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THE 1880s IN REVIEW

THE CHAMPIONS

AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE

1880: Brooklyn Kings (52-38, President’s Cup 4-2 over Boston)
1881: Boston Shamrocks (58-32, PC 4-2 over Brooklyn)
1882: Boston Shamrocks (53-37, PC 4-2 over NY Athletics)
1883: Brooklyn Kings (59-31, PC 4-0 over Massachusetts Bay)
1884: Boston Shamrocks (73-39, PC 4-2 over Brooklyn)
1885: Brooklyn Kings (79-33, PC 4-1 over Boston)
1886: Manhattan Knickerbockers (76-36, PC 4-1 over Boston)
1887: Boston Shamrocks (92-20, PC 4-1 over New Jersey)
1888: Manhattan Knickerbockers (75-37, PC 4-1 over Boston)
1889: Manhattan Knickerbockers (74-38, PC 4-2 over Rochester)

Three teams dominated the APBL in the 80s: Boston, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. The Knickerbockers took a back seat after winning the last two non-playoff titles (1877, 78), but by the end of the decade they were firmly back on top as Boston was faltering and Brooklyn wasn’t quite great enough.

MIDWESTERN BASEBALL ASSOCIATION

1882: St. Louis Saints (55-35, no playoffs)
1883: Louisville Sluggers (64-26)
1884: St. Louis Saints (59-31)
1885: St. Louis Saints (65-43)
1886: Cincinnati Royals (70-38)
1887: Detroit Robins (66-42)
1888: Detroit Robins (75-33)
1889: Detroit Robins (80-28)

Early on, it was looking like the inaugural decade of the MWBA would belong to St. Louis as they finished 1st, 1st, 2nd (62-28), and 1st over the league’s first four seasons thanks to the unstoppable Jacob Milburn. However, they fell to third (57-51) in 1886 and once Detroit signed Alva Burgess there was no looking back.

SOUTHEASTERN & ATLANTIC LEAGUE

1885: Richmond Rollers (54-46, no playoffs)
1886: Richmond Rollers (64-36)
1887: Richmond Rollers (60-40)
1888: Atlanta Flames (60-40)
1889: Atlanta Flames (65-35)

In the first three seasons of the SEAL, it was all Richmond as their outstanding pitching trumped the rest of the league. However, by the end of the decade Atlanta, through the signing of outstanding young talent, had caught and passed their northern foes to become the league’s dominant side.

NON-PROFESSIONAL CHAMPIONS

1880: NYAC (NBBO)
1881: Manhattan (NBBO)
1882: Empire (NBBO), Saginaw (GLBC), St. Paul (PL)
1883: Eckford (NBBO), Toledo (GLBC), St. Paul (PL)
1884: Fall River (NBBO), Toledo (GLBC), Kansas City (PL)
1885: Eckford (NBBO), Toledo (GLBC), Dubuque (PL)
1886: Sons of the Ocean (NBBO), Toledo (GLBC), Omaha (PL)
1887: Olympic (NBBO), Toledo (GLBC), Kansas City (PL)
1888: Lancaster (NBBO), Duluth (GLBC), Kansas City (PL)
1889: Sons of the Ocean (NBBO), Peoria (GLBC), St. Paul (PL)

Sons of the Ocean ended the NBBO the same way they started it: by winning the Tucker-Wheaton Cup. Meanwhile, Toledo’s iron grip on the GLBC was finally broken by the end of the decade and clubs in the emerging markets of Kansas City and St. Paul dominated the Prairie League.

