OOTP historic rerun.

[amead17]

7th September 1886

The fans of the Nationals have reacted angrily to the teams performances this year as they saw the team fall apart. The team ended the season in 7th place but it could have been so much better. The season started with the Nationals in outstanding form in April but as the months wound on during the season this form just got worse and worse. The fans will be hoping that the owner and front office can rectify this in the off season.

September saw a slight improvement as they went 3-2 for the games played. They went 1-1 to finish the road trip to the Louisville Colonels before going 2-1 at home to the Baltimore Orioles.

Very few players can take any comfort from their performances this year. The one player that did stand up to be counted was pitcher Charlie Ferguson. Ferguson won 32 of his 61 games pitched. Those games saw him pitch 532 innings and give up 485 hits with 170 earned runs against him. His ERA for the month was 2.88.

Pitching stats


Batting stats

[amead17]

1886 MLB Championship Series

17th September 1886

The south side of of Chicago is in heaven today as the celebrations went on through the night after their MLB Championship Series win over local rivals the Chicago White Stockings. The White Sox won the series 4-2 with the thanks to the fact they had use of all their pitching staff.

Game 1 saw the White Sox go down 3-6 after a mighty tussle. The Pitching of Bob Carruthers was strong for the most part but suffered a blip in the 4th inning when he gave up 3 of the 6 earned runs he gave up. Without that blip the team may have stood a chance at winning the game.

Game 2 saw the White Sox get back in the groove as pitcher Charlie Geggus guided them to a 3-1 win to square the series. Geggus pitched all 9 innings and gave up only 1 earned run. The batters left it late as they picked up the win in the 9th with 2 late runs. Geggus took the star man award.

Game 3 saw the White Sox over power their local rivals with strong pitching and batting displayed. The team won a 16-2 blow out as they sprang into the lead in the series 2-1. The star of the show was Catcher Jocko Milligan who picked up 3 hits, 2 runs and 4 RBI's in his way to the star man award. The pitching of Bob Emslie was strong enough to pick up the win.

Game 4 saw the White Sox take their eye of their goal and allow the White Stockings back into the series with a 3-8 loss. Bob Carruthers struggled on the mound giving up 3 earned runs in 6 innings as the team gave away 7 runs in innings 3 and 4. This left the series poised at 2 wins each.

Game 5 saw the White Sox finally prove to themselves that they had what it takes to win the title. They won the game 7-4 on the back of steady pitching by Charlie Geggus and the star performance of Third Baseman Denny Lyons. Lyons picked up 4 hits, 1 run and 2 RBI's to help his team pick up the runs required to win the game.

Game 6 saw the White Sox inch themselves over the line in a close but high scoring 7-6 win. Pitcher Bob Emslie did enough in his 9 innings to take the win, and pick up the star performer award for the game, after giving up 3 earned runs from 9 innings.

17th September 1886

The fans of baseball in on the North Side of Chicago are hiding away from site today to avoid their cross city rivals after they saw their team fail to beat them in the MLB Championship Series. The White Stockings went down 4-2 in the final series that proved you need your best pitchers available to play. The White Stockings were 1 pitcher down all series due to Perry Werden's injury and we feel this made the difference between a win and a loss in the series.

Game 1 started well for the White Stockings as they took it 6-3. Star of the show was Harry Salisbury who took the win with only 3 earned runs being given up in 9 innings pitched.

Game 2 saw the White Stockings hauled back to level in the series as they lost 1-3. The team worked hard but ended up losing the game in the 9th as pitcher Frank Brill tired and gave up 2 runs. The batting Struggled to find any form against the pitching of the White Sox.

Game 3 saw the White Stockings go behind in the series after they were blown away 2-16. The pitching of Con Murphy and John Greason really let the team down. They ended up giving up 8 earned runs which coupled with the errors from the fielders led to a very lopsided loss.

Game 4 saw the White Stockings push their way back into the series with an 8-3 win. Star of the show was catcher Doggie Miller who claimed 3 hits, 2 runs and 4 RBI's. This combined with the steady pitching of Harry Salisbury led the team to get back on level terms in the series.

Game 5 saw the White Stockings again slip behind the White Sox as they went down 4-7. The pitching was again a struggle as Frank Brill gave up 4 earned runs in his 8 innings. The batting tried its best but was held to only 4 runs by a steady pitching and fielding display by their opponents.

