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NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION MAY RECAP

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (June 1, 1870) – The end of May sees the 1870 National Base Ball Organization finished with exactly four weeks of play. Here are how things stand after the end of Week Four:

REGIONAL LEADERS (20 of 70 games played)

• BROOKLYN: Atlantic at 15-5 (Excelsior 4 GB; Empire, Kings Co., & Nassau Co. 5 GB)
• NEW YORK CITY: Knickerbocker & Metropolitan at 14-6 (Orange 2 GB; Gotham 3 GB; Harlem 4 GB)
• UPSTATE NY: Flour City at 15-5 (Niagara & Utica 3 GB; Syracuse 4 GB; Victory 5 GB)
• COASTAL: Massachusetts Bay at 16-4 (Quaker St. 1 GB; Shamrock 2 GB)
• INLAND: Susquehanna at 13-7 (Alleghany 1 GB; Lake Erie & Sportsman’s 2 GB; Pioneer & Scranton 4 GB)
• NEW ENGLAND: Oceanic & St. John’s at 13-7 (Portland 1 GB; Cantabrigians & S.o.t.O. 3 GB)

Defending champions Alleghany have a top-five offense, but their middling defense means they are dealing with a resurgent Susquehanna team. Mass. Bay has been the class of the competition even though their only notable addition ahead of the season was Leslie Arnett. Flour City appears to have shrugged off the loss of two important players, having gone 12-2 since their 3-3 start. St. John’s has lost their last three to fall into a tie with Oceanic, with superstar Konrad Jensen somehow hitting just .266 (.700 OPS) for the entire month.

The two big surprises are Atlantic & Metropolitan. Atlantic added the Three Walters – 2x All-Star OF Walter Banks, 2x All-Star 1B Walter Dudley, & 4x Golden Glove CF Walter Williams – and all three have been excellent. Metropolitan is seeing rebounds in form by Francis Smith, Luther Tatum, & Jonathan Jenkins, while outstanding Greenhorn OF Troy Oberst is batting .382 with sixteen RBI.

BATTERS OF THE MONTH

• NYL: Louis Dyke (CF, KNI) – .439 AVG, 1.038 OPS, 29 R, 43 H, 10 2B, 2 3B, 0 HR, 26 RBI, 3 BB, 12 SB, 1.0 WPA, 1.6 WAR
• NEL: Will Dickerson (3B, Q.S.) – .448 AVG, 1.133 OPS, 28 R, 43 H, 10 2B, 6 3B, 0 HR, 25 RBI, 3 BB, 9 SB, 1.4 WPA, 1.3 WAR

Highly touted “Scouting Discovery” Dyke has lived up to every bit of his billing and then some over his first month in the NBBO. Dickerson built on his debut All-Star campaign from last year by winning BotM for the first time.

PITCHERS OF THE MONTH

• NYL: Jonathan Jenkins (MET) – 11-2, 1.92 ERA, 103.1 IP, 8 CG, 2 SHO, 14 BB, 12 K, 1.15 WHIP, 0.9 WAR, 3.3 rWAR
• NEL: Ross Gill (Q.S.) – 8-3, 1.96 ERA, 101.0 IP, 10 CG, 0 SHO, 4 BB, 11 K, 1.18 WHIP, 2.2 WAR, 2.0 rWAR

Two years after being forced out of Quaker State due to loss of command, Jenkins delivered a stunning May for Metro in which he authored a pair of Shutouts while winning eleven times. Gill didn’t have the most wins in the NEL – two had nine – but led the NEL in ERA and was the league’s best pitcher over the first four weeks of the season.

GREENHORN OF THE MONTH

• NYL: Louis Dyke (CF, KNI) – NYL Batsman of the Month
• NEL: James Dressman (P, PORT) – 8-3, 2.56 ERA, 98.1 IP, 6 CG, 2 SHO, 11 BB, 7 K, 1.17 WHIP, 1.5 WAR, 2.7 rWAR

Naturally, Dyke won NYL GotM after taking its BotM honor. Dressman was excellent for a Portland team that has won nine of its last ten games, winning his last six starts and pitching his two Shutouts over the last ten days.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Average: .448 by William Dickerson (3B, Q.S.)
• OPS: 1.133 by William Dickerson (3B, Q.S.)
• Runs: 30 by James Burke (CF, SHA)
• Home Runs: 2 by John Gaynor (OCE) & Jackson Watts (HAR)
• RBI: 26 by Louis Dyke (KNI)
• Stolen Bases: 22 by Konrad Jensen (OF, STJ)
• Batter WPA: 2.82 by Mario Fusilli (1B, SYR)
• Batter WAR: 1.8 by James Burke (CF, SHA)

• ERA: 1.25 by Govaart Vogelzang (ATL) over 72.0 IP
• Wins: 9 by three different pitchers (1 in NYL; 2 in NEL)
• Complete Games: 11 by Bubba Mack (L.E.)
• Strikeouts: 43 by Jim Creighton (EXC)
• WHIP: 0.90 by Sammie Cato (KNI) over 65.1 IP
• Pitching WAR: 3.0 by Jim Creighton (EXC)
• Pitching rWAR: 4.2 by Bubba Mack (L.E.)

• Total WAR: 3.6 by Jim Creighton (EXC)