OOTP historic rerun.

[amead17]

1st January 1889

The fans of the Americans were hoping the team could use the off season to find some improvements from last seasons average year. The owner was happy with the overall performance and decided not to change things in the front office. In fact he gave Manager Brandon Gardner a 4 year contract extension.



It was a wonderful night at the AL awards dinner for Pitcher Bill Sweeney. Sweeney wowed the fans all year and for this effort he was awarded the AL Pitcher of the Year award.

The team have lost 3 players to retirement this year. The biggest name to call a halt to his career was First Baseman Steve Brady. During his 15 year career Brady managed to pick up 1 All Star Appearance and 2 Golden Gloves. He spent his time with the Chicago White Stockings and the Boston Americans which saw him garner 5 MLB Championship Medals. His full figures ran to 555 games with 524 hits from 2261 at bats. He scored 321 runs with 235 RBI's and an average of .232. (real life stats 490 games, 529 hits, 313 runs, 114 RBI's for an average of .261)

The second player to hand up his cleats is Fred Goldsmith. Goldsmith has spent 11 years as a relief pitcher in the big league. He managed to pick up 1 All Star appearance during his time with the Cincinnati Red Stockings and Boston Americans. He pitched in 139 games during his time in the league with 36 starts. He picked up a 26-21 record and pitched 555.2 innings. He gave up 598 hits and 176 earned runs for an ERA of 2.87. (real life stats 189 games and 185 starts, 112-68 win loss record, 1609.2 innings pitched, 1685 hit against, 488 earned runs against for an ERA of 2.73)

The final retiree is Dick Pierson. Pierson never made it to the Major leagues with his 4 years spent in the minor leagues. (real life stats 3 games, 1 hit, 1 run, for average of .111)

The first year player draft saw the team select 6 players. The first round saw the team select First Baseman Jake Beckley. The full draft log is given below.



All draftees signed by the deadline day.

[amead17]

1st January 1889

The fans of the Beaneaters were looking for changes to the direction of the team after the poor year the team had. The Owner decided not to make the changes that the fans craved as he stuck with his current front office. This has worried the fans as they look at another tough year without any changes.

The team did manage to gain some representation at the NL Awards Dinner as Tony Mullane and Bid McPhee both won a Golden Glove for the year.

The team had a tough draft period as they failed to make full use of their time. They selected five players in the first year player draft. The first round pick was used to select Pitcher Red Ehret. The full draft log is given below.



The team failed to sign both the 3rd round and the 5th round selections by the deadline. All other draftees signed.

[amead17]

1st January 1889

The fans of the Bridegrooms have seen a major shake up at their club during the off season. The Owner decided that the teams 7th place meant the club needed a totally new direction. With that he has had a change in the front office by firing GM Salvador Rosatorres. The Owner decided to go for youth in the GM position as he hired 39 year old Rookie GM Stan Miller.

The awards dinner was quiet for the Bridegrooms with only a Platinum Stick award for Hardy Richardson to show for last seasons work.

The new GM will need to go to work early after 3 players decided to call a close to their baseball careers. The biggest name to retire was Second Baseman Thorney Hawkes. Hawkes spent 10 years with the Brooklyn side as a replacement player. This time included winning the 1884 MLB Championship Medal. His stats during that time were 36 games played, 16 hits, 5 runs, 2 RBI's for an average of .216. (real life stats 102 games, 94 hits, 40 runs, 20 RBI's for an average of .234)

The next player to decide to finish his career is Right Fielder U Sullivan. Sullivan spent most of his career in the minor leagues but did manage to make 2 appearances in the major leagues for 2 runs scored but an average of 0. (real life stats 2 games, 3 hits, 3 runs, 2 RBI's for an average of .375)

The final player to retire is Studs Bancker who never made it to the big time.(real life stats 19 games, 11 hits, 3 runs, 2 RBI's for an average of .153)

The GM decided to try and refresh things by trading 31 year old Pitcher Jim Whitney and 22 year old Second Baseman Taylor Shafer to the Chicago White Stockings in exchange for 30 year old Centre Fielder Fred Lewis.