Game 6 finally saw the White Stockings fall in a tough fought series. The team went down fighting with a 6-7 loss. The pitching again struggled as Con Murphy picked up his second loss on 7.2 innings pitched with 5 earned runs against him. Doggie Miller tried to take the game back late but it wasn't quite enough to take the game and keep the series alive.

[amead17]

5th December 1886

We are glad to announce that voting for the MLB Hall of Fame is now open.

This year there are 2 players on the ballot.

The first player on the ballot is Second Baseman Lip Pike. This is Pike's second year on the ballot after receiving 56.2% in last years ballot.

The other player to be on the ballot is Second Baseman Tom Carey. This is Carey's first year on the ballot.

[amead17]

1st January 1887

After a steady season the fans were hoping for stability from the owner and a solid off season from the front office to acquire the missing pieces for the run at next year's pennant. The Owner agreed with the fans that stability was the course to follow as his only front office move was to extend GM Bill McGuigan's contract by 3 years.

The Orioles only had one player at the AL awards dinner this year but the award he received was the big one.


Dan Brouthers was that player and he was awarded the AL MVP award. He also picked up a Platinum Stick award.

The fans of the Orioles were upset at the retirement news this year after fan favourite Left Fielder Jack Remsen announced he was hanging up his glove. The 35 year old Remsen has spent 14 years with the Baltimore Orioles and picked up Golden Gloves and 2 All Star Appearances. He also achieved 2 MLB Championship medals with the Orioles. His stats included 372 hits from 1445 at bats in 412 games. He scored 229 runs with 193 RBI's for an average of .257. (real life stats 578 games, 574 hits, 366 runs, 199 RBI's and an average of .244)

The team also lost short stop Ted Sullivan to retirement. Sullivan never made it to the big time. (real life stats 3 games, 3 hits and an average of .333)

The team had a strong first year player draft as they selected 6 players. The first round pick was used to select pitcher Henry Gruber. The full draft log is shown below.



All Players Signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1887

The fans of the Americans had to sit through another tough season this year and they are now hoping the off season will bring the improvements needed to move up the AL table. The Owner decided he was happy with the front office setup and his only move was to give GM Fred Treacey a 3 year contract extension.

The Americans had a quiet AL Awards dinner with their only player represntative being Oyster Burns who picked up both a golden glove and a platinum stick award.

The team lost 3 major players to retirement this year. The first to announce he was quitting professional baseball was short stop Davy Force. 37 year old force has spent 16 years with the league playing for the Brooklyn Grays and for the Boston Beaneaters and Boston Americans. In that time he won 2 Golden Glove awards and also made 5 All Star appearances. He also claimed the MLB Championship with the Brooklyn Grays in 1871. His career saw him claim 842 hits from 3106 at bats in 821 games. He scored 451 runs with 338 RBI's for an average of .271.(real life stats 1029 games, 1060 hits, 653 runs, 373 RBI's for average of .249)

The second player to decide that his time in baseball was over was Right Fielder Fraley Rogers. 36 year old Rogers spent his career with the Boston Beaneaters, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Blues as well as the last season with the Americans. His career saw him claim 2 All Star Appearances and 2 MLB Championship Medals in that time. He managed to pick up 577 hits from 2216 at bats in 641 games. He scored 351 runs with 262 RBI's for an average of .260. (real life stats 46 games, 58 hits, 40 runs, 30 RBI's for an average of .276)

The third player to retire was Right Fielder Tim Murnane. 35 year old Murnane has spent the last season in the minor leagues but before that he had a solid career that gave him 4 golden glove awards and 2 All Star Appearances. These were earned while playing with both the Boston Beaneaters and the Boston Americans. He also managed to claim an MLB Championship medal in 1877 with the Boston Beaneaters. He managed to claim 540 hits from 1968 at bats in 597 games. He scored 343 runs with 208 RBI's for an average of .274 (real life stats 384 games, 427 hits, 338 runs, 127 RBI's with an average of .261)

2 other players also decided their careers were over. Both these players had very minor careers in the big leagues. The first was second baseman Ben Laughlin who made 38 games with 11 hits from 42 at bats. He scored 8 runs with 7 RBI's for an average of .262. He did pick up an MLB Championship Medal with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1876. (real life stats 12 games, 12 hits, 3 runs, 6 RBI's for average of .240). The second was George Trenwith who made 34 appearances to claim 26 hits in 86 at bats. He scored 16 runs with 9 RBI's for an average of .302(real life stats 16 games, 14 hits, 6 runs, 7 RBI's with average of .200)

The team drafted 5 players in the first year player draft this year. The top pick went on First Baseman Tommy Tucker. The full draft log is given below.



