The Big Bang: A Larger Baseball Universe Starting From Nothing in 1857 - Page 66

tm1681 · 06-08-2026, 06:27 PM

1881 NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION REVIEW

NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION STANDINGS

PER-TEAM STATISTICS

1881 NYL: 7.3 R/G, .286, .704 OPS, 781 H, 143 2B, 48 3B, 10 HR, 101 SB, 3.57 ERA, 119 BB, 158 K, 5.5 E/G, .875 FLD%
1880 NYL: 6.8 R/G, .281, .686 OPS, 758 H, 135 2B, 43 3B, 9 HR, 87 SB, 3.29 ERA, 107 BB, 185 K, 5.4 E/G, .880 FLD%

1881 NEL: 7.3 R/G, .283, .697 OPS, 773 H, 145 2B, 46 3B, 9 HR, 98 SB, 3.43 ERA, 123 BB, 143 K, 5.7 E/G, .873 FLD%
1880 NEL: 7.1 R/G, .283, .696 OPS, 758 H, 141 2B, 45 3B, 10 HR, 80 SB, 3.44 ERA, 113 BB, 160 K, 5.4 E/G, .880 FLD%

ADAMS CUP I

N.Y.L. SEMIFINALS: Atlantic defeats Metropolitan 3-2
N.E.L. SEMIFINALS: Quinnipiac defeats Susquehanna 3-2

N.Y.L. CHAMPIONSHIP: Frontier defeats Atlantic 3-0
N.E.L. CHAMPIONSHIP: National defeats Quinnipiac 3-2

ADAMS CUP FINAL: National (1st title) defeats Frontier 3-1

GAME 1: NAT 15-6 FRO – 2B Chester Dudek (NAT): 5/6 (all 1B), 2 R, 1 RBI, SB; DP
GAME 2: NAT 12-2 FRO – 3B James Kinney (NAT): 3/5 (2B), 3 R, 2 RBI, BB, SB, 4 TB
GAME 3: FRO 7-4 NAT – 2B Bertram Wagner (FRO): 2/4 (2B, 3B), 1 R, 2 RBI, SAC BUNT 5 TB – 2 DP
GAME 4: FRO 4-6 NAT – 3B James Kinney (NAT): 3/4 (2B), 1 R, 4 RBI, 4 TB

CUP M.V.P.: 3B James Kinney (NAT): .422 (19/45), 10 R, 6 2B, 1 3B, 15 RBI, 3 BB, 2 SB, 27 TB, 2x PotG

National was the team of destiny this year. The N.B.B.O.’s #1 team during the season, when faced with Frontier and their 26-9 home record after being Quinnipiac in the N.E.L.C.S. National hammered the home favorites in both of the opening two games of the Adams Cup Final, and then they went on to become the first team to lift the new trophy.

That National won their first ever title was befitting an N.E.L. that had some previously struggling teams establish themselves in 1881. Granite had their first over-500 campaign in ten years, Maryland B.C. had the best season in club history, Quinnipiac took the New England pennant for the first time before upsetting Susquehanna in the N.E.L. Semifinals, and Squirrel Hill finished runner-up for the Inland title in just their fourth season in the N.B.B.O.

There was also change afoot in the N.Y.L. Small club Frontier was crowned N.Y.L. champions for the first time. Thanks to a one-game playoff Metropolitan made the postseason after a five-year wait. While Atlantic took the Brooklyn pennant once again, runner-up Continental ended up just two games back after finishing 1880 in 6th. After 24 seasons of trying, Hilltop had the first 40-win season in club history, and also in N.Y.C. Mutual had their best season since 1872.

There was one major oddity in the N.Y.L. standings. Minuteman had the league’s best Run Differential by nearly 50 Runs at +171, but with a 43-27 record they finished the season three games out of 1st in Upstate New York. In the N.E.L. Pioneer managed to finish 41-29 with a -50 Run Differential, one that suggested a 32-38 record would have been fairer. That nine-win difference between actual W-L mark and expected W-L figure was the largest in N.B.B.O. history. Also, in New England, Salem finished tied for last place with a positive Run Differential (+48), an N.B.B.O. first.

Individually, the season was dominated by two Pitchers: Charles Rhodes in the N.Y.L. and Ben Lauppe in the N.E.L. Both men led their leagues in more than a dozen statistical categories, and in the case of Rhodes that meant two other Pitchers with 28 Wins and ERA’s near or below 3.00 knew they had no chance of taking Pitcher of the Year. That’s not to say there weren’t dominant Batsmen, as Francis Smith & James Burke led their leagues in a number of offensive statistics while being the only one in each to finish with an OPS over 1.000. There was also Continental 3B William Denham, who put up a Batsman WAR not seen in the New York League since before the league split in 1870-71.

There was one Greenhorn whose brilliance was far brighter than anyone else’s: John Porretta of Susquehanna, who put together a season that would have earned either B.o.t.Y. or the old M.V.P. award in years past if it wasn’t for the presence of James Burke in the N.E.L. Still, Frontier C William Burke shouldn’t be overlooked, for he was the top Batsman on the best team in the N.Y.L. and as a result he earned a place in the Team of the Year.

As always, autumn and the upcoming winter will bring change, and it will be interesting to see if that means there will be more upheaval or if members of the old guard will return to their places at the front of the pecking order in 1882.

tm1681 · 06-08-2026, 06:36 PM

NEW YORK LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Francis Smith (CF, age 36) – Metropolitan B.B.C.; 3x winner (3rd in four years)

• .382/.404/.618, 1.022 OPS, 104 R, 130 H, 30 2B, 22 3B, 2 HR, 67 RBI, 12 BB, 38 SB, 210 TB, 7.1 WPA, 5.4 WAR
• Set N.B.B.O. record for Total Bases; Led N.Y.L. in SLG, OPS, R, H, XBH, 3B, RC, & WPA
• William Denham (3B, CON) 2nd – .358, .925 OPS, 68 R, 106 H, 32 XBH, 3 HR, 70 RBI, 20 BB, 12 SB, 5.8 WPA, 5.5 WAR
• Jonathan Toppin (2B, MUT) 3rd – .393, .962 OPS, 73 R, 121 H, 25 2B, 10 3B, 67 RBI, 16 BB, 33 SB, 4.7 WPA, 3.6 WAR

In earning his third B.o.t.Y. in four years, Francis Smith had the best season of his incredible fifteen-year career at the age of 36. He was so great that he overshadowed Denham, who had the most WAR by the N.Y.L. leader since the legendary Edward Huntley in 1869 (6.5). Denham’s amazing season meant N.Y.L. Batting Champion Toppin finished 3rd.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Charles Rhodes (age 31); New York Athletic Club; 7x winner (6th straight)

• 27-11, 1.89 ERA, 377.0 IP, 32 CG, 1 SHO, 197 K, 4.7 K/9, 8.2 K/BB, 9.1 H/9, 1.07 WHIP, 12.9 WAR, 12.6 rWAR
• Set record for Pitcher WAR; Led N.Y.L. in ERA, IP, QS, K, BB/9, K/9, K/BB, O-AVG/OBP/OPS, WHIP, & rWAR
• Francis Molinari (MIN) 2nd – 28-11, 3.03 ERA, 356.0 IP, 33 CG, 1 SHO, 174 K, 4.2 K/BB, 1.17 WHIP, 9.0 WAR, 10.5 rWAR
• Edward Pelham (FRO) 3rd – 28-9, 2.49 ERA, 343.1 IP, 25 CG, 1 SHO, 68 K, 2.5 K/BB, 1.25 WHIP, 6.8 WAR, 6.8 rWAR

Another indescribable season for Rhodes. He led the N.Y.L. in thirteen Pitching categories, and his July (11-4, 1.53 ERA, 73 K, 5.1 WAR) was the best individual month in the history of the N.B.B.O. His competition for P.o.t.Y. was the toughest yet, with both Molinari & Pelham having seasons that would have won P.o.t.Y. in many other years.