The new GM made his first moves for the team in the First Year Player draft. The first round pick was used to select Short Stop Herman Long. The full draft log is given below



All the draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1889

A solid 4th place has left the fans wanting improvements in the off season to push back towards the pennant. The owner was forced into making front office changes after Manager Fred Burbridge decided to retire. The owner decided to stick with the current direction by promoting from within and giving the Manager job to the Bench Coach Pedro Salinas.

The AL Awards dinner saw 3 players pick up minor awards with a Golden Glove for Danny Richardson and Platinum Stick awards for Bob Caruthers and Denny Lyons.

The front office decided to shake the roster up a little by trading 23 year old Right Fielder Fred O'Neill and 24 year old minor league Third Baseman Dick Van Zant to the Louisville Colonels in exchange for 34 year old Pitcher Doc Landis.

The team lost Tom Evers to retirement in the off season. Evers played for 7 season with 4 in the major leagues. His time in the majors was as a backup at best. He played 80 games with 31 starts. He picked up 33 hits, 16 runs and 15 RBI's for an average of .234 (real life stats 110 games, 99 hits, 54 runs and an average of .230)

The team had 6 picks in the First Year Player draft. The first round saw them select Centre Fielder Charlie Duffee. The full draft log is shown below.



All the draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1889

After another successful season the fans of the White Stockings were hoping for the off season to see strengthening of the team for another pennant chase. The Owner was elated by the season that has just happened and rewarded the GM Michael Copeland for the success with a new 5 year contract extension.

The awards dinner saw a few awards coming the teams way. Manager Chris Davis picked up a well deserved NL Manager of the Year award.

Their were Golden Gloves for Jack Glasscock, Harry Stovey and Dick Johnston and Platinum Stick awards for Jack Glasscock, Harry Stovey and Doggie Miller.

The GM celebrated his new contract with a quick move in the trade market to strengthen the team. They sent 29 year old Pitcher Frank Beck and 23 year old minor league Catcher Chuck Lauer to the Philadelphia Athletics in exchange for 30 year old Second Baseman Mike Muldoon.

They also traded 30 year old Centre Fielder Fred Lewis to the Brooklyn Bridegrooms in exchange for 31 year old Pitcher Jim Whitney and 22 year old Second Baseman Taylor Shafer.

The team saw one player decide to move on from baseball. That player is Right Fielder Jim Devlin. Devlin spent 15 years with the White Stocking organisation though the last few were minor league years. He was on 5 White Stockings MLB Championship winning teams and takes those 5 medals with him. In his time with the club he played in 149 games with 81 starts. He hit 106 times with 75 runs scored and 57 RBI's for an average of .245.(real life stats 266 games, 340 hits, 180 runs, 132 RBI's and an average of .287)

The team had 5 draft picks in the First Year Player draft. The first round pick was used to claim Pitcher Ad Gumbert. The full draft log is given below.



All draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1889

The fans of the Red Stockings were looking for improvements in their playing squad during the off season so they can challenge for the pennant next season. The owner was happy with the way the season went last year and decided to give the Manager John Williams a 5 year contract extension.


The NL Awards dinner had a major highlight this year as Hugh Duffy was honoured for his excellent first season in the big league. He managed to earn enough votes to be awarded the NL Rookie of the Year Award.

There was also a Platinum stick award for Mike Griffin.

It was very quiet on player recruitment this year so the retirements were being watched closely by the fans. The fans were happy to see that no current active roster members decided to retire and were honoured when it was announced that a long term major league player would call their club the last he would play for. This player was Second Baseman Joe Quest. Quest spent 18 years playing baseball since the inaugural season in 1871. During that time he played baseball with the Brooklyn Bridegrooms, Boston Beaneaters, Philadelphia Quakers and our Cincinnati Red Stockings. While he played for 18 years he never won any awards apart from 1 MLB Championship Medal that he will cherish from the 1871 Brooklyn win. His career totals include 559 games played with 416 starts, 428 hits, 215 runs and 156 RBI's for an average of .236.(real life stats 596 games, 499 hits, 300 runs, 161 RBI's for an average of .217)

The second player to call an end to their career Catcher Doc Kennedy. Kennedy played a few years in the majors during his time in the league but most of his time was spent in the minors. He played for both the Philadelphia Athletics and the Cincinnati Red Stockings during a 11 year career. He managed 101 games with 70 starts. He hit 89 times and scored 53 runs with 30 RBI's for an average of .311 (real life stats 160 games, 160 hits, 67 runs, 53 RBI's for an average of .260)

The final player to retire is U Evans. Evans never managed to make the big time and played no games for the top club. (real life stats 1 game, 2 hits, 1 run, 1 RBI for an average of .500)

The First Year Player Draft saw the team make only 4 draft picks. The first round pick was used to gain Short Stop Ollie Beard. The full draft log is given below.



All draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1889

The fans were disappointed to miss out on the pennant this year and were hoping to see improvements in the off season. What they got surprised them as the owner announced a change in team name from the Blues to the Spiders. Other than this name change the owner decided not to rock the boat of the front office and left everything as it is.


The AL Awards dinner was a big night for First Baseman Roger Connor as he collected a surprising AL Hitter of the Year Award above other contenders.

There were also Golden Glove awards for Roger Connor, Jerry Denny, Curt Welch and Jim McCormick. The Platinum Stick awards for the team were Roger Connor and Ed McKean.

The big news on the player front this year was not who was coming in but who was leaving.

Large numbers of Baseball fans from all clubs were upset in November when it was announced that well liked pitcher Bobby Mathews was having to retire due to injury. Mathews has been in the league since its inauguration in 1871 and has played major league games for every one of the following 18 years. He spent his time with both the Boston Beaneaters and our Cleveland Spiders during that time, both as a starter and a reliever. His career gave him so many highlights including 7 All Star Appearances, 2 Pitcher of the Year Awards, 4 Golden Gloves and 3 MLB Championship Medals with both Boston and Cleveland. He played in 471 games with 381 of those being starts. He picked up a record of 183 wins to 187 losses. He pitched 3134.1 innings and gave up 3791 hits and 997 earned runs for an ERA of 2.86. (real life stats 578 games, 297 wins, 248 losses, 4956.1 innings pitched, 5591 hits against and 1591 earned runs against for an ERA of 2.89). He hopes he can bring the same enthusiasm and hard work to his political career as he did his baseball career as he runs for Governor in a couple of months time.

Fpur other players also retired this year but none of them played major league ball. They were Second Baseman Elias Peak (Real life stats 55games, 44 hits, 37 runs, .202 average), Third Baseman Maury Pierce (Real life stats 46 games, 50 hits, 53 runs, 38 RBI's, .279 average), Catcher Gene Vadeboncoeur (Real life stats 4 games, 3 hits, 1 run, 3 RBI's, .214 average) and Left Fielder Icicle Reeder (Real life stats 6 games, 4 hits, .154 average)


The teams only new players this year so far come from the First Year Player Draft. This includes first round pick Catcher Jack Doyle. The full draft log is given below



The team failed to sign the fifth round draft pick but all other draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1889

The fans have been frustrated by their teams lack of form for 4 or 5 years now and they are looking for something to spark the team to life. The Owner decided that he would try a name change to see if that sparks a change in fortunes. The team will now be called the Detroit Tigers instead of the Detroit Wolverines.


Their was a surprise at the AL awards dinner when it was announced that Third Baseman Patsy Tebeau had been voted the AL Rookie of the Year.

There were also Golden Glove awards for Jim Keenan and Tom Poorman.

The front office decided to try for a spark to be found in the trade market. They sent 25 year old Pitcher Bill Nelson and 24 year old Short Stop Bob Gilks to the St Louis Browns in exchange for 25 year old Centre Fielder John Meister.