The team failed to sign 3rd round dradft pick Fred O'Neill. All other draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1887

After a steady season the fans are looking towards the front office to find the improvements during this off season to push the team towards the pennant. With the front office under long term contracts the owner decided not to rock the boat and let them get on with improving the team.

The NL Awards dinner was quiet for the Beaneaters with only Deacon White representing the team. White picked up a Platinum Stick award for his efforts in 1886.

The fans were sad when they heard that one of their favourites decided to hang up his glove. Short Stop Dickie Flowers has decided that after 16 years in the league it was time to move on. He played for both the Brooklyn Grays and the Boston Beaneaters in his career. He managed to make 2 All Star appearances during this time along with picking up an MLB Championship Medal from the 1871 season. His career saw him play in 357 games and pick up 209 hits from 900 at bats. He scored 158 runs and 85 RBI's for an average of .232. (real life stats 24 games, 37 hits, 40 runs, 22 RBI's and an average of .308)

2 other players also decided to call time on their careers but they never really made the big league. The first is Al Nevin who made 1 appearance in the MLB. (real life stats 13 games, 11 hits, 7 runs, 2 RBI's, average of .208)

The second is Harry Little who made 3 games with 1 at bat and 0 hits.(real life stats 4 games, 2 hits, 2 runs and .133 average)

The team used all of its 5 first year player draft picks. The first round pick was used to select Pitcher Ed Beatin. The full draft log is given below.



All draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1887

The fans of the Grays were hoping for the team to find the improvements needed to lift them back into the top half of the NL table next year during the off season. The owner decided to give the front office a chance to find these improvements and made no changes.

The NL awards dinner saw 4 players representing the team.



The biggest news from the dinner was the fact the Dave Orr picked up the MVP award for the year. He also won a platinum stick award.

The other players honoured included John Kerins and Hardy Richardson who picked up golden glove and platinum stick awards While Jim O'Rourke also picked up a Platinum Stick award.

The front office decided to freshen up the playing staff in the off season by trading 29 year old centre fielder Bill Crowley and 23 year old minor league centre fielder Charlie Krehmeyer to the Philadelphia Athletics in exchange for 30 year old pitcher Ernie Hickman.

2 players decided to bring an end to their careers in professional baseball. Neither of them made any appearances for a major league team. The first was Live Oak Taylor (real life stats 67 games, 56 hits, 32 runs, 8 RBI's and an average of .218). The second was Clarence Dow (real life stats 1 game, 2 hits, 1 run, .333 average)

The team participated fully in the First Year player draft and selected 5 players. The top pick was used to select pitcher Jim Handiboe. The full draft log is given below.



All draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1887

The fans are still celebrating the MLB Championship Series win but are hoping the team can find the way towards further success during the off season. The owner decided to award GM Derek Carlson and Manager Fred Burbridge 5 year contract extensions as a reward for the title win.

There was also futher rewards for the team at the AL awards dinner.

Manager Fred Burbridge picked up the AL Manager of the Year award.


Charlie Geggus was awarded for his performances with the AL Pitcher of the Year Award.


Denny Lyons also represented the team to pick up his AL Rookie of the Year Award.

There were also awards for Jocko Milligan with a Golden Glove along with Bob Carruthers and Candy Nelson pickinh up Platinum Stick awards.

There were quite a few retirements from the team this year.

The first players to announce his retirement was Short Stop Frank Abercrombie. Abercrombie spent 16 years in the league but only made a minor number of appearances during that time. He did manage to win MLB Championship Series Medal this year to go with the one he picked up as a member of the 1877 Boston Beaneaters side. His stats were 43 games played with 10 hits from 35 at bats. He scored 6 runs with 9 RBI's and an average of .286 (real life stats 1 game with a 0 average)

Next up was Short Stop Denny Mack. Mack managed to gain 3 golden glove and 3 All Star appearances during his 16 year career. He Played for both the Baltimore Orioles and the White Sox and won an MLB Championship Medal in his time with the Orioles. He managed to claim 432 hits from 1693 at bats in 525 games. He scored 299 runs with 188 RBI's for an average of .255. (real life stats 373 games, 343 hits, 309 runs, 103 RBI's and an average of .228)