FIELDER OF THE YEAR: William Denham (3B, age 31) – Continental B.B.C.

• 3B: 313 TC, 69 PO, 189 AST, 10 DP, 55 E, .824 FLD%, 3.84 RNG, 1.249 EFF, +22.5 ZR, +23.3 FldRV
• .358/.402/.524, .925 OPS, 68 R, 106 H, 18 2B, 11 3B, 3 HR, 70 RBI, 20 BB, 12 SB, 5.8 WPA, 5.5 WAR
• Frank Morrison (MET) 2nd – SS: 99 PO, 266 AST, 41 DP, .831 FLD%, 5.46 RNG, 1.206 EFF, +27.0 ZR, 3.7 WAR
• Jules Thomas (MIN) 3rd – SS: 111 PO, 221 AST, 27 DP, .838 FLD%, 4.89 RNG, 1.207 EFF, +23.0 ZR, 3.6 WAR

Denham finished the season with a Batsman WAR not seen in New York since the '60s because he was the slickest-fielding 3B in N.Y.L. history in addition to being one of the league’s best Batsmen. That placed him above the league’s two best fielders at Shortstop, Morrison & Thomas.

GREENHORN OF THE YEAR: William Butcher (C, age 28) – Frontier B.B.C.

• .362/.398/.470, .868 OPS, 64 R, 104 H, 24 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 68 RBI, 20 BB, 1 SB, 135 TB, 3.1 WPA, 3.3 WAR
• Made All-Star Game; C in N.Y.L. Team of the Year; Top Batsman for N.Y.L. champions
• William Webb (CF, VIC) 2nd – .331, .806 OPS, 84 R, 107 H, 13 2B, 10 3B, 2 HR, 56 RBI, 28 SB, 3.6 WPA, 3.4 WAR
• George Decker (P, UTI) 3rd – 21-17, 3.26 ERA, 317.1 IP, 21 CG, 101 K, 1.2 K/BB, 1.52 WHIP, 4.9 WAR, 4.2 rWAR

Butcher was the best Batsman for the first Frontier team to take the N.Y.L. pennant, and for that he wins G.o.t.Y. He was also the only N.Y.L. Greenhorn to be named to the Team of the Year. Webb had an excellent season that fell just short of an All-Star Game appearance. Decker pitched well for a Utica team that had some of the poorest fielding in the N.Y.L.

GOLDEN HANDS NOMINEES

• P: Thomas Onstad (ATL; 1st) – 30 PO, 54 AST, 5 E, .944 FLD%, 2.30 RNG, 1.178 EFF, +5.8 ZR
• C: Mark Lehmann (MET; 3rd) – 15 E, .943 FLD%, 25 PB, +6.2 ZR, 35.4 CS%, 3.16 C-ERA
• 1B: Andrew Cohen (UTI; 1st) – 44 DP, 32 E, .959 FLD%, 1.113 EFF, +7.7 ZR
• 2B: Melvin Greenawalt (NYAC; 4th) – 122 PO, 209 AST, 41 DP, 35 E, .904 FLD%, 5.24 RNG, 1.213 EFF, +17.8 ZR
• 3B: William Denham (CON; 2nd) – 69 PO, 189 AST, 10 DP, 55 E, .824 FLD%, 3.84 RNG, 1.249 EFF, +22.5 ZR
• SS: Frank Morrison (MET; 2nd) – 99 PR, 266 AST, 41 DP, 74 E, .831 FLD%, 5.46 RNG, 1.206 EFF, +27.0 ZR
• LF: Franklin Baum (MUT; 1st) – 10 AST, 2 DP, 21 E, .896 FLD%, 1.075 EFF, +9.3 ZR/ARM
• CF: George Whaley (FRO; 3rd) – 11 AST, 1 DP, 22 E, .918 FLD%, 1.048 EFF, +5.3 ZR/ARM
• RF: Robert Golden (SYR; 1st) – 10 AST, 0 DP, 12 E, .946 FLD%, 1.066 EFF, +5.2 ZR/ARM

TEAM OF THE YEAR NOMINEES

• P: Charles Rhodes (NYAC, age 32; 5th)
27-11, 1.89 ERA, 377.0 IP, 32 CG, 1 SHO, 197 K, 4.7 K/9, 8.2 K/BB, 1.07 WHIP, 12.9 WAR, 12.6 rWAR
• C: William Butcher (FRO, age 28; GH)
.362, .868 OPS, 64 R, 104 H, 24 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 68 RBI, 20 BB, 1 SB, 3.1 WPA, 3.3 WAR
• 1B: Ezechiele Cornaro (MET, age 34; 1st)
.376, .972 OPS, 78 R, 117 H, 31 2B, 11 3B, 1 HR, 59 RBI, 22 BB, 6 SB, 5.4 WPA, 3.7 WAR
• 2B: Jonathan Toppin (MUT, age 33; 1st)
.393, .423 OBP, .962 OPS, 73 R, 121 H, 25 2B, 10 3B, 0 HR, 67 RBI, 16 BB, 33 SB, 4.7 WPA, 3.6 WAR
• 3B: William Denham (CON, age 31; 2nd)
.358, .925 OPS, 68 R, 106 H, 18 2B, 11 3B, 3 HR, 70 RBI, 20 BB, 12 SB, +22.5 ZR, 5.8 WPA, 5.5 WAR
• SS: Ben Gagliardi (ATL, age 34; 3rd)
.336, .859 OPS, 60 R, 83 H, 21 2B, 8 3B, 0 HR, 51 RBI, 14 BB, 46 SB, +16.6 ZR, 3.7 WPA, 3.8 WAR (58 G)
• OF: Francis Smith (MET, age 36; 7th)
.382, .618 SLG, 1.022 OPS, 104 R, 130 H, 30 2B, 22 3B, 2 HR, 67 RBI, 38 SB, 210 TB, 7.1 WPA, 5.4 WAR
• OF: Jack Anastasio (NYAC, age 28; 2nd)
.322, .880 OPS, 92 R, 102 H, 27 2B, 15 3B, 0 HR, 46 RBI, 28 BB, 69 SB, 5.5 WPA, 3.3 WAR
• OF: Herb Verrett (ATL, age 37; 5th)
.361, .893 OPS, 70 R, 103 H, 23 2B, 6 3B, 1 HR, 62 RBI, 12 BB, 10 SB, 3.5 WPA, 2.9 WAR

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: James Burke (CF, age 38) – Philadelphia B.C.C.; 7x winner (5 in A.P.B.L.; repeat winner)

• .381/.442/.595, 1.037 OPS, 91 R, 114 H, 24 2B, 17 3B, 2 HR, 71 RBI, 35 BB, 58 SB, 178 TB, 4.7 WPA, 4.7 WAR
• Led N.E.L. in AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, BB, SB, RC, & WAR; 7th B.o.t.Y. in 9 years between A.P.B.L. & N.B.B.O.
• John Porretta (2B, SUS) 2nd – Northeastern League Greenhorn of the Year
• Jesse Craig (1B, SotO) 3rd – .346, .877 OPS, 70 R, 103 H, 31 2B, 5 3B, 65 RBI, 25 BB, 1 SB, 4.7 WPA, 3.5 WAR

Burke didn’t lead the N.E.L. in nine offensive categories again this season, only eight this time. His On Base, Slugging, & OPS were actually higher than they were last year, so he’s not showing any signs of slowing down. That meant Porretta, whose performance would have earned him a B.o.t.Y. & G.o.t.Y. double in many other years, had to settle for runner-up. Craig, the 1876 B.o.t.Y., had another excellent season for Sons of the Ocean.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Ben Lauppe (age 29) – National B.C.