There were a couple of fairly high profile retirees this year. The first player to announce their retirement was Third Baseman Joe Battin. Battin spent 18 years playing professional baseball with the Boston Beaneaters and the Detroit Wolverines/Tigers. In that time he picked up 2 Golden Glove awards along with an 1877 MLB Championship winners Medal. His career saw him finish with 525 games played including 378 starts. He hit 414 times in 1550 at bats. He scored 218 runs and 195 RBI's for an average of .267. (Real life stats 480 games, 439 hits, 228 runs, 143 RBI's for an average of .225)

Second Baseman Ed Somerville was the second player to say that he was moving on from baseball. In his 12 year career Somerville managed to pick up 1 Golden Glove and 1 All Star Appearance. He played 136 games during his time with the Cincinnati Red Stockings and Detroit Wolverines. He claimed 89 hits from 300 at bats and scored 50 runs with 23 RBI's for an average of .297. (Real life stats 111 games, 90 hits, 49 runs, 27 RBI's for an average of .200)

The final retirement was for Centre Fielder John Donnelly. Donnelly never made the big time. (Real life stats 36 games, 40 hits, 17 runs, 22 RBI's for an average of .252)

There were 6 draft picks for the team in the First Year Player Draft. The teams first pick in the draft was used to select Pitcher Jesse Duryea. The full draft log is given below.



All draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1889

It was an extremely tough year for the Louisville fans to suffer last season and they are hoping the off season bought the extra performance they wanted. The owner decided that this past season was a blip and has sat tight with his front office, not making any changes.

Buck Ewing picked up a Platinum Stick award at the AL Awards dinner

The fact the front office was not in flux meant they could get to work early and traded 29 year old Pitcher Joe Brown to the Philadelphia Quakers in return for the 22 year old Pitcher Billy Crowell.

They also freshened up the squad by trading 34 year old Pitcher Doc Landis to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for 23 year old Right Fielder Fred O'Neill and 24 year old minor league Third Baseman Dick Van Zant.

The team has had a minor clear out of older players this year as they lost 7 players to retirement. The big name retirement for the team was First Baseman Molly Moore. Moore has spent 13 years with the St Louis/Louisville Franchise. In that time he picked up 1 golden glove award. He managed to play in 316 games with 117 starts. He hit 112 balls from 464 at bats. He scored 63 runs with 50 RBI's for an average of .241. (Real life stats 21 games, 19 hits, 5 runs, 5 RBI's for an average of .221)

There were 2 bit part players that decided to retire. These were Frank Bliss who played in 31 games over 11 years and Denny Clare with 27 games over 15 years. Bliss hit 9 times while scoring 2 runs with 5 RBI's for an average of .281 (Real life stats 2 games, 1 hit, 1 run, .125 average) while Clare managed 7 hits, 2 runs and 2 RBI's for an average of .226 (Real life stats 2 games, 1 hit, 1 run, average .143)

The other 4 players to retire rarely if ever made the big time. Jim Gilmore made only 2 appearances (Real life stats 3 games, 3 hits, 2 runs, .250 average) and Martin Flaherty managed 4 appearances 1hit and 1 run for an average of .143 (Real life stats 1 game, .000 average). The final 2 players did not make an appearance. They were U Hellings (Real life stats 1 game, 1 hit, .250 average) and Bill Sullivan (Real life stats 2 games, 1 hit, 1 run, average of .167)

The team did not have much success with the First Year Player draft this year. They made 6 selections with the first selection being used to get Centre Fielder Bug Holliday. The full draft log is given below.



The team failed to sign both their 3rd round and 5th round selections. All other draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1889

The fans of the Giants were slightly happier with their teams performance last year but were still looking for a strong off season to improve the side. The Owner was also happywith the improvements made last year and left the front office alone to get on with the work of building the squad for next year.


There was a surprise at the NL awards Dinner as Pitcher James Burke won the big prize of the NL Pitcher of the Year Award.

There was also a Golden Glove for Sam Barkley.

The only changes to the existing squad were retirements. This included four players hanging up their cleats.

Only one of these players made any major contribution to the big leagues. This player was Right Fielder George Fields. Fields spent 16 years playing professional baseball and managed to earn 3 golden glove and 4 All Star appearances in that time with both Cleveland and New York. He played in 625 games, starting 552 of those. He hit 562 times and scored 318 runs with 237 RBI's for an average of .244 (Real life stats 18 games, 21 hits, 16 runs, 9 RBI's for an average of .241)

Of the other 3 players retiring only Horace Phillips played any games in the Majors. He managed 5 appearances with 1 hit, 1 run and an average of .250 (Real life stats 0 games). The other 2 players were Frank Berkelbach and Pat Carroll who both failed to make it to the big time. Berkelbach (Real life stats 6 games, 6 hits, 3 runs, 3 RBI's for an average of .240) and Carroll (Real life stats 16 games, 16 hits, 5 runs, .235 average)

The team were given 6 draft selections this year and used all of the during the First Year Player Draft. The team used their first selection to get Pitcher Jack Stivetts. The full draft log is given below.



All draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1889

The fans of the Athletics were a little disappointed to miss out on the AL pennant this year but were happy with the off season work from the team. The Owner was very happy with the performance and gave GM Kendrick Carlson a 5 year contract extension.

There was a surprise at the Al awards dinner when Manager Juan Serna won the AL Manager of the Year award.

Paul Hines also picked up a Platinum Stock award.

With his new contract the GM was quick to get down to business. He traded 30 year old Second Baseman Mike Muldoon to the Chicago White Stockings in exchange for 29 year old Pitcher Frank Beck and 23 year old minor league Catcher Chuck Lauer.

There were no retirements this year.

The team had only 4 draft picks this year from the First Year Player Draft. They used the first choice to select Second Baseman Jack Crooks. The full draft log is shown below.



All the draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1889

The Quakers missed out on the pennant for a third year running and the fans are hoping that this is the off season that finds that elusive piece that will make them winners. The owner was very happy with the way things turned out and decided to stick with the current front office. The GM Al Haney earned himself a new 5 year contract extension.


The NL Awards dinner was all about star hitter Sam Thompson for the Quakers. He was voted the NL Batter of the Year as expected and also picked up a Platinum Stock award.

There was also a Platinum Stick award for Billy Nash.

The GM and manager were quick off the mark to try and improve the team as they traded 22 year old Pitcher Bill Crowell to the Louisville Colonels in exchange for 29 year old Pitcher Joe Brown.

The team lost 4 players this year through retirement.

The first player to announce his retirement was First Baseman Jake Goodman. Goodman spent 11 years playing professional baseball but only 5 of those saw him make Major League Appearances. Those five seasons saw him play in 192 games and claim 138 hits. He scored 69 runs with 48 RBI's and an average of .232 (Real life stats 70 games, 75 hits, 33 runs, 27 RBI's for an average of .256)

The next player who is hanging up his cleats is Catcher George Miller. Like Jake Goodman, Miller spent a lot of his time playing minor league ball but did manage to play 152 games during his 12 year career. He also managed to earn 1 golden glove and an All Star Appearance along with 3 MLB Championship Medals during his time with the Chicago White Stockings. As well as 152 games he hit the ball 111 times and scored 60 runs with 59 RBI's for an average of .241 (Real life stats 17 games, 11 hits, 10 runs, 6 RBI's for an average of .193)

The final 2 players to retire didn't make much of a dent on the annuls of major league history. U Sheridan managed only 1 game (Real life stats 1 games 0 average) while U Booth never made it to the big time (Real life stats 1 game, 0 average)

After 3 good finishes the First Year Player Draft this year saw the team only get 4 picks. Their first round pick was used to select Pitcher Amos Rusie. The full draft log is given below



All draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1889

The off season has confused the fans of the Alleghenys a little this year. They were hoping to see the owner make changes to refresh the team but instead he decided to give the Manager Nolan Patton a 4 year contract extension while not changing any front office staff.

The NL Awards dinner saw Jack Clements and Jim Fogarty pick up Golden Glove awards for their fielding this year.

The announcement of the retirees this year didn't see any major stars leave the game of baseball from the Pittsburgh ranks. The biggest name to go was First Baseman Trick McSorley. McSorley spent 13 years playing professional ball and claimed 1 All Star appearance in the 6 years he made appearances in the Major League. He played 189 games and hit the ball 68 times. He scored 52 runs with 24 RBI's for an average of .239 (Real life stats 43 games, 34 hits, 19 runs, 3 RBI's for an average of .233)

The next 2 players to leave were, at best, bit part players for their major league teams. Third Baseman Albert Metcalfe managed 22 games, 3 hits, 7 runs with 3 RBI's and an average of .273 During his 14 year career (Real life stats 8 games, 7 hits, 2 runs, 1 RBI for an average of .219). While Catcher John Lowry managed 19 games, 2 hits, 10 runs with 3 RBI's and an average of .667 during his 13 year career (Real life stats 6 games, 3 hits, 2 runs, .136 Average).