The third retiree is 35 year old short stop Mike McGeary. McGeary's career saw him spend 16 years in the league and pick up 2 golden gloves along with 2 All Star Appearances and an MLB Championship Medal from the 1877 Boston Beaneaters side. He played in 648 games to pick up 721 hits from 2604 at bats. He scored 403 runs with 290 RBI's for an average of .277. (Real life stats 547 games, 484 runs, 684 hits, 236 RBI's and an average of .276)

The next person to announce his retirement was Catcher David Lenz. Lenz was only a bit part player during his 15 year career. He managed 81 appearances with 63 hits from 226 at bats. He scored 37 runs with 32 RBI's on his way to an average of .279. (real life stats 4 games, 1 hit, 2 runs and an average of .083)

Pitcher U O'Rourke was the fifth White Sox to decide to hang up his glove. O'Rourke picked up 8 All Star Appearances and 1 MLB Championship Medal as a relief pitcher during his 14 year career. He pitched in 130 games with 14 starts with a record of 11 wins and 14 losses. He pitched 316.1 innings and gave up 159 earned runs for an ERA of 4.52. (real life stats 1 game, 9 innings, 6 earned runs for an ERA of 6.00)

Third Baseman Red Woodhead also decided his career in the professional league was over. He played only a few games with the big club as he made most of his career in the minors. That didn;t stop him picking up an MLB Championship Medal with the 1874 Baltimore Orioles though. He played in 51 games with 11 hits from 47 at bats. He scored 5 runs with 2 RBI's and an average of .234.(real life stats 35 games, 5 runs, 21 hits, 2 RBI's and an average of .154)

Catcher George Seward also bought an end to his 11 year career. Only 2 of these years were spent in the big time after the expansion draft. He played in 77 games and hit 62 times from 277 at bats. He scored 23 runs and 31 RBI's for an average of .224 (real life stats 64 games, 35 runs, 55 hits, 8 RBI's and an average of .226)

The final retiree, Left Fielder Tommy Johns, never made it to the major leagues and spent his career in the minors. (real life stats 1 game for an average of 0.00)

After winning the MLB Championship Series the White Sox were always going to have a low selection point in the first year player draft. With that they only picked 4 players. The first round pick was spent on Pitcher Mike Mattimore. The full draft log is given below



The team failed to sign 3rd round draft pick Bill Wright

[amead17]

1st January 1887

The fans of the White Stockings are hoping the off season will bring the extra needed to take the MLB Championship Series crown back from their cross city rivals next year. The Owner made no changes to the front office as he was happy with the previous season.

Manager Chris Davis was happy to receive the Nl Manager of the year award at the NL awards dinner.

There were also minor awards for some of the players. Jack Glasscock and Fred Lewis picked up a Golden Glove each while Ezra Sutton picked up a Platinum Stick award.

The team suffered a blow through retirements this year after fan favourite Left Fielder Tom York decided that he would be moving on to new opportunities outside of baseball. His 16 year career bought him 2 golden gloves and 8 All Star appearances. He also won 6 MLB Championship medals during his 2 terms with the Chicago White Stockings. He also spent time with the Baltimore Orioles. He played in 829 games and collected 942 hits from 3330 at bats. He scored 546 runs with 495 RBI's for an average of .283 (real life stats 963 games, 743 runs, 1095 hits, 502 RBI's for an average of .274)

The team also saw the retirement of Marshall Locke. Locke never made the big time. (real life stats 7 games, 5 runs, 7 hits, 5 RBI's and an average of .241)

The team had a large number of selections in the first year player draft. They made a total of 7 selections during the draft. The first round pick was Left Fielder Marty Sullivan. The full draft log is given below



The team failed to sign first round pick Lave Cross and 5th round pick Pete O'Brien. All other draftees signed for the club by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1887

After a poor season, the fans of the Red Stockings are looking to the owner and front office to freshen things up and find a way to get the team back into the top half of the table. The owner was happy with what he had seen during the season and decided to give GM Mark Bass a 3 year contract extension which puzzled the fans somewhat.

The NL awards dinner saw Fred Dunlap pick up a golden glove award for his defensive work during the past season.

The team has seen 4 players decide their careers were to come to an end.

