers beat Milwaukee 4-3 • Game 1: MIL 6-0 KNI – SP J. Randle (MIL) CG shutout, 5 H, 1 BB, 3 K • Game 2: MIL 2-3 KNI – SP J. Brooks (KNI) CG, 8 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K • Game 3: KNI 4-2 MIL – SP G. Bullock (KNI) CG, 10 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K • Game 4: KNI 3-2 MIL – SP H. Wyatt (KNI) CG, 7 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K • Game 5: KNI 14-15 MIL – LF H. Scott (MIL) 3/4, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 3 R, 1 HBP • Game 6: MIL 3-2 KNI – SP H. Ehle (MIL) CG, 7 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K • Game 7: MIL 3-6 KNI – PH C. Lindsey (KNI) 1/1, walk-off 3B, 3 RBI • MVP: Shaun Scott (KNI – 9/25, 8 RBI, 5 BB, 3 R) • NOTABLE: Manhattan won Game 7 by scoring five runs in bottom of 9th INDEPENDENT PROFESSIONAL LEAGUES Southeastern & Atlantic Lg: Charleston Battery (83-45, Nashville 9 GB) • Third straight SEAL championship for Charleston • Melvin Sheridan (P, Nash) led SEAL in Wins for 6th time, won 4th HotY • James Olson (P/1B, Mem) led SEAL in HR, finished 2nd in Wins & ERA Canadian Baseball Lg: Ville Marie Guardians (75-51, Quebec City 4 GB) • Harry Steele (1B, Danforth) won batting title by 34 points (.379, Alex McNeeley of London hit .345) • Tim Boyum (P, London) broke Cecil Richards’ four-year streak leading CBL in Wins, won HotY NATIONAL BASEBALL ORGANIZATION New York Lg.: Marathon BBC (68-44, beat Yonkers 3-1 in NYC Finals) New England Baseball Ass’n: Vermont Green Stockings (81-31, six-peat, beat Cantabrigians 3-2 for Ben Franklin Cup) Northeastern Lg: Olympic BBC (75-39; beat Syracuse 3-2 for Adams Trophy) Great Lakes Baseball Conf: Erie Lakers (68-42; Saginaw 1 GB) Prairie Lg: Wichita Wranglers (69-41; Des Moines 4 GB) Southern Lg: Gulf Coast Pelicans (71-41; Austin 3 GB) Tucker-Wheaton Cup results: • Marathon BBC (NYL): 7-3 • Erie Lakers (GLBC): 6-4 • Gulf Coast Pelicans (SL): 5-5 • Wichita Wranglers (PL): 4-6 (H2H tiebreaker) • Olympic BBC (NEL): 4-6 • Vermont Green Stockings (NEBA): 4-6 • MVP: Thomas Huddleston (P, Marathon) – 36.0 IP, 4-0, 1.50 ERA, 18 K, 4 CG • NOTABLE: 1st Tucker-Wheaton Cup since 1889 INTERNATIONAL LEAGUES All-Ireland Champ.: Monaghan Farney Army (49-35, beat Westmeath 3-2 in All-Ireland Final) Cuban Nat’l Series: Santa Clara Saints (63-49, Havana 1 GB) * Won title or reached championship series via one-game playoff __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-06-2023 at 10:53 PM.

11-03-2023, 03:45 PM	#115
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,274	1902 YEAR IN REVIEW: AWARD WINNERS MAJOR AWARD WINNERS BATSMAN OF THE YEAR APBL: James Keller (24 y/o 1B, Mass. Bay Pilgrims) • 579 PA, .360/.394/.508, .902 OPS, 83 R, 196 H, 31 2B, 7 3B, 12 HR, 115 RBI, 29 BB/27 K, 277 TB, 5.5 oWAR, 4.4 WAR • Four points of batting average from winning Triple Crown (A. White of NYA hit .363) • 115 Runs Batted In set APBL & ABA record MWBA: Petter Lund (32 y/o CF, Columbus Capitols – 2nd MWBA BotY) • 593 PA, .393/.446/.564, 1.010 OPS/167 OPS+, 110 R, 207 H, 25 2B, 19 3B, 9 HR, 87 