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

tm1681 · 05-07-2023, 06:22 PM

BASEBALL ARRIVES IN THE GREAT WHITE NORTH!

Since the beginning of organized baseball in the spring of 1857, Canadian players, while not the dominant forces in the sport, could be found playing important roles for nearly every club in existence outside of the ones in the nearly All-American Southeastern & Atlantic League. In particular, the National Base Ball Organization and the American Professional Baseball League were home to the best Canadian players since the leagues were based nearest the country’s main population centers: Montreal and Toronto. Among the Canadian all-stars:

Bruce Fine (1864-81): 5x NBBO All-Star, 8x Team of the Year at C (4x NBBO, 4x APBL) for Boston & Manhattan
Douglas Marion (1863-77): 3x NBBO All-Star, 1x Batsman of the Year, and 3x Team of the Year at OF for Shamrock/Boston
Guy LeBreton (1878-); 8x NBBO All-Star, 2x Hurler of the Year, 282 wins, 154.8 WAR for the Fall River Marksmen (NBBO/NEBA)
Jack Meldrum (1881-): 4x NBBO All-Star, 5x Golden Glove at C, 4x Team of the Year (various semi-pro clubs)
Remy Voltaire (1861-72): 3x NBBO All-Star at 1B for Quinnipiac B.C.
Robert Carr (1862-77): 4x All-Star and 2x Team of the Year at 3B for various clubs in the NBBO
Albert McFadden (1857-70): 2x NBBO All-Star for Excelsior B.B.C., 203 career wins

Not surprisingly, it didn’t take long after the foundation of the NBBO in 1857 for some of the original Canadians playing in New York and the Northeast to bring the game home. The first formal Canadian club – Riverside B.B.C. – was founded in Toronto in 1859, and the second – Hamilton B.B.C. – started up the next year.

It took a while for the sport to spread outside of the Toronto area, but eventually there would be clubs in Montreal (Ville Ray CdB in 1873), London (Royal B.B.C. in 1877), Ottawa (National B.B.C. in 1878), and Quebec City (Voyageur CdB in 1890). These clubs, along with others that sprang up in Toronto and Montreal, meant that by the last decade of the 1800s Canada had enough serious baseball clubs to create an organized, professional competition. In 1892, The Professional Baseball League of Canada (CBL) was formed, with the league’s first season starting in April of the next year. This also marked the formal expansion of the sport of baseball outside of the United States.

The teams:

Unsurprisingly, the new league was entirely based in Ontario and Quebec as train travel to clubs in provinces further to the west or east would have been prohibitively expensive and time-consuming.

The league was set up to be fully professional. That said, it was not to be confused with either of its major American counterparts: the APBL and the MWBA. The pay packets given to those playing for clubs in the CBL were about half the value of those for players in the APBL. Furthermore, since the quality of baseball to the north of the United States wasn’t quite as good there were limits on the number of foreign players clubs could employ in order to keep them from stockpiling Americans on their rosters. Each club could have up to five foreign players on its senior roster: 1-2 pitchers and 1-4 position players. Other than that, roster rules were almost identical to those in the other non-ABA professional outfit, the Southeastern & Atlantic League.

The inaugural season of Canada’s first baseball league ended up with the clubs finishing in two groups, with four – Danforth, Riverside, Ville Marie, Quebec City – clearly in the front and four – Ville Ray, Hamilton, Ottawa, Hamilton – in the rear. That said, the spread of the eight was fairly tight, with last place London 20 games out of first while nobody won or lost more than 60% of their contests over the 126-game season.

The final standings looked like this:

Danforth Minotaurs: 72-54
Riverside Huskies: 72-54
Ville Marie Guardians: 68-58 (4 GB)
Quebec City Yoyageurs: 68-58
Ville Ray Saints: 60-66 (12 GB)
Hamilton Chargers: 58-68 (14 GB)
Ottawa Federals: 54-72 (18 GB)
London Monarchs: 52-74 (20 GB)

Danforth and Riverside ending up even at 72-54 meant that an all-Toronto one-game playoff would decide the first CBL championship, and on September 1st the game took place at Sunlight Park on the Don River. Thanks to a three-run rally in the top of the 8th and a stellar performance by ace Thomas Withers, Danforth won 4-1 and were crowned as the first Canadian champions.

As far as the individual talent in the CBL, at the top the league’s stars were very level in terms of performance. This meant that there were no clear-cut favorites for the inaugural awards, and in the end champions Danforth swept the three individual awards as they had the league leaders in batting average, wins, and WPA.

