OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - The Simplest Beginnings: From Amateurism in 1857, to Pro Ball (1870), Int'l Ball, & More

tm1681 · 04-29-2023, 06:56 PM

The second league to set up shop was the Great Lakes Baseball Conference (GLBC):

The GLBC didn't cast as wide of a geographical net as the MWBA at the start, limiting itself to Midwestern states that bordered the Great Lakes and cities within those states that were as close as possible to the lakes themselves. The league was nowhere near ambitious as the long-established NBBO, having just 10 teams compared to their 48.

In the GLBC's inaugural season, Saginaw was the clear #1 as they had the league title wrapped up with a week to spare. From there they coasted to a 58-32 record and held the top spot by three games over Toledo. At the other end of the spectrum, the Wolves of Grand Rapids had a very regrettable pro debut, finishing in last place by ten full games at 28-62.

Thomas Mack of Toledo (.365 AVG, .902 OPS, 79 RBI, 199 TB in 90 games) was the league’s first Batsman of the Year, while Robert Beeson (27-15, 24 CG, 24 BB, 55 K, 9.0 WAR), also of Toledo, was the GLBC’s inaugural Pitcher of the Year. Duluth RF George Wise (6.37 WPA in 88 games) was the competition’s first MVP.

04-29-2023, 06:56 PM	#17
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,093	The second league to set up shop was the Great Lakes Baseball Conference (GLBC): The GLBC didn't cast as wide of a geographical net as the MWBA at the start, limiting itself to Midwestern states that bordered the Great Lakes and cities within those states that were as close as possible to the lakes themselves. The league was nowhere near ambitious as the long-established NBBO, having just 10 teams compared to their 48. In the GLBC's inaugural season, Saginaw was the clear #1 as they had the league title wrapped up with a week to spare. From there they coasted to a 58-32 record and held the top spot by three games over Toledo. At the other end of the spectrum, the Wolves of Grand Rapids had a very regrettable pro debut, finishing in last place by ten full games at 28-62. Thomas Mack of Toledo (.365 AVG, .902 OPS, 79 RBI, 199 TB in 90 games) was the league’s first Batsman of the Year, while Robert Beeson (27-15, 24 CG, 24 BB, 55 K, 9.0 WAR), also of Toledo, was the GLBC’s inaugural Pitcher of the Year. Duluth RF George Wise (6.37 WPA in 88 games) was the competition’s first MVP.