The first to retire is pitcher Dick McBride. 39 year old McBride has been in the league since its inauguration and his 16 years have seen him collect 2 Pitcher of the Year awards, 4 Golden Gloves and 5 All Star Appearances and 1 MLB Championship Medal. He spent his 16 years with 3 clubs including a long sting with the Philadelphia Athletics. His stats are 349 games with 316 starts saw him have a record of 147 wins and 146 losses. His 2650 innings pitched saw him give up 775 earned runs for an ERA of 2.63. (real life stats 237 games, record of 149 wins, 78 losses and an ERA of 2.85 with 660 earned runs given up)

A second pitcher also decided to hang up his glove. This pitcher was George Zettlein. 42 year old Zettlein is another main stay of the league after joining when the league inaugurated. He spent 16 years in the league with the original St Louis Brown Stockings, Brooklyn Grays and Cincinnati Red Stockings. He picked up 1 Pithcer of the Year award and 8 All Star appearances and 1 MLB Championship Medal with the St Louis Brown Stockings. His final stats for his career was 481 games played with 442 starts with a record of 201 wins and 217 losses. He pitched 3569 innings to give up 1050 earned runs and an ERA of 2.65. (real life stats 250 games, 129 wins, 112 losses. ERA of 2.78 with 671 earned runs given up)

35 year old Catcher John Clapp has also decided to end his career this year. He spent 15 years with the league playing his whole career in Cincinnati. He managed to make 4 All Star appearances during this time. His stats for his career read as 726 games played with 815 hits from 2975 at bats. He scored 468 runs with 323 RBI's for an average of .274. (real life stats 588 games, 457 runs, 714 hits, 275 RBI's and an average of .283)

The final retirement is of a player that did not make much of his career. Pitcher Billy Arnold managed 1 game in the league with only 4 innings pitched. He had an ERA of 2.25 with 1 earned run given up. (real life stats as a batter was 2 games 1 hit, 2 runs and an average of .143)

The team drafted 5 players during the first year player draft. The first round pick saw the team select Centre Fielder Mike Griffin. The full draft log is given below.



The team managed to sign all the draftees by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1887

After seeing their team slip back into the pack this past season the fans of the Blues are looking to the front office and owner to bring about improvements. The owner decided to move forward with a changed front office as he fired manager Bruce Harvey. The team decided to promote from within for their new manager as bench coach Miguel Cervantes was awarded the job. Cervantes was part of the 1883 and 1885 winning coaching team's for the Blues and now has his chance to show if he can handle the top job.

The team was represented at the AL awards dinner with 3 golden glove awards and a platinum stick award. The Golden Gloves went to Roger Connor, Joe Sommer and Curt Welch while Jerry Denny picked up the platinum stick.

The team saw only 1 retirement this year as Catcher Fleet Walker decided to end his career. Walker never made the big club and only played minor ball during his professional career. (real life stats 42 games, 23 runs, 40 hits, 0 RBI's for an average of .263)

The team made 5 selections in this years first year player draft. The first round selection was used to get short stop Ed McKean. The full draft log is given below.



The team failed to sign the 5th round draft pick Emil Geiss.

[amead17]

1st January 1887

The fans of the Wolverines have had to suffer another year with the club in the basement of the AL and are hoping that this year will see the owner and front office find the magic to improve the team. The owner decided to have a complete clear out from the front office. GM Sadao Ikeda decided to retire and manager David Estes was fired.

The owner selected a rookie GM as a replacement in the form of Julio Ramirez. The new manager is Kyle Finley who apart from a strong 1873 where he won the MLB title has had a very average career in management. The fans are worried with this as the new front office doesnt give them confidence over seeing improvements.

No Wolverines made it to the AL awards dinner this year.

The team has seen 5 players retire this year.

The biggest name to leave baseball is First Baseman Bill French. French spent 10 years in the league with the Cincinnati Red Stockings and Detroit Wolverines. He managed to play 213 games during those years to pick up 133 hits from 539 at bats. He scored 76 runs with 60 RBI's for an average of .247. (real life stats 5 games, 3 runs, 4 hits, 1 RBI and an average of .222)

The other big name to retire was Right Fielder Mike Golden. Golden also spent 10 years in professional baseball but didn't set the league alight. He spent his career with the Cleveland Blues and the Detroit Wolverines and played 144 games for 86 hits in 402 at bats. He scored 51 runs with 29 RBI's and an average of .214. (real life stats 107 games, 38 runs, 90 hits, 35 RBI's and an average of .217)

The new front office decided to trade 27 year old right fielder John Reccius to the New York Giants in exchange for 28 year old pitcher Jim Conway and 24 year old minor league catcher Ed Colgan.

The team made 5 selections in the first year player draft. The first selection was spent on Right Fielder Mike Tiernan. The full draft log is given below



The team failed to sign the 5th round draft pick Pat Murphy.

