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1862 NORTHEASTERN REVIEW

NORTHEASTERN SEASON SUMMARY

The 1862 Northeastern League season, as always, offered plenty of excitement, even if there are a few dominant teams that always come out on top. Once again, Shamrock was expected to win the Coastal Championship and St. John’s was expected to win the New England Championship. In the Inland Championship last season’s runner-up, Reading, was expected to win it by five games. Would it turn out that way?

Indeed, the Coastal Championship did “turn out that way”. Shamrock, declared preseason favorites for the Tucker-Wheaton Cup by the Writers Pool, was 16-4 with a four-game lead on June 1st. After a brief period in which the lead shrank to two games around the halfway point of the season the Bostonians quickly increased the gap atop the standings, and they were 5+ games ahead for the final three weeks of play. Shamrock finished 45-25, the best record in the N.B.B.O. In a pleasant surprise, American & Quaker St., finished 2nd & 3rd to end years of collective Philadelphia mediocrity.

The Inland Championship did not proceed as anticipated. Reading was 12-8 and one game behind Alleghany on June 1st, but they were 22-28 the rest of the season and finished in 5th place.

The team to top the Inland Championship was, once again, Alleghany. They were tied with Merrimack Mills at the halfway point and for two weeks after that, but the Pittsburgh outfit opened up a two-game lead with three weeks to play, increased it to five games with two weeks left, and finished in 1st by two. The 2nd-place team was a major surprise. Susquehanna was in last place at the halfway mark (15-20), but they were 24-11 over the second half. Had the season been just one week longer, they might have ended up Inland champions.

St. John’s, winners of all five New England championships, faced stiffer competition than ever in 1862. After half the season was over, they were tied with Green Mountain for first at 21-14 and were just one game ahead of both Portland & Sons of the Ocean. On July 15th St. John’s was still tied with Green Mtn, but they took the lead with three weeks of play left and never gave it back. The men from Providence would go 11-4 over their final fifteen games to ensure that they were kings of New England yet again. Also, once again Green Mountain and Sons of the Ocean were the two teams right behind them in the standings. One must think that sometime soon one of the two will finally take down St. John’s.

The radical changes to the format of the Tucker-Wheaton Cup meant that there were no league playoffs this year, or presumably going forward. That meant Alleghany, Shamrock, & St. John’s all went straight to the Tucker-Wheaton Cup and its new Round Robin competition. In the T.W.C, the New England League had the top two finishers, with Shamrock & St. John’s going 1-2. However, Alleghany finished in last place.

Shamrock did not have a hot start to the Tucker-Wheaton Cup – nobody did. They were WWLWL over their first games to be one of four 3-2 teams halfway through the competition, but the second half was where they shined. Shamrock won their last five games in the T.W.C, which included two ninth-inning rallies and a ten-inning victory, to finish 8-2 and bring the cup back to New England for the first time in four years.

Shamrock’s premier player in the competition was star outfielder Thomas Maloney. Over the ten games he was 19/45 (.422) with the bat, scoring sixteen runs, driving in nine, and hitting the game-winning double on Gameday Ten that clinched the cup. Teammate Walter Williams stole a cup-high thirteen bases, Enda Reed finished with eleven R.B.I, and pitcher Hannigan Miller was 3-0 over four starts.

St. John’s did not win the competition, but they were its most exciting team. They scored a cup-high 8.6 runs per game and had three players reach double figures in R.B.I: Nelson Townsend (14), Konrad Jensen (11), & Collin Henderson (10). No other team had more than one. They had the tournament M.V.P. in William Johnson, who hit .432 (19/44) and scored 21 runs in just ten games, while also stealing ten bases without being caught. Pitcher John McGowan was 5-0 over six starts with an E.R.A. under 3.00.

