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EVANS IS MADE AVAILABLE & THE CHASE IS ON
FRANKFORD CF WILL BE MOST SOUGHT-AFTER PLAYER IN APBL HISTORY; OTHER STARS ON MARKET

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (Oct. 24, 1876) - Via telegram, it was made official this afternoon: Frankford Arsenal CF Joseph Evans has been made available for purchase by teams in other leagues. While technically an organization in the N.B.B.O. could come in with an offer, it’s expected that all twelve A.P.B.L. teams, even the ones with excellent outfields like American & St. John’s, will be offering superstar-level contracts to the 24-year-old.

Evans’ dominance in the P.C.B.L. starting at the age of 20 has already become the stuff of legend, even though it came over just four seasons, but just how good was he to earn such superlative praise for the level he was playing at?

1x P.C.B.L. Champion (1876), 3x Runner-up (1873-75)
4x P.C.B.L. Batsman of the Year (1873-76), 1x Most Valuable Player (1876), 6x Batsman of the Month
2x P.C.B.L. Batting Champion (1873, 75)
4x P.C.B.L. leader in Slugging %, OPS, OPS+, & Total Bases
3x P.C.B.L. leader in Batsman WAR (1873, 75-76)
PLAYOFFS (17 G): .432, .960 OPS, 20 R, 35 H, 2 2B, 2 3B, 21 RBI, 4 BB, 11 SB, 1.6 WPA, 1.3 WAR

It should be noted that the P.C.B.L. has a lower talent level than the N.B.B.O., but how do scouts and members of the Writers Pool grade Evans on the default 1-10 scale, compared to the level of play in the A.P.B.L.?

Long story short, Evans is widely believed to be one of the most talented players in the sport, and he’s been tipped to immediately become one of the most productive batsmen in the A.P.B.L., wherever he signs. Evans & Frankford hope to be able to finalize his transfer to the A.P.B.L. during the Executive Committee meetings in two and a half weeks. Frankford is expected to be the recipient of a transfer fee that breaks the previous record by a significant amount.

With Evans already having built such a star-studded reputation in such a short amount of time, many might not realize that there is another P.C.B.L. star who will be on the move this winter.

Due to the presence of numerous talented players at the position among the P.C.B.L.’s best teams, Queen Village 2B Herman Stanley has been a relatively unheralded player. Even though the 25-year-old has been stuck on teams that have finished under .500 in each of the league’s four seasons, Stanley is regarded as the league’s best overall 2B. He’s only been in the P.C.B.L. Team of the Year once, but 2B is the deepest position in the league.


During his four seasons in the A.P.B.L., Stanley hit .342 (.818 OPS) Stanley has been rated as a four-star talent relative to the A.P.B.L., higher than any other middle infielder in the league:

On paper, Stanley would be an upgrade at 2B for about half the teams in the A.P.B.L., with his most logical destinations being Excelsior and Kings County, the two weakest teams at the position in the league.

There is one other major player available for transfer, this one from the N.B.B.O.

After seven years with Port Jersey, George Burroughs has been made available. Burroughs, the 1875 N.E.L. Pitching Triple Crown winner, didn’t have as spectacular of a season in 1876, but he still set N.E.L. records for Strikeouts (158) and Pitching WAR (10.7). He has been rated at 4.5 stars relative to the A.P.B.L., which would make him a #1 pitcher on most of the teams in the league. It’s believed the team that signs Burroughs will need to give Port Jersey around $2,500 for the signature of the man unanimously regarded as the most gifted pitcher outside of the A.P.B.L.

There is one other pitcher in the N.B.B.O. rated 4.5 stars relative to the A.P.B.L.'s level of play: N.Y.A.C.'s Charles Rhodes. However, he already makes well over $1,000 per season playing in New York City ($1,060), making him more handsomely paid than numerous A.P.B.L. pitchers and thus perfectly happy to stay in the country's #2 competition. By comparison, Burroughs made about 1/3 of what Rhodes did this past season while playing in New Jersey ($360).

So, the chase is on for the signature of Joseph Evans, easily the brightest talent that has existed outside of the A.P.B.L. since its inception in 1871. There will almost certainly be an epic battle for his signature, with the winning team gaining the services of the most naturally-gifted young batsman in the sport. Still, there are two very good consolation prized available on the market for those who lose out.