• 28-13, 2.31 ERA, 355.0 IP, 30 CG, 1 SHO, 171 K, 4.3 K/9, 3.9 K/BB, 9.0 H/9, 1.12 WHIP, 9.0 WAR, 10.3 rWAR
• Won Triple Crown; Led N.E.L. in W, ERA, K, IP, CG, QS, O-AVG/SLG/OPS, K/9, H/9, WHIP, WAR, rWAR
• James Dressman (LBR) 2nd – 25-14, 2.60 ERA, 335.1 IP, 26 CG, 3 SHO, 118 K, 2.4 K/BB, 1.26 WHIP, 6.9 WAR, 6.3 rWAR
• William Burrow (NAT) 3rd – 26-13, 2.57 ERA, 336.0 IP, 27 CG, 1 SHO, 65 K, 3.4 K/BB, 1.18 WHIP, 6.0 WAR, 6.0 rWAR

Lauppe was even more dominant relative to the competition than Charles Rhodes was in the N.Y.L., leading the N.E.L. in FOURTEEN statistical categories and winning the Pitching Triple Crown, if limiting ERA Title contenders to 175+ innings instead of one inning per game (70+ IP). Dressman & Burrow had fine seasons, but Lauppe beat them by a country mile.

FIELDER OF THE YEAR: William Cruise (SS, age 30) – Portland B.C.

• SS: 349 TC, 97 PO, 212 AST, 32 DP, 40 E, .885 FLD%, 4.45 RNG, 1.296 EFF, +26.0 ZR, +29.3 FldRV
• .325/.366/.423, .789 OPS, 75 R, 103 H, 15 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 44 RBI, 22 BB, 12 SB, 2.9 WPA, 4.6 WAR
• Earl Seals (TU) 2nd – SS: 87 PO, 251 AST, 31 DP, 61 E, .847 FLD%, 4.98 RNG, 1.228 EFF, +26.7 ZR, 4.1 WAR
• John Harmon (BH) 3rd – SS: 96 PO, 257 AST, 33 DP, 64 E, .847 FLD%, 5.20 RNG, 1.206 EFF, +26.1 ZR, 3.4 WAR

Portland had a down year but Cruise certainly didn’t, as he enjoyed the best season of his career with the bat while winning his 6th Golden Hands award at Shortstop. Seals & Harmon gifted their teams another year of defensive wizardry, and over his eleven years in the N.B.B.O. Seals’ cumulative Zone Rating is now +265.4 (+24.1/YR).

GREENHORN OF THE YEAR: John Porretta (2B, age 24) – Susquehanna B.C.

• .356/.402/.562, .965 OPS, 97 R, 114 H, 23 2B, 20 3B, 1 HR, 91 RBI, 20 BB, 38 SB, 180 TB, 5.9 WPA, 4.5 WAR
• Made All-Star Game; N.E.L. Team of the Year at 2B; Runner-up for N.E.L. Batsman of the Year
• Lamberto Porcatello (C, QUI) 2nd – .340, .807 OPS, 41 R, 89 H, 20 XBH, 1 HR, 57 RBI, 13 BB, 2.77 C-ERA, 3.0 WPA, 1.9 WAR
• Jerald Campbell (P, GRA) 3rd – 20-15, 3.74 ERA, 315.1 IP, 15 CG, 1 SHO, 41 K, 0.9 K/BB, 1.55 WHIP, 5.1 WAR, 0.6 rWAR

A Greenhorn season like the one Porretta just had might mean it’ll be the 24-year-old’s only one in the N.B.B.O. He was brilliant in every aspect of the game except fielding, and in that regard he was still above average. In past years he likely would have earned either B.o.t.Y. or M.V.P. for his efforts. Porcatello & Campbell were good, but far…FAR behind.

GOLDEN HANDS NOMINEES

• P: Fred Cowan (PIO; 2nd) – 38 PO, 61 AST, 12 E, .892 FLD%, 1.104 EFF, +8.6 ZR
• C: Charley Craig (NAT; 1st) – 14 E, .956 FLD%, 27 PB, +6.1 ZR, 42.6 CS%, 2.70 C-ERA
• 1B: Jesse Craig (Soto; 2nd) – 40 DP, 27 E, .966 FLD%, 1.065 EFF, +4.4 ZR
• 2B: Lennon Haley (LBR; 3rd) – 145 PO, 231 AST, 35 DP, 44 E, .895 FLD%, 5.58 RNG, 1.178 EFF, +18.6 ZR
• 3B: Arwin Rijneveld (CAN; 1st) – 52 PO, 199 AST, 15 DP, 82 E, .828 FLD%, 3.70 RNG, 1.224 EFF, +19.7 ZR
• SS: William Cruise (PORT; 6th) – 97 PO, 212 AST, 32 DP, 40 E, .885 FLD%, 4.45 RNG, 1.296 EFF, +26.0 ZR
• LF: Henry Pittman (NAT; 1st) – 2 AST, 0 DP, 10 E, .935 FLD%, 1.081 EFF, +6.7 ZR/ARM
• CF: John Schultz (SUS; 2nd) – 15 AST, 5 DP, 17 E, .950 FLD%, 1.061 EFF, +10.4 ZR/ARM
• RF: Livingston Hollingsworth (OCE; 2nd) – 16 AST, 1 DP, 15 E, .938 FLD%, 1.064 EFF, +6.2 ZR/ARM

TEAM OF THE YEAR NOMINEES

• P: Ben Lauppe (NAT, age 29; 1st)
28-13, 2.31 ERA, 355.0 IP, 30 CG, 1 SHO, 171 K, 4.3 K/9, 3.9 K/BB, 9.0 H/9, 1.12 WHIP, 9.0 WAR, 10.3 rWAR
• C: Bertrand Bosley (GM, age 34; 5th)
.299, .823 OPS, 53 R, 73 H, 20 2B, 9 3B, 1 HR, 69 RBI, 24 BB, 0 SB, 5.1 WPA, 2.6 WAR
• 1B: Jesse Craig (SotO, age 33; 3rd)
.346, .877 OPS, 70 R, 103 H, 21 2B, 5 3B, 0 HR, 65 RBI, 25 BB, 1 SB, 4.7 WPA, 3.5 WAR
• 2B: John Porretta (SUS, age 24; GH)
.356, .965 OPS, 97 R, 114 H, 23 2B, 20 3B, 1 HR, 91 RBI, 20 BB, 38 SB, 180 TB, 5.9 WPA, 4.5 WAR
• 3B: James Kinney (NAT, age 32; 3rd)
.338, .873 OPS, 88 R, 110 H, 26 2B, 15 3B, 0 HR, 47 RBI, 12 BB, 6 SB, 3.5 WPA, 3.6 WAR
• SS: William Cruise (PORT, age 30; 1st)
.325, .789 OPS, 75 R, 103 H, 15 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 44 RBI, 22 BB, 12 SB, +26.0 ZR, 2.9 WPA, 4.6 WAR
• OF: James Burke (PBCC, age 38; 11th)
.381/.442/.595, 1.038 OPS, 91 R, 114 H, 24 2B, 17 3B, 2 HR, 71 RBI, 35 BB, 58 SB, 4.7 WPA, 4.7 WAR
• OF: John Schultz (SUS, age 34; 6th)
.326, .822 OPS, 96 R, 115 H, 23 2B, 14 3B, 1 HR, 62 RBI, 7 BB, 42 SB, +10.4 ZR/ARM, 5.3 WPA, 3.5 WAR
• OF: Francis Edwards (QUI, age 23; 1st)
.364, .945 OPS, 69 R, 112 H, 28 2B, 12 3B, 1 HR, 69 RBI, 22 BB, 9 SB, 6.2 WPA, 2.7 WAR

