International Baseball League (1887-)

[Supermercado]

Organised baseball is becoming more popular, and with 16 teams playing across two Major League Baseball circuits, the players unable to secure contracts band together to create the International Baseball League. They find owners all over the country willing to join their new professional circuit

With American and National League teams concerned about being locked out of these markets in years to come, they make an agreement to recognise the IBL as a semi-major league and share players under the following terms:

• IBL to be graded as a level five league, half of MLB
• No teams in MLB cities after 1890. MLB can purchase the rights to any city at the end of an IBL season
• No affiliated teams/minor leagues until 1915
• Trades allowed between the leagues
• Reserve roster size 15 for MLB teams, five for IBL teams. To be reviewed when free agent numbers reach more than 100 again.
• No IBL teams to admit paid attendance of over 20,000
• Financials of the two leagues tied together until at least 1937. MLB to subsidise IBL salaries to ensure parity.
• MLB to only draft half eligible players each year, allowing for an IBL free agent draft to be held immediately after

IBL rules:

• Two 20 team leagues with no subdivisions.
• Five teams from each league qualify for playoffs. Three game elimination series between the fourth and fifth teams, then three game quarter final, five game league series and seven game International Series to determine the IBL champions
• 152 game seasons to allow 19 games against each of the other sides in the league, Interleague play is banned by the charter of the league.

Background notes

Go with me on the AL and integrated teams in the South being involved from the start, the modern nicknames and improbable location of teams, the odd geographical anomaly.

I've played up to the end of 1996 so far and am starting to flag on interest for going on so thought I'd get the posts going for now so hopefully I can get at least 1887-2000 up before flaking out.

Your inaugural teams (intending to come back and add logos later, though you will see them in the screenshots of the league tables)

Western League

• Dallas Renegades
• Denver Arrows
• Honolulu Warriors
• Houston Crusaders
• Las Vegas Gamblers
• Los Angeles Saints
• Louisville Americans
• Mexico City Aztecs
• Nashville Blues
• Oakland Express
• Oklahoma City Drillers
• Omaha Cattlemen
• Phoenix Scorpions
• Portland Seals
• San Antonio Stampede
• San Diego Admirals
• San Francisco Bears
• San Jose Suns
• Seattle Metropolitans
• Vancouver Racers

Eastern League

• Atlanta Rebels
• Birmingham Generals
• Buffalo Rapids
• Charlotte Stallions
• Columbus Explorers
• Hartford Colonials
• Havana Islanders
• Indianapolis Riot
• Jacksonville Gators
• Kansas City Cannons
• Memphis Kings
• Miami Surf
• Minneapolis Ice Caps
• Montreal Dragons
• New Orleans Storm
• New Jersey Jackals
• Tampa Bay Hurricanes
• Toronto Blizzard
• Virginia Beach Bullets
• Wichita Cowboys

[Supermercado]

1887



- From 770 players eligible for the inaugural draft, the Toronto Blizzard selected Abner Powell of Shenandoah, Louisiana first. He’d just been released by the Cleveland Blues after one major league season.

The rest of the top five were Bill McGunnigle to Oakland, Sol White to Virginia Beach, Ballplayer Cornell to Hartford and George Carr to Tampa Bay. All teams ended up with either 19 or 20 players on their roster.

- Most Valuable Hitters – Dave Drew (Vancouver, .366, 6 HR) and Abner Powell (Toronto, .388, 1 HR)

- Most Valuable Pitchers – George Wetzel (Las Vegas, 54-20, 2.11 ERA) and Foghorn Bradley (Columbus, 39-24, 2.17 ERA)

- Rookies of the Year – George Wetzel (Las Vegas) and Abner Powell (Toronto)

- Best batting average – Mike Hines (Nashville) - .388

- Most home runs – John Evans (Honolulu) - 44

- Most wins – John Moriarty (Vancouver) - 56

- Best ERA – Ballplayer Cornell (Hartford) - 1.36

- No hitters – John Moriarty (Vancouver) and Bill F Sullivan (Kansas City)

- International Series – Vancouver Racers d. Tampa Bay Hurricanes 4-2, taking the title out of the USA at the first opportunity.

- With the first pick in the draft (201 eligible), Dallas selected 28-year-old 2B Harry McCaffery, released by Detroit after six seasons on their list and 105 MLB games.

[Supermercado]

1888



- Most league salaries remained in a similar band, but after his amazing rookie season the two-way George Wetzel led the pack with $817 a year. After going 54-20 in his first season, the Gamblers didn’t let him pitch at all.

- The league’s top junior prospect was Thomas Turner, drafted #22 by Los Angeles.

- The story of the season was Vancouver’s plummet from International Series winners to also rans, finishing 16 games below .500.