TEAM OF THE DECADE

The Boston Shamrocks (American Professional Baseball League)



1880: 59-31, Lost President’s Cup 4-2 vs Brooklyn
1881: 58-32, Won President’s Cup 4-2 over Brooklyn
1882: 53-37, Won President’s Cup 4-2 over NY Athletics
1883: 50-40, 2nd place in APBL Metropolitan Conference
1884: 73-39, Won President’s Cup 4-2 over Brooklyn
1885: 80-32, Lost President’s Cup 4-1 vs Brooklyn
1886: 88-24, Lost President’s Cup 4-1 vs Manhattan
1887: 92-20, Won President’s Cup 4-1 over New Jersey
1888: 82-30, Lost President’s Cup 4-1 vs Manhattan
1889: 70-42, 2nd place in APBL Metropolitan Conference

1880s: 705-327 record (.683 WIN%), 8 President’s Cup appearances, 4 APBL Championships

The 1880s was Boston’s decade. Even though none went to seven games, they had some epic confrontations with Brooklyn in the President’s Cup and in the end their record and title haul was simply superior to that of any other pro team. At the height of their powers, Boston not only had pro baseball’s best starting rotation, but they also had baseball’s most feared position player trio in the outfield “Hydra” of Anderson “The Wild Horse” Belknap, Alva “The Cheetah” Burgess, and Isaiah “The Locomotive” Duffy, all of whom would have an 80/80 on range at their positions had such scouting grades existed back then. Boston had the best winning percentage (.683), the most titles (4), and easily most President’s Cup appearances (8) of any APBL team.

The Brooklyn Kings were outstanding for most of the decade, making the PC five times and winning it three. However, by the end of the ‘80s they’d fallen behind the Knickerbockers and in 1888 they slipped as far down as sixth place (49-63) in the Metropolitan Conference.

In the early days of the MWBA it looked like St. Louis would put up a record that could match Boston’s, winning three of the first four titles and finishing second in the other season even though they went 62-28. However, once Detroit signed Alva Burgess the balance of power in the league immediately shifted and the Saints fell off quickly.

BATSMAN OF THE DECADE

Jacob Milburn – LF, St. Louis Saints (1882-89)



808 G, 1,421 H, .413 AVG, 1.041 OPS, 194 OPS+, 221 2B, 141 3B, 1,964 TB, 45.93 WPA (9.21/162 G), 37.8 WAR (7.7/162 G)

8x MWBA Team of the Year at OF (1882-89)
7x MWBA Batsman of the Year (1882-88)
3x MWBA Most Valuable Player (1882, 84, 86)
3x MWBA Champion (1882, 84, 85)
7x MWBA Batting Champion (1882-88)
7x MWBA Leader in hits, OBP, SLG, & OPS (1882-88)
7x MWBA Leader in total bases (1882-88)
3x MWBA Leader in runs, doubles, & triples
1x MWBA Leader in RBI (1882)

1886: 106 starts, .432 AVG, .505 OBP, 1.059 OPS (213 OPS+), 111 R, 187 H, 240 TB, 69 RBI, 41 SB, 6.67 WPA (10.19/162), 6.5 WAR (10.0/162), BotY, MVP

No debate. None. As dominant as Konrad Jensen was in the late 1860s and throughout the ‘70s, Jacob Milburn was arguably even more dominant over the first eight seasons of the MWBA. He hit more than .400 seven times. He led the league in AVG, OBP, and OPS seven times. He led the league in hits and total bases seven times. His OPS was over 1.000 six times, and his OPS+ was over 200 five times.

Milburn came into professional baseball at the age of 22 hitting like Jensen did when he hit his final stage of development as a 27-year-old for Excelsior, and Milburn was doing it at a higher level of play.

HURLER OF THE DECADE

Henry Polley – Boston Shamrocks (1881-89)



209-96 record, 2.59 ERA, 151 ERA+, 2,801.2 IP, 243 CG, 14 SHO, 475 BB, 1,226 K, 75.5 WAR (6.1/225 IP)

4x APBL Champion (1881, 82, 84, 87)
1x APBL Hurler of the Year (1888)
2x APBL Leader in wins (1886, 88)
2x APBL Leader in ERA (1882, 88)
2x APBL Leader in pitcher WAR (1888, 89)
8x 20-game winner (1881-82, 84-89)