RBI, 51 BB, 103 SB, 293 TB, 7.7 oWAR. 9.7 WAR • Also won MWBA Most Valuable Player • Finished in top five in R, 3B, HR, XBH, & OBP SEAL: George Sales (22 y/o RF, Evansville Angels) • 587 PA, .386/.431/.496, .927 OPS, 94 R, 207 H, 29 2B, 12 3B, 2 HR, 84 RBI, 41 BB/26 K, 38 SB, 266 TB, 6.1 oWAR, 6.9 WAR • Youngest SEAL Batsman of the Year • Also earned Golden Glove at RF HURLER OF THE YEAR APBL: Martin Kearns (36 y/o, Brooklyn Knights – 2nd pro HotY) • 331.1 IP, 28-11, 2.44 ERA, 49 G, 32 CG, 2 SHO, 93 BB, 221 K, 1.23 WHIP, 6.0 K/9, 7.7 WAR, 9.0 R9-WAR • 14th straight year leading MWBA or APBL in K’s MWBA: Hans Ehle (38 y/o, Milwaukee Bavarians – 13th MWBA HotY) • 311.1 IP, 29-10, 2.34 ERA/166 ERA+, 50 G, 30 CG, 3 SHO, 44 BB, 173 K, 1.13 WHIP, 1.3 BB/9, 5.0 K/9, 3.9 K/BB, 5.0 WPA, 10.0 WAR, 11.6 R9-WAR • 18th straight season leading MWBA in Pitching WAR • 10th time leading MWBA in Wins and/or ERA • Won 500th game as a pro on June 27th vs. Cleveland SEAL: Melvin Sheridan (33 y/o, Nashville Bobcats – 4th SEAL HotY) • 328.2 IP, 27-6, 2.79 ERA, 37 GS, 27 CG, 3 SHO, 103 BB, 191 K, 1.33 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9, 5.2 K/9, 3.3 WPA, 7.0 WAR, 9.5 R9-WAR • 6th time leading SEAL in Wins • 2nd straight year leading SEAL in Complete Games MOST VALUABLE PLAYER APBL: Charley Rankin (33 y/o SS, Providence – 8th APBL MVP) • 587 PA, .319/.412/.474, .886 OPS, 106 R, 161 H, 35 2B, 17 3B, 3 HR, 65 RBI, 64 BB/30 K, 42 SB, +18.8 ZR (SS), 3.7 WPA, 5.2 oWAR, 8.6 WAR • 11th time leading APBL in Position Player WAR MWBA: Petter Lund (32 y/o CF, Columbus Capitols – 3rd MWBA MVP) • 593 PA, .393/.446/.564, 1.010 OPS, 110 R, 207 H, 25 2B, 19 3B, 9 HR, 87 RBI, 51 BB, 103 SB, 293 TB, 8.1 WPA, 7.7 oWAR, 9.7 WAR • Has led MWBA in Position Player WAR four of past five seasons SEAL: Mahon Bailey (33 y/o CF, Nashville Bobcats) • 585 PA, .350/.399/.461, .860 OPS, 90 R, 186 H, 28 2B, 11 3B, 3 HR, 67 RBI, 46 BB/33 K, 93 SB, 245 TB, 3.8 WPA, 7.1 WAR • Led SEAL in Stolen Bases for 4th straight season NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR APBL: Milton Royce (25 y/o P & LF, Pittsburgh Vulcans) • 377 PA, .294/.375/.367, .742 OPS, 13 2B, 4 3B, 1 HR, 31 RBI, 39 BB, 20 SB, 1.8 WPA, 2.9 oWAR, 2.1 WAR • 252.2 IP, 13-15, 3.28 ERA, 24 CG, 1 SHO, 99 BB, 120 K, 1.38 WHIP, 4.3 K/9, 2.8 WAR, 4.4 R9-WAR • APBL Rookie of the Month in April, May, June, & July MWBA: Aldous Clifford (23 y/o, Indianapolis Indians) • 318.0 IP, 22-13, 3.03 ERA, 31 CG, 4 SHO, 74 BB, 96 K, 1.36 WHIP, 2.7 K/9, 1.8 WPA, 5.6 WAR, 7.6 R9-WAR • MWBA Hurler of the Year 3rd place SEAL: Charles Bell (24 y/o LF, Charleston Battery) • 528 PA, .374/.432/.501, .933 OPS/139 OPS+, 82 R, 179 H, 27 2B, 8 3B, 6 HR, 85 RBI, 46 BB/28 K, 240 TB, 3.3 WPA, 4.0 WAR • Hit at clean-up spot in batting order for SEAL champions APBL TEAM OF THE YEAR C: R. Leonard (Prov; 2nd.) - .295/.390/.376, 65 R, 17 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 80 RBI, 62 BB, +7.4 ZR, 1.0 WPA, 4.4 WAR, APBL Runner-up 1B: J. Keller (MB; 1st) - .360/.394/.508, 83 R, 31 2B, 7 3B, 12 HR, 115 RBI, 29 BB/27 