- The first tiebreaker game was required to decide the last playoff spot in the Western League, with Omaha topping Mexico City. The Eastern League had a tie for first place, but with no implication on the playoff seedings no tiebreaker was required.

- Most Valuable Hitters – Jake Evans (San Francisco, .343, 0 HR) and Sol White (Virginia Beach, .330, 15 HR)

- Most Valuable Pitchers – John H Murphy (San Francisco, 49-24, 2.14 ERA) and George Knowlton (Buffalo, 39-33, 2.17 ERA)

- Rookies of the Year – Alex McKinnon (Oklahoma City, .364, 10 HR) and Fred Carl (Hartford, .360, 3 HR)

- Best batting average – Alex McKinnon (Oklahoma City) - .364

- Most home runs – Pat Callaghan (San Diego) - 28

- Most wins – John H Murphy (San Francisco) - 49

- Best ERA – Ren Deagle (Las Vegas) - 1.70

- International Series – Oakland Express d. Tampa Bay Hurricanes 4-1. The Hurricanes lose their second consecutive series.

- No hitters thrown by Will White (Vancouver), Charlie Sprague (Seattle) and John Pendergrass (New Jersey)

- There were 177 players eligible for the draft, but as most teams had a full roster they were unable to make a selection. The Los Angeles Saints were the first side with an open roster slot at pick 12, selecting 22-year-old SP Herb Goodall. From 1889 extra roster slots would be available on draft day to ensure all teams could make at least one selection.

[Supermercado]

1889



- Six players (Dave Drew, John Evans, Patsy McDonald, John Moriarty, Abner Powell and Sol White) were tied for highest paid in the league at $826 a year.

- 25-year-old SP Billy Serad, traded from the MLB’s Cincinnati to Phoenix during the off-season, was the league’s top prospect.

- In another big trade, MVP Alex McKinnon was swapped by Oklahoma City to the Louisville Colonels, returning to the major league after five years as a fringe player in Philadelphia before joining the IBL.

- Notable regular season moments included Dallas putting in the worst performance of any side yet, going 36-116, and Honolulu’s John Evans breaking his own home run record with 48. The first man to bat over .400 was Harry Stovey, 32-year-old LF traded to Columbus from Cincinnati after 10 major league seasons that left him with the all time home run record.

- Tampa Bay’s two year run of losing the International Series ended with a Quarter Final defeat at the hands of fourth seed Jacksonville. Three of the four quarters was a local derby, with Oakland beating San Francisco and Montreal over Toronto.

- Most Valuable Hitters – Mike Muldoon (Oakland, .359, 9 HR) and Harry Stovey (.403, 35 HR)

- Most Valuable Pitchers – John H Murphy [2] (San Francisco, 51-19, 2.52 ERA) and Bill Smith (Montreal) (29-19, 2.22 ERA)

- Rookies of the Year – Ted Scheffler (Oklahoma City, .343 and 12 HR) and Harry Stovey (.403 and 35 HR)

- Best batting average – Harry Stovey (Columbus) - .403

- Most home runs – John Evans (Honolulu) - 48

- Most wins – John H Murphy (San Francisco) - 51

- Best ERA – Pat Luby (Mexico City) – 2.06

- International Series – Mexico City Aztecs d. Montreal Dragons 4-1. Both teams were in their first playoff series, and for the second time in three seasons the championship went to a side outside the United States.

- No hitters by George Cain (San Antonio) and George B Harper (Atlanta)

- Reserve roster sizes were expanded to cover for a growing number of free agents. MLB teams allowed 40 and IBL teams 25.

- Only 80 players were eligible for the draft. Dallas used pick one on Hugh Cummings, a 24-year-old starting pitcher who’d gone 29-23 at Tampa in the inaugural IBL season but had been through Oklahoma City and Jacksonville since before being released.

[Supermercado]

1890



- The league’s highest paid player was relief pitcher John Connor of Montreal, on $870 for the season.

- Top prospect was 25-year-old RHP Ed Conley of the Miami Surf, acquired in an off-season trade with the Louisville Colonels.

- During the season George Wetzel of 54-20 in season one then never pitched again fame was traded by Las Vegas to the St Louis Browns.

- At the bottom of the IBL world, Dallas lost 100 games again but somehow found two teams in the West that were even worse. The last placed team in the East was still 10 games better off than the Renegades.

