|
1972 Awards
GRANT MEDAL (MOST VALUABLE PLAYER) STOVEY MEDAL (PITCHER OF THE YEAR) WHITE PLATE (RELIEVER OF THE YEAR) https://i.imgur.com/Ad1su7N.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/33P1Kkl.png FOWLER MEDAL (ROOKIE OF THE YEAR) https://i.imgur.com/68cSHTZ.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/dwmNykb.png GARRETT BUTTON (MANAGER OF THE YEAR) FC: Miguel Silva, Dodgers WC: Ryan McCharen, American Giants KINDLING AWARD (SILVER SLUGGER) FC / WC https://i.imgur.com/3HE4X2g.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/yp95Slv.png SLICK AWARD (GOLD GLOVE) FC / WC https://i.imgur.com/z5t7tt3.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/fAS68Dg.png |
Stat Check: various
|
1972 EL Free-Agent Class / Rookie Draft
As I have alluded to numerous times recently, the end of the EL's fifth season also marks its first full FA class. And when I say full, I mean full. 195 in all, including a host of the league's biggest names. I'm excited about this but also disappointed that more of these guys weren't kept by their OG clubs.
Plus, it will be an absolute nightmare to keep track of all the comings and goings. Here's a snippet of the highest-rated FAs now up for grabs: Aside from that, all I'm going to do for now is just give you the full 1st Round of the Draft, then I'll incorporate all of the moves into the 1973 Janus Report for each club. The two Category A NeLers coming through this year are Sam Bankhead and the mighty Louis Santop. Among the MLBers, we've had another lovely little bit of serendipity with Vlad Guerrero joining his son in the league. Little V is among the FAs - what chance they end up playing side-by-side? Other big names in this year's Draft include Jose Altuve, Fergie Jenkins and Danny Tartabull. We'll also have two Bernie Williams to deal with as the lesser-known 1970s Giants OF hops aboard. Let's see where they all landed. So Big Vlad does indeed go first to the BGs, with Top behind him selected by the MoStars. Javier Vazquez is the first pitcher chosen, going 12th to the Mons, with Fergie J right after him and off to the AGs. Back with the OD reports in a wee while. |
EL 1973 Opening Day
Full Janus report to follow, but here is a summary by WAR of the offseason's winners and losers.
Utter madness is predicted in the FC, and not much less of the same across in the WC American - hooly dooly! Barry Bonds is the top-ranked position player, with Juan Marichal the #1 pitcher. Here are the farm system rankings and top prospects, with Javier Vazquez at #1. And, finally, the financial status of our EL franchises. |
1973 Janus Report: FC American
Atlantic City Bacharach Giants Brooklyn Royal Giants Newark Dodgers New York Black Yankees Pittsburgh Crawfords |
1973 Janus Report: FC National
Birmingham Black Barons Cuban Stars West Kansas City Monarchs Memphis Red Sox St. Louis Giants |
1973 Janus Report: WC American
Baltimore Elite Giants Hilldale Athletic Club Homestead Grays New York Lincoln Giants Philadelphia Liberty Stars |
1973 Janus Report: WC National
Chicago American Giants Cleveland Buckeyes Cuban Stars East Detroit Motown Stars Indianapolis ABCs |
Big Bank Hank
|
Stat Check: WHIP
|
Stat Check: pWAR
|
A-Gon Goes Riding
The big first-baseman seems to have settled in nicely to his new home in the Big Apple, and makes himself known to the local fans with a fine display against the A's.
|
April 1973 Recap
What a wild old start to the 1973 EL season. The Bacharach Giants get an absolute flyer, winning 15 of their first 17 games, only to catch cold and are currently riding an eight-game losing streak. The Buckeyes and Black Barons also start hot but, unlike AC, stay that way. Meanwhile the ABCs stumble out of the blocks but quickly turn things around and are now looking like the championship threat they are.
I think this season is going to remain that way right through, with loads of good clubs jockeying for position to the end.
Not quite the same excitement in the Transit League, with things pretty tight except for Akron and Atlanta.
Top 20s News & Leaders |
From the Transit Lounge
Some quality players are stuck down at AAA and it will be interesting to see if guys like Donald "Soup" Reeves here will eventually get their fair shake at the top level. Soup had his chance last season but didn't really take it and must be itching for another crack. This performance certainly won't harm his chances of doing so.
