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1867 NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION REVIEW

WRITERS POOL OBSERVATIONS

Offensive output was notably higher in 1867. Average & OPS were up roughly 10 & 20 points respectively in the New York League, and in the Northeastern League both marks increased by 10 & 25. Run production in both leagues was up by about 0.3 runs per game. One particular oddity: triples increased 17% in the NEL.

Even though the Tucker-Wheaton Cup featured the same six teams as last year, the 1867 season was more competitive than the previous season was. Only one team won 50+ games – there were three 50-game winners in 1866 – and no teams lost more than two-thirds of their games, as opposed to three the year before.

St. John’s set a new record for runs with an offense that crushed its own record for walks taken in a season, and also led the NEL in stolen bases for the tenth time. Nelson Townsend’s .440 was somehow the worst on-base mark of their famed outfield trio, and with reliable 1B Collin Henderson batting behind them in the lineup it amounted to easy runs.

That Knickerbocker led the NYL in nearly every notable offensive category while playing home games in the league’s most pitcher-friendly park is almost impossible to believe. Had they played in any other park than the Elysian Fields they would have become the first team to break the 10.0 runs per game barrier (they finished with 9.6 R/G).

Alleghany has a problem. For all the history the front three members of their lineup made, the other five batsmen were all below average hitters. If Royal Altman and Samuel Kessler hadn’t both set multiple records the team would not have been part of the tie atop the Inland standings at the end of the season.

Syracuse has been lucky two years in a row. They were 15-7 in one-run games and 5-2 in extra innings, again both marks the best in the NBBO. To compare, champs Knickerbocker were 8-6 & 1-3 respectively. That has been able to get Syracuse past their Upstate competition, but in cup play it has exposed them as an inferior squad to the best the NBBO has to offer.

Kings County had a twelve-win improvement from their last-place finish, and things look great going forward. They were 41-29 even though the centerpiece of their recruitment, 2x All-Star James Hoyt, only hit .302 with an OPS of .730 (.831 career OPS). If they can bring in another good P and Hoyt is back to form next year, 1st place looks likely.

The Pioneer story was wonderful: a sixteen-win improvement and they were so close to making the cup finals. It’s a mystery how they brought in a 5x All-Star like Declan Brice but they did, and their newcomers – OF Reardon Armstrong, 3B Lionel Gray, & SS Frank Thomas – were all positive contributors. Armstrong in particular (3.3 WAR) was great.

Harlem was one of the weirdest teams ever. They were in the bottom third of the NYL in nearly every major offensive category: Runs, AVG, OBP, SLG, & OPS. However, they struck out 25 times the entire season, easily breaking the previous record for hardest team to strike out. One player, CF Harold Severson, didn’t strike out once in 331 plate appearances.

Flour City may be a team to watch next year. They were 12-3 over the last three weeks of the season, with a number of young players showing dramatically improved play, particularly that of previously disappointing 2B Mitchell Schwartz.

James Burke was everything that was advertised in his first year with Shamrock: technical batting, patience, power, speed, and ability in the field. He had an OPS near 1.000 and a WAR of 3.5. It seems odd that he beat out a .422 hitter like Gerhardt Berg for Newcomer of the Year, but Burke managed to play even better in the Tucker-Wheaton Cup.

The discussion about whether or not to give Royal Altman both Batsman of the Year & MVP was the easiest one ever. In addition to all the batting records he set, Altman broke the WPA record on a team that went 41-29. The NYL discussion was tougher, as Jim Creighton led in AVG, OBP, & OPS but only started 58 games between P & 1B. .400 hitter Cormack Alexander played in all 70, so he took BotY while Creighton took a richly deserved MVP award.

Edward Huntley might have the most overlooked season ever. He was the second batsman to break 5.0 WAR, but due to the historic seasons around the NBBO he didn’t factor in the NYL BotY vote – Jerald Peterson had a better batting season on his own team – and he fell short in the MVP vote because Creighton decided to add a Batting Title to his pitching exploits.

Syracuse SS Henry Neal is apparently “Mr. August”. Over his two NBBO seasons he has hit .284 with an OPS of .685 (96 OPS+) with 30 doubles and 2.43 WPA in 140 games, but in his two Tucker-Wheaton Cup appearance those figures have shot up to a .373 average, a .911 OPS (157 OPS+), twelve doubles, and 2.13 WPA in just twenty games.