- Most Valuable Hitters – Jocko Milligan (Houston, .402, 8 HR) and Harry Stovey [2] (Columbus, .429, 27 HR)

- Most Valuable Pitchers – Tommy Bond (San Antonio, 37-14, 1.84 ERA) and George Bradley (Tampa Bay, 33-15, 2.56 ERA)

- Rookies of the Year – Sam Wise (Omaha, .342, 8 HR) and Joe Mallon (Miami, .352, 3 HR)

- Best batting average – Harry Stovey (Columbus) – .429

- Most home runs – John Evans (Honolulu) - 38

- Most wins – John M Murphy (San Francisco) - 39

- Best ERA – Tommy Bond (San Antonio) – 1.84

International Series – Columbus Explorers d. Mexico City Aztecs 4-1. The Explorers became the first Eastern League side to win the championship.

- No hitters to Tommy Bond (San Antonio) and John H Fitzgerald (Oklahoma City)

- Only 21 players were draft eligible, with Louisville selecting 26-year-old relief pitcher Fred Link with their first selection.

- The grace period for IBL teams in MLB cities expired, forcing Columbus and Louisville to move. They shifted to Dayton and Lexington respectively.

[Supermercado]

1891



- Top prospect was 23-year-old George Stallings of Omaha.

- Highest paid player was a tie of three at $945, Mike Muldoon (Oakland), Harry Stovey (Dayton) and Sol White (Virginia Beach)

- A playoff was required to decide the fifth spot in the Eastern League playoffs, with Tampa Bay narrowly confirming their fifth straight playoff appearance. At the other end of the spectrum, Dallas were terrible again, now holding a .313 record over five years.

- Most Valuable Hitters – Jocko Milligan [2] (Houston, .381, 13 HR) and Frank Fennelly (Miami, .325, 16 HR)

- Most Valuable Pitchers – Tommy Bond [2] (San Antonio, 37-12, 2.01 ERA) and Ballplayer Cornell (15-5, 13 saves, 1.51 ERA)

- Rookies of the Year – John Sneed (Houston, .345, 4 HR) and Myers Robinson (Dayton, .361 and 16 HR)

- Best batting average – Ed Andrews (Minneapolis), .392

- Most home runs – John Evans (Honolulu) - 35

- Most wins – Tommy Bond (San Antonio) - 37

- Best ERA – Ballplayer Cornell (Hartford) – 1.51

- International Series – Memphis Kings d. Mexico City Aztecs 4-1.

- Oklahoma City’s John Fitzgerald was the only man to throw a no hitter, the second of his career.

After five seasons key record holders were:
Games – Michael Firle (758 - batter) and Matthew Keogan (340 – pitcher)
Hits – Ballplayer Stannard (1007)
Home runs – John Evans (189)
Wins – John Fitzgerald (195)
Saves – Ballplayer Cornell (64)
Strikeouts – John H Fitzgerald (1625)

- In the draft, Dallas picked first yet again. From 207 players they selected 26-year-old starting pitcher Mart Swift, not pick in the previous day’s MLB draft.

[Supermercado]

1892



- Top prospect belonged to the Nashville Blues, catcher Jerry Harrington traded in the off-season from the St Louis Cardinals.

- Five players were equal highest paid at $961, Joe Mallon (Miami), Jocko Milligan (Houston), Ulysses Rohrer (Lexington), Ted Scheffler (Oklahoma City) and Sol White (Virginia Beach).

- The most significant trade of the year was Hartford shipping reigning best pitcher Ballplayer Cornell to the St Louis Browns.

- A playoff was required between Los Angeles and Las Vegas for the last playoff spot in the West, the Gamblers got the game 153 win. The Eastern League ended in a three way tie at the top, with Buffalo, Miami and Montreal all earning the first round bye.

- Dallas was again terrible, but Minneapolis three games worse. Nashville and San Jose made their first playoff appearances.

- Most Valuable Hitters – Jocko Milligan [3] (Houston, .369, 18 HR) and Joe Visner (Montreal, .333, 7 HR)

- Most Valuable Pitchers – Peter Webber (Mexico City, 31-13, 2.28 ERA) and John McCarty (Buffalo, 36-14, 2.14 ERA)

- Rookies of the Year – Cliff Carroll (Portland, .394, 17 HR) and Frank Belt (Jacksonville, .351, 13 HR)

- Best batting average – Sam Wise (Omaha) - .373

- Most home runs – John McKee (Jacksonville) - 23

- Most wins – Charles Gibbs (Houston) and Harry McCormick (Memphis) - 37

- Best ERA – Abner Powell (Toronto) – 1.78

- International Series – Jacksonville Gators d. Mexico City Aztecs 4-3, with the Aztecs losing their third consecutive series in the first ever seven game contest.

- No hitters were thrown by John H Fitzgerald of Oklahoma City, the third of his career, Charles Gibbs of Houston and George Keefe of San Diego.

- IBL reserve rosters were expanded to 25 players

- With the first pick of the draft (208 players eligible) Minneapolis selected 18-year-old 1B Bill Kemmer, a 3 star prospect that they hoped would blossom into a franchise player.