Why did they fail to win the cup? St. John’s were one of the four 3-2 teams at the halfway mark, and they won their last four games to finish 7-3. The difference between Shamrock lifting the cup and St. John’s doing so was the two teams’ matchup on Gameday Six in Boston. St. John’s scored two runs in the top of the ninth to take a one-run lead, but Shamrock came right back in the bottom half and scored two to win. The entire Tucker-Wheaton Cup came down to that single inning.

Alleghany was actually one of the four 3-2 teams halfway through the competition, then everything fell apart as they lost their last five games. Three were by a single run each – 9-8 at Kings County, 5-4 at St. John’s, & 6-5 at Shamrock – but a loss is still a loss, and Alleghany finished with a record of 3-7 and a cup-worst Run Differential of -19.

The N.E.L’s Batsman of the Year award had four outstanding candidates, and it led to lengthy discussion:

• Port Jersey first baseman Boudewijn Mulder had been a quality player and an All-Star in 1861, but his batsmanship rose several notches in 1862. He led the N.E.L. with a .416 Average & .455 On-Base, and his .960 O.P.S. was third.

• Sons of the Ocean’s Samuel Kessler hit a career-high .389 while leading the league in Slugging (.535) and O.P.S. (.973). He had 33 Extra-Base Hits and his 3.7 W.A.R. was second to Anthony Mascherino.

• Two-time defending B.o.t.Y. Willie Davis of Susquehanna did not defend or run the bases as well as he has in previous seasons, but he still led the league in Total Bases (165) while batting .397 with a .972 O.P.S. and 47 Stolen Bases.

• Center Fielder Arthur Waltrip of American had a record-setting 39-game Hitting Streak that ended on June 4th. He led the league in Hits (126) & Total Bases (165) while batting .387 with a W.A.R. of 3.5.

What made the discussion so lengthy was that no candidate was on a first=place team that could separate them from the rest of the pack, none led the N.E.L. in numerous offensive categories, and all four had pros and cons to their candidacies.

It was an incredibly close vote, but the Writers Pool decided that Kessler, with his superior Slugging, O.P.S, & W.A.R, deserved the award over the Batting Champion, the two-time winner, and the new Hitting Streak record holder. Kessler finished first, Mulder second, Davis third, & Waltrip fourth. Davis’ season from the plate was just as good as his previous two, but having been caught stealing a league-high sixteen times helped knock his W.A.R. down from 4.4 to 3.1, and in the vote he was essentially being judged against his previous two years’ worth of work.

While Waltrip finished fourth in the B.o.t.Y. vote, he came up aces in the Most Valuable Player vote. Waltrip did not have the highest W.A.R, which went to Anthony Mascherino once again at 4.9. He did not have the highest W.P.A, which went to Carl Meacham of Pioneer at 5.6. What he did have was a 39-game Hitting Streak, a .387 average, the N.E.L. lead in Hits & Stolen Bases, the second-best W.P.A. at 4.8, and the third-best W.A.R. at 3.5.

For the third time, Anthony Mascherino was the M.V.P. runner-up. He led the N.E.L. in W.A.R. for the fifth time, but so much of that figure is tied up in his extraordinary defense (+29.6 ZR, 1.20 EFF) that the real shame is that there is not an award for the best defensive player in the league. Star St. John’s center fielder William Johnson finished third.

For perhaps the first time, the N.E.L’s crop of newcomers did not measure up to those from the other league. There were only three N.E.L. newcomers who featured as starting pitchers for their teams, and the only one to pitch more than two hundred innings was Pioneer’s Francesco Sorrentino (262.2), who was 12-20 with a 4.42 E.R.A.

The above meant that N.E.L. Newcomer of the Year would be a batsman, and the clear choice there was Reading outfielder Ilkka Kivivuori. Kivuvuori was not the most highly-touted N.E.L. newcomer at the start of the season – that distinction went to Shamrock’s Enda Reed – but he finished his first season batting an agonizing .399 after entering the final weekend over .400. The Writers Pool believed that earned Kivivuori N.o.t.Y. even though Reed was the starting first baseman for the cup champions. Enda Reed (.350 AVG, 1 HR, 49 RBI, 2.1 W.A.R.) finished second in the vote, and Oceanic’s fine young outfielder Hamilton Harwood (.356 AVG, 0 HR, 57 RBI, 1.7 WAR) finished third.