The final player to retire is Pitcher John Greenig who failed to make the big time and played 0 MLB Games. (Real life stats 1 game, 11 innings, 17 hits and 11 earned runs against for an ERA of 11.00)

It was a poor year for the Alleghenys front office on the draft front. They only had 4 selections in the First Year Player Draft and then struggled to sign them all. The first round draft pick was Pitcher Hank Gastright. The Full draft log is below.



The team failed to sign the second round draft pick. All others signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1889

After their teams best ever showing of 3rd place in the NL table the fans of the Browns were hoping for the team to consolidate during the off season ready for a push for the pennant next year. The owner was quite happy to follow that route as he made no front office changes and actually gave Manager Dwight Patton a 5 year contract extension.

The NL awards dinner saw Art Whitney pick up a Golden Glove award and Platinum Stick awards for Ed Seward and Charlie Comiskey.

The front office tried to find that extra piece needed by trading 25 year old Centre Fielder John Meister to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for 25 year old Pitcher Bill Nelson and 24 year old Short Stop Bob Gilks.

Their were 3 retirements this year for the fans to look over. The big name to go was well liked Third Baseman Billy Redmond. Redmond spent 13 years in the league with 3 clubs but was never the big star. He played 271 games in total for these clubs and managed to hit the ball 185 times. He scored 88 runs with 79 RBI's for an average of .241 (Real life stats 70 games, 62 hits, 29 runs, 25 RBI's for an average of .221)

The second retirement was Pitcher Charlie Mason. Mason spent 13 years in the league with Cincinnati and St Louis but found it hard to keep a place on their rosters. Also he was hampered by Injuries later in his career so had to become batter only and give up the pitching. While he was in the Majors with both clubs he managed to earn 5 All Star Appearances as a reliever. He played a total of 91 games as a pitcher with 58 starts. He gave up 473 hits and 169 earned runs from 266.1 innings pitched. This gave him an ERA of 4.45. (Real life stats 1 game, 2 innings pitched, 3 hit and 1 earned run against for an ERA of 4.50 for pitching but 21 games, 15 hits, 7 runs and 5 RBI's with an average of .183 for batting)

The final player to retire didn't trouble the Major League opposition much as he played only 29 games. That player was Catcher Billy Barnie. Barnie's record was 29 games played, 26 hits, 10 runs, 12 RBI's and an average of .252. (Real life stats 83 games, 55 hits, 32 runs, 22 RBI's for an average of .171)

The team only had 4 selections in this years First Year Player Draft. The first round pick was used to select Pitcher Parke Swartzel. The full draft log is given below



All draftees signed by the deadline.

[amead17]

1st January 1889

The fans of the Nationals were looking towards change in the off season after another tough year but they were not expecting the amount of upheaval that actually came along. The Owner Mr John Silver of the club announced that he had sold the controlling rights over to a Mr Arturo Gonzales after saying he could no longer give the team his full dedication. The new owner Mr Gonzales has been busy very quickly to get the front office he wants for the team. He allowed the retirement of GM Dan Morgan to go ahead as he looked to bring in his own man but stuck with the rest of the front office to keep some continuity for next season. The replacement GM is Rookie Tony Burton. Burton will have to work under the financial constraints Mr Gonzales will place on him but will have a fairly free hand to make the deals he thinks are required.

The AL dinner was fairly quiet for the Washington Nationals with only 1 Golden Glove for Germany Smith and 1 Platinum Stick for Billy Hamilton.

The team saw a number of big names leave this year due to retirement.