[Supermercado]

1893



- San Antonio had the #1 prospect, acquiring 26-year-old catcher Morgan Murphy from Cleveland in a trade.

- Nine players simultaneously broke the thousand dollar barrier, Jocko Milligan (Houston), Myers Robinson (Dayton), Ulysses Rohrer (Lexington), Ted Scheffler (Oklahoma City), John Sneed (Houston), Thomas Turner (Los Angeles), Sol White (Virginia Beach), William Wilson (Las Vegas) and William Wood (San Jose) were all paid $1063 for the year.

- Dallas finished second last again, only in front of the Vancouver Racers completing their fall from first to last with a 100 loss season, but not for want of trying by #2 draft pick Ed Slater, who clubbed an outrageous 75 home runs – 51 more than any other player in the competition.

- Most Valuable Hitters – Ed Slater (Dallas, .293, 75 HR) and Frank Fennelly [2] (Miami, .362, 23 HR)

- Most Valuable Pitchers – Harry Siebel (Los Angeles, 35-13, 3.03 ERA) and Harry McCormick (31-18, 2.41 ERA)

- Rookies of the Year – Ed Slater (Dallas, .293, 75 HR) and Marty Sullivan (.390, 9 HR)

- Best batting average – Marty Sullivan (New Orleans) – .390

- Most home runs – Ed Slater (Dallas) - 75

- Most wins – Joseph Masran (San Jose) - 37

- Best ERA – Harry McCormick (Memphis) – 2.41

- International Series – Mexico City Aztecs [2] d. Buffalo Rapids 4-1

- Henry Gruber of Wichita threw the only no hitter of the season, the first perfect game in IBL history.

- Minneapolis held the top draft pick again, and with not a lot on offer from the 135 eligible players – most of them relief pitches - they opted not to open a spot on their roster and passed. That made the first live pick Vancouver at #2 with 21-year-old shortstop Gene Steere.

[Supermercado]

1894



- 18-year-old pitcher Bill H Hallman of Lexington was the IBL’s top prospect.
- The group of top paid players ($1160 a year) was down to three, Houston’s Jocko Milligan, Lexington’s Ulysses Rohrer and Ted Scheffler of Oklahoma City.

- Trade of the year was Abner Powell, the first ever IBL player, from Toronto to the MLB's Washington Senators

- Continuing a trend seen the previous year, offence went through the roof in both leagues. From a low of 2.73 average ERA in the 1888 Eastern League season, the West set a new record with 5.26 ERA. The leagues batted at .313 and .314 respectively, 25 points above the previous leading mark.

- Charlotte and Denver qualified for the playoffs for the first time but both lost their Elimination Finals series.

- Most Valuable Hitters – George Meister (Las Vegas, .371, 22 HR) and Marty Sullivan (New Orleans, .483, 14 HR)

- Most Valuable Pitchers – Tommy Bond [3] (San Antonio, 30-19, 3.24 ERA) and Bill Smith [2] (Montreal, 27-21, 3.21 ERA)

- Rookies of the Year – George Meister (Las Vegas, .371, 22 HR) and Howard Earl (Montreal, .395, 30 HR)

- Best batting average – Marty Sullivan (New Orleans) - .483

- Most home runs – Ed Slater (Dallas) - 57

- Most wins – Henry Siebel (Los Angeles) and George Knowlton (Buffalo) - 38

- Best ERA – Bill Smith (Montreal) – 3.21

- International Series – Los Angeles Saints d. Memphis Kings 4-2.

- In recognition of exploding player numbers, both leagues were given unlimited reserve rosters. San Francisco had the top draft pick, and from 256 options took 25-year-old LF Tom Bannon out of Amesbury, MA.

[Supermercado]

1895



- The league’s #1 prospect was 16-year-old reliever Pop Foster of Honolulu. Top prospects hadn’t had a great record so far in IBL play but Foster had more time than most to build a career.

- Two players stood alone as the highest paid, at $1186, Pat Luby of Dayton and Ted Scheffler of Oklahoma City.

- After a couple of years at the bottom, Minneapolis made a brave run at the Eastern playoffs before missing out. Atlanta became the only side to make their playoff debut.

- The first no hitter in two years came from Las Vegas’ Will Calihan, and it was a good one, a perfect game.