Just in case he doesn't, let's take this opportunity to shine a light on him all the same. While Atlanta-born Donald Reeves' NeL career was a fairly short one he showed flashes of real talent in his five seasons split between the Black Crackers and American Giants. 1938 was his best year, but he also impressed enough in 1940 to be the third-highest vote-getter for the annual East-West game, behind only Hilton Smith and Buck Leonard - rare company indeed. A Clark alumnus, Soup went All-American in football and basketball, as well as baseball, and returned to the field of education at the end of his time on the baseball diamond, teaching back in his hometown. He died aged 61 in 1973. Soup's EL iteration entered the league in the 1970 Draft, picked in the 2nd Round and 30th overall by the Giants. As I mentioned, he made it up to the parent club last season, slashing 216/273/360 in 150 PA with 4 homers and 24 RBI. He has been called up for a cuppa again earlier this year but was sent back down after going hitless in 6 AB. He's certainly on the bubble, and his TL line of 335/390/586 with 32 dingers and 147 ribbies in just two seasons makes me highly doubt the top flight has seen the last of him. |
Up Hill and Down Dale
What an amazing effort so far this season by the Athletic Club of Hilldale. Despite lettinh their best player since inception walk in the offseason, the A's currently sit at an EL-best 35-15 and a whopping 11 1/2 games clear in the WC American. That staff of theirs that I rated so poorly in my Janus Report has made a goose of me, with the rotation leading the div with a tidy 3.11 ERA and everyone pulling their weight.
Even sans Pops, their bats were never in question, and have delivered as promised. I remain unconvinced they can keep this up, at least not at their current pace, but that gap might be defendable all the same and there's nothing stopping them from trading for reinforcements along the way. Then again, with guys like Dave Brown giving them this sort of service, perhaps they don't need to. |
Hail, Cesar!
A fine day in the park for Señor Hernandez as he plonks three in the seats against the Dodgers. Sadly, they weren't sufficient to earn the BYs the win.
|
Four the Win
I think it's fair to say Eric is over his sophomore slump of last season. This is just the second 4-HR game in EL history, with Chito Martinez first doing it back in 1970.
Eric's Baltimore teammate Walt Williams also has 5 hits and the recap decides he's the right player to focus on... Sidebar: as a A's fan, every encounter with Eric transports me back to that horrid 1990 WS sweep... |
May 1973 Recap
Apart from the aforementioned A's in the WC American, the tight races continue and I really like how this season is shaping up. While the high-quality pitching remains intact, the hitters have reclaimed some ground so far this year, with the MVP battle in the FC between David Ortiz and Fernando Tatis jr set to be a ripper, with both showing some exceptional form.
The TL is almost identical in that it has one dominant side with a big lead and three incredibly close divisions. That Francis National battle looks like it will be a doozy. News and Leaders |
Stat Check: FIP
|
Transit League All-Stars, 1973
https://i.imgur.com/gJk2Tv8.png
https://i.imgur.com/Xz1sSXU.png https://i.imgur.com/JRTZAoz.png Chattanooga's Dwayne Murphy wins the HR Derby, while Atlanta's Carlos Guillen leads the Catto Conference to a 5-0 win. |
Out of the Shadows: Gene Collins
As those of you who follow along with my various OOTP enterprises may have gathered by now from their tone and premise, I am eternally fascinated by baseball's lesser lights. It all started with the Footnote League, and is central to this league as well. I love highlighting the unheralded, the underappreciated, the underdog - something OOTP gives me endless opportunities to do. It's all well and good being a highly-paid superstar, but for whatever reason the way in which the journeyman guys from the majors right down to the nether regions of the minors to go out there day after day and give baseball their all for little by way of reward resounds with me in a most visceral way.