tm1681 · 06-08-2026, 06:37 PM

MISCELLANEOUS

SEASON RECORDS

• Metropolitan CF Francis Smith set a new record for Total Bases with 210.
• New York A.C. P Charles Rhodes set a new record for Pitcher WAR with 12.9.

NEW YORK LEAGUE STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Average: .393 by Jonathan Toppin (2B, Mutual)
• On-Base: .423 by Jonathan Toppin
• Slugging: .618 by Francis Smith (CF, Metro)
• OPS: 1.022 by Francis Smith
• Home Runs: 4 by three different Batsmen
• Runs Batted In: 75 by Jonathan Capehart (RF, Eagle)
• Runs: 104 by Francis Smith
• Hits: 130 by Francis Smith
• Doubles: 32 by Bernard Puckett (1B, Binghamton)
• Triples: 22 by Francis Smith
• Extra-Base Hits: 54 by Francis Smith
• Bases on Balls: 40 by Arvid Walters (3B, Syracuse)
• Stolen Bases: 69 by Jack Anastasio (RF, N.Y.A.C.)
• Total Bases: 210 by Francis Smith
• Zone Rating: +27.0 by Frank Morrison (SS, Metro)
• Win Prob. Added: 7.1 by Francis Smith
• Batsman WAR: 5.5 by William Denham (3B, Continental) (highest in N.Y.L. since 1869)

• Wins: 28 by Francis Molinari (Minuteman) & Edward Pelham (Frontier)
• Losses: 29 by John Watson (Mercury)
• ERA (175+ IP): 1.89 by Charles Rhodes
• Strikeouts: 197 by Charles Rhodes
• Innings: 377.0 by Charles Rhodes
• Complete Games: 33 by Francis Molinari
• Shutouts: 3 by Howard Shepherd (Continental) & Jack Smith (Eckford)
• BB/9 (175+ IP): 0.6 by Charles Rhodes
• K/9 (175+ IP): 4.7 by Charles Rhodes
• K/BB (175+ IP): 8.2 by Charles Rhodes
• WHIP (175+ IP): 1.07 by Charles Rhodes
• Pitcher WAR: 12.9 by Charles Rhodes
• Pitcher rWAR: 12.6 by Charles Rhodes

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Average: .381 by James Burke (CF, P.B.C.C.)
• On-Base: .442 by James Burke
• Slugging: .595 by James Burke
• OPS: 1.037 by James Burke
• Home Runs: 4 by Joe McKellar (SS, Squirrel Hill)
• Runs Batted In: 91 by John Porretta (2B, Susquehanna)
• Runs: 101 by Edward Shores (LF, Granite)
• Hits: 116 by Columbus Young (3B, Quinnipiac)
• Doubles: 36 by Edward Shores
• Triples: 20 by John Porretta
• Extra-Base Hits: 46 by Edward Shores
• Bases on Balls: 35 by James Burke
• Stolen Bases: 58 by James Burke
• Total Bases: 180 by John Porretta
• Zone Rating: +27.0 by Earl Seals (SS, Trenton Utd.)
• Win Prob. Added: 6.2 by Francis Edwards (LF, Quinnipiac)
• Batsman WAR: 4.7 by James Burke

• Wins: 28 by Ben Lauppe (National)
• Losses: 28 by Joseph Cobb (Lake Erie)
• ERA (175+ IP): 2.31 by Ben Lauppe
• Strikeouts: 171 by Ben Lauppe
• Innings: 355.0 by Ben Lauppe
• Complete Games: 30 by Ben Lauppe
• Shutouts: 3 by James Dressman (Lancastra) & William Hawk (Susquehanna)
• BB/9 (175+ IP): 0.5 by William Burrow (P.B.C.C.) & Michael Newman (Merrimack)
• K/9 (175+ IP): 4.3 by Ben Lauppe
• K/BB (175+ IP): 4.1 by William Hawk
• WHIP (175+ IP): 1.12 by Ben Lauppe
• Pitcher WAR: 9.0 by Ben Lauppe
• Pitcher rWAR: 10.3 by Ben Lauppe

ACHIEVEMENTS & NOTABLE EVENTS

• May 12: Lancastra Brit. sets an N.B.B.O. record with 4 Home Runs in a 9-1 win vs Pioneer.
• May 12: Lancastra 1B Ralph Callahan hits 2 Home Runs (1 Grand Slam) in a 9-1 win vs Pioneer.
• May 13: Frontier 1B Austin Hunter has 5 Hits & 5 RBI in a 17-5 win vs Victory.
• May 19: Green Mtn. wins 18-16 at Cantabrigians. Seven Batsmen finish with 3+ Hits.
• May 25: Atlantic scores 12 Runs in T4 during a 19-3 win at Marathon.
• May 25: Susquehanna C Scott Lyons has a Home Run, 5 Hits, & 5 RBI in a 15-7 win at Reading A.C.
• May 26: S.o.t.O. RF Seamus Gilchrist hits 4 Doubles in an 11-10 win at Granite.
• May 27: Squirrel Hill LF Jonatham Mills hits for the Cycle and has 7 RBI in a 22-4 win vs Pioneer.
• May 28: Frontier 2B Bertram Wagner hits 3 Triples in a 10-8 win at Utica.
• May 31: Susquehanna finishes May 14-1 and has a six-game lead in the Inland Championship.

• June 8: Eckford wins 16-15 vs Marathon. Seven Batsmen finish with 3+ Hits.
• June 9: Nassau Co. LF Valentino Grande hits 2 Home Runs in a 9-8 win vs Atlantic.
• June 17: Union LF Karl Ilkin bats 5/6 with 6 Runs & 4 Stolen Bases in a 17-4 win vs Hilltop.
• June 26: Brighton wins 17-16 vs Lord Balt. The teams combine for 41 Hits, and seven Batsmen have 3+.
• June 26: S.o.t.O. 2B Robert Nelson hits 2 Home Runs (1 ItP) in a 9-8 win vs Portland.
• June 29: Syracuse P Jacob Wesolowski bats 5/6 with 3 RBI while pitching a CG in a 28-2 win vs Binghamton.
• June 29: Atlantic 2B Monroe Crawford bats 5/6 with a Home Run in a 13-3 win at Continental.
• June 30: Reading A.C. RF Scott Conway hits 3 Triples in a 10-5 win at Merrimack.