- Most Valuable Hitters – Ed Slater [2] (Dallas, .360, 63 HR) and Pat Luby (.388, 25 HR)

- Most Valuable Pitchers – John H Fitzgerald (Oklahoma City, 35-13, 3.27 ERA) and Dan Casey (Dayton, 32-15, 2.98 ERA)

- Rookies of the Year – Farmer Vaughn (Honolulu, .445, 3 HR) and Cal McVey (Miami, .406, 3 HR)

- Best batting average – Farmer Vaughn (Honolulu) - .445

- Most home runs – Ed Slater (Dallas) - 63

- Most wins – Henry Siebel (Los Angeles) - 38

- Best ERA – Dudley Payne (Montreal) - .296

- International Series – Dayton Explorers [2] d. Oklahoma City Drillers 4-1.

- San Francisco used their first draft pick (270 eligible players) on 16-year-old two-way player Jimmy Sheckard, continuing the trend of teams signing players for the future.

[Supermercado]

1896



- Sheckard went straight in as the league’s top prospect

- Two new players became the league’s highest paid, Howard Earl of Montreal and Pat Luby of Dayton at $1292 each.

- As the league’s first decade wrapped up, Vancouver made a surprise return to the playoffs. After winning the inaugural IBL title they’d never finished above 15th again.

- The league’s best team over its first 10 years was Montreal, though their .614 winning percentage looked worse when you considered they hadn’t won a title in eight playoff appearances. The worst side, not surprisingly, was Dallas, who held a .345 percentage and were one of 10 sides yet to qualify for the postseason.

- Pitching made something of a comeback, with both leagues registering a drop in average ERA. In the West, the 4.16 was the lowest since the explosion in hitting after 1892

- Henry Siebel threw a perfect game for Los Angeles.

- Kansas City made its first appearance in the playoffs.

- Most Valuable Hitters – Ed Slater [3] (Dallas, .306, 67 HR) and Frank Fennelly (Miami, .372, 19 HR)

- Most Valuable Pitchers – John Moriarty (Vancouver, 33-18, 2.54 ERA) and Dudley Payne (Montreal, 35, 2.70 ERA)

- Rookies of the Year – Jimmy Sheckard (San Francisco, .364, 10 HR) and Doc Andrews (Atlanta, .349, 5 HR)

- Best batting average – Llewellyn Legg (Honolulu) - .424

- Most home runs – Ed Slater (Dallas) - 67

- Most wins – George Bradley (Tampa Bay) - 43

- Best ERA – John Moriarty (Vancouver) – 2.54

- International Series – Charlotte Stallions d. Omaha Cattlemen 4-0, the first sweep in IBL history.

- Oakland Express, champions of the second season, crashed to the bottom of the table with 108 losses and picked first in the draft. From 198 options they went with 26-year-old catcher Pete Burns with the first draft pick.

- Key record holders after 10 seasons:

• Games – Al Brower (1511 - batter) and John Bourke (594 – pitcher)
• Hits – Al Brower (1998)
• Home runs – Ed Slater (262)
• Wins – John Fitzgerald (343)
• Saves – Charlie Hodnett (94)
• Strikeouts – John H Fitzgerald (2703)

[Supermercado]

1897



- Top prospect was 21-year-old SS Grant Johnson of Mexico City.

- Six players were paid $1312, William Brown of San Jose, Howard Earl of Montreal, Pat Luby of Dayton, Ted Scheffler of Oklahoma City, and Ed Slater of Dallas.

- Playoffs were required in both divisions, to break a three way tie for the last spot in the West and a two way tie in the East. Denver beat Las Vegas, leaving Phoenix to qualify without playing another game. On the other side, Buffalo stopped Indianapolis from qualifying for their second postseason.

- Most Valuable Hitters – Pop Foster (Honolulu, .387, 6 HR) and Ad Gumbert (Montreal, .360, 19 HR)

- Most Valuable Pitchers - Will Calihan (Las Vegas, 33-14, 3.14 ERA) and Dudley Payne [2] (Montreal, 35-14, 2.36 ERA)

- Rookies of the Year – Biff Sheehan (Seattle, .374, 8 HR) and Ad Gumbert (Montreal, .360, 19 HR)

- Best batting average – Llewellyn Legg (Honolulu) - .438

- Most home runs – Ed Slater (Dallas) - 38

- Most wins – Kid Monroe (Miami) - 37

- Best ERA – Dudley Payne (Montreal) – 2.36

- International Series – Miami Surf d. Mexico City Aztecs 4-0. The Aztecs’ horrible run in the series continues, and for the third year in a row the East wins the league.

- San Francisco picked first in the draft again (195 eligible players), selecting 25-year-old centre fielder William McDevitt.

[Supermercado]

1898



- Virginia Beach, still waiting for their first playoff spot, had the top prospect in 21-year-old pitcher Patsy Dougherty, only a third round draft pick.

- Top salary was a five way tie between Robert Footes of Denver, John Grim and Ballplayer Kelley of Montreal, Pat Luby of Dayton and Ed Slater of Dallas on $1418.