K, 4.4 WPA, 5.5 oWAR, 4.4 WAR, BotY 2B: O. Wilkie (Penn; 8th) - .317/.393/.451, 97 R, 34 2B, 8 3B, 7 HR, 90 RBI, 61 BB, 43 SB, 3.4 WPA, 5.1 oWAR, 7.1 WAR 3B: E. Dunn (Phi; 1st) - .326/.405/.472, 74 R, 26 2B, 6 3B, 11 HR, 80 RBI, 62 BB, 16 SB, 3.6 WPA, 5.1 oWAR, 5.5 WAR SS: C. Rankin (Prov; 10th) - .319/.412/.474, 106 R, 35 2B, 17 3B, 3 HR, 65 RBI, 64 BB/30 K, 42 SB, +18.8 ZR, 3.7 WPA, 5.2 oWAR, 8.6 WAR, MVP, APBL Runner-up OF: L. Christianson (Brk; 8th) - .356/.421/.500, 113 R, 25 2B, 14 3B, 9 HR, 104 RBI, 61 BB/38 K, 79 SB, 278 TB, 5.8 WPA, 6.2 oWAR, 7.4 WAR, GG CF: C. Kirk (NJ; 7th) - .346/.437/.474, 94 R, 23 2B, 18 3B, 2 HR, 57 RBI, 81 BB/33 K, 61 SB, 4.1 WPA, 6.1 oWAR, 5.6 WAR RF: A. Gelmetti (Kni; 3rd) - .332/.447/.475, 108 R, 22 2B, 22 3B, 1 HR, 72 RBI, 92 BB/22 K, 68 SB, 6.1 WPA, 6.3 oWAR, 6.6 WAR, APBL Champ P: M. Kearns (Brk; 2nd) – 28-11, 2.44 ERA, 49 G, 32 CG, 2 SHO, 93 BB, 221 K, 1.23 WHIP, 6.0 K/9, 3.1 WPA, 7.7 WAR, 9.0 R9-WAR, HotY P: H. Dabry (NY A’s) – 24-11, 2.32 ERA, 33 CG, 6 SHO, 110 BB, 167 K, 1.14 WHIP, 4.5 K/9, 6.0 WPA, 7.1 WAR, 11.5 R9-WAR P: F. Barber (Prov) – 26-10, 2.20 ERA, 29 CG, 9 SHO, 83 BB, 135 K, 1.16 WHIP, 3.8 K/9, 3.6 WPA, 7.0 WAR, 8.7 R9-WAR, GG, APBL Runner-up P: J. Brooks (Kni) – 22-12, 2.38 ERA, 29 CG, 1 SHO, 71 BB, 128 K, 1.22 WHIP, 3.8 K/9, 3.9 WPA, 6.9 WAR, 8.4 R9-WAR, APBL Champ MGR: F. Gannon (Kni; 1st) – 86-46, won President’s Cup in first year as Manhattan manager MWBA TEAM OF THE YEAR C: E. Martin (Ind; 5th) - .357/.436/.477, 94 R, 32 2B, 9 3B, 3 HR, 103 RBI, 64 BB, 5.3 WPA, 5.7 oWAR, 5.6 WAR 1B: R. Morris (Mil; 4th) - .360/.423/.451, 82 R, 22 2B, 4 3B, 6 HR, 87 RBI, 50 BB, 4.1 WPA, 5.0 oWAR, 4.7 WAR, GG, MWBA Champ 2B: S. Fisher (Mpls; 1st) - .328/.394/.430, 103 R, 32 2B, 7 3B, 3 HR, 73 RBI, 52 BB/19 K, 88 SB, 3.8 WPA, 4.4 oWAR, 6.4 WAR 3B: B. Walker (Det; 1st) - .275/.365/.361, 42 R, 23 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 66 RBI, 58 BB, 0.6 WPA, 1.9 oWAR, 2.8 WAR SS: K. van Steen (Miss; 1st) - .369/.409/.474, 107 R, 208 H, 22 2B, 17 3B, 1 HR, 76 RBI, 36 BB, 78 SB, 3.9 WPA, 4.8 oWAR, 5.7 WAR, MWBA Runner-up OF: J. Hinton (KC; 2nd) - ..348/.469/.968, 92 R, 31 2B, 12 3B, 6 HR, 90 RBI, 100 BB, 57 SB, 5.9 WPA, 7.1 oWAR, 6.1 WAR CF: P. Lund (Clb; 6th) - .393/.446/.564, 1.010 OPS, 110 R, 25 2B, 19 3B, 9 HR, 87 RBI, 51 BB, 103 SB, 297 TB, 8.1 WPA, 7.7 oWAR, 9.7 WAR, BotY & MVP RF: E. Crosby (Mpls; 6th) - .373/.465/.504, 64 R, 22 2B, 7 3B, 5 HR, 80 RBI, 60 BB, 21 SB, 5.7 WPA, 5.6 oWAR, 5.2 WAR P: H. Ehle (Mil; 16th) – 29-10, 2.34 ERA, 50 G, 30 CG, 3 SHO, 44 BB, 173 K, 1.13 WHIP, 1.3 BB/9, 5.0 K/9, 3.9 K/BB, 5.0 WPA, 10.0 WAR, 11.6 R9-WAR, HotY, MWBA Champ P: J. Leyton (Ind) – 25-13, 2.95 ERA, 31 CG, 5 SHO, 75 BB, 147 K, 1.32 WHIP, 4.1 K/9, 0.5 WPA, 8.3 WAR, 7.9 R9-WAR P: A. McCullough (StP) – 22-15, 2.64 ERA, 337.1 IP, 33 CG, 1 SHO, 114 BB, 140 K, 1.40 WHIP, 3.7 K/9, 0.7 WPA, 6.5 WAR, 7.1 R9-WAR P: F. Wicks (KC) – 22-14, 3.16 ERA, 28 CG, 5 SHO, 95 BB, 187 K, 1.32 WHIP, 5.2 K/9, 0.9 WPA, 6.8 WAR, 7.7 R9-WAR MGR: G. Ham (Mil; 4th) – 85-47, Milwaukee won first MWBA title in