(Kind of perverse, then, that the only two modern players I have any interest whatsoever in are Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. Go figure...) Someone posted on the boards a while back canvassing people's thoughts on the best size for a league. I guess it all comes down to what you want from it. My AtHoL save, for example, with 36 teams and - eventually - four levels is all-encompassing, which allows a greater coverage of the number of players involved at the expense of being able to see them quite so well on an individual basis, or at least requires more time for you to do so. This save, with just 20 teams and two levels, affords me the ability to gain a more intimate knowledge of the players participating. Less of them, as a result, slip through the cracks. The hand-curation involved takes this to the next level again. The improvements to the treatment of the NeLers in v23 has allowed me to relax my process somewhat for handling these players. I still use my own stats for the players included in Eric Chalek's MLE analysis, but now I just edit them on import and then let the imprint do its thing. For those I call the "lesser" NeL players - in other words, those for whom no MLEs are available - I give them free rein. It's kind of like a de facto TCR, the way I see it. Were I playing a truly historical save, this would be unacceptable to me. But the EL isn't that sort of save - it is a celebration of the great history of black baseball and nothing more. So if some of these guys import with off the charts ratings, so be it. Godspeed and good luck to them. Which brings me to the subject of this feature, southpaw pitcher Gene Collins. For a guy who was a true footnote in the NeL annals, playing just two seasons in the murky environment of the Jackie Robinson era before heading to Mexico via a quick stint in the minors, Jim Riley gives Gene a nice chunk of column inches. From this we learn he was originally a pitcher who later moved into the outfield as an everyday position player. Seamheads - which covers only his 1947-48 seasons - gives him a lifetime 5-5 record and 81 ERA+ over 84 IP for the Monarchs, and if those stats are anything to go by it is clear he had some fantastic stuff but was as wild as Mitch Williams (91 K v 95 BB). As you can see from the screenshot below, those figures are well-replicated by the OOTP engine and, after being drafted in 1971 by the Motown Stars (Round 3, 44th overall), his rookie season last year was true to type: 8.1 K/9 offset by 5.4 BB/9. That said, he did OK for a pretty poor MoStars outfit, going 11-19 with an ERA of 3.83 and picking up 2.6 pWAR. 1973 has been a different story entirely, as he currently sits at a staggering 12-1 with an ERA of 2.02 or 188 adjusted. He's been a bit lucky, as his 217 BABIP clearly shows, but a reduction in the number of free passes to a more tolerable 4 per 9 while still fanning a bunch has also had plenty to do with it, as has the drop in his FIP- from 106 to 77. The improved performance of his team has also undoubtedly played a part. We'll keep an eye on Gene's performance from here to see if he can keep up with his development and perhaps even become a force in this league. |
June 1973 Recap
This season is really shaping up nicely, with three of the conferences super tight and the A's just regressing enough to keep it interesting in the WC American. After a slow start, the BYs are looking ominous, while the Monarchs' 17-9 June has them just two in arrears of the BBs.
If anything, the TL remains even more closely-run across the board, with the FRC National and CAC American both total lotteries.
Top 20s - Overall Top 20s - NeLers News and Leaders https://i.imgur.com/zxORORn.png https://i.imgur.com/lGTVz4h.png https://i.imgur.com/JYHTxH0.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/vMPvcRD.png SIDEBAR: No midpoint review this year after the detailed Janus report on OD, trying to keep this moving along. |
Out of the Shadows: Willie Gisentaner
Known as "Three-Finger" in that cutely cruel style of the early-20th century due to a mangled pitching hand a la Mr Brown of the Mordecai version, southpaw Wille Gisentaner had a long if relatively undistinguished NeL career from the early 1920s to mid 1930s. Almost as if operating off a checklist, Willie bounced from team to team on a seemingly annual basis, before settling down to finish his career with three seasons with the Homestead Grays. Seamheads has his career record at 44-55 with an ERA on 5 on the dot, which equates to an ERA+ of 95, while EC's MLEs allocate him 13.4 WAR - so perhaps undistinguished is the wrong word. Let's go with journeyman instead.
Willie joined the EL as the 8th overall pick in the 1970 Draft, selected by the Black Yankees in the 4th Round. After spending almost the entire 1971 season at AAA Harlem, where he put together a splendid 18-win / 6.7 pWAR campaign in the Stars' Championship run, Willie got the call-up to the parent club for the following Opening Day and has been there ever since, fashioning a 17-12 record. He was used in a swingman role last season, but this year has seen him promoted full-time to the rotation behind legends in the making CC Sabathia and Pat Scantlebury. Like good players usually do, he has handled each step up without problem, and was the most recent recipient of the FC Pitcher of the Month Award, going 5-0 / 1.16 for June as his New York club finally got itself going and moved into contention. Handy with bat in hand, Willie has also spent some time in RF, hitting 264 with 2 HR last year but struggling a bit in that role so far in 1973. As always, we'll keep tabs on Willie as his EL career unfolds. |
Stat Check: W
|
EL Top 100 Prospects
The list has been updated, with Sam Bankhead of the Elite Giants organisation AT #1, part of the top-ranked Baltimore farm system.
