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KCRoyals15 · 12-12-2024, 12:23 AM

1951

The Southern Conference saw a pair of excellent races, with Baltimore winning the Eastern League, though Jacksonville had to hold off three more teams to take the second playoff spot. In the Western League, the Minneapolis Millers won their first pennant since 1930 and played in the postseason for just the third time, edging Kansas City out by a game. However, the Blues secured their spot by just one game, as three more teams were within four games.

The Northern Conference wasn't quite as close, though after Manhattan won New England, Albany needed a 161st game to break a tie over New York for the second bid. Chicago and Indianapolis had the two best records in the entire EBF and took the Midwest Association playoff spots.

On the flip side, the last of three-straight 100-loss seasons for Omaha saw the Golden Spikes bottom out at 118 losses, tied for second-most in EBF history.

The North saw no surprises, as Chicago downed Albany in five games and Indianapolis mastered Manhattan in six. In the South, Jacksonville defeated Minneapolis in five and Baltimore bested Kansas City in six. Indianapolis then cut down Chicago and Baltimore beat Jacksonville in a pair of six-game series.

In the Eastern Baseball Federation finals, the Indianapolis Hoosiers cruised to the EBF title with a four-game sweep over the Terrapins.

In the PCL, the Hollywood Stars dominated from start to finish, winning 125 games (their most since 1906) and besting the field by 17 games. Oddly, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle all tied for second at 108-92 to snag the other three playoff spots.

In the first round, the Stars cruised to a five-game victory over the Rainiers. Meanwhile, San Diego went the distance to best San Francisco in a seven-game series. Hollywood then swept the Padres to win the PCL for the third time in seven years.

In the National Championship, a pair of well-rested teams squared off, with the Indianapolis Hoosiers defeating the Hollywood Stars, 4-2 to lift the Hoosiers to their third National Championship and first in 14 seasons.

28-year-old Columbus rookie Bobby Metzger burst onto the scene, slashing .341/.451/.607 with 184 hits, 104 hits, 36 doubles, a conference-high 34 homers, and 113 RBI to earn Rookie of the Year and MVP, setting nearly all of his career highs in his very first season.

That paled in comparison to Nick Stephan of Cleveland, who as a 26-year-old rookie went 20-8 with a NC-leading 2.10 ERA (and seven shutouts) over 282.1 innings. Almost immediately, the injury bug bit Stephen hard. Despite a career ERA of 2.74, he only made 92 big-league starts and never pitched more than 94.0 innings after '51, throwing his final major league pitch at 33. 20 of his 39 career wins came this season.

Two years after earning Rookie of the Year, hard-hitting 31-year-old Memphis outfielder Luis Delgado earned Southern Conference MVP by slashing .319/.411/.572 with 181 hits, 29 doubles, a conference-best 37 home runs and 103 RBI.

For a second year in a row, Louisville lefty Sam Loewe led the South in wins, going 22-10 with a 3.04 ERA. The 24-year-old also led the conference in innings (298.2), strikeouts (190), and shutouts (5). Despite this promising start tohis career, Loewe lost 21 games the next season and never fully recovered as he threw his final big-league pitch at 31.

After hitting a PCL-leading 43 homers and winning Rookie of the Year in 1950, Sacramento shockingly moved Danny Quinones to Hollywood in a blockbuster trade. Almost immediately, the Solons regretted that deal as Sacramento's returning stars turned to pumpkins and Quinones slashed .325/.405/.600 with a league-leading 46 homers and 140 RBI in his first season with the Twinks to win MVP. Though he never won another MVP afterwards, Quinones remained a middle-of-the-order threat until his 40th birthday and retired with the second-most home runs in PCL history.

On the hill, Clint Albarracin won his second Pitcher of the Year six years after his first. The 33-year-old Hollywood righty went 30-4 with a 2.23 ERA, leading the PCL in wins and ERA and logging 335.0 innings.

Two of the greatest hurlers in EBF history both earned overwhelming Hall of Fame induction:

RHP Jim Alvarez (1926-45), 99.1%
RHP D.J. Schreck (1927-45), 97.9%

The PCL also inducted a pair of underrated offensive performers:

C David Zimmerman (1935-47), 89.1%
1B Doug Culver (1928-41), 80.4%

Minor League Champions
Southeastern League: Jackson Junebugs, 95-59, defeats Montgomery
Colonial League: Worcester Tornadoes, 84-56, defeats Binghamton (4th straight)
Texas League: San Antonio Missions, 99-57, defeats Galveston
River Valley League: Des Moines Demons, 81-59, defeats Evansville
Rocky Mountain League: Ft. Collins Grizzlies, 62-64, defeats Albuquerque Outlaws
Coastal League: Charleston (SC) Cannons, 91-63 defeat Macon (2nd straight)
Northern League: Fargo-Moorhead Indians, 83-57, defeats Cedar Rapids
Great Lakes League: Youngstown Steelers, 86-54, defeats Akron
Southwest League: Phoenix Firebirds, 93-61, defeats San Jose
Southern Association: Shreveport Captains, 78-62, defeats Fort Smith
Northwest League: Vancouver Mounties, 99-41, defeats Salem
Can-Am League: London Braves, 72-54, defeats Utica
Mid-Atlantic League: Asheville Tourists, 76-64, defeats Greensboro
Lone Star League: San Angelo Colts, 93-47, defeats Amarillo