three years NBBO AWARD WINNERS BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Charles Hairston (33 y/o LF, Wichita Wranglers – PL) • 478 PA, .376/.437/.567, 1.004 OPS/158 OPS+, 83 R, 160 H, 21 2B, 27 3B, 2 HR, 83 RBI, 45 BB/21 K, 241 TB, 4.6 WPA, 6,1 oWAR, 5.3 WAR • Prairie League Batsman of the Year • Prairie League Champion HURLER OF THE YEAR: Manny Sesmas (29 y/o, Cantabrigians BBC – NEBA) • 267.1 IP, 24-7, 1.72 ERA/205 ERA+, 26 CG, 10 SHO, 85 BB, 157 K, 1.13 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 5.3 K/9, 7.0 WPA, 7.5 WAR, 12.5 R/9 WAR • New England Baseball Association Hurler of the Year • Led all six NBBO member leagues in ERA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Charles Still (22 y/o CF, Fort Worth Panthers – SL) • 522 PA, .314/.418/.458, .876 OPS, 70 R, 16 2B, 18 3B, 4 HR, 46 RBI, 76 BB/44K, 39 SB, 19 AST & 9.7 ZR (CF), 4.6 WPA, 7.2 WAR • Southern League MVP • Also won Golden Glove at CF • Southern League Batsman of the Year 3rd Place NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: George Stanton (24 y/o CF, Olympic BBC – NEL) • 508 PA, .340/.413/.483, .896 OPS, 150 H, 29 2B, 11 3B, 4 HR, 72 RBI, 52 BB/34 K, 24 SB, 213 TB, 2.2 WPA, 5.2 oWAR, 4.0 WAR • Northeastern League Batsman of the Year • Northeastern League Champion NBBO TEAM OF THE YEAR (NYL, NEBA, NEL, GLBC, PL, SL) C: S. Bergsjo (Syracuse/NEL) - .311/.383/.433, 24 2B, 5 HR, 69 RBI, 39 BB, 1.2 WPA, 3.8 oWAR, 3.4 WAR 1B: R. Bertolucci (Bridgeport/NEBA) - .369/.470/.508, .977 OPS/166 OPS+, 24 2B, 9 HR, 66 RBI, 61 BB/23 K, 3.4 WPA, 6.1 oWAR, 5.3 WAR, NEBA BotY 2B: G. Brock (Cantabrigians/NEBA) - .304/.372/.417, 22 2B, 9 3B, 2 HR, 49 RBI, 39 BB, 39 SB, +18.9 ZR, 1.140 dEFF, 5.7 WAR, GG 3B: H. Orville (Lancaster/NEL) - .330/.422/.466, 25 2B, 4 3B, 9 HR, 66 RBI, 54 BB, 2.5 WPA, 5.7 oWAR, 4.8 WAR SS: J. Wheelock (Peoria/GLBC) - .350/.412/.448, 150 H, 22 2B, 7 3B, 2 HR, 58 RBI, 35 BB, 2.2 WPA, 4.8 oWAR, 5.3 WAR OF: G. Duclos (Erie/GLBC) - .341/.416/.520, .936 OPS/163 OPS+, 24 2B, 5 3B, 13 HR, 92 RBI, 43 BB/30 K, 35 SB, 213 TB, 4.8 WPA, 5.8 oWAR, 5.9 WAR, GLBC Champ & BotY CF: B. Burger (Austin/SL) - .344/.413/.476, 153 H, 26 2B, 15 3B, 1 HR, 62 RBI, 99 SB, 3.8 WPA, 7.1 WAR, SL BotY OF: C. Hairston (Wichita/PL) - .376/.437/.567, 1.004 OPS/158 OPS+, 160 H, 21 2B, 27 3B, 2 HR, 83 RBI, 45 BB/21 K, 241 TB, 4.6 WPA, 6.1 oWAR, 5.3 WAR, PL Champ & BotY P: M. Sesmas (Cantabrigians/NEBA) – 24-7, 1.72 ERA, 26 CG, 10 SHO, 85 BB, 157 K, 1.13 WHIP, 7.0 WPA, 7.5 WAR, 12.5 R9-WAR, NEBA HotY P: A. Carides (Saginaw/GLBC) – 21-7, 1.98 ERA, 26 CG, 4 SHO, 76 BB, 120 K, 1.13 WHIP, 4.9 WPA, 5.6 WAR, 9.4 R9-WAR, GLBC HotY P: E. Hancock (Olympic/NEL) – 22-9, 3.06 ERA, 29 CG, 3 SHO, 104 BB, 204 K, 1.30 WHIP, 1.6 WPA, 5.1 WAR, 5.3 R9-WAR, NEL Champ & HotY P: J. Lilly (Des Moines/PL) – 20-9, 2.12 ERA, 24 CG, 4 SHO, 75 BB, 166 K, 1.13 WHIP, 4.4 WPA, 6.3 WAR, 9.4 R9-WAR, PL HotY MGR: G. Hanson (Wichita/PL) – 69-41, PL champs in 1st year managing Wranglers (team was 44-64 in 1901) __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-03-2023 at 03:47 PM.