• July 6: National P Ben Lauppe has an N.E.L. season-high 11 Strikeouts in a 6-2 win vs Brighton.
• July 8: The season-long Hitting Streak of Marathon RF Alessandro Salieri ends after 38 games.
• July 9: National 1B Hilton James has 5 Hits & 5 RBI in a 26-3 win vs Brighton.
• July 16: Hilltop P Jack Jacobs has an N.Y.L. season-high 11 Strikeouts in a 7-5 win vs Baltic.
• July 20: Empire SS Edward Davis hits for the Cycle in an 11-4 win at Bedford.
• July 21: Two teams score 20+ Runs during wins in New England: PORT 25-6 GRA, QUI 20-12 OCE
• July 25: The N.Y.L. wins the All-Star Game 6-1. M.V.P.: Ned Morganti (CF, HILL). HOST: Quinnipiac.
• July 27: Susquehanna P William Hawk pitches a One-Hitter in an 11-0 win vs Pioneer.
• July 29: Victory SS Phillip Wolf draws 4 Bases on Balls in an 18-7 win at Binghamton.

• Aug 3: Metro CF Francis Smith has 5 Hits & 5 RBI in a 15-2 win at Mercury.
• Aug 4: Trenton Utd. CF Jonas Simmelink hits 2 Home Runs in a 13-12 loss at National.
• Aug 5: Salem CF George Lewis bats 5/6 with 4 Runs & 4 RBI in a 19-14 win vs S.o.t.O.
• Aug 12: Frontier CF George Whaley has 5 Stolen Bases in a 12-9 loss at Minuteman.
• Aug 13: Pioneer 1B August Belanger bats 6/7 with 3 Doubles in a 16-inning, 13-12 win vs Reading A.C.
• Aug 13: Nassau Co. RF Stephen Gabriel has 2 Home Runs (1 ItP) & 6 RBI in an 11-0 win at Eckford.
• Aug 13: Bunker Hill 1B Nicholas Briley draws 4 Bases on Balls in a 9-7 win at Diamond St.
• Aug 15: Metro beats New York A.C. 6-2 to take the New York City pennant via one-game playoff.

• Sep 6: National (1st title) wins the Adams Cup Final vs Frontier. M.V.P.: James Kinney (3B, NAT).

PERFORMANCES OF THE SEASON (by Game Score)

• #1: 107 by Squirrel Hill LF Jonathan Mills vs Pioneer on May 27 (4/4, 2B, 3B, HR, 3 R, 7 RBI, CYCLE)
• #2: 100 by Victory 3B Henry Nabors at Binghamton on July 28 (3/3, GRAND SLAM, 3 R, 5 RBI, 3 BB)
• #3: 97 by Susquehanna C Scott Lyons at Reading A.C. on May 25 (5/6, HR, 3 R, 5 RBI)
• #4: 97 by National 1B Hilton James vs Brighton on July 9 (5/6, 2 2B, 3B, 3 R, 5 RBI, BB; DP)
• #5: 95 by National 2B Chester Dudek vs Trenton Utd. on Aug. 6 (3/4, HR, 4 R, 6 RBI, BB)
• #6: 92 by Frontier 1B Austin Hunter vs Victory on May 13 (5/6, 2B, 3B, 3 R, 5 RBI)
• #7: 92 by Salem CF George Lewis vs S.o.t.O. on Aug. 5 (5/6, 2 2B, 4 R, 4 RBI)
• #8: 90 by Portland 2B Randolph Enright at Cantabrigians on June 11 (5/6, 2 2B, 4 R, 3 RBI, BB)
• #9: 89 by Susquehanna P William Hawk vs Pioneer on July 27 (SHO, 9.0 IP, 1 HA, 1 BB, 5 K)
• #10: 89 by Minuteman RF Klement Toksvig vs Frontier on Aug. 10 (4/5, 3B, HR, 3 R, 5 RBI)

tm1681 · 06-08-2026, 06:52 PM

1881 AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE REVIEW

FINAL A.P.B.L. STANDINGS

PER-TEAM STATISTICS

1881: 6.2 R/G, .280 AVG, .694 OPS, 946 H, 185 2B, 64 3B, 11 HR, 144 SB, 3.37 ERA, 147 BB, 219 K, 4.5 E/G, .897 FLG%
1880: 5.7 R/G, .271 AVG, .667 OPS, 898 H, 175 2B, 56 3B, 10 HR, 128 SB, 3.11 ERA, 129 BB, 255 K, 4.2 E/G, .905 FLD%

FOUNDERS CUP XI

St. John’s (4th title, 2nd straight, 9th overall) defeats Excelsior 4-2.

GAME 1: EXC 5-17 StJ – 3B Eamonn Higgins (StJ): 5/6 (all 1B), 3 R, 1 RBI
GAME 2: EXC 6-7 StJ – LF Joseph Evans (StJ): 2/4 (2B), 1 R, 2 RBI, BB, 3 TB, GW RUN
GAME 3: StJ 8-9 EXC – 2B Cletus Cannon: 2/5 (HR), 3 R, 2 RBI, 3 SB, 5 TB
GAME 4: StJ 5-11 EXC – CF Henry Arnold (EXC) – 2/4 (3B), 3 R, 2 RBI, BB, 4 TB
GAME 5: StJ 19-3 EXC – 2B Cletus Cannon (StJ): 4/6 (2B, 3B), 5 R, 3 RBI, BB, 3 SB, 7 TB
GAME 6: EXC 7-10 StJ – 2B Cletus Cannon (StJ): 4/5 (2B, 3B), 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 SB, 7 TB

SERIES M.V.P.: 2B Cletus Cannon (StJ) - .500 (15/30), 15 R, 3 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 1 BB, 9 SB, 25 TB, 3x PotG

WRITERS POOL OBSERVATIONS

After establishing a uniform standard for the entire construction of the game ball during the Executive Committee’s Spring Meetings, Strikeouts went down, Average & OPS went up, and run scoring increased by close to ten percent, although it still was not as high as it was in 1879 (7.1 R/G).

ALLEGHANY: For the second straight season their Pitching & Fielding were comfortably in the league’s top half but saw that good work undone by an anemic offense ranked in the league’s bottom two. Last winter they didn’t tinker much with the lineup, but it’s obvious they can’t do that again. Needs: 3B, LF, CF, RF.

M.V.P: SS Gerald Strong – .319, .773 OPS, 75 R, 123 H, 25 2B, 5 3B, 1 HR, 53 RBI, 10 BB, 43 SB, 2.1 WPA, 3.6 WAR

AMERICAN: They hit rock-bottom in 1881, having their poorest season in the A.P.B.L. and their worst on the whole since their 16-54 N.B.B.O. campaign in 1858. William Busby, Will Carrigan, George Kassabian, & Franklin Petty all had career-worst years, and it leaves one wondering where the front office should even start when it comes to roster changes.

M.V.P: P Jimmy Everhart – 15-27, 3.82 ERA, 360.1 IP, 25 CG, 1 SHO, 139 K, 4.0 K/BB, 1.43 WHIP, 8.1 WAR, 3.2 rWAR

EXCELSIOR: From 6th place at 40-50 in 1880 to 1st at 54-37 in 1881 – couldn’t have had a better year. Incredible work to sign three Greenhorns who all became All-Stars in their debut seasons. Excellence up & down the lineup, and great fielding as well. Only issue: their Pitching Duo ranked 15th/16 in terms of talent.

M.V.P: LF Troy Oberst – .361, .939 OPS, 93 R, 146 H, 39 2B, 16 3B, 1 HR, 57 RBI, 22 BB, 4 SB, 5.9 WPA, 5.5 WAR

FLOUR CITY: Once again finished 46-44 even though their lineup had major weaknesses at 3-4 positions. New #1 Steve Breland was outstanding in his first season. Floyd Hoffman had the greatest year-to-year turnaround ever. Ernest Dugas had a career year. Jesse Noss made another All-Star Game. Frank Bulger wasn’t as good as he should have been. Needs: C, 2B, SS.

