July 1892 - End of Season
There was only one competition left this month:
England - First Division
Preston North End win the 1892 Baseball League First Division! It is their second title in 3 years. Series wins against Derby, Aston Villa and West Bromwich secure the title for the Lancashire club. Their offense hits for average, and the strategy seemed to pay off as they were the 2nd best offense in the league. Players like C Sean Bernerd (.306/.472/.426), CF Ronald Hawkins (.361/.397/.467) and RF Feheen Pannett (.327/.372/.428) were key for the title race. Their rotation was the 5th best, with Aidan Andrews (21-6, 2.40 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) and Douggie Murray (19-7, 2.41 ERA, 1.24 WHIP) providing career-best performances.
Here are the award winners for this year:
Player of the Year: CF Paul Brodie - West Brom - 1st time - .314/.413/.539, 14 2B, 7 3B, 10 HR, 44 RBI, 38 SB
Brodie was: 2nd in WAR, SLG, OPS and wRC+; 6th in OBP, HR and SB; 7th in AVG
Pitcher of the Year: LH Keith Coleman - Burnley - 2nd time - 21-6, 293.1 IP, 1.53 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 136 K, 55 BB
Coleman was: 1st in W, K, WHIP, BB/9 and WAR; 2nd in ERA; 3rd in shutouts
Young Player of the Year: SS William Hogarth - 23 - Preston - 2nd time - .319/.380/.388, 9 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 37 RBI, 3 SB
Hogarth was: 5th in AVG. Led all qualified U23 players in WAR, AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, 2B, 3B, HR and RBI.
Team of the Year
C Sean Bernerd - 3rd, Preston - .306/.472/.426, 7 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 29 RBI, 9.1 ZR
1B Joel Barnes - 1st, Derby - .283/.380/.323, 7 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 33 RBI, 1 SB, -4.8 ZR
2B Daniel Barker - 2nd, Preston - .284/.348/.435, 19 2B, 13 3B, 3 HR, 53 RBI, 17 SB, 4.9 ZR
3B Riley Creamer - 2nd, Stoke - .301/.372/.484, 16 2B, 21 3B, 2 HR, 52 RBI, 23 SB, -7.7 ZR
SS Aidan Hunter - 2nd, Derby - .322/.398/.520, 9 2B, 7 3B, 14 HR, 63 RBI, 20.9 ZR
LF Ross Matheson - 2nd, Accrington - .302/.354/.424, 22 2B, 9 3B, 51 RBI, 6 SB, 11.3 ZR
CF Lenny Mills - 1st, Blackburn - .269/.356/.357, 10 2B, 4 3B, 4 HR, 20 SB, -4.0 ZR
RF Mason Price - 3rd, Wolves - .277/.428/.549, 16 2B, 1 3B, 17 HR, 55 RBI, 7 SB, 6.3 ZR
DH Paul Brodie - 2nd, West Brom - .314/.413/.539, 14 2B, 7 3B, 10 HR, 44 RBI, 38 SB, 14.5 ZR (CF); Missed out on being selected as a CF due to playing less than 80% of the season.
The test matches with the Second Division were won by Lincoln (vs Newton Heath), Burton (vs Nottingham Forest) and Ardwick (vs Sheffield Wednesday), with the three teams joining the league.
(Comissioner note: since we're going for fictional results with real clubs and leagues, I'm promoting all 3 teams due to the following. 1) Accrington resigned from the league after losing their test match, deciding not to play in the 2nd division in 1892. 2) Newton Heath [aka Manchester United] won their test match and stayed in the league. Because of this, I'm removing Accrington as per IRL and promoting all 3 winning teams while leaving Newton Heath in the First Division thus leaving the league at 16 teams. More news about changes coming in the next post.)
Global Awards
Ballon d'Or: SS Aidan Hunter - 1st, Derby - .322/.398/.520, 9 2B, 7 3B, 14 HR, 63 RBI, 20.9 ZR, 2.90 WPA, 7.7 WAR
Pitcher Award: LH Keith Coleman - 2nd, Burnley - 21-6, 293.1 IP, 1.53 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 136 K, 55 BB, 8.5 WPA, 10.2 WAR
U21 Award: RHP Kai Booth - 1st, Ardwick - 12-7, 171.1 IP, 2.63 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 144 K, 51 BB, 2.0 WPA, 3.8 WAR