11-03-2023, 05:52 PM	#116
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,274	PRO BASEBALL REACHES THE PACIFIC COAST! 1903 has brought with it the spread of baseball all the way to the west, as ten of the Pacific Coast’s finest amateur clubs have formed their own competition, the Pacific Coast League (PCL). (Creator’s Notes: I originally came up with my idea for the PCL during downtime while taking care of my now three-year-old during 2020-2021 during dad duty shortly after she was born, when MiLB was first on hiatus and then we were all told that the real-life PCL had ceased to exist due to MLB’s centralized control of the minor league system. Well….that sure changed! I may end up changing this to the Pacific Baseball League for any templates or Quickstarts that I make, even though this PCL was inspired by the original real-life PCL that started play in 1903 and became an Open, nearly-MLB league in 1952 before it was re-established as a AAA league in 1958.) The original lineup of PCL teams come from nine cities along the Pacific Coast of the United States & Canada, with Vancouver having recently grown big enough (its population as of 1900 was around 52,000) to host a pro team. The ten founders: • Los Angeles Wings – Los Angeles is the fastest growing new city in California, and while the Wings are the only LA team for the inaugural season of the PCL it’s likely only a matter of time before they’re joined by another. If it wasn’t obvious, they take their name from the city’s nickname “The City of Angels”. (stadium named after real-life Washington Park of the time) • Oakland Oaks – One of the two major cities of the San Francisco Bay Area, Oakland’s team name is right on the nose. They even play in Oaks Park! (team name & stadium modeled after real-life early 1900s sports in Oakland) • Portland Beavers – The professional team representing the major port city of Oregon, where the weather makes the baseball feel a bit different. (named after the real-life Beavers, which existed in four different versions from 1903-2010, & stadium modeled after real-life Portland stadium of the time) • Sacramento Grizzlies – The professional team from the capitol of California. Driving the point home is that the team is named after the animal on the California state flag and the team colors are taken from the same flag. • San Francisco Gold Sox – One of two San Francisco entrants, the founders of the club harkened to the California Gold Rush when coming up with the original colors for the team. • San Francisco Bay Seals – The second San Francisco entry, the Seals are the largest club in the inaugural PCL and they play in the largest stadium: San Francisco Recreation Park, which holds nearly 15,000. (Team modeled after the real-life San Francisco Seals, which were a fixture in SF from 1903 until the Giants moved there in the late 50s) • Seattle Navigators – The second team representing the Pacific Northwest, Seattle’s team plays in Dugdale Field and experiences the same kinds of rainy, windy conditions often found in Portland. • Spokane Raptors – Eastern Washington’s professional baseball team, playing in a venue that seats about 7,500. (inspired by the Spokane Indians’ three-year existence as the Spokane Hawks in the 1930s) • Tacoma Cascaders – Located about 30 miles east of Seattle, the Cascaders are Washington’s third inaugural PCL team. The team’s name and existence are inspired by nearby Mount Rainier. (actually the team’s name is a play on the name of the real-life Tacoma Rainiers) • Vancouver Mounties – The lone Canadian entry in the PCL, inspired by Canada’s relatively new and extremely popular federal police force. (Team inspired by real-life team that existed from about 1955-70. Uniform below inspired by real-life Mountie uniform) While most of the teams in the PCL are donning uniforms you’d expect to see elsewhere around the baseball world, the Vancouver Mounties will have a look wholly unique, inspired by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police force that inspired the team’s name, with colors inspired by the RCMP flag: One big difference between the PCL and 1901 startup the Southern League is that markets in the PCL have been deemed easily big enough for the PCL to immediately begin as an independent professional league, like the Southeastern & Atlantic League. However, unlike the SEAL the PCL won’t be an ABA Partner League due to distance issues. Another area in which the Pacific Coast League is quite unique is their stadiums. Since baseball in the Pacific Time Zone is relatively new when compared to its presence in the old strongholds of the Northeast and New England, many of the stadiums that PCL teams call home had to be built to fit the constraints of the land that the clubs owned. Some are built to fit in neighborhoods, some built to fit between the streets of commercial districts, and some wedged amongst industrial buildings. One extreme example of this is Portland’s Vaughn Street Park, which was built with a center field fence just 371 feet from home plate (Elysian Fields in New York: 517 ft) so the venue was able fit in between the nearby trolley lines and the rest of the neighborhood. Another example of such constraints is San Francisco’s Recreation Park, with center field and power alleys just 373 feet from home so the venue could seat 14-15,000 while fitting inside of the larger park – San Francisco’s Central Park – the stadium was built in. A third area in which the PCL will be different than all its counterparts is in length of season. Since the Pacific Coast doesn’t have to worry about snow much outside of the months of December, January, and February, the PCL has decided that its inaugural season will consist of 144 games, longer than any other league in existence. The longer season means that the PCL will be able to leapfrog the SEAL in revenue and they’ll be able to offer better pay than any non-ABA league straight out of the proverbial gate. (in real life, the old PCL had seasons as long as TWO HUNDRED GAMES, as evidenced at this link) The first year of baseball on North America’s Pacific Coast should offer fans plenty of high-quality action with more chances to attend games than any other league. Due to the solidity of the structure already in place, expect to see the PCL make a big name of itself before long. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-06-2023 at 11:08 PM.

