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tm1681 · 11-17-2023, 08:45 PM

LA HABANA’s BETS ON FOREIGN TALENT PAY OFF W/ CUBAN TITLE
ABA REGULARS MORROW & SCHULER ANCHORED CHAMPIONSHIP LINEUP

Havana, Cuba (3/7/2014) – The La Habana Lions of the Cuban National Series beat Santa Clara 6-2 yesterday, and in doing so clinched their first CNS title. The title marks the end of a steady rise for the Lions team, which finished last (8th) in the 00/01 season and since then improved to 7th in 01/02, 2nd in 02/03, and now 1st place in 03/04.

La Habana finished one game back of Pinar del Rio last season, so what pushed them over the top in this one? They already had the league’s most talented player in center fielder Tony Vasquez (03/04 CNS MVP) and its most accurate pitcher in Mario Trejo (22 BB/129 K in 255 IP). The Cuban league allows for teams to have three foreigners - two batters and one pitcher - and the LH front office decided to make the best possible use of those two foreign batter spots. La Habana, which had a total player payroll that amounted to just under $10,000 for the 02/03 season, spent four thousand dollars to bring in a pair of outfield regulars from ABA leagues: LF George Morrow from the Kansas City Bulls and RF Oliver Schuler from the Toledo Mud Hens.

Morrow played well with KC in 1903 – a .310 average with 5 homers, 87 RBI, and 32 steals. Schuler was okay in Toledo - .263/3 HR/45 RBI. With the Cuban season starting in the first week of November, both players jumped at the chance to make more money playing baseball during the winter – Morrow made $2,500 and Schuler $1,500. The two men repaid La Habana’s front office by finishing #3-4 in WAR and giving the Lions three outfielders, when including Tony Vasquez, who finished in the top five in Wins Above Replacement. They easily had the CNS’ best outfield, and that put them over the hump as they were able to beat inter-city rivals the Havana Sugar Kings by one game for the Cuban title.

None of the superstar outfielders won the Cuban ward for best batsman. That went to PdR’s .380 hitter Jorge Garza for the second year in a row. However, their Cuban center fielder Tony Vasquez was named the league’s Most Valuable Player. He finished with a .333 AVG/6 HR/51 RBI, and on top of that he led the league in runs (90), steals (73) and WAR (5.5). George Morrow was 2nd in the Batsman of the Year vote, finishing with a .310 average, 7 homers, and a league-leading 87 RBI while his 5.0 WAR was tied with teammate Schuler for 3rd. He also won the Golden Glove at LF. Oliver Schuler wasn’t a finalist for any of the individual awards, but he finished with a basic line of .321/6 HR/64 RBI while leading the league in walks (75) and on-base (.424).

After the parade through the north and east of Havana, the Lions front office thanked Morrow & Schuler for their services and saw them off to a boat back to American soil, where they’ll no doubt be employed by ABA teams for the 1904 season.

11-17-2023, 08:45 PM	#132
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,081	LA HABANA’s BETS ON FOREIGN TALENT PAY OFF W/ CUBAN TITLE ABA REGULARS MORROW & SCHULER ANCHORED CHAMPIONSHIP LINEUP Havana, Cuba (3/7/2014) – The La Habana Lions of the Cuban National Series beat Santa Clara 6-2 yesterday, and in doing so clinched their first CNS title. The title marks the end of a steady rise for the Lions team, which finished last (8th) in the 00/01 season and since then improved to 7th in 01/02, 2nd in 02/03, and now 1st place in 03/04. La Habana finished one game back of Pinar del Rio last season, so what pushed them over the top in this one? They already had the league’s most talented player in center fielder Tony Vasquez (03/04 CNS MVP) and its most accurate pitcher in Mario Trejo (22 BB/129 K in 255 IP). The Cuban league allows for teams to have three foreigners - two batters and one pitcher - and the LH front office decided to make the best possible use of those two foreign batter spots. La Habana, which had a total player payroll that amounted to just under $10,000 for the 02/03 season, spent four thousand dollars to bring in a pair of outfield regulars from ABA leagues: LF George Morrow from the Kansas City Bulls and RF Oliver Schuler from the Toledo Mud Hens. Morrow played well with KC in 1903 – a .310 average with 5 homers, 87 RBI, and 32 steals. Schuler was okay in Toledo - .263/3 HR/45 RBI. With the Cuban season starting in the first week of November, both players jumped at the chance to make more money playing baseball during the winter – Morrow made $2,500 and Schuler $1,500. The two men repaid La Habana’s front office by finishing #3-4 in WAR and giving the Lions three outfielders, when including Tony Vasquez, who finished in the top five in Wins Above Replacement. They easily had the CNS’ best outfield, and that put them over the hump as they were able to beat inter-city rivals the Havana Sugar Kings by one game for the Cuban title. None of the superstar outfielders won the Cuban ward for best batsman. That went to PdR’s .380 hitter Jorge Garza for the second year in a row. However, their Cuban center fielder Tony Vasquez was named the league’s Most Valuable Player. He finished with a .333 AVG/6 HR/51 RBI, and on top of that he led the league in runs (90), steals (73) and WAR (5.5). George Morrow was 2nd in the Batsman of the Year vote, finishing with a .310 average, 7 homers, and a league-leading 87 RBI while his 5.0 WAR was tied with teammate Schuler for 3rd. He also won the Golden Glove at LF. Oliver Schuler wasn’t a finalist for any of the individual awards, but he finished with a basic line of .321/6 HR/64 RBI while leading the league in walks (75) and on-base (.424). After the parade through the north and east of Havana, the Lions front office thanked Morrow & Schuler for their services and saw them off to a boat back to American soil, where they’ll no doubt be employed by ABA teams for the 1904 season. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-17-2023 at 11:21 PM.