- After 1897 had zero no hitters, Tommy Bond of San Antonio returned with the second of his career. Teammates Daniel Alexander and Tod Brynan of Nashville also achieved the feat. It was the year that pitchers struck back, after being beaten up for several years the average ERA of both leagues was reduced to levels not seen since 1892, both down about 0.80.

- In the East, a tiebreaker game was needed to confirm Dayton qualifying ahead of Charlotte. Seattle returned to the postseason for the first time since year one. With Mexico City missing out, Miami was the only one of the elite eight to hold a championship.

- There were still no eligible IBL Hall of Fame candidates, but the first two players who had spent time in the league were elected to the MLB Hall. Jim Britt had a sole 30-14 season for Lexington, but was elevated on the strength of his 412 wins in the big leagues. Sam Weaver had a more balanced career, playing seven IBL seasons with San Antonio, New Orleans and Houston – winning 361 games combined across the two competitions.

- Most Valuable Hitters – Jimmy Sheckard (San Francisco, .397, 8 HR) and Ad Gumbert [2] (Montreal, .351, 9 HR)

- Most Valuable Pitchers – Jake Weimer (Seattle, 37-13, 1.65 ERA) and Dudley Payne [3] (Montreal, 37-12, 2.17 ERA)

- Rookies of the Year – George Browne (San Diego, .353, 2 HR) and Bill Richardson (Atlanta, .331, 1 HR)

- Best batting average – Dummy Hoy (Atlanta) - .405

- Most home runs – Robert Jackson (San Antonio) and Ed Slater (Dallas) - 23

- Most wins – Fleury Sullivan (Charlotte) - 38

- Best ERA – Jake Weimer (Seattle) – 1.65

- International Series – Nashville Blues d. Miami Surf 4-2.

- With the first pick (192 eligible players) Lexington picked 23-year-old shortstop Jimmy Kuhn.

[Supermercado]

1899



- Pitcher Patsy Dougherty of Virginia Beach was again the IBL’s top prospect, even though he didn’t throw in one game in 1898.

- Nine players were equal top earners on $1525 a season – Pop Foster of Honolulu, John Grim and Ad Gumbert of Montreal, Bill H Hallman of Lexington, Robert Jackson of San Antonio, Pat Luby of Dayton, Doggie Miller of Nashville, Fred Odwell of Indianapolis and Jimmy Sheckard of San Francisco.

- A major story of the season was the Lexington Americans charging from last, losing 107 games, to nearly making the playoffs. Much of the turnaround came from a shrewd trade where they picked up pitched Arlie Pond in a trade with the New York Giants.

- Virginia Beach became the only team to qualify for their first playoff series. They finished a game ahead of Charlotte and Tampa Bay, who settled the final spot in the East with a tiebreaker game.

- The only no hitter of the season came from John H Fitzgerald, the fourth of his career, for Oklahoma City.

- Jim McCormack, who ended his IBL career with six successful seasons in Seattle, was elected to the MLB Hall of Fame. The first IBL vote is scheduled for the end of 1901 when the first two players become eligible.

- Most Valuable Hitters – Pop Foster [2] (Honolulu, .393, 12 HR) and Dusty Miller (Toronto, .419, 10 HR)

- Most Valuable Pitchers – Jake Weimer [2] (Seattle, 34-17, 1.79 ERA) and Fleury Sullivan (Charlotte, 31-20, 2.21 ERA)

- Rookies of the Year – Arlie Pond (Lexington, 37-12, 2.41 ERA) and Dusty Miller (Toronto, .419, 10 HR)

- Best batting average – Benjamin Townsend (Buffalo) - .427

- Most home runs – Robert Jackson (San Antonio) - 27

- Most wins – Arlie Pond (Lexington), Ike Toy (Nashville) and Bill Nelson (Birmingham) - 37

- Best ERA – Jack Weimer (Seattle) – 1.79

- International Series – Denver Arrows d. Miami Surf 4-1.

- From 263 eligible players, Wichita controversially made 42-year-old left fielder Spud Johnson the number one pick. His batting ratings were amongst the best in the IBL but it didn’t seem like a sensible long term move.

- At the end of the decade, a look at some of the top accomplishments to date in IBL history.

• Most home runs in a game – Ed Slater (Dallas) and William McCoach (Los Angeles) – 4
  
• Most hits in a game – Jumbo Schoeneck (Lexington), Biff Sheehan (Seattle) and Dusty Miller (Toronto) – 7
  
• Most strikeouts in a game – Fred Nyce (Virginia Beach) – 16
  
• Best hitting streak – Steve Matthias (Montreal) – 43 games

- Championship wins:
2 – Columbus/Dayton, Mexico City
1 – Charlotte, Denver, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Oakland, Nashville, Vancouver

[RMc]

Due to travel technology, it would be pretty much impossible to have a nationwide league before 1940 or so, let alone in the 19th century. (Heck, some of the cities in your league were tiny, or didn't even exist, back then!)