The most notable individual performance in a Northeastern League game this season was by Konrad Jensen on August 3rd. In the 14-10 win by St. Johns, Jensen was 4/5 with a pair of home runs, three runs scored, half a dozen R.B.I, and a pair of stolen bases. Jensen’s performance dipped a bit in 1862, but on this day he was magnificent.

There were no giant surprise teams in the N.E.L. this season. All three regional championship winners were familiar faces, and most of the teams in 2nd-4th place were expected to be there. Quaker St. in the Coastal finished 40-30, winning twelve games more than expected, so if there was one major surprise it would be them.

In the end, the Northeastern League proved they had the best teams in the sport when Shamrock & St. John’s combined to go 15-5 in the Tucker-Wheaton Cup, taking the top two spots and showing the snobs in New York City that the best base ball was played in New England. With the amount of talented youth the two employ, they might be the two most talented teams in the N.B.B.O. for some time.


NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE STANDINGS

COASTAL			 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	RA	  RD
Shamrock		45	25	.643	--	516	396	+120
Quaker St.		40	30	.571	5	489	493	  -4
American		39	31	.557	6	514	469	 +45
Trenton Utd.	        36	34	.514	9	517	478	 +39
Port Jersey		33	37	.471	12	470	489	 -19
Mass. Bay		32	38	.457	13	509	542	 -33
Newark			30	40	.429	15	470	521	 -51
Olympic			25	45	.357	20	437	534	-117

INLAND			 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	RA	  RD
Alleghany		41	29	.586	--	485	428	 +57
Susquehanna		39	31	.557	2	512	461	 +51
Scranton		38	32	.543	3	488	499	 -11
Merrimack M.	        37	33	.529	4	500	475	 +25
Reading Ath.	        34	36	.486	7	510	500	 +10
Sportsman’s		32	38	.457	9	395	418	 -23
Pioneer			31	39	.443	10	461	495	 -34
Lake Erie		28	42	.400	13	427	502	 -75

N. ENGLAND		 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	RA	  RD
St. John’s		44	26	.629	--	575	443	+132
Green Mtn.		41	29	.586	3	526	491	 +35
S. o. t. O.		39	31	.557	5	512	464	 +48
Portland (1)	        34	36	.486	10	484	517	 -33
Granite			34	36	.486	10	447	466	 -19
Cantabrigians	        32	38	.457	12	477	541	 -64
Oceanic			31	39	.443	13	455	483	 -28
Quinnipiac		25	45	.357	19	485	556	 -71

(1) = Won Head-to-Head Results tiebreaker

TUCKER-WHEATON CUP

SHAMROCK BASEBALL CLUB: 1st Place – 8-2 (71 R, 64 RA)

Game 1: SHA 4-1 K.C.
Game 2: SHA 8-7 UTI
Game 3: UTI 6-3 SHA (10 Inn.)
Game 4: K.C. 10-11 SHA (10 Inn.)
Game 5: SHA 4-10 STJ
Game 6: STJ 9-10 SHA
Game 7: SHA 9-5 ALL
Game 8: SHA 10-8 ORA (10 Inn.)
Game 9: ORA 3-6 SHA
Game 10: ALL 5-6 SHA

BEST PLAYER: Thomas Maloney – .422 (19/45), 1.015 OPS, 16 R, 7 2B, 0 3B, 9 RBI, 4 SB, 1.29 WPA, 0.7 WAR

ST. JOHN’S BASEBALL CLUB: 2nd Place – 7-3 (86 R, 70 RA)