11-06-2023, 06:25 PM	#117
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,274	TEN YEARS OF BASEBALL IN CANADA April 7th, 1903 will mark the tenth anniversary of the start of professional baseball north of the border. After ten years, the Canadian Baseball League remains a solid, if unspectacular, presence on the baseball landscape. The league has produced a couple of notable ABA stars and the CBL is now one of three independent professional leagues in existence. While the decade of competition among the eight founding teams has been fairly tight, one team has separated itself from the rest: In 1897, the Quebec City Voyageurs finished fifth in the CBL, eleven games out of first place. Since then? Four straight championships and a second-place finish (4 GB) in 1902. Starting with the 1897 offseason, the Quebec City front office focused heavily on building the strongest pitching staff possible, and the results speak for themselves. A bit more luck in 1902 and the Voyageurs would be five-time defending Canadian champions. The best of the Quebec City championship teams was the 1900 edition. Their 82-44 record wasn’t quite the best in CBL history – the Danforth Minotaurs went 84-42 in 1894 – but their thirteen-game title margin was the best. The 1900 Voyageurs were led by what was by far the best pitching rotation in CBL history: • #1 – Cecil Richards: 29-10, 2.53 ERA, 337.0 IP, 33 CG, 4 SHO, 69 BB, 196 K, 1.13 WHIP, 5.1 K/9, 2.7 K/BB, 7.1 WPA, 8.7 WAR, HotY • #2 – Leland Littlewood: 27-8, 2.45 ERA, 305 IP, 33 CG, 4 SHO, 75 BB, 163 K, 1.19 WHIP, 4.8 K/9, 5.0 WPA, 6.6 WAR • #3 – George Denton: 14-17, 3.31 ERA, 293.1 IP, 28 CG, 0 SHO, 94 BB, 153 K, 1.33 WHIP, 4.7 K/9, 0.1 WPA, 4.9 WAR • #4 – Olivier Laborde: 12-8, 2.20 ERA, 190.2 IP, 15 CG, 2 SHO, 44 BB, 107 K, 1.16 WHIP, 5.1 K/9, 2.5 WPA, 3.5 WAR Richards, Littlewood, and Denton were all in the top five in the CBL in ERA, while Richards & Littlewood were #1-2 in wins. The Quebec City pitching staff led the league in runs allowed (3.7/G), Complete Games (109) by fifteen, Shutouts (8), ERA (2.99), Hits Allowed (1,087; 8.55/9), Opponents’ Average (.250) by 23 points, WHIP (1.25), and finally strikeouts by (619) by an incredible 122 – nearly one per game. At the plate, they led the league in runs (629, 5.0/G) and walks (394) while finishing second in hits (1,290). Clay Brunt won his fifth straight Golden Glove (SS), new signing John DeLorme was named to the Team of the Year (OF), and they had 3-4 other regulars who produced well above replacement level. Any extended talk of the Voyageurs isn’t complete without placing particular emphasis on superstar ace Cecil Richards, the best pitcher in Canadian history. Richards was a 20-year-old pitcher for the Voyageurs in the CBL’s first season, and since then he’s done nothing but establish himself as easily the #1 pitcher over the CBL’s first ten years: Nobody else is remotely close. His achievements: • CBL career leader in Wins (by ~50), ERA, Strikeouts (by ~250), Innings, Complete Games, Shutouts, WAR (by ~12.25) • 4x CBL champion (1898-1901) • 4x CBL Hurler of the Year (1894, 96, 99, 1900) • 2x CBL Most Valuable Player (1899, 1900) • 1x CBL Pitching Triple Crown (1896: 30-14, 1.80 ERA, 197 K’s) • 7x CBL Team of the Year (P) (1894-97, 1899, 1900, 1902) • 7x CBL leader in Wins (1894-96, 98-1901) • 2x CBL leader in ERA (1896, 99) • 6x CBL leader in Strikeouts (1894-96, 1900-02) • 7x CBL leader in Pitching WAR (1895-97, 1899-1902) • 8x CBL leader in Complete Games (1894-1900, 1902) • 8x CBL leader in K/BB Ratio (1894-97, 1899-1902) • 7x CBL leader in Innings (1894-98, 1900, 1902) • 7x CBL leader in WHIP (1894-1900) • 5x CBL leader in BB/9 (1894-97, 99) • 5x CBL leader in K/9 (1895, 96, 1900-02) • 3x CBL leader in Shutouts (1896, 1899, 1900) • 2x 30-Win season (1894, 96) • 1x ERA Below 2.00 (1896) • 1st pitcher (any league) to record 10+ WPA in season (1896: 10.6) After the 1897 season, Richards had the chance to become the first star pitcher to jump from the CBL to either of the leagues in the American Baseball Association, but instead the Voyageurs offered him a fifty percent pay raise to remain in Quebec City. Richards stayed home, and the silverware started rolling in. Since then, former teammate Littlewood has become the first Canadian Hurler of the Year to join the ABA ranks, where he was 5-7 for Providence in 1902. When it comes to the issue of who the best position player to play in the CBL has been, two players come to mind: shortstop Patrick Henry and first baseman Gilles Joubert. Patrick Henry was a day-one regular for the Danforth Minotaurs, winners of the first two CBL titles. Over the league’s first four years he took a pair of Batsman of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards each while being named to the Team of the Year all four times. He also led the league in hits three times and won a pair of batting titles. His stats per 162 games in the CBL: • PER 162: .351/.414/.492, .906 OPS/154 OPS+, 134 R, 236 H, 43 2B, 18 3B, 5 HR, 103 RBI, 68 BB/25 K, 330 TB, 6.1 WPA, 7.5 WAR Over his time in Danforth, Henry missed all of three games and was consistently one of the best players in the CBL. However, by the end of the 1896 season the team had fallen to seventh place out of eight with a 51-75 record, so when four-time APBL champions the Brooklyn Kings came to Toronto with an offer he jumped at the chance. Henry would be the Kings’ starting shortstop for the next six years. Gilles Joubert was signed out of St. Joseph’s Catholic High School in Guelph by the London Monarchs in the summer of 1896. Joubert was an advanced-enough hitter as a teenager that he was London’s starting first baseman by the next spring, and he proceeded to hit .330 with an .877 OPS as a 19-year-old. That was the last time Joubert hit under .375 in the CBL. In each of his last three seasons in the CBL Joubert led the league in Hits, Average, and OPS, winning Batsman of the Year all three times before he was 23 years old. Joubert’s CBL stats per 162 games: • PER 162: .371/.455/.526, 970 OPS/173 OPS+, 102 R, 232 H, 39 2B, 26 3B, 2 HR, 89 RBI, 80 BB/45 K, 329 TB, 6.0 WPA, 6.5 WAR Joubert signed with the Boston Shamrocks ahead of the 1901 season and made further history by leading the APBL in Batting Average while being awarded both Batsman of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. If there was one pick for a player to be nominated as the best current position player in the CBL it would be London’s Alexander McNeeley, who came home to Canada and signed for London in 1901 after spending his first four years as a pro in the APBL. Since arriving in Canada, he’s won a pair of Golden Gloves (CF) while winning the 1902 Most Valuable Player award and setting a record for WAR (7.3; 10.0/162) last season. While baseball in Canada has mostly been going forward without many issues, there was one notable black mark during the past offseason. On November 15th, 1902 Batsman of the Year Harry Steele of Danforth (.379 AVG, .910 OPS, 203 H, 7 HR, 54 RBI) signed with the Southern Missouri Ozarks of the Prairie League, which is not only outside of the ABA but is known as the lowest-paying of the six leagues in the National Baseball Organization. For those players who don’t end up in the ABA leagues, the CBL will have to do a better job of keeping their premier talents in house going forward. Another issue has been offense, which has fallen from 5.2 runs per game in the inaugural season to 4.3 per game last year. Many other leagues are seeing scoring declines, but not do that degree. Canada has become known for its pitching talent, but hopefully its hitting talent begins to catch up. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-06-2023 at 11:32 PM.