Just something to keep in mind when you're doing the historical/fictional thing. (Source: I love doing the historical/fictional thing!)

[Supermercado]

Originally Posted by RMc

Due to travel technology, it would be pretty much impossible to have a nationwide league before 1940 or so, let alone in the 19th century. (Heck, some of the cities in your league were tiny, or didn't even exist, back then!)

Just something to keep in mind when you're doing the historical/fictional thing. (Source: I love doing the historical/fictional thing!)

I know it's unrealistic but I'm comfortable with that. Can't justify to myself starting in tiny towns and branching out later, as best possible I want the franchise records to be across one city only. Now, on with the show...

[Supermercado]

1900



- Havana had the IBL’s number one prospect in Jimmy Hart, 24-year-old LF out of St Paul, MN. He’d fallen through to their pick in the second round of the draft, number 53 overall.

- The league’s top paid player ($1551) was an eight way tie between Pop Foster (Honolulu), Ad Gumbert (Montreal), Bill H Hallman (Lexington), Billy Lauder (Hartford), Pat Luby (Dayton), Fred Odwell (Indianapolis), Jimmy Sheckard (San Francisco) and Biff Sheehan (Seattle).

- In July, Miami did the season’s most surprising trade, shipping 39-year-old star SP Kid Monroe to Brooklyn. He’d won 398 games since debuting for them in 1888, and was 19-12 for the season when they decided to cash in for the younger 32-year-old CF Dan Lally. Jacksonville also made a bold trade, sending Milo Wells to the Boston Reds while he was batting .407, receiving three players in their early 20s in return.

- Lexington went one better than 1899 by finishing top of the West, and Havana also made their first playoff series. They came out on top of New Jersey after a playoff game to conclude a wild battle that had another five teams within five games of an Elimination Final berth.

- No hitters came from San Jose’s Jacob Lookabaugh and John Clarkson of Miami.

- Batting performance of the season went to Honolulu’s Llewellyn Legg. The 39-year-old announced his retirement before the season, then put up a .414 record.

- Most Valuable Hitters – Bert Myers (Lexington, .378, 7 HR) and Ballplayer Kelley (Montreal, .354, 19 HR)

- Most Valuable Pitchers – Ike Toy (Nashville, 31-16, 2.38 ERA) and John Clarkson (Miami, 36-13, 2.25 ERA)

- Rookies of the Year – Bert Myers (Lexington, .378, 7 HR) and Jimmy Hart (Havana, .336, 7 HR)

- Best batting average – Llewellyn Legg (Honolulu) - .414

- Most home runs – Robert Jackson (San Antonio) - 40

- Most wins – Arlie Pond (Lexington) - 39

- Best ERA – Arlie Pond (Lexington) – 1.72

- International Series – Nashville Blues [2] d. Birmingham Generals 4-1.

- Memphis had first pick in the draft, and from 211 eligible players they went with 24-year-old left fielder Charles Fleming. Houston controversially used pick 4 on 47-year-old Dory Dean, who hadn’t played a senior game since leaving the IBL in 1891. Since then he’d been signed and released by several MLB teams.

[Supermercado]

1901



- Dayton and Lexington were allowed to return to Columbus and Louisville respectively as Major League Baseball abandoned those cities.

- Wichita held the top prospect, 23-year-old SP Bob Wicker.

- Six men jointly owned the title of highest paid player at $1683. Pop Foster of Honolulu, Ad Gumbert of Montreal, Bill H Hallman of Lexington, Robert Jackson of San Antonio, Pat Luby of Dayton and Jimmy Sheckard of San Francisco.

- Hartford became the latest team to play its first finals series, while a three-way tie for the fifth in the East was split in a playoff won by Havana.

- It was a season for pitchers, the most defensive in the West since 1888 and the East since 1890. Despite this there was only one no hitter, from Ballplayer Knowlton of Jacksonville.

- The first IBL Hall of Fame ballot ended without an elected candidate, Isaac Bingham got 40.7% and Al Warner was dropped after registering 0.0%.

- Most Valuable Hitters – Pop Foster [3] (Honolulu, .411, 10 HR) and Tom Gettinger (Tampa Bay, .358, 14 HR)

- Most Valuable Pitchers – Ike Toy [2] (Nashville, 32-11, 1.71 ERA) and Bill F Hart (Miami, 27-10, 2.17 ERA)

- Rookies of the Year – Willie Clark (San Diego, .371, 0 HR) and Barry McCormick (Atlanta, .370, 4 HR)

- Best batting average – Pop Foster (Honolulu) - .411

- Most home runs – Robert Jackson (San Antonio) - 27

- Most wins – Ike Toy (Nashville) - 32

- Best ERA – Ed Mars (Nashville) - .1.28

- International Series – Miami Surf [2] d. Nashville Blues 4-2.