1888: 333.1 IP, 28-11, 2.32 ERA (166 ERA+), 30 CG, 3 SHO, 49 BB, 185 K, 3.8 K/BB, 1.14 WHIP, 9.9 WAR (6.7/225 IP), HotY

Polley entered pro baseball as a 25-year-old rookie for Boston in 1881 and proceeded to go 26-14 with a 2.77 ERA. He was almost uniformly excellent over the rest of the decade, even if that only earned him one Hurler of the Year award. Teammate Martin Nielson won the award three times, but he was more inconsistent with a slightly worse record and notably lower WAR even though the two had similar statistics. Polley was Boston’s ace the entire time, making his 209-96 record that much more impressive since he was always up against the opposition's #1 pitcher.

Arthur Meyer had a playing record that came close, but he didn’t really get going until joining Brooklyn in 1885 after four okay years with Massachusetts Bay. He actually won more games than Polley, but a couple of seasons with sub-500 records and ERAs over 4.00 with the other Boston team really hurt his resumé.

On talent and recent record alone, Hans Ehle is the winner. He topped every other pro pitcher of the decade in Hurler of the Year awards (4), ERA (1.74), ERA+ (213), strikeouts (1,650), and WAR (81.0), but he did that playing just five seasons of pro baseball after spending 1882-84 as a semi-pro with Columbus. That’s remarkable, but it also meant he wasn’t the Pitcher of the (entire) Decade. Given the way things are going he’s almost certain to be the #1 pitcher of the 1890s.

PLAYER OF THE DECADE

Alva Burgess – Boston Shamrocks (APBL – 1880-86) & Detroit Robins (MWBA – 1887-89)



1,000 G, 1,638 H, 1,114 R, .369 AVG, .888 OPS, 149 OPS+, 682 RBI, 842 SB, 50.96 WPA (8.25/162 G), 50.0 WAR (8.1/162 G), BotY, MVP

6x Champion (3x APBL, 3x MWBA)
4x Most Valuable Player (3x APBL, 1x MWBA)
2x APBL Batsman of the Year (1880, 86)
1x APBL Batting Champion (1886 – also led in SLG & OPS)
7x Team of the Year at OF (5x APBL, 2x MWBA)
2x Golden Glove at OF (1x APBL, 1x MWBA)
10x League stolen base leader (7x APBL, 3x MWBA)
5x League leader in runs (3x APBL, 2x MWBA)
4x APBL leader in total bases (1880, 82, 85, 86)
4x League leader in position player WAR (2x APBL, 2x MWBA)
4x APBL leader in hits (1880, 82, 84, 86)

1886 (Boston): 106 games, .382 AVG, .890 OPS (168 OPS+), 108 R, 171 H, 84 RBI, 215 TB, 102 SB, 6.70 WPA (10.23/162), 8.2 WAR (12.5/162), GG

Alva Burgess was baseball’s biggest winner in the 1880s with six titles, and thus its brightest star. His combination of batting, speed, and range in center field made him the scariest player in the APBL for Boston, and that carried over when he joined Detroit after arguably the best season by a position player in APBL history in 1886. He led his league in stolen bases every season of the decade, averaging 84 per year. He was a player who could hit for average, find the gap, steal at will, cover massive amounts of ground in center field, and do every little thing possible to move his team closer to a win. Boston fell off their first-place perch just a couple of years after he left, and it’s also no coincidence that Detroit immediately moved up from a mediocre team typically in the middle of the MWBA pack to instant title-winners after he shocked the APBL by signing for the Robins in October of ‘86.

There could be an argument for shortstop Edward Fitzsimmons, who won four APBL titles, eight Golden Gloves, seven Team of the Year nods, and an MVP while finishing higher on WAR than Burgess (51.1, 8.3/162), but Burgess’ extra titles and the massive impact his crossing over into the MWBA had were too much.