|
Tennessee Thriller
A fantastic contest between the Giants and Cuban Stars West in front of a big turnout at First Tennesse Park, with plenty of late action and a walkoff win for Los Cubanos thanks to recent acquisition Buck Leonard.
|
1973 EL All-Star / Prospects Squads and Games
Those at the top of their game:
And those who, if they play their cards right, are on the way there: Hank Thompson just pips Big Papi in the HR Derby. While in the big game, Tony Armas wins the MVP in a losing cause as the Fleet Conference wins 4-2. The overall games score sits at exactly the same line. |
Stat Check: FIP
|
Big Day for A. J.
A season to forget for the poor old CSE, who look like they'll lose 90+ and finish in the cellar by some margin. So highlights like this must be savoured.
|
Makin' Moves
A couple big names find themselves at a new club as the BYs and ABCs recalibrate ahead of what is shaping up as a torrid stretch run for both clubs.
|
July 1973 Recap
A bit more tightening up in all four races as the stretch looms, although a couple of the leaders finished the month strongly to just push away again.
In the TL, the White Sox remain comfortably ahead in the CAC National, while the Black Senators have also made their move in the FRC American. The CAC American, with three teams within a game, looks set to be a beauty, while only four games separate the FRC National from top to bottom.
News and Leaders |
Just Dandy
Disaster for the Monarchs just as they have moved themselves within a couple games of the BBs in the FC National, with their undisputed ace gone for the season.
|
DownTime
Not as bad as it could have been, I guess, but the Buckeyes haven't quite shaken off the ABCs just yet and this will test their depth and resolve, with it touch-and-go if he'll reappear this season.
|
Stat Check: HR
|
August 1973 Recap
Grandstand finishes loom across the board as the jockeying for position intensifies and the various key injuries take their toll.
In the TL, the White Sox have clinched easily, while the Eagles and Black Senators have timed their runs nicely to both have their MN down to just 3. The FRC National race looks set to go down to the final day.
Top 20s News & Leaders |
El Clásico, 1973
An 11-4 romp in the decider gives the Cuban Stars West a 2-1 win against their East rivals in this year's matchup, tying the running series score at 3 in the process.
|
News from the Transit Lounge: end of 1973 regular season
Nice and clean in the end here.
Louisville has looked the pick of the bunch all year - can they finish it off for their first TL title? |
News from the Transit Lounge
As is so often the case, the White Sox cannot convert a fine regular season into anything more, losing in 5 after taking a 2-0 series lead. The Wolves also fight back from the brink, winning three straight to eliminate the Black Senators.
|
News From the Transit Lounge
After an unbelievable TL World Series in which five of the seven games are decided by one run, the Detroit Wolves lock down their first Championship.
https://i.imgur.com/lAvNN2t.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/XaeIrCP.png https://i.imgur.com/g7yIQBm.png |
September 1973 Recap
We are headed for a frantic final week of the 1973 EL regular season, with three of the four races going down to the wire.
In the one Group that does look settled, the Mons had moved within touching distance of the BBs and looked like they were going to roll on by them, but six straight losses have put paid to that concept for another year. The imminent Buckeyes / ABCs series will almost certainly define this season for both clubs. Here are the awards for September:
|
1973 Final Day
Just when it looked like there'd be little to report from the final day of the EL's 1973 regular season, with three of the races over and the BYs - one ahead of Brooky and easily leading their game against the BGs - seemingly on the verge of locking down the FC American, this happens:
A monumental, very against type collapse by New York as Hilton Smith and then Octavio Dotel fall to pieces. I say that, but what with last season's late fadeout, perhaps it's not so "against type" any more. Still, the RGs need to win their game against the LibStars just to force a tiebreak. They make heavy work of it but eventually get it done in 11. Two days later, the RGs get their first playoff appearance since the inaugural 1968 season behind a fine outing from Jesse Houston. |
1973 Regular Season Summary
And so the final standings look like this:
Batting titles to Rod Carew and Bob Chance. Big Papi tails off a bit, but still manages to finish with an EL-high 37 HR and 120 RBI. He also finishes third with a 309 BA and must stand some chance of winning his first MVP, although Hank Thompson would be the favourite. Dave Brown, Gene Collins and Lefty Holmes tie for the most wins with 23, while Collins' 266 K lead either league. Ramon Ramirez locks down 48 saves to pace the league and set a new EL mark. Juan Samuel also raises the bar with 80 SB. Here are the final Top 20s: Hitters - Overall Hitters - NeLers Pitchers - Overall Pitchers - NeLers And the final news and leaders for the season. |
1973 EL Conference Championship Series
Fleet Conference Birmingham Black Barons (100-62) v Brooklyn Royal Giants (89-74) Best of seven, Black Barons with home-field advantage.