11-06-2023, 06:41 PM	#118
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,274	THE WILLIE MUNOZ SWEEPSTAKES 21 Y/O CUBAN MOST TALENTED HURLER IN CNS; PUT UP FOR SALE BY CLUB Just as the professional baseball preseason was about to move on to Spring Training and clubs were coming closer to setting their senior rosters, one big prize went up for grabs on the market: five-star Cuban prospect Willie Muñoz. The 21-year-old Muñoz was put up for transfer by 1901/02 Cuban National Series champs Pinar del Rio for the record amount of $15,000, with any pro team available to sign him so long as they were able to meet PdR’s asking price. It’s easy to see why Muñoz is viewed as having such significant potential. Even though he didn’t win the award that goes to the CNS’ premier pitcher – teammate Rogelio Diaz won it instead – he was named to the league’s Team of the Year after being part of a trio of pitchers to tie for the league lead in wins (19) and leading the league in strikeouts (213) by more than fifty. Muñoz entered the Cuban league ahead of the inaugural CNS season in 1899 as a 17-year-old in the Pinar del Rio reserves who was extremely unrefined. He could throw rather hard but do little else. After spending one season in the Tobacco Growers’ reserves, Muñoz has since rapidly developed into the most intimidating pitcher outside of the United States other than Cecil Richards. The scouting reports on him and his three-year playing record for PdR show just that: Muñoz still has a couple of pitches that need a bit of work and his control isn’t as far along as the two other main areas of his pitching, but with the speed of his development it shouldn’t be long before Muñoz becomes an elite pitcher at the highest level. Pinar del Rio had just won their first championship in Cuba, so why let such a talented player go? Even though the Cuban league heavily restricts player movement, Muñoz apparently expressed a desire to move to the states and the opportunity to fill the club’s coffers with such a relatively large sum of money – PdR’s revenue in the 01/02 season was less than $30,000 – was seen as too good to pass up. After almost a month of offers and counteroffers, it was the Pittsburgh Vulcans led by flashy new owner Bradley Clay who came out with the contract offer Muñoz liked the most, beating out the likes of Brooklyn, Manhattan, Providence, Milwaukee – where he would have been Hans Ehle’s heir apparent – and Minneapolis. Those other clubs offered more money, but since the Vulcans are still in building mode they were the only club with the available money who could offer Muñoz both a top spot in the rotation and the ability to be patient with him as he continues to develop. The major signing capped off quite an offseason for Pittsburgh, who signed two major NBBO stars – OF Severin van der Kooi and P Onofrio Barberini – and made signings to improve defense in several other positions. Thanks to the offseason maneuvering, Northeastern pundits have put the Vulcans down for an improvement of about twenty wins for the upcoming season. That would have Pittsburgh winning more than double the games they won two years ago. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-06-2023 at 11:37 PM.

11-13-2023, 06:31 PM	#119
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,274	CHARLESTON’S HORACE FARLEY GOES CYCLING! CF HITS FIRST CYCLE IN THE SEAL IN 7 YEARS Charleston, SC (5/18/1903) – It took extra innings, but the Charleston Battery’s star center fielder Horace Farley made a bit of history on Monday afternoon, going for the Southeastern & Atlantic League’s first cycle in more than seven years. Farley, in his thirteenth year playing for Charleston and jokingly called “The Ho Train” by the more facetious of his Battery teammates, accomplished the feat by doing the following: • 1st inning: hit a single off Evansville starting pitcher Robert Hagerty • 3rd inning: hit an RBI double off Hagerty • 4th inning: struck out by Hagerty • 6h inning: walked by Hagerty • 8th inning: hit an RBI triple off Hagerty • 10th inning: hit a two-run HR of reliever Edward Lapley • TOTAL: 4/5, 4 RBI, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 10 TB, 1 OF Assist Unfortunately, Farley’s heroics came in a losing effort as visiting Evansville won 11-10 in extra innings thanks to three runs in the top of the tenth. This was the third cycle in the history of the SEAL, with the previous one coming from Savannah’s Leon Miller on April 18th, 1896 (also) against Evansville and the first cycle achieved by Atlanta’s Beauregard Kemp on June 30th, 1892 against the Memphis Showboats. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-14-2023 at 04:58 AM.