M.V.P: CF Ernest Dugas – .324, .818 OPS, 83 R, 122 H, 24 2B, 14 3B, 0 HR, 82 RBI, 22 BB, 34 SB, 4.5 WPA, 3.7 WAR

GOTHAM: Oof…Projected to top the Metro, but instead finished 6th with about a dozen Wins below projections. The problem: the worst Defensive Efficiency in the league, as nobody aside from SS wizard Peter Jones looked good in the field. That caused their Pitchers to unnecessarily suffer, and results went with it. Most immediate need: a new Third Baseman.

M.V.P: 2B Babe Johnson – .329, .873 OPS, 89 R, 121 H, 21 2B, 13 3B, 3 HR, 64 RBI, 41 BB, 25 SB, 4.0 WPA, 2.7 WAR

KINGS COUNTY: Great in the opening half, but a 20-25 second half caused them to fall short of the Founders Cup. Garfield Koonce and the lineup were very good. Hugo dos Santos hit his All-Star potential, but other P’s really let them down as the season went on. The other issue big issue: it looks like they’re due for a new CF after six years of playing George Miller there.

M.V.P: 1B Garfield Koonce – .388, .945 OPS, 80 R, 142 H, 33 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 86 RBI, 22 BB, 1 SB, 5.6 WPA, 4.6 WAR

KNICKERBOCKER: Fell from their pennant-winning heights as their offense struggled this season. Clive Strachan had a career-worst year. Cale Jones hit just .227 in his return to the lineup at C. Albert Stoffers saw his OPS fall 50-60 points. William Avery also proved to be a big downgrade from Robert Goodman. Retooling is needed.

M.V.P: P Bertram Landreth – 26-19, 2.94 ERA, 392.1 IP, 34 CG, 146 K, 3.5 K/BB, 1.22 WHIP, 8.1 WAR, 5.0 rWAR

MASSACHUSETTS BAY: A fine season by the Bostonians that ended with their best Colonial Conference finish to date. What got them there was an attack that was the league’s best even though they lost Harold Durand. M.B. finished the year with seven .300 hitters. Another plus: adding Charles King from Pt. Jersey stabilized their pitching. Needs: LF, CF.

M.V.P: RF Kevin Duke – .351, .831 OPS, 78 R, 140 H, 32 2B, 7 3B, 0 HR, 69 RBI, 10 BB, 17 SB, 3.9 WPA, 3.3 WAR

NEWARK: Last place again, but they made it to 40 Wins for the 1st time in the A.P.B.L. John Ratican was their best player again – an All-Star for the 2nd straight year. Jacob Kaulback, an 1880 All-Star, really struggled, but Outfield mate Thomas Fetterman made his first A.S.G. Andrew Lowden was better, but still not good enough. Needs: P2, 2B, 3B, SS, LF.

M.V.P: P John Ratican – 23-20, 2.70 ERA, 380.0 IP, 33 CG, 1 SHO, 143 K, 2.9 K/BB, 1.26 WHIP, 6.6 WAR, 6.2 rWAR

NIAGARA: Better in 1881 – tied for 2nd in the Colonial. Charles Barrett was excellent for the third straight year. Reginald Roper had his best campaign since 1873. William Norman again was a run producer. Oliver Johnson had a decent Greenhorn season at 3B & SS. Jenkins & Mukai weren’t as great as last year but remain a formidable Pitching Duo.

M.V.P: CF Charles Barrett – .316, .819 OPS, 78 R, 125 H, 26 2B, 10 3B, 3 HR, 59 RBI, 28 BB, 17 SB, 4.3 WPA, 4.2 WAR

ORANGE: Their comeback is complete after forcing Excelsior into a one-game playoff for the Metro crown. Andrew Miller was the best #1 in the league. The Johns – Cobb & Meier – were tremendous in the Outfield. Charles Whitehead had another great year. Walter Carrow improved slightly in Year Two. With a new C and perhaps a new 1B, they’ll be pennant favorites.

M.V.P: P Andrew Miller – 29-16, 2.92 ERA, 394.0 IP, 32 CG, 126 K, 6.6 K/BB, 1.14 WHIP, 8.9 WAR, 5.0 rWAR

PORT JERSEY: An odd year – 6th in the Colonial but with the 2nd-best Run Differential. Record aside, Robert Goodman was every bit the upgrade they were hoping for at P1. Vincent Dixon had a breakout season. Samuel Eastman didn’t reach last year’s heights but was still very good. They received quality play from their Outfield. Issues going into the winter: C, 1B.

M.V.P: 2B Vincent Dixon – .372, .960 OPS, 78 R, 141 H, 42 2B, 12 3B, 2 HR, 78 RBI, 18 BB, 11 SB, 5.7 WPA, 5.8 WAR

QUAKER STATE: Lost their long-tenured greats, Gill & Morganti, and it was a deathblow – 2nd-worst record and worst RD in the league. The good: Harold Durand was an All-Star in his 1st season with the team and William Wimple became one in his 4th A.P.B.L. season. The bad: just about everything else. The big needs: 1B, SS, P1, P2.

M.V.P: LF Harold Durand – .343, .888 OPS, 67 R, 130 H, 29 2B, 12 3B, 2 HR, 67 RBI, 20 BB, 9 SB, 3.4 WPA, 3.9 WAR

SHAMROCK: Disappointment – top of the Colonial midway through the season, but an 18-27 second half saw them finish 5th. George Collier & Joseph Sullivan were All-Stars in their debut seasons. William Dickerson was the best 3B in the league. Henry Jost was a greyhound in the Outfield. George Burroughs was a solid #1 again. Issues: light hitting at 2B, SS, LF, & RF

M.V.P: 3B William Dickerson – .337, .855 OPS, 75 R, 122 H, 23 2B, 10 3B, 2 HR, 72 RBI, 29 BB, 47 SB, 5.2 WPA, 5.3 WAR

SAINT JOHN’S: Champions again. Six .300 hitters in the lineup, and while Howard Burns wasn’t historically great once again George Cerven backed him up with a 25-9 campaign. Their only issue: will one player take over SS and/or RF next year?

M.V.P: 1B Konrad Jensen – .311, .783 OPS, 89 R, 122 H, 24 2B, 6 3B, 0 HR, 68 RBI, 40 BB, 64 SB, 5.4 WPA, 3.7 WAR

TIGER S.C.: Their best season in the A.P.B.L. – 4th in the Metro but with the conference’s best RD. Martin Prince had his finest campaign, and Middle Infield partner Griffin Gray became an All-Star. Howard Boley hit over .350 out of nowhere. Their capture of the Flour City Pitching Duo was fine business as both Gray & Johannessen had 20+ Wins. Needs: C, 1B, CF.

M.V.P: SS Martin Prince – .361, .943 OPS, 94 R, 130 H, 27 2B, 20 3B, 1 HR, 56 RBI, 11 BB, 24 SB, 3.7 WPA, 5.6 WAR

tm1681 · 06-08-2026, 07:07 PM

AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS
Career totals include awards from pre-1871 N.B.B.O.

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Garfield Koonce (1B, age 36) – Kings County B.B.C.; 2x winner (1869 in N.B.B.O.)