- From 290 players, Toronto used the first draft pick on 22-year-old SP Rick Adams of Paris, Texas.

[Supermercado]

1902



- Top prospect was Charlotte’s 22-year-old first baseman Roger Bresnahan

- Top paid player ($1796) was again a multiple way time – this time between Pop Foster (Honolulu), Bill H Hallman (Louisville), Robert Jackson (San Antonio), Pat Luby (Columbus), Bert Myers (Louisville), Fred Odwell (Indianapolis) and Jimmy Sheckard (San Francisco).

- Major trade of the season – 46-year-old Tommy Bond shipped out of San Antonio after 13 Hall of Fame worthy seasons, send to the New York Giants. It was hardly a move for the future, the Stampede picked up 41-year-old Mox McQuery in return.

- Dallas missed the playoffs for the 15th year in a row, never once finishing above 15th, and falling back to a 100 loss season for the first time in a decade. Minneapolis finally made it after 14 seasons of futility and three 100 + loss years in the early 1890s. They did it in style, finishing nine games clear at the top of the East.

- Jake Weimar and Seattle and Edward Lloyd of Columbus threw no hitters.

- The first two players were elected to the IBL Hall of Fame. George Knowlton went 359-233 with 3.14 ERA at Buffalo, and Matthew Shell was 322-251 with a 3.42 ERA at Los Angeles. Lee Richmond was elected to the MLB equivalent, having played the last nine seasons of his career with Atlanta.

- Most Valuable Hitters – Dave Brain (San Antonio, .418, 17 HR) and Roger Bresnahan (Charlotte, .404, 2 HR)

- Most Valuable Pitchers – Ike Toy [3] (Nashville, 27-12, 1.74 ERA) and Bill Hoffer (Minneapolis, 27-9, 1.97 ERA)

- Rookies of the Year – Dave Brain (San Antonio, .418, 17 HR) and Roger Bresnahan (Charlotte, .404, 2 HR)

- Best batting average – Dave Brain (San Antonio) - .418

- Most home runs – Robert Jackson (San Antonio) - 23

- Most wins – Bill Duggleby (Virginia Beach) - 29

- Best ERA – Ike Toy (Nashville) - 1.74

- International Series – Miami Surf [3] d. Honolulu Warriors 4-2

- Draft eligible player numbers boomed, with 405 to pick from. Dallas had the familiar feeling of picking first, going with 27-year-old catcher Milo Stratton.

[Supermercado]

1903



- 20-year-old reliever Doc Miller of the Louisville Americans was named the league’s top prospect.

- The top paid players were down to a tie for three, Pop Foster of Honolulu, Bill H Hallman of Louisville and Barry McCormick of Atlanta, all on $1928.

- The story of the season was a pair of thumping league wins by Nashville and Virginia Beach, 24 and 18 games in front of the second placed sides respectively. The Bullets proceeded to go out in straight sets in the quarter finals. Meanwhile, Wichita qualified for their first postseason and Jacksonville returned after being out since their 1892 championship season.

- Offense continued to suffer, with both leagues putting up the second lowest average ERA in history

- No hitters were through by James Drohan of Virginia Beach, Arlie Pond of Louisville and John Sowders of Oakland.

- The only player elected to the Hall of Fame was Montreal’s Bill Smith, who went 294-203 in 11 IBL seasons and twice won the pitching MVP.

- Most Valuable Hitters – Pop Foster [4] (Honolulu, .382, 2 HR) and Jimmy Hart (Havana, .392, 5 HR)

- Most Valuable Pitchers – Ike Toy [4] (Nashville, 28-7, 1.79 ERA) and Mordecai Brown (Jacksonville, 31-9, 1.83 ERA)

- Rookies of the Year – Kid Weaver (Honolulu, .341, 0 HR) and John Bolin (Virginia Beach, 26-8, 2.09 ERA)

- Best batting average – Mike Tiernan (San Francisco) - .416

- Most home runs – Robert Jackson (San Antonio) - 19

- Most wins – Mordecai Brown (Jacksonville) and James Drohan (Virginia Beach) - 31

- Best ERA – Jake Weimer (Seattle) – 1.78

- International Series – Nashville Blues [3] d. Kansas City Cannons 4-0.

- Houston picked first in the draft, and from 333 options selected five-star CF prospect Pete Hill, an African American player blocked from playing in MLB.