Game 1: ORA 6-10 STJ
Game 2: K.C. 13-3 STJ
Game 3: STJ 9-6 K.C.
Game 4: STJ 6-11 ORA
Game 5: SHA 4-10 STJ
Game 6: STJ 9-10 SHA
Game 7: STJ 10-7 UTI
Game 8: STJ 12-6 ALL
Game 9: ALL 4-5 STJ
Game 10: UTI 3-12 STJ

BEST PLAYER: William Johnson – .432 (19/44), 1.149 OPS, 21 R, 4 2B, 3 3B, 6 RBI, 10 SB, 0.98 WPA, 0.9 WAR

ALLEGHANY BASEBALL CLUB: 6th Place – 3-7 (52 R, 71 RA)

Game 1: UTI 2-4 ALL
Game 2: ORA 4-5 ALL
Game 3: ALL 5-14 ORA
Game 4: ALL 4-6 UTI
Game 5: K.C. 4-6 ALL
Game 6: ALL 8-9 K.C.
Game 7: SHA 9-5 ALL
Game 8: STJ 12-6 ALL
Game 9: ALL 4-5 STJ
Game 10: ALL 5-6 SHA

BEST PLAYER: Willie Smith – .390 (16/41), 1.005 OPS, 13 R, 2 2B, 2 3B, 4 RBI, 1 SB, 0.31 WPA, 0.5 WAR

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Samuel Kessler – 26 y/o 3B, Sons of the Ocean

• .389/.438/.535, .973 OPS, 69 R, 117 H, 23 2B, 9 3B, 1 HR, 59 RBI, 23 BB, 13 SB, 2.8 WPA, 3.7 WAR
• Top five in N.E.L. in AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, H, XBH, RBI, WAR; won M.V.P. in 1861
• Boudewijn Mulder (1B, P.J.) 2nd – .416/.455/.505, 68 R, 116 H, 1 HR, 50 RBI, 8 BB, 4 SB, 3.5 WPA, 2.7 WAR
• Willie Davis (CF, SUS) 3rd – .397/.443/.529, 80 R, 124 H, 2 HR, 54 RBI, 27 BB, 47 SB, 3.9 WPA, 3.1 WAR

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Arthur Waltrip – 30 y/o CF, American B.C.

• • .387/.406/.506, .912 OPS, 84 R, 126 H, 23 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 63 RBI, 11 BB, 26 SB, 165 TB, 4.8 WPA, 3.5 WAR
• Set N.B.B.O. record with 39-game Hitting Streak
• A. Mascherino (SS, G.M.) 2nd – .333/.369/.462, 77 R, 109 H, 56 RBI, 18 BB, 22 SB, +29.6 ZR, 3.2 WPA, 4.9 WAR
• William Johnson (CF, STJ) 3rd – .345/.378/.469, 70 R, 111 H, 31 2B, 48 RBI, 16 BB, 35 SB, 4.1 WPA, 2.5 WAR

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Ilkka Kivivuori – 26 y/o LF, Reading Athletic

• • .399/.416/.502, .918 OPS, 56 R, 105 H, 12 2B, 6 3B, 1 HR, 43 RBI, 8 BB, 11 SB, 1.4 WPA, 2.0 WAR
• Batting Average was over .400 going into final weekend of the season
• Enda Reed (1B, SHA) 2nd – .350/.409/.453, 60 R, 96 H, 1 HR, 49 RBI, 27 BB, 21 SB, 1.9 WPA, 2.1 WAR
• Hamilton Harwood (CF, OCE) 3rd – .356/.375/.455, 67 R, 111 H, 27 XBH, 57 RBI, 12 BB, 27 SB, 2.5 WPA, 1.7 WAR