• .388/.423/.522, .945 OPS, 80 R, 142 H, 33 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 86 RBI, 22 BB, 1 SB, 191 TB, 5.6 WPA, 4.6 WAR
• Led league in AVG, OBP, & RBI; Top five in SLG, OPS, OPS+, H, 2B, RC, & WPA; 1st B.o.t.Y. in A.P.B.L.
• Vincent Dixon (2B, PtJ) 2nd – .372, .960 OPS, 78 R, 141 H, 42 2B, 12 3B, 2 HR, 78 RBI, 18 BB, 5.7 WPA, 5.8 WAR
• Troy Oberst (LF, EXC) 3rd – .361, .939 OPS, 93 R, 146 H, 56 XBH, 1 HR, 57 RBI, 22 BB, 220 TB, 5.9 WPA, 5.5 WAR

Because he “only” hit comfortably over .300 after July 1, Koonce ended up falling short of .400 in 1881. Still, he takes B.o.t.Y. because he finished 1st in two of the three Triple Crown categories. This was easily his best season since the league’s inaugural year (.392, 48 XBH, 92 RBI), and although it might feel like a Lifetime Achievement Award since he didn’t have the highest WPA/WAR and this was his fifth time being in the top three for A.P.B.L. Batsman of the Year, he still deserved the honor.

25-year-old Dixon had a tremendous season for Pt. Jersey, and his progression over the past three years has taken him from average regular to bonafide star. Oberst had the best of his eight seasons for the Metropolitan Conference champions, and he was the main factor in their trip to Founders Cup XI.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Andrew Miller (age 27) – Orange B.B.C.

• 29-16, 2.92 ERA, 394.0 IP, 32 CG, 0 SHO, 126 K, 2.9 K/9, 6.6 K/BB, 9.8 H/9, 1.14 WHIP, 8.9 WAR, 5.0 rWAR
• Led league in W, IP, BB/9, K/BB, WHIP, & WAR; Top five in CG, QS, O-AVG/OBP/OPS
• Bertram Landreth (KNI) 2nd – 26-19, 2.94 ERA, 392.1 IP, 34 CG, 146 K, 3.5 K/BB, 1.22 WHIP, 8.1 WAR, 5.0 rWAR
• Howard Burns (StJ) 3rd – 24-17, 3.32 ERA, 374.0 IP, 30 CG, 148 K, 2.9 K/BB, 1.39 WHIP, 8.7 WAR, 3.6 rWAR

Miller earned his P.o.t.Y. because he was the league’s best Pitcher after June 1st, going 23-9 with a 2.42 ERA and 91 Strikeouts to just eight Bases on Balls over 290 innings of work. The award meant Miller’s five-year career had come full circle, for in his Greenhorn season of 1877 Miller was 7-31 with a 4.64 ERA for the worst team in Orange’s history.

Landreth didn’t have a record-breaking campaign like he did in 1880, but he was consistently excellent and led the league in Complete Games. Burns didn’t take his third straight P.o.t.Y., as his form after July 1st (8-9, 4.14 ERA) ruined what had been an excellent opening half of the campaign.

The oddity: if going purely by performance then Robert Goodman, who had a 2.91 ERA with 143 Strikeouts, 8.7 WAR, & 8.4 rWAR, was the league’s best Pitcher. However, because of Pt. Jersey’s strange year his record was 21-25 and he wasn’t considered.

FIELDER OF THE YEAR: Martin Prince (SS, age 31) – Tiger S.C.

• SS: 447 TC, 112 PO, 286 AST, 37 DP, 49 E, .890 FLD%, 4.88 RNG, 1.133 EFF, +17.5 ZR, +21.3 FldRV
• .361/.387/.556, .943 OPS, 94 R, 130 H, 27 2B, 20 3B, 1 HR, 56 RBI, 11 BB, 24 SB, 3.7 WPA, 5.6 WAR
• J.B. Chessman (EXC) 2nd – SS: 113 PO, 296 AST, 37 DP, .857 FLD%, 4.65 RNG, 1.120 EFF, +14.7 ZR, 4.4 WAR
• Ernest Dugas (FC) 3rd – CF: 279 PO, 9 AST, 2 DP, .883 FLD%, 3.32 RNG, 1.084 EFF, +10.6 ZR/ARM, 3.7 WAR

Prince, an 8x All-Star, had the best year of his career in 1881, and as part of that he was the finest-fielding Shortstop in the A.P.B.L., featuring both the surest hands and the strongest arm. In the process, he led Tiger S.C. to the best of their four seasons in the A.P.B.L.

GREENHORN OF THE YEAR: Charles Blaise (1B, age 27) – Excelsior B.B.C.

• .339/.376/.517, .893 OPS, 91 R, 132 H, 28 2B, 19 3B, 1 HR, 60 RBI, 18 BB, 50 SB, +11.0 BsR, 5.0 WPA, 5.0 WAR
• Top five in SLG, XBH, 3B, TB, RC, & WAR; One of three Excelsior Greenhorns to make All-Star Game
• Steve Breland (P, FC) 2nd – 24-18, 2.76 ERA, 374.2 IP, 32 CG, 90 K, 1.6 K/BB, 10.1 H/9, 1.28 WHIP, 6.6 WAR, 7.7 rWAR
• Damian McLaughlin (C, GOT) 3rd – .326, .746 OPS, 33 R, 102 H, 17 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 50 RBI, 42.4 CS%, 1.6 WPA, 2.8 WAR

In a year when a record seven Greenhorns made the All-Star Game, naming the G.o.t.Y., let alone the top three, was an extremely difficult task. In the end, Blaise came out on top because of his massive impact for the Metro champs, reaching 5+ WPA & WAR. Breland’s fantastic August (6-1, 1.29 ERA) cemented his status as a top-tier pro pitcher, and he took 2nd. While McLaughlin didn’t have the best statistical output among the Greenhorn Batsmen, the fact that he was the best Catcher in the league led to him finishing 3rd.

The one man who will feel shortchanged by not making the top three is Excelsior 2B Johnny Holcombe, whose output – .319 AVG, .832 OPS, 76 R, 70 RBI, 4.1 WPA, 4.5 WAR – would have earned him G.o.t.Y. at the end of every other season in league history, save one or two.

GOLDEN HANDS NOMINEES

• P: Steve Breland (FC; GH) – 39 PO, 50 AST, 3 DP, 16 E, .848 FLD%, 1.077 EFF, +6.3 ZR
• C: Joseph Nalley (StJ; 3rd) – 85 AST, 9 DP, 16 E, .956 FLD%, 1.039 EFF, +10.3 FldRV, 35.6 CS%, 3.60 C-ERA
• 1B: Konrad Jensen (StJ; 6th) – 924 PO, 89 AST, 47 DP, 16 E, .984 FLD%, 1.112 EFF, +9.7 ZR
• 2B: Burton Ellerby (MB; 2nd) – 149 PO, 320 AST, 57 DP, 53 E, .898 FLD%, 5.49 RNG, 1.106 EFF, +15.4 ZR
• 3B: Jesse Noss (FC; 1st) – 84 PO, 222 AST, 16 DP, 73 E, .807 FLD%, 3.52 RNG, 1.105 EFF, +10.9 ZR
• SS: Martin Prince (TIG; 5th) – 112 PO, 286 AST, 37 DP, 49 E, .890 FLD%, 4.88 RNG, 1.133 EFF, +17.5 ZR
• LF: Howard Boley (TIG; 1st) – 8 AST, 0 DP, 17 E, .915 FLD%, 2.41 RNG, 1.039 EFF, +4.1 ZR/ARM
• CF: Ernest Dugas (FC; 1st) – 9 AST, 2 DP, 38 E, .883 FLD%, 3.32 RNG, 1.084 EFF, +10.7 ZR/ARM
• RF: Jonathan Cobb (ORA; 2nd) – 23 AST, 5 DP, 23 E, .923 FLD%, 3.12 RNG, 1.017 EFF, +4.8 ZR/ARM