https://i.imgur.com/hhgwIXp.png https://i.imgur.com/BU5alE8.png Weldy Conference Cleveland Buckeyes (93-69) v New York Lincoln Giants (87-75) Best of seven, Buckeyes with home-field advantage.
|
1973 Eclipse League World Series
Cleveland Buckeyes v Brooklyn Royal Giants Best of seven, Buckeyes with home-field advantage. And so the EL is guaranteed of a first-time Champion after two CC Series that could not have been more different. Who will that benefit more? The Buckeyes are well-rested and have their rotation aligned but have had a lot of time to get inside their own heads, while the RGs are battle-hardened but could also be war-weary. Either way I think this will be one for the ages. Buckeyes in seven for mine, especially with ShoTime back in action. Sadly, this matchup never realises anywhere near its full potential as it seems the Brooklyn boys leave their best baseball in that previous series and the Buckeyes do it easily in five. After a very quiet series against New York, 2B Ketel Marte comes alive big time, winning the MVP as he goes 11-for-20. Game 1 https://i.imgur.com/nRWfanG.png https://i.imgur.com/gFt8yXh.png Game 2 https://i.imgur.com/ONlVWXj.png https://i.imgur.com/mvFe1nL.png Game 3 https://i.imgur.com/mB751ly.png https://i.imgur.com/QbdJhTq.png Game 4 https://i.imgur.com/KECYtDp.png https://i.imgur.com/NhMhKSg.png Game 5 https://i.imgur.com/y9o2cN6.png https://i.imgur.com/B9yZiWY.png https://i.imgur.com/Iylbp5Z.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/GsXJgRz.png https://i.imgur.com/DbXudSa.png |
1973 Awards
GRANT MEDAL (MOST VALUABLE PLAYER) STOVEY MEDAL (PITCHER OF THE YEAR) WHITE PLATE (RELIEVER OF THE YEAR) https://i.imgur.com/8GPqbUE.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/Evn8w6a.png FOWLER MEDAL (ROOKIE OF THE YEAR) https://i.imgur.com/0CcQNzn.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/Jy5zLnD.png GARRETT BUTTON (MANAGER OF THE YEAR) FC: Danny Carpenter, Black Barons WC: Minoru Imamura, Buckeyes KINDLING AWARD (SILVER SLUGGER) FC / WC https://i.imgur.com/NpccueN.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/ee3diF4.png SLICK AWARD (GOLD GLOVE) FC / WC https://i.imgur.com/YuJRpZr.pnghttps://i.imgur.com/feXRvMg.png |
1973 EL Free-Agent Class / Rookie Draft
In addition to the Rookie Draft, a smaller group of players are now entering the EL each year as FAs. Rather than draw attention to them at this point in time, they'll eventually feature in the Opening Day reports for each club.
As far as the rookie class is concerned, Rube Foster and Dave "Impo" Barnhill are the Cat-A NeLers, while big MLB names include the mighty El Tiant, John Mayberry, Ryan Howard and Vida Blue. Here are Rounds 1 & 2 in their entirety: So Mayberry goes 1st overall to the East, while Baltimore picks up both Rube Foster and Bill McCall to really solidify their staff. |
Stat Check: various
|
1974 Janus Report: FC American
Atlantic City Bacharach Giants Brooklyn Royal Giants Newark Dodgers New York Black Yankees Pittsburgh Crawfords |
1974 Janus Report: FC National
Birmingham Black Barons Cuban Stars West Kansas City Monarchs Memphis Red Sox St. Louis Giants |
1974 Janus Report: WC American
Baltimore Elite Giants Hilldale Athletic Club Homestead Grays New York Lincoln Giants Philadelphia Liberty Stars |
| All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:48 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.10
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright © 2024 Out of the Park Developments