NON-PROFESSIONAL PLAYER OF THE DECADE

Earl Clements – Toledo Mud Hens (GLBC – 1882-89)



705 G, 1,058 hits, .353 AVG, .880 OPS, 159 OPS+, 267 XBH, 478 RBI, +268.4 ZR at SS (+61.7/162 G), 1.235 D-EFF at SS, 25.25 WPA (5.80/162 G), 47.0 WAR (10.8/162 G)

5x GLBC Champion (1883-87)
2x GLBC Batsman of the Year (1885, 89)
2x GLBC MVP (1886, 89)
8x GLBC Team of the Year at SS (1882-89)
7x GLBC Golden Glove at SS (1882-88)
6x GLBC leader in position player WAR (1882, 1884-87, 89)
2x GLBC leader in hits (1885, 89)
2x GLBC leader in total bases (1885, 89)
1x GLBC Batting Champion (1889 – also led in OBP & SLG)

1887: 90 games, .380 AVG, .937 OPS (178 OPS+), 93 R, 148 H, 26 2B, 61 RBI, +31.2 ZR at SS, 3.09 WPA (5.5/162), 7.0 WAR (12.6/162), BotY, TotY, GG

Clements is someone who probably would have been a four-star player in the APBL or MWBA. However, the Wisconsin native loved Toledo and Toledo loved him back – he didn’t seem to care that he only made about half of what players with similar talent did in the three pro leagues. He led a dynasty in Toledo via impeccable defense and batting that was easily the best at his position in the Great Lakes Baseball Conference. Not a single player in the NBBO or Prairie League came remotely close to Clements in terms of titles won, accomplishments, or simple WAR. He was easily the best semi-pro baseball player in the United States over the timeframe.

His 1889 season (.408 AVG, 1.010 OPS, 190 OPS+) was even better than 1887 season from the batter’s box, but he was so great on defense in ’87 that the latter season comes out on top by almost a full point of WAR.

ALL-DECADE TEAM

C: Frederick Kearney – 1882-89 w/Lake Michigan (MWBA), Rochester (APBL) – 6x Team of the Year, 28.3 WAR (6.0/162)
1B: Lee Douglass – 1882-89 w/ New Jersey & Brooklyn (APBL), Cleveland (MWBA) – 6x Golden Glove, 1x Batsman of the Year & MVP, 22.9 WAR (4.5/162G)
2B: Joseph Welling – 1880-89 w/Orangemen, Brooklyn & Washington (APBL) – 2x champ, 4x Team of the Year, 28.0 WAR (4.5/162G)
3B: Franklin Rader – 1882-89 w/ Missouri (MWBA) – 5x Team of the Year, 1x Golden Glove, 25.7 WAR (5.2/162)
SS: Edward Fitzsimmons – 1880-89 w/ Brooklyn & Boston (MWBA) – 4x champ, 8x Golden Glove, 7x Team of the Year, 1x MVP, 51.1 WAR (8.3/162)
LF: Jacob Milburn – 1882-89 w/ St. Louis (MWBA) – 3x champ, 7x Batsman of the Year, 3x MVP, 8x Team of the Year, 37.8 WAR (7.7/162)
CF: Alva Burgess – 1880-89 w/ Boston (APBL), Detroit (MWBA) – 6x champ, 4x MVP, 2x Batsman of the Year, 7x Team of the Year, 50.0 WAR (8.1/162)
RF: Isaiah Duffy – 1880-89 w/ Boston (APBL) – 3x champ, 3x Batsman of the Year, 10x Golden Glove, 4x Team of the Year, 42.0 WAR (6.9/162)
SP: Henry Polley – 1881-89 w/Boston (APBL) – 209-96, 4x champ, 8x 20-game winner, 1x Hurler of the Year, 75.5 WAR (6.1/225 IP)
SP: Arthur Meyer – 1880-89 w/ Mass. Bay & Brooklyn (APBL) – 215-133, 1x champ, 8x 20-game winner, 1x Hurler of the Year, 71.5 WAR (5.1/225 IP)
SP: Hans Ehle – 1885-89 w/Milwaukee (MWBA) – 124-58, 4x Hurler of the Year, 5x 20-game winner, 81.0 WAR (11.2/225 IP)