Quote:
Originally Posted by cinemaodyssey
Another obscure player upgrade, Weiss got into 29 games for the Federal League's Chicago Whales in 1915.
|
This is a really nice photo!
Weiss's entrance into the major leagues is pretty fascinating. In 1915 and 1916, the Chicago Tribune held a contest in which local amateurs were put through a series of tryouts with the eventual winners being given a roster spot on the city's three major league teams, the Cubs, White Sox, and Whales.
The 1915 winners were Heinie Rasmussen (Whales), Charlie Pechous (Cubs), Johnny McKittrick (White Sox). Rasmussen made a couple pitching appearances for the Whales, Pechous played for the Cubs in 1916-1917, while McKittrick had a brief minor league career.
Joe Weiss was one of the 1915 entrants, but ended up being disqualified because he had played minor league baseball in 1914. He joined the Whales in September 1915, no doubt having been scouted through the contest.
The best player to have entered the contest was actually future NL MVP Bob O'Farrell, who showed such promise during the tryouts that he was signed by Cubs' manager Roger Bresnahan before the conclusion of the contest.
The contest was held again in 1916, though none of the five contest winners appeared in the majors. Two future MLB stars did enter the contest, Johnny Mostil and Marty McManus.
The contest was cancelled in 1917 when the US joined WWI and was never resumed.
If anyone is interested in learning more, I wrote a SABR Journal article about it a couple years ago:
https://sabr.org/journal/article/jus...ntest-of-1915/