12-12-2024, 12:23 AM	#61
KCRoyals15 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: A lot of them Posts: 123	Indy-in Summer 1951 The Southern Conference saw a pair of excellent races, with Baltimore winning the Eastern League, though Jacksonville had to hold off three more teams to take the second playoff spot. In the Western League, the Minneapolis Millers won their first pennant since 1930 and played in the postseason for just the third time, edging Kansas City out by a game. However, the Blues secured their spot by just one game, as three more teams were within four games. The Northern Conference wasn't quite as close, though after Manhattan won New England, Albany needed a 161st game to break a tie over New York for the second bid. Chicago and Indianapolis had the two best records in the entire EBF and took the Midwest Association playoff spots. On the flip side, the last of three-straight 100-loss seasons for Omaha saw the Golden Spikes bottom out at 118 losses, tied for second-most in EBF history. The North saw no surprises, as Chicago downed Albany in five games and Indianapolis mastered Manhattan in six. In the South, Jacksonville defeated Minneapolis in five and Baltimore bested Kansas City in six. Indianapolis then cut down Chicago and Baltimore beat Jacksonville in a pair of six-game series. In the Eastern Baseball Federation finals, the Indianapolis Hoosiers cruised to the EBF title with a four-game sweep over the Terrapins. In the PCL, the Hollywood Stars dominated from start to finish, winning 125 games (their most since 1906) and besting the field by 17 games. Oddly, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle all tied for second at 108-92 to snag the other three playoff spots. In the first round, the Stars cruised to a five-game victory over the Rainiers. Meanwhile, San Diego went the distance to best San Francisco in a seven-game series. Hollywood then swept the Padres to win the PCL for the third time in seven years. In the National Championship, a pair of well-rested teams squared off, with the *Indianapolis Hoosiers defeating the Hollywood Stars, 4-2* to lift the Hoosiers to their third National Championship and first in 14 seasons. 28-year-old Columbus rookie Bobby Metzger burst onto the scene, slashing .341/.451/.607 with 184 hits, 104 hits, 36 doubles, a conference-high 34 homers, and 113 RBI to earn Rookie of the Year and MVP, setting nearly all of his career highs in his very first season. That paled in comparison to Nick Stephan of Cleveland, who as a 26-year-old rookie went 20-8 with a NC-leading 2.10 ERA (and seven shutouts) over 282.1 innings. Almost immediately, the injury bug bit Stephen hard. Despite a career ERA of 2.74, he only made 92 big-league starts and never pitched more than 94.0 innings after '51, throwing his final major league pitch at 33. 20 of his 39 career wins came this season. Two years after earning Rookie of the Year, hard-hitting 31-year-old Memphis outfielder Luis Delgado earned Southern Conference MVP by slashing .319/.411/.572 with 181 hits, 29 doubles, a conference-best 37 home runs and 103 RBI. For a second year in a row, Louisville lefty Sam Loewe led the South in wins, going 22-10 with a 3.04 ERA. The 24-year-old also led the conference in innings (298.2), strikeouts (190), and shutouts (5). Despite this promising start tohis career, Loewe lost 21 games the next season and never fully recovered as he threw his final big-league pitch at 31. After hitting a PCL-leading 43 homers and winning Rookie of the Year in 1950, Sacramento shockingly moved Danny Quinones to Hollywood in a blockbuster trade. Almost immediately, the Solons regretted that deal as Sacramento's returning stars turned to pumpkins and Quinones slashed .325/.405/.600 with a league-leading 46 homers and 140 RBI in his first season with the Twinks to win MVP. Though he never won another MVP afterwards, Quinones remained a middle-of-the-order threat until his 40th birthday and retired with the second-most home runs in PCL history. On the hill, Clint Albarracin won his second Pitcher of the Year six years after his first. The 33-year-old Hollywood righty went 30-4 with a 2.23 ERA, leading the PCL in wins and ERA and logging 335.0 innings. Two of the greatest hurlers in EBF history both earned overwhelming Hall of Fame induction: RHP Jim Alvarez (1926-45), 99.1% RHP D.J. Schreck (1927-45), 97.9% The PCL also inducted a pair of underrated offensive performers: C David Zimmerman (1935-47), 89.1% 1B Doug Culver (1928-41), 80.4% Minor League Champions Southeastern League: Jackson Junebugs, 95-59, defeats Montgomery Colonial League: Worcester Tornadoes, 84-56, defeats Binghamton (4th straight) Texas League: San Antonio Missions, 99-57, defeats Galveston River Valley League: Des Moines Demons, 81-59, defeats Evansville Rocky Mountain League: Ft. Collins Grizzlies, 62-64, defeats Albuquerque Outlaws Coastal League: Charleston (SC) Cannons, 91-63 defeat Macon (2nd straight) Northern League: Fargo-Moorhead Indians, 83-57, defeats Cedar Rapids Great Lakes League: Youngstown Steelers, 86-54, defeats Akron Southwest League: Phoenix Firebirds, 93-61, defeats San Jose Southern Association: Shreveport Captains, 78-62, defeats Fort Smith Northwest League: Vancouver Mounties, 99-41, defeats Salem Can-Am League: London Braves, 72-54, defeats Utica Mid-Atlantic League: Asheville Tourists, 76-64, defeats Greensboro Lone Star League: San Angelo Colts, 93-47, defeats Amarillo Last edited by KCRoyals15; 12-14-2024 at 09:42 AM.