The first to go was likeable Third Baseman Bill Boyd. Boyd had a strong career as he played 17 years of professional baseball. Of those 12 were spent in the major leagues with 3 teams. These 12 years gave him 1 Golden Glove and 6 All Star Appearances. He played in a total of 404 games with 350 starts. He hit for 433 times and scored 254 runs with 185 RBI's to collect an average of .284 (Real life stats 147 games, 192 hits, 93 runs, 93 RBI's for an average of .290)

The next 2 players to retire were U Quinn and Herm Doscher. These 2 players spent quite a few years in the major leagues but never managed to crack a starting line up. Short Stop Quinn played 153 games with 99 hits, 48 runs, 45 RBI's and an average of .263 and an MLB Championship Medal from the 1879 Chicago White Stockings. (Real life stats 2 games, 1 hit, 2 runs, .125 average.) Third Baseman Herm Doscher played 87 games over 16 years and picked up 20 hits, 12 runs, 13 RBI's and an average of .194 with an 1877 MLB Championship Medal from the Boston Beaneaters (Real life stats 109 games, 98 hits, 36 runs, 40 RBI's and an average of .224)

The final 2 retirements were for players that only made minor marks on the MLB. Second Baseman Billy West managed only 36 games 5 hits, 2 runs and an average of .357 in his 14 year career but still leaves with 3 MLB Championship Medals from 2 different teams. (Real life stats 10 games, 8 hits, 4 runs, 2 RBI's for an average of .205) First Baseman U Boland managed only 7 games. (Real life stats 1 game)

The first chance the new GM got to show himself was in the First Year Player Draft. The team had 6 selections this year and used their first round pick to select Pitcher Lee Viau. The full draft log is given below.



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

[amead17]

8th January 1889

We are pleased to announce that voting for the MLB Hall of Fame has concluded and we have our inaugural Hall of Fame members thanks to your votes.

The 2 players to earn the right to don the Hall of Fame cap and see their plaques displayed at the Hall of Fame museum are both Pitchers.


The first player to earn his place is Pitcher Cherokee Fisher. Fisher is one of the few members of that exclusive club with 200 wins and was always going to get the nod for the Hall of Fame at the first attempt.


He is Joined by fellow pitcher Dick McBride. McBride would not be every ones choice to go into the Hall of Fame but with a record of 147-146 he garnered enough votes to get in.

The full voting counts are below

Cherokee Fisher (Inducted) 97.3%
Dick McBride (Inducted) 88.2%
Lip Pike 69.3% (Will be back for his 5th attempt next year)
Levi Meyerle 57.4% (Will be back for his second attempt next year)
George Wright 26.0% (Will be back for his second attempt next year)
Joe Start 16.9% (Will be back for his second attempt next year)
Bill Craver 2.4% (Will not be back on the Ballot in future years)

[amead17]

Predictions for the season in the AL



Predictions for the season in the NL

[amead17]

1st April 1889

The fans of the Orioles are looking for their favourites to go one better this year and win not just the AL pennant but also the MLB Championship Series. The independent league assessors were not of the same feeling as the fans as they predict that the Orioles will only manage to achieve 6th place this year with a 65-89 record. The fans are hoping this will not be the case.

The MLB have decided not to make any changes this year and have left the season as 154 games long.

After winning last seasons AL pennant the players came back to spring training early and found themselves in an extremely tough set of workouts. This allowed the GM and Manager to get a good idea of who was ready for the big time and who needed extra work. This has led to the following 25 players making the opening day roster.

Pitching


Batting

[amead17]

1st April 1889

The fans of the Americans are looking for improvements to this seasons form from their team. The independent league assessors didn't put to much of a downer on it as they predicted the team would be close in 2nd place in the AL table with a record of 91-63.

The MLB have decided not to make any changes this year and have left the season as 154 games long.

The team went through a tough range of skills tests during spring training to confirm they were ready for the new season. These tests really helped the GM an Manager to make their final selection regarding the opening day roster. This can be seen below.

Pitching


Batting

[amead17]

1st April 1889

After a season to forget the fans of the Beaneaters are just hoping for some decent form this year so that they can at least enjoy the season a little. The independent league assessors didn't have good news for the fans from their prediction. They cannot see any improvement from the Beaneaters this year and are again expecting them to finish last in the NL table with a record of 64-90.

The MLB have decided not to make any changes this year and have left the season as 154 games long.

The GM and Manager were pleased by the attitude from the players during a tough set of pre season training sessions. This made their job of picking the opening day roster all the more difficult. They finally came up with the following 25 names as their opening day squad.

Pitching


Batting