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We officially clinched the playoffs on September 18th with a 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Sailors. I could continue on with how Tommy Wilcox tossed a 2-hit shutout with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts, but every game after this really doesn't mean much. The season is pretty much wrapped up, and with two games left, it's inevitable that we play the Philadelphia Keystones (96-56). So instead of my regular writeup, I'm going to use today's to cover the Keystones and tomorrow as an end of the season report ahead of the playoffs.

Like us, the Keystones fell back to earth in September, but they pretty much dominated the league all year long. There offense was easily the best of the Fed and while the pitching wasn't that great, it didn't need to be. They didn't allow that many runs (3rd) and they scored over 100 more runs then they gave up. Below, I'll cover their position player starters and any notable arms we might see:

C Carl Ames: Signed as a minor league free agent back in 1924, he debuted the next season and has been a full time starter for the Keystones since 1926. He's been a quality big leaguer, and the 30-year-old owns a career .311/.367/./443 (108 OPS+) batting line with 99 homers and 794 RBI's in 5,116 trips to the plate. Ames was a 12th Round pick back in 1922 by Brooklyn, but he never even spent a day with them. He bounced around the independent league, but eventually became the hidden gem that's anchored the Sailors backstop for almost a decade. He hasn't been too good offensively this year, but a .278/.319/.399 (93 OPS+) batting line is decent for a catcher. He hit 10 homers and drove in 83 RBI's while also playing strong defense while managing the staff well. He's not Mike Taylor, but a borderline top-5 catcher in the league.

1B Rankin Kellogg: It's a little unfair that we always have to face the best slugger in the league in the World Series. In 1931 it was Max Morris, and now in 1933, it is Rankin Kellogg. The #1 pick of the 1922 draft is 30 just like Ames, but his .355/.446/.637 (177 OPS+) batting line is historically elite. He's hit 327 homers and driven in 1,238 RBI's, with only Max Morris having more career homers then him. Not only is Kellogg one of the best players in history, he's having one of the best seasons in history. The Memphis native is slashing a otherworldly .392/.459/.700 (210 OPS+) with 45 homers and 151 RBI's. He's been worth an insane 11.8 WAR with a 1.159 OPS. It's been a season reminiscent of Tom Taylor's 1928 rookie season. He hit .342/.422/.689 (216 OPS+) with 44 homers and 126 RBI's. He also stole 26 bases with a 1.111 OPS and 10.7 WAR. Kellogg is going to be a nightmare for us to face, but I think the simulated baseball fans are going to love to see him take on Tommy Wilcox, Dick Leudtke, Dick Lyons, and Max Wilder.

2B Cy Cox: Another homegrown player, Cy Cox was a 3rd Rounder back in 1923 who's show a lot of talent despite being riddled with injuries. In three seasons he's hitting .352/.399/.460 (126 OPS+), but in just under 600 plate appearances. That is more or less the equivalent of one full season. He does have some flaws, not the best defender and he doesn't have much speed or power. He hasn't swiped a base and has just 5 homers and 77 RBI's. Cox is an above average starter, but second base is a weak position in the majors.

3B Rabbit Forrest: A former Cougar! A former 7th Round Pick back in 1925, we sent Forrest and Johnny Douglas to the Keystones for Joe King and a 2nd Round Pick (that ended up being Roy Byrd). At the time, Forrest was a second basemen and stuck behind Bill Ashbaugh and even though neither King or Byrd ended up panning out, I don't think Forrest would have with us. The switch hitter has hit an exactly league average .314/.363/.405 in 2,207 plate appearances from 1930-1933. His defense has been strong, and he's hit a solid .330/.384/.407 (114 OPS+) with 6 steals and 43 RBI's. He has lost some time to Turkey Powell, but he's hitting just .282/.343/.357 (90 OPS+) with 2 homers and 33 RBI's in 286 plate appearances.

SS Cliff Herman: A classic leadoff hitter, the 31-year-old vet has been a reliable shortstop since debuting in 1925. The 2nd Overall pick of the 1920 draft, he hasn't quite lived up to the high expectations, but his .284/.333/.435 (99 OPS+) line is very respectable. He's hit just 27 homers, but stolen 84 bases and drove in 518 runs. He is a big triples hitter, with 119 in his career including a league best 29 in 1927.

LF Phil Sandman: Acquired right before the 1928 season from the Montreal Saints in a major deal. Montreal sent Sandman, Jimmy Endler, Erv Smith, and a 1st Round Pick for a 1st Round Pick and Walker Moore. Sandman was a consistent hitter in Montreal, but he hasn't quite been able to replicate that yet. This year wasn't too great, hitting a league average .299/.351/.390 with 3 homers, 7 steals, and 61 RBI's. It's not near his career line of .318/.375/.454 (123 OPS+), but only one of his six seasons in Philly has been better then his career average. The 34-year-old isn't much of a defender, but he does have some help in the outfield.