[amead17]

1st January 1887

After seeing their team just miss out on the AL pennant the fans are looking to the front office to find the missing piece to take them one step further next year. The owner decided to keep the front office as it is and gave GM Luis Garcia and manager Ed Miller 4 year contract extensions.

The AL awards dinner had a smattering of Louisville players as Old Hoss Radbourn and Frank Hankinson picked up Golden Gloves along with Buck Ewing, George Gore and Tom Brown all picking up Platinum Stick awards.

The team were lucky to see every player decide to remain in baseball this year.

The team also added 4 players to the squad from the first year player draft. The first round saw the team selected Pitcher Charlie Parsons. The full draft log is given below.



All the draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1887

The poor year for the Giants has left the fans looking for a strong off season to see them move back up the table. The Owner made some strange moves during the start of the off season as he fired GM Edgar Ortiz but gave manager Martin Rios to a 5 year contract extension. The new GM will be well known to some of you Giants fans as it is ex Cleveland Blues player Ned Cuthbert. This is Cuthberts first GM role and he hopes that his experience playing baseball can help him in his new role.


There was a big award at the NL awards dinner for the team as James Burke picked up the NL Pitcher of the Year award

Burke also picked up a golden glove alongside Ed Andrews.

The team lost a major player to retirement this year. Left Fielder Jim Foran decided that after 16 years of professional baseball it is time to call it a day. He spent his years playing with the original St Louis franchise as well as with the Brooklyn Grays, Philadelphia Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Quakers and Washington Nationals before ending up in New York for his last 2 seasons. All of this moving about didn't dampen his career much as he picked up 6 All Star Appearances and 1 MLB Championship Medal with the 1873 St Louis Brown Stockings. His stats are 732 hits from 2753 at bats from his 761 games. He scored 424 runs with 324 RBI's for an average of .266. (real life stats 19 games, 21 runs, 31 hits, 18 RBI's for an average of .348)

The second sqaud player to decide to hang his glove up is First baseman Al Spalding. Spalding also spent 16 years in baseball but was a player that was moved between the major's and minor's quite a bit. He did manage 3 All Star appearances and 2 MLB Championship Medals early in his career as a pitcher with the Chicago White Stockings before injuries meant a change to a batter with the Pittsburgh Alleghenys and New York Giants. His years as a pitcher were mainly spent as a reliever with stats of 19 wins and 27 losses from 90 games and an ERA of 3.83. His batting career saw him pick up 224 hits from 879 at bats in 278 games. He scored 127 runs with 113 RBI's and an average of .255. (real life stats 347 games as a pitcher and 411 games in total. ERA from pitching of 2.14 with 253 wins and 65 losses. Batting he scored 417 runs with 327 RBI's and an average of .313.)

The final retiree is a bit part player in Catcher Bill Smith. Smith played only 32 games during his career with 13 hits, 8 runs and 6 RBI's for an average of .382. (real life stats 6 games, 2 runs, 4 hits, 1 RBI for an average of .174)

The first trade of Ned Cuthberts GM career saw him send 28 year old pitcher Jim Conway and 24 year old minor league catcher Ed Colgan to the Detroit Wolverines in exchange for 27 year old Right Fielder John Reccius.

The team made a total of 5 selections in the first year player draft. The first round pick was used to select pitcher Bert Cunningham. The full draft log is given below.



All the draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1887

After a second season without the pennant the fans of the Athletics are looking for some freshening up at the club. The owner decided not to make any changes to the front office and was happy for them to continue.

The AL awards dinner saw Chicken Wolf pick up a golden glove award while Henry Larkin picked up a Platinum Stick award.

The front office made one move during the off season to freshen up things by trading 30 year old pitcher Ernie Hickman to the Brooklyn Grays in exchange for 29 year old Centre Fielder Bill Crowley and 23 year old minor league Centre Fielder Charlie Krehmeyer.

The team lost 2 minor league players to retirement this year. The first was Centre Fielder Bill Annis and the second was Second Basmean George Bryant. Neither made an appearance in the major leagues. (Annis real life stats 27 games, 17 runs, 17 hits, 3 RBI's and an average of .177) (Bryant real life stats 1 game, with 1 RBI and an average of 0).

The team made full use of their 5 picks in the first year player draft. The first round pick was used to get Left Fielder Darby O'Brien. The full draft log is shown below.



All draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1887

The fans are hoping that last seasons surprise second place can be built on during the off season so that the team doesn't fall back to it previous woeful form. The owner, unsurprisingly, decided not to touch the front office after such a good year.



There was good news at the NL awards Dinner for Rookie Ready Mack as he picked up the NL Rookie of the Year award against tough competition.

There was also a Golden Glove Award for Billy Nash and Platinum Stick Awards for Frank Fennelly and Sam Thompson

The team announced that likeable Left Fielder Bill Kelly has decided to bring his career in baseball to an end. The 37 year old Kelly has played in the league for 16 years with the Chicago White Stockings, St Louis Browns and Philadelphia Quakers. In that time he picked up 2 All Star Appearances along with 4 MLB Championship Medals with the Chicago White Stockings. His career saw him play in 471 games and pick up 293 hits from 1089 at bats. He scored 161 runs with 150 RBI's for an average of .269. (real life stats 18 games, 16 runs, 15 hits, 7 RBI's and an average of .224)

Also retiring is Left Fielder Ed Mincher. Mincher played very few times in the Major Leagues and spent most of his career in the minors. This did not stop him being part of the 1871 Brooklyn Grays Championship winning side and picking up his only MLB Madal. He played 23 games in his career with 9 hits from 22 at bats. He scored 5 runs with 2 RBI's and an average of .409. (real life stats 20 games, 9 runs, 14 hits, 9 RBI's and an average of .157)

With the fact that the team finished so high in the league this year it meant they only had 4 picks in the first year player draft. The first round pick was used to select Left Fielder George Van Haltren. The full draft log is shown below



All draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1887

Another solid season for the Alleghenys sees the fans looking for the team to try and find the big time player that can take them to the top of the table. The owner has decided that he is very happy with what he sees on the field and has given GM Juan Matos a 5 year contract extension.

The team had only minor representation at the NL Awards dinner this year as Al Atkinson went to pick up his Platinum Stick award.

Instead of finding the big name player the fans were sad to see likeable left fielder Dick Higham decide that he was going to move on from professional baseball. Higham spent 16 years in professional baseball with the Brooklyn Grays and Pittsburgh Alleghenys. And while he was sometimes moved back to the minor leagues during this time he still managed to pick up 2 All Star Appearances and 1 Golden Glove along with an MLB Championship Medal from the Brooklyn Grays 1871 campaign. He played in 435 games over his 16 years with 451 hits from 1533 at bats. He scored 238 runs with 186 RBI's for an average of .294(real life stats 372 games, 384 runs, 549 hits, 204 RBI's and an average of .307)

Another player who's career has come to an end this year is 36 year old Eddie Booth. Right Fielder Booth spent 15 years in the Major Leagues with the Baltimore, St Louis and Pittsburgh teams. These years bought him 2 Golden Gloves and 2 All Star appearances along with an MLB Championship Medal from the 1874 campaign with Baltimore. He played in a total of 327 games and picked up 268 hits from 964 at bats. He scored 172 runs with 86 RBI's for an average of .278 (real life stats 242 games, 129 runs, 244 hits, 73 RBI's and an average of .241)

The third player with major league experience to retire from the side was Right Fielder Frank Buttery. Buttery was only a bit part player during his 14 years in the league with Cleveland and Pittsburgh. He played in 22 games and claimed 2 hits from 8 at bats. He scored 1 run with 1 RBI and an average of .250. (real life stats 18 games, 19 runs, 24 hits, 8 RBI's and an average of .258)

The final 2 players to retire never made it to the big time and played only minor league baseball. The first is Ed Atkinson (real life stats 2 games, 2 runs, 0 hits and an average of 0). The second is Frank Decker (real life stats 5 games, 0 runs, 3 hits, 1 RBI and an average of .167)

The team had 6 selections for the first year player draft this year. They used their first round pick to claim Left Fielder George Tebeau. The full draft log is given below.



The team failed to sign the 4th round draft pick Bill Swarback.

[amead17]

1st January 1887

The Browns poor performances every season has not allowed the fans to see any stability in the front office. They are hoping that this year will be more settled so that there can be improvements made. The owner decided to go for stability to please the fans as there were no changes in the front office set up.

The awards dinner saw minimal representation from the Browns as Charlie Comiskey was the only representative to pick up his Golden Glove award.

While the front office was left stable, the playing staff is very different as 6 players from both the main squad and the minor leagues decided to retire.