INAUGURAL CBL AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR
Keith Picard (2B, Danforth) – 122 G, .317/.376/.445, .821 OPS (144 OPS+), 61 R, 33 2B, 5 HR, 84 RBI, 202 TB, 45 BB, 16 K, 4.0 WAR (5.2/162)

HURLER OF THE YEAR
Thomas Withers (Danforth) – 371 IP, 25-13, 2.84 ERA, 129 BB, 121 K, 1.30 WHIP, 5.2 WAR (3.2/225 IP)

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Patrick Henry (SS, Danforth) – 125 G, .318/.388/.429, .817 OPS (143 OPS+), 33 2B, 10 3B, 76 RBI, 23 SB, 5.65 WPA (7.32/162), 4.9 WAR (6.4/162)

TEAM OF THE YEAR
P: Cherif Monnier (Riverside) – 370 IP, 20-16, 2.57 ERA, 148 K, 1.11 WHIP, 2.7 K/BB, 12.1 WAR
C: Richard Heath (Ville Ray) – 116 G, .302/.363/.401, 30 2B, 7 3B, 53 RBI, 112 OPS+, 4.2 WAR, Golden Glove
1B: Bartholomew Potter (Riverside) – 127 G, .307/.358/.397, 155 H, 43 2B, 92 RBI, 109 OPS+, 4.48 WPA
2B: Keith Picard (Danforth) - 122 G, .317/.376/.445, 33 2B, 5 HR, 84 RBI, 45 BB, 16 K, 129 OPS+, 4.0 WAR, BotY
3B: Bernard Woodford (Hamilton) – 124 G, .289/.359/.402, 34 2B, 6 3B, 68 RBI, 114 OPS+, 3.5 WAR
SS: Patrick Henry (Danforth) – 125 G, .318/.388/.429, 33 2B, 10 3B, 76 RBI, 23 SB, 128 OPS+, 5.65 WPA, 4.9 WAR, MVP
OF: William Mutton (Ottawa) – 124 G, .309/.377/.455, 41 2B, 12 3B, 81 RBI, 27 SB, 134 OPS+, 3.5 WAR
OF: Vance Harris (Danforth) – 123 G, .287/.362/.421, 27 2B, 13 3B, 62 RBI, 23 SB, 118 OPS+, 4.0 WAR
OF: Davide Perrin (Ottawa) – 125 G, .303/.372/.440, 106 R, 34 2B, 10 3B, 5 HR, 69 RBI, 44 SB, 128 OPS+, 5.7 WAR

The first season of competitive baseball in Canada was a success, and all hoped it would be the first of many more.