CF Grover Lee: Taken in the 2nd Round by the Keystones in the 1926 draft, Grover Lee has really broken out in year three. The 28-year-old is hitting an impressive .316/.394/.512 (144 OPS+) with 20 homers, 6 steals, and 63 RBI's with a decent +6.6 zone rating. This wasn't too far off from his rookie season, where he hit .296/.370/.516 (130 OPS+) with 13 homers and 48 RBI's. Quality centerfielders are hard to come by, and Lee is one of the few who can both hit and field. The only centerfielder in the league better then Lee is probably Dan Fowler, and we'll have to deal with him in Cleveland for years to come.

RF Bobby Barrell: It's bad enough they have someone as good as Kellogg, but they also have Georgia Jolter. The former 6th overall pick of 1928 that I could have had hit .366/.425/.527 (156 OPS+) with 11 homers, 14 steals, and 135 RBI's in a season worth almost 10 wins above replacement. He's a top notch defensive right fielder who hits a ton and could definitely handle center field as well. He reminds me a lot like Tom Taylor, but with less power and a better hit tool. It's going to be tough to keep him and Kellogg contained so expect one of the two to have an insane series.

SP Ed Baker: A 2nd Round selection in 1923, Ed Baker has been a pretty consistent southpaw. He's 62-46 with a 4.28 ERA (107 ERA+), 1.48 WHIP, and 383 strikeouts in 1000.1 big league innings. This year was on pace with that, going 19-5 with a 3.73 ERA (105 ERA+), 1.41 WHIP, 63 walks, and 87 strikeouts in 31 starts. He's a sinker baller who relies on double plays when runners get on. He doesn't have the best stuff, but he's a consistent arm that can give you a strong nine.

SP Al Robinson: The Keystones actually acquired Robinson from the independent league San Diego Conquistadores. A 9th Round Pick of the Saints in 1922, he never quite caught on and he toiled around in the lower levels. He finally debuted in 1930, and has now made 31 or more starts four season in a row. He's 61-44 with a 3.99 ERA (111 ERA+), 1.37 WHIP, 212 walks, and 317 strikeouts in 1,003 innings. This was his first down season, and Robinson was 11-12 with a 4.23 ERA (93 ERA+), 1.34 WHIP, 53 walks, and 63 strikeouts. He's much better then those numbers show, so I would not be surprised if he tosses a good game in the series.

SP Art Myers: Taken 11th Overall in 1925, the 27-year-old has finally gotten an extended chance. He made 22 starts and 10 relief appearances with a 3.86 ERA (102 ERA+), 1.44 WHIP, 58 walks, and 62 strikeouts in 184.1 innings pitched. He seems to be somewhat of a late bloomer, as my scout is a fan of him. He's a lefty who throws hard and won't give up many longballs. He's hittable now, but I would not be surprised if in a year or two he's a really strong starter.

SP Bill Ross: A former Cougar! Way back in 1926, we sent Ross to the Keystones for Dick Kadlec and Dave Lappin in a deal that didn't work too well for us. Ross led the Keystones to a pennant in 1927, and while he was really good for a four year period, the last two seasons have been a bit rough on him and he's seen a little time in the minors. In 26 starts and one relief appearance he was 14-9 with a 4.08 ERA (96 ERA+), 1.40 WHIP, 61 walks, and 75 strikeouts in 200.2 innings pitched. I'm not sure if he gets a start, but he's one of the options they have if they decide to use four starters.

SP Ray Rinehart: The other option is a guy I almost traded for in Ray Rinehart. Back before the 1930 season, I wanted to add a starter, but I feel like the Keystones wanted a bit more then I wanted to give up. We were coming off a season where we were really bad, so I didn't quite think we were ready to compete. Turns out, we were better then I thought and if we grabbed Rinehart, we may have made up the 4 game deficit. He was 18-10 with a 4.22 ERA (113 ERA+), 1.46 WHIP, 59 BB, and 78 strikeouts in 31 starts. That would have easily been our best starter as our pitching that year was really poor. Unfortunately for Rinehart, this year was tough for him. The 34-year-old was 12-8, but with a 4.81 ERA (82 ERA+), 1.57 WHIP, 78 walks, and just 27 strikeouts. He could be moved to the pen, but he made 29 starts for Philly this year.

RP Wilbur Dennis: An excellent stopper, he was 10-5 with 16 saves, 25 walks, 31 strikeouts, a 1.84 ERA (214 ERA+) and 1.20 WHIP in 83.1 innings pitched. A starter as recently as 1931, the former 7th Round pick has really adapted well to the late inning role. The 29-year-old is a hard thrower with two really good pitches and one that isn't quite good enough to work in a starting role. He can give them multiple innings and was really reliable this season. The rest of the pen isn't too strong, so Dennis will likely get most of the innings when the rotation can't continue.