The biggest name to retire this year is fan favourite Cy Bentley. Bentley spent 15 years with the Cleveland Blues, Baltimore Orioles and St Louis Browns. In that time he picked up the Al Rookie of the year in 1872, 1 golden glove and 4 All Star appearances. He also managed to win the MLB Championship with the Baltimore Orioles in 1882. His career saw him pitch in 293 games with 253 as a starter. His record in these games is 99 wins and 138 losses. He pitched 2012.2 innings and gave up 646 earned runs for an ERA of 2.89. (real life stats 18 games, 2 wins, 15 losses, ERA of 6.14 on 105 earned runs given up).

The second big name player to retire is Right Fielder Clipper Flynn. Flynn spent 16 years in the league with the Chicago White Stockings, Boston Beaneaters, Detroit Wolveerines and St Louis Browns. The best part of his career was with the White Stockings where he picked up 4 MLB Championship Medals. He also managed 1 Golden Glove award and 3 All Star appearances. He played in a total of 807 games that saw him hit the ball 829 times during his 3182 at bats. He scored 501 runs with 356 RBI's for an average of .261 (real life stats 38 games, 47 runs, 57 hits, 29 RBI's for an average of .313).

Also deciding to hang up his glove this year is Third Baseman Pete Donnelly. Donnelly spent 16 years in the league but was a back up player for most of that time. He picked up 1 All Star appearance in his time with the Philadelphia Athletics and St Louis Browns. He picked up an MLB Championship medal with the 1876 Philadelphia Athletics. He played 476 games during his career and picked up 235 hits from 979 at bats. He scored 133 runs with 102 RBI's for an average of .240. (real life stats 45 games, 24 runs, 47 hits, 25 RBI's for an average of .244).

The other 3 players to retire can be rated as bit part players at best for their careers. The first is Catcher Marty Simpson. Simpson played 20 games during his 14 year career. He claimed 17 hits from his 55 at bats to score 7 runs with 4 RBI's and an average of .309 (real life stats 4 games, 4 runs, 2 hits, 2 RBI's and an average of .133). The second is Catcher Levin Jones who played 25 games in his 13 year career. He claimed 7 hits from 25 at bats to score 4 runs with 3 RBI's for an average of .280 (real life stats 3 games, 0 runs, 4 hits, 2 RBI's and an average of .364). The final retiree is pitcher U Eland who appeared in 1 games during his career. He pitched 1.2 innings and had an ERA of 0. (real life stats 1 game as a batter for 0 average and 0 hits etc.)

The team made 5 selections in the first year player draft this year. The first round selection was pitcher Mark Baldwin. The full roster log is shown below.



All draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1887

The fans of the Nationals were looking to the owner to find a way to arrest the drop in form the team took last year. The owner decided not to rock the boat and left the front office to get on with things this off season.

The AL awards dinner saw only Germany Smith honoured with a Golden Glove from the Nationals.

The front office also decided to make no changes as they only player changes were retirements and the first year draft.

The retirements included journeyman Second Baseman John Galvin. Galvin spent 15 years in the major leagues playing for 5 teams. He did not pick up any awards in his career. He played 358 games and picked up 252 hits from his 995 at bats. He scored 129 runs with 115 RBI's for an average of .253. (real life stats 1 game, 0 average etc.)

Also retiring were bit part players John Sheppard who played 11 games for 2 runs, 1 hit and 1 RBI with an average of .200. (real life stats 3 games, 1 run and an average of 0). Also bit part player Centre Fielder Joe Kernan who managed 81 games from 14 years with 24 hits from his 83 at bats. He scored 15 runs with 22 RBI's for an average of .289 (real life stats 2 games, 1 run, 3 hits, 1 RBI for an average of .375). Kernan did pick up an MLB Championship medal with the 77 Boston Beaneaters.

The team drafted 5 players in the first year player draft. The first player drafted was Pitcher Gus Weyhing. The full draft log is given below.



All draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

4th January 1887

The MLB Front Office are happy to announce that the voting for the Hall of Fame has been completed successfully. We remind you that all players have 10 years eligibility unless they garner less than 5% of the vote.

There were 2 players on the ballot this year. The players up for consideration were Lip Pike and Tom Carey.

Lip Pike is in his second year of eligibility and managed to improve his percentage of the vote from 56.2% last year to 64.3% this year. Pike will be allowed back onto the ballot next year.

The other player under consideration was Tom Carey. We can announce that Carey only managed to gain 2% of the vote in this years ballot and will no longer be available for consideration in future ballots due to this low percentage.