05-07-2023, 06:22 PM	#29
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,085	BASEBALL ARRIVES IN THE GREAT WHITE NORTH! Since the beginning of organized baseball in the spring of 1857, Canadian players, while not the dominant forces in the sport, could be found playing important roles for nearly every club in existence outside of the ones in the nearly All-American Southeastern & Atlantic League. In particular, the National Base Ball Organization and the American Professional Baseball League were home to the best Canadian players since the leagues were based nearest the country’s main population centers: Montreal and Toronto. Among the Canadian all-stars: Bruce Fine (1864-81): 5x NBBO All-Star, 8x Team of the Year at C (4x NBBO, 4x APBL) for Boston & Manhattan Douglas Marion (1863-77): 3x NBBO All-Star, 1x Batsman of the Year, and 3x Team of the Year at OF for Shamrock/Boston Guy LeBreton (1878-); 8x NBBO All-Star, 2x Hurler of the Year, 282 wins, 154.8 WAR for the Fall River Marksmen (NBBO/NEBA) Jack Meldrum (1881-): 4x NBBO All-Star, 5x Golden Glove at C, 4x Team of the Year (various semi-pro clubs) Remy Voltaire (1861-72): 3x NBBO All-Star at 1B for Quinnipiac B.C. Robert Carr (1862-77): 4x All-Star and 2x Team of the Year at 3B for various clubs in the NBBO Albert McFadden (1857-70): 2x NBBO All-Star for Excelsior B.B.C., 203 career wins Not surprisingly, it didn’t take long after the foundation of the NBBO in 1857 for some of the original Canadians playing in New York and the Northeast to bring the game home. The first formal Canadian club – Riverside B.B.C. – was founded in Toronto in 1859, and the second – Hamilton B.B.C. – started up the next year. It took a while for the sport to spread outside of the Toronto area, but eventually there would be clubs in Montreal (Ville Ray CdB in 1873), London (Royal B.B.C. in 1877), Ottawa (National B.B.C. in 1878), and Quebec City (Voyageur CdB in 1890). These clubs, along with others that sprang up in Toronto and Montreal, meant that by the last decade of the 1800s Canada had enough serious baseball clubs to create an organized, professional competition. In 1892, The Professional Baseball League of Canada (CBL) was formed, with the league’s first season starting in April of the next year. This also marked the formal expansion of the sport of baseball outside of the United States. The teams: Unsurprisingly, the new league was entirely based in Ontario and Quebec as train travel to clubs in provinces further to the west or east would have been prohibitively expensive and time-consuming. The league was set up to be fully professional. That said, it was not to be confused with either of its major American counterparts: the APBL and the MWBA. The pay packets given to those playing for clubs in the CBL were about half the value of those for players in the APBL. Furthermore, since the quality of baseball to the north of the United States wasn’t quite as good there were limits on the number of foreign players clubs could employ in order to keep them from stockpiling Americans on their rosters. Each club could have up to five foreign players on its senior roster: 1-2 pitchers and 1-4 position players. Other than that, roster rules were almost identical to those in the other non-ABA professional outfit, the Southeastern & Atlantic League. The inaugural season of Canada’s first baseball league ended up with the clubs finishing in two groups, with four – Danforth, Riverside, Ville Marie, Quebec City – clearly in the front and four – Ville Ray, Hamilton, Ottawa, Hamilton – in the rear. That said, the spread of the eight was fairly tight, with last place London 20 games out of first while nobody won or lost more than 60% of their contests over the 126-game season. The final standings looked like this: Danforth Minotaurs: 72-54 Riverside Huskies: 72-54 Ville Marie Guardians: 68-58 (4 GB) Quebec City Yoyageurs: 68-58 Ville Ray Saints: 60-66 (12 GB) Hamilton Chargers: 58-68 (14 GB) Ottawa Federals: 54-72 (18 GB) London Monarchs: 52-74 (20 GB) Danforth and Riverside ending up even at 72-54 meant that an all-Toronto one-game playoff would decide the first CBL championship, and on September 1st the game took place at Sunlight Park on the Don River. Thanks to a three-run rally in the top of the 8th and a stellar performance by ace Thomas Withers, Danforth won 4-1 and were crowned as the first Canadian champions. As far as the individual talent in the CBL, at the top the league’s stars were very level in terms of performance. This meant that there were no clear-cut favorites for the inaugural awards, and in the end champions Danforth swept the three individual awards as they had the league leaders in batting average, wins, and WPA. INAUGURAL CBL AWARD WINNERS BATSMAN OF THE YEAR Keith Picard (2B, Danforth) – 122 G, .317/.376/.445, .821 OPS (144 OPS+), 61 R, 33 2B, 5 HR, 84 RBI, 202 TB, 45 BB, 16 K, 4.0 WAR (5.2/162) HURLER OF THE YEAR Thomas Withers (Danforth) – 371 IP, 25-13, 2.84 ERA, 129 BB, 121 K, 1.30 WHIP, 5.2 WAR (3.2/225 IP) MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Patrick Henry (SS, Danforth) – 125 G, .318/.388/.429, .817 OPS (143 OPS+), 33 2B, 10 3B, 76 RBI, 23 SB, 5.65 WPA (7.32/162), 4.9 WAR (6.4/162) TEAM OF THE YEAR P: Cherif Monnier (Riverside) – 370 IP, 20-16, 2.57 ERA, 148 K, 1.11 WHIP, 2.7 K/BB, 12.1 WAR C: Richard Heath (Ville Ray) – 116 G, .302/.363/.401, 30 2B, 7 3B, 53 RBI, 112 OPS+, 4.2 WAR, Golden Glove 1B: Bartholomew Potter (Riverside) – 127 G, .307/.358/.397, 155 H, 43 2B, 92 RBI, 109 OPS+, 4.48 WPA 2B: Keith Picard (Danforth) - 122 G, .317/.376/.445, 33 2B, 5 HR, 84 RBI, 45 BB, 16 K, 129 OPS+, 4.0 WAR, BotY 3B: Bernard Woodford (Hamilton) – 124 G, .289/.359/.402, 34 2B, 6 3B, 68 RBI, 114 OPS+, 3.5 WAR SS: Patrick Henry (Danforth) – 125 G, .318/.388/.429, 33 2B, 10 3B, 76 RBI, 23 SB, 128 OPS+, 5.65 WPA, 4.9 WAR, MVP OF: William Mutton (Ottawa) – 124 G, .309/.377/.455, 41 2B, 12 3B, 81 RBI, 27 SB, 134 OPS+, 3.5 WAR OF: Vance Harris (Danforth) – 123 G, .287/.362/.421, 27 2B, 13 3B, 62 RBI, 23 SB, 118 OPS+, 4.0 WAR OF: Davide Perrin (Ottawa) – 125 G, .303/.372/.440, 106 R, 34 2B, 10 3B, 5 HR, 69 RBI, 44 SB, 128 OPS+, 5.7 WAR The first season of competitive baseball in Canada was a success, and all hoped it would be the first of many more. Last edited by tm1681; 06-07-2023 at 01:12 AM.