11-13-2023, 06:41 PM	#120
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,274	SONS OF THE OCEAN BACK ON TOP WITH HISTORIC PITCHING PITCHERS LED NEBA IN NEARLY EVERY MAJOR CATEGORY; DEFENSE BEST IN LEAGUE The famous Sons of the Ocean were the only team in the NBBO’s single competition format to win the Tucker-Wheaton Cup four times, but thanks in large part to the dominance of the Vermont Green Stockings they’d been unable to lift the New England Baseball Association’s Ben Franklin Cup before the 1903 season. No more. SotO were 50-62 in 1902 but erupted to a league-best 77-35 record this season before sweeping six-time defending league champions Vermont in the Ben Franklin Cup series by an aggregate score of 22-14 over the three games. How did the Sons of the Ocean make an incredible 27-game turnaround in one season? With what was be best, though not most talented, pitching staff in the nearly five-decade history of the NBBO. What did the SotO pitchers do? *Everything: • Runs Allowed:* 316 (2.82/G) – 1st by 87 • Earned Run Average: 2.19 – 1st by 69 points • Complete Games: 94 – 1st by 1 • Shutouts: 17 – 1st by 2 • Hits Allowed: 903 (8.06 HA/G) – 1st by 47 • Opponents’ AVG: .238 – 1st by 13 points • Opponents’ OBP: .300 – 1st by 19 points • Opponents’ SLG: .301 – 1st by 25 points • Opponents’ OPS: .601 – 1st by 51 points • Opponents’ BABIP: .270 – 1st by 10 points • Bases on Balls: 309 (2.7 BB/9) – 1st by 3 • Walks + Hits / IP: 1.18 - 1st by 9 points • Win Probability Added: 17.9 – 1st by 9.8 points • Wins Above Replacement: 22.7 – 1st by 1.4 points • Runs Allowed per 9 WAR: 33.8 – 1st by 12.6 points The SotO’s offense was closer to the middle of the NEBA pack, but the pitching staff was so dominant that they finished the season with the league’s best Run Differential: +183 (+1.63 R/G). The six SotO pitchers who contributed to such an extraordinary season were: • #1 Starter: George Bryan – 24-6, 2.06 ERA, 167 K, 279.2 IP, 27 CG, 4 SHO, 64 BB, 1.14 WHIP, 6.9 WPA, 8.1 WAR, 10.7 R9-WAR • #2 Starter: Eli Morehead – 16-8, 2.45 ERA, 89 K, 228 IP, 20 CG, 4 SHO, 86 BB, 1.31 WHIP, 4.2 WPA, 4.1 WAR, 6.5 R9-WAR • #3 Starter: Adrian O’Hara – 12-5, 2.33 ERA, 75 K, 150.1 IP, 15 CG, 3 SHO, 44 BB, 1.13 WHIP, 2.5 WPA, 3.0 WAR, 4.9 R9-WAR • #4 Starter: Charles Denny – 13-7, 1.85 ERA/178 ERA+, 87 K, 194.1 IP, 18 CG, 3 SHO, 44 BB, 1.09 WHIP, 2.8 WPA, 4.4 WAR, 6.6 R9-WAR • #1 Reliever: Henry Weeks – 9-5, 2.19 ERA, 57 K, 119.1 IP, 11 CG, 2 SHO, 40 BB, 1.16 WHIP, .228 oAVG, 2.1 WPA, 1.9 WAR, 3.4 R9-WAR • #2 Reliever: Francis McDowell – 2-3, 2.01 ERA, 10 K, 40.1 IP, 2 CG, 12 BB, 1.26 WHIP, -0.8 WPA, 0.6 WAR, 0.7 R9-WAR Staff ace Bryan became the first pitcher to win the NEBA’s Most Valuable Player, and he took home Hurler of the Year and a Golden Glove to go with it, making him the first NEBA pitcher to win three awards in the same season. On top of the pitching staff’s achievements, Sons of the Ocean’s defense was easily the best in the New England Baseball Association: • Errors: 164 – 1st by 4 • Zone Rating: +49.2 – 1st by 2.8 points • Defensive Efficiency: .702 – 1st by four points • Golden Gloves: 4 (P George Bryan, C Harvey Costello, 2B Kenneth Lowe, LF Rex Waltz) The front office deserves plenty of credit for the team’s success as well. Sons of the Ocean plays in New Bedford (MA) Commons, which is famous for its size. Center field is 503 feet from home, while the power alleys are 494 feet (LCF) and 479 feet (RCF) and distances down the lines are longer than average. A stadium in New England with such a large field is a very tough place to hit, and to give an idea of just how tough the SotO batters were 13th in the NEBA in Batting Average and 8th in OPS, but 3rd in Batting WAR. General Manager Emil Hoffman and Chief Scout Charles Thompson dedicated themselves to building a roster focused on pitching and defense to maximize the venue’s inherent advantages, and their plans paid off. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-14-2023 at 05:00 AM.