GOLDEN GLOVES

P: Ben Bailey (G.M, 1st) – 88 TC, 2 DP, 6 E, 2.6 RNG, +8.0 ZR, 1.15 EFF
C: Thomas Silke (SHA, 1st) – 106 PB, 29.1 CS%, 2.94 C-ERA, +10.0 ZR, 1.08 EFF
1B: Collin Henderson (STJ, 2nd) – 809 TC, 58 AST, 32 DP, 17 E, +4.4 ZR, 1.06 EFF
2B: Leslie Arnett (M.M, 2nd) – 467 TC, 180 PO, 258 AST, 35 DP, 29 E, 6.4 RNG, +20.3 ZR, 1.22 EFF
3B: Finlay McIntosh (QUI, 1st) – 296 TC, 80 PO, 185 AST, 11 DP, 31 E, 3.8 RNG, +6.3 ZR, 1.05 EFF
SS: Anthony Mascherino (G.M, 6th) – 469 TC, 103 PO, 321 AST, 25 DP, 45 E, 6.0 RNG, +29.6 ZR, 1.20 EFF
OF: Albert Rogers (GRA, 1st) – 230 TC, 193 PO, 7 AST, 3 DP, 30 E, 2.9 RNG, +6.2 ZR, 1.09 EFF
CF: Winford Kerry (T.U, 1st) – 336 TC, 275 PO, 10 AST, 4 DP, 51 E, 4.1 RNG, +5.8 ZR, 1.03 EFF
OF: Edward Eisen (SPO, 1st) – 237 TC, 205 PO, 7 AST, 3 DP, 25 E, 3.3 RNG, +8.2 ZR, 1.07 EFF

TEAM OF THE YEAR

P: John McGowan (STJ, 4th) - 23-7, 3.63 ERA, 290.1 IP, 22 CG, 3 SHO, 37 BB, 32 K, 1.34 WHIP, 5.1 WAR, 5.7 R9-WAR
C: Joe Feuerstein (PORT, 2nd) - .293/.391/.429, 46 R, 84 H, 18 2B, 3 3B, 5 HR, 58 RBI, 9 BB, 4 SB, 2.7 WPA, 2.0 WAR
1B: Boudewijn Mulder, (P.J, 1st) - .416/.455/.505, 68 R, 116 H, 18 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 50 RBI, 8 BB, 4 SB, 3.5 WPA, 2.7 WAR
2B: Daragh Adams (SHA, 2nd) - .320/.353/.441, 64 R, 98 H, 24 2B, 5 3B, 1 HR, 64 RBI, 13 BB, 5 SB, 2.9 WPA, 1.6 WAR
3B: Samuel Kessler (S.o.t.O, 5th) - .389/.438/.535, .973 OPS, 69 R, 117 H, 23 2B, 9 3B, 1 HR, 59 RBI, 23 BB, 13 SB, 2.8 WPA, 3.7 WAR, B.o.t.Y.
SS: Anthony Mascherino (G.M, 4th) - .333/.368/.462, 77 R, 109 H, 26 2B, 8 3B, 0 HR, 56 RBI, 18 BB, 22 SB, 3.2 WPA, 4.9 WAR, G.G.
OF: Thomas Maloney (SHA, 3rd) - .353/.384/.495, 80 R, 107 H, 23 2B, 10 3B, 0 HR, 42 RBI, 13 BB, 28 SB, 3.2 WPA, 2.7 WAR
CF: Arthur Waltrip (AME, 1st) - .387/.406/.506, 84 R, 126 H, 23 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 63 RBI, 11 BB, 26 SB, 165 TB, 4.8 WPA, 3.5 WAR, M.V.P.
OF: Nelson Townsend (STJ, 1st) - .349/.392/.476, 76 R, 102 H, 20 2B, 7 3B, 1 HR, 56 RBI, 17 BB, 43 SB, 3.3 WPA, 2.7 WAR
MGR: Jimmy Longstreet (SHA) - 45-25 – Shamrock had #1 record in the N.B.B.O. & won their first Tucker-Wheaton Cup