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PLAY BALL! IT’S OPENING DAY!

NORTHEASTERN U.S.A., May 5 (1858) – Season number two of the National Base Ball Organization will see its first pitch thrown at just after noon today, when Sons of the Ocean visits Portland B.C. in Portland, Maine and Gotham B.B.C. takes on Mutual B.B.C. in New York City. Near the end of the preseason, the 50+ writers who cover the league and its individual clubs were asked to predict how the season would go, and collectively here are how their responses averaged out:

NEW YORK LEAGUE PREDICTED STANDINGS

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE PREDICTED STANDINGS

As one can see, after adding the two most highly-rated newcomers to the league over the offseason St. John’s B.C. is expected to be the best team in the N.B.B.O. by some margin. The writers anticipate them to score nearly NINE runs per game, with a cumulative total of nearly fifty more than any other team. Their predicted Run Differential of nearly +190 is also expected to be the best by a considerable distance. On paper, it would appear that the only way they will fail to lift the Tucker-Wheaton Cup this year is if they play well below expectations. Other than that, the main thing of note is that the writers expect all eight teams in the Upstate Championship to finish within ten games of each other. That should make for very exciting baseball in greater New York state.

Writers were also given the chance to predict who they think will take home this season’s awards, including the newest piece of hardware: the Newcomer of the Year award, given to the best player who completes his first full year of senior-level N.B.B.O. play.

NEW YORK LEAGUE AWARD FAVORITES

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR

FAVORITE: Joe Bentley – 2B, Niagara B.B.C.
SECOND: Walt Driscoll – 1B, Mutual B.B.C.
THIRD: Chester Ellis – OF, Atlantic B.B.C.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

FAVORITE: Edward Huntley – 3B, Orange B.B.C.
SECOND: Jerald Peterson – 3B, Kings County B.B.C.
THIRD: Albert Jones – CF, Knickerbocker B.B.C.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

FAVORITE: William LaVallier – OF, Utica B.B.C.
SECOND: Per-Olaf Bakken – SS, Kings County B.B.C.
THIRD: Callum Barr – CF, Atlantic B.B.C.

GOLDEN GLOVES

P: Willie Kitson (Harlem), C: John Plotts (Harlem), 1B: Albert Canepa (Hilltop), 2B: Henry Ciccone (Metropolitan), 3B: Edward Huntley (Orange), SS: William Reasner (Syracuse), OF: George Anderson (Union), CF: Callum Barr (Atlantic), OF: William Bennett (Eagle)

TEAM OF THE YEAR

P: Carl Bancroft (Utica), C: James Hoddle (Flour City), 1B: Walt Driscoll (Mutual), 2B: Joe Bentley (Niagara), 3B: Leroy Weld (Metropolitan), SS: Carl Keener (Minuteman), OF: Chester Ellis (Atlantic), CF: Albert Jones (Knickerbocker), OF: Chatham Richter (Gotham)
 

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE AWARD FAVORITES

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR

FAVORITE: Fred Fowler – OF, Massachusetts Bay B.C.
SECOND: Arthur Waltrip – OF, American B.C.
THIRD: Collin Henderson – 1B, St. John’s B.C.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

FAVORITE: William Johnson – OF, St. John’s B.C.
SECOND: Samuel Kessler – 3B, Sons of the Ocean
THIRD: Daragh Adams – 2B, Shamrock B.C.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

FAVORITE: Collin Henderson – 1B, St. John’s B.C.
SECOND: Anderson MacGyver – 2B, St. John’s B.C.
THIRD: Leslie Wolf – OF, Reading Athletic Club

GOLDEN GLOVES

P: Jonathan Case (Newark), C: Jimmy Reardon (Trenton United), 1B: Collin Henderson (St. John’s), 2B: Willard Krone (Port Jersey), 3B: Jerrick Stoner (St. John’s), SS: Anthony Mascherino (Green Mountain), OF: William Hunt (Reading), CF: James Dennard (Oceanic), OF: Lester Chadwick (Massachusetts Bay)

TEAM OF THE YEAR

P: Morton Heglestad (St. John’s), C: Joe Feuerstein (Portland), 1B: Collin Henderson (St. John’s), 2B: Daragh Adams (Shamrock), 3B: Samuel Kessler (Sons of the Ocean), SS: Albert Gore (Granite), OF: Fred Fowler (Massachusetts Bay), CF: Raleigh Altstadt (Sportsman’s), OF: Arthur Waltrip (American)