TEAM OF THE YEAR NOMINEES

• P: Howard Burns (StJ, age 32; 2nd)
24-17, 3.32 ERA, 374.0 IP, 30 CG, 148 K, 3.6 K/9, 2.9 K/BB, 11.3 H/9, 1.39 WHIP, 8.7 WAR, 3.6 rWAR
• C: Damian McLaughlin (GOT, age 26; 1st)
.326, .746 OPS, 33 R, 102 H, 17 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 50 RBI, 11 BB, 2 SB, 42.4 CS%, 1.6 WPA, 2.8 WAR
• 1B: Garfield Koonce (KC, age 36; 5th)
.388, .423 OBP, .945 OPS, 80 R, 142 H, 33 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 86 RBI, 22 BB, 1 SB, 5.6 WPA, 4.6 WAR
• 2B: Vincent Dixon (PtJ, age 25; 1st)
.372, .562 SLG, .960 OPS, 78 R, 141 H, 42 2B, 12 3B, 2 HR, 78 RBI, 18 BB, 11 SB, 5.7 WPA, 5.8 WAR
• 3B: William Dickerson (SHA, age 34; 4th)
.337, .855 OPS, 75 R, 122 H, 23 2B, 10 3B, 2 HR, 72 RBI, 29 BB, 47 SB, +10.1 BsR, 5.2 WPA, 5.3 WAR
• SS: Martin Prince (TIG, age 31; 4th)
.361, .943 OPS, 94 R, 130 H, 27 2B, 20 3B, 1 HR, 56 RBI, 11 BB, 24 SB, +17.5 ZR, 3.7 WPA, 5.6 WAR
• OF: Troy Oberst (EXC, age 34; 2nd)
.361, .939 OPS, 93 R, 146 H, 39 2B, 16 3B, 1 HR, 57 RBI, 22 BB, 4 SB, 220 TB, 5.9 WPA, 5.5 WAR
• OF: John Meier (ORA, age 31; 1st)
.321, .812 OPS, 102 R, 136 H, 34 2B, 11 3B, 1 HR, 37 RBI, 14 BB, 77 SB, 6.0 WPA, 4.1 WAR
• OF: Charles Barrett (NIA, age 29; 3rd)
.316, .819 OPS, 78 R, 125 H, 26 2B, 10 3B, 3 HR, 59 RBI, 28 BB, 17 SB, 4.3 WPA, 4.2 WAR

MISCELLANEOUS

SEASON RECORDS

• Excelsior Batsmen new a new record for Triples with 87.
• Vincent Dixon (2B, PtJ) & Troy Oberst (LF, EXC) tied the record for Extra Base Hits with 56.
• Mass. Bay P Peter Dittmer tied the league record for Saves with 9.
• Flour City P Everton Crawford set a new record for Bases on Balls with 106.

STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Average: .388 by Garfield Koonce (1B, Kings Co.)
• On-Base: .423 by Garfield Koonce
• Slugging: .562 by Vincent Dixon (2B, Pt. Jersey)
• OPS: .960 by Vincent Dixon
• Home Runs: 5 by Jesse Noss (3B, Flour City)
• Runs Batted In: 86 by Garfield Koonce
• Runs: 102 by John Meier (LF, Orange)
• Hits: 146 by Troy Oberst (LF, Excelsior)
• Doubles: 42 by Vincent Dixon
• Triples: 20 by Martin Prince (SS, Tiger S.C.)
• Extra-Base Hits: 56 by Vincent Dixon & Troy Oberst
• Bases on Balls: 45 by William Busby (1B, American)
• Stolen Bases: 77 by John Meier
• Total Bases: 220 by Troy Oberst
• Zone Rating: +17.5 by Martin Prince
• Batsman WPA: 6.0 by John Meier
• Batsman WAR: 5.8 by Vincent Dixon

• Wins: 29 by Andrew Miller (Orange)
• Losses: 31 by Albert Stewart (Quaker St.)
• ERA (200+ IP): 2.70 by John Ratican (Newark)
• Strikeouts: 149 by Nicholas Banfield (Alleghany)
• Innings: 394.0 by Andrew Miller
• Complete Games: 34 by three different Pitchers
• Shutouts: 3 by George Burroughs (Shamrock)
• BB/9 (200+ IP): 0.4 by Andrew Miller
• K/9 (200+ IP): 3.9 by Nicholas Banfield
• K/BB (200+ IP): 6.6 by Andrew Miller
• WHIP (200+ IP): 1.14 by Andrew Miller
• Pitcher WAR: 8.9 by Andrew Miller
• Pitcher rWAR: 10.2 by Willie Gray

ACHIEVEMENTS & NOTABLE EVENTS

• May 4: The season-long Hitting Streak of Flour City LF Matthew Small ends after 23 games.
• May 7: Knick 2B Anthony Mascherino’s 5 RBI vs Newark gives him 11 RBI over a two-game span.
• May 13: Kings Co. P Paul Caldwell bats 4/6 with a Grand Slam & 7 RBI in a 26-8 win vs Gotham.
• May 13: Kings Co. CF George Miller draws 4 Bases on Balls in a 26-8 win vs Gotham.
• May 15: Alleghany P Nicholas Banfield has a season-high 9 Strikeouts in a 7-6 win vs Shamrock.
• May 22: Pt. Jersey CF Art Kanellopoulos bats 6/6 with 4 Runs & 4 RBI in a 16-6 win vs St. John’s.
• May 22: Tiger S.C. SS Martin Prince has 3 Doubles in a 13-11 loss vs Excelsior.
• May 26: American P Jimmy Everhart ties the season high with 9 Strikeouts in an 8-1 win vs Niagara.

• June 5: St. John’s finishes with 4 Hits in a 7-0 Shutout win vs Alleghany.
• June 10: Shamrock has three Batsmen finish with 3+ Hits in a 16-13 win at Newark.
• June 16: Flour City beats Knick by 10+ on consecutive days at the Elysian Fields (FC 14-1 KNI, FC 13-2 KNI).
• June 21: Orange has four Batsmen finish with 3+ Hits in a 12-4 win at Alleghany.
• June 28: Mass. Bay 3B Joseph Kipp has 5 Stolen Bases in a 7-4 win vs Quaker St.
• June 29: Pt. Jersey wins 15-13 at Tiger S.C. Seven Batsmen finish with 3+ Hits.
• June 30: Kings Co. 1B Garfield Koonce ends the month of June with a .453 Average (1.101 OPS) over 51 games.

• July 1: Shamrock 3B William Dickerson sets a new record with 14 Total Bases in a 21-1 win vs Kings Co.
• July 1: Shamrock 3B William Dickerson has 2 HR & 8 RBI in a 21-1 win vs Kings Co.
• July 5: St. John’s has four Batsmen finish with 3+ Hits in a 19-3 win at Mass. Bay.
• July 5: Excelsior has four Batsmen finish with 3+ Hits in a 15-4 win at Quaker St.
• July 5: Excelsior CF Henry Arnold has 5 Hits & 6 RBI in a 15-4 win at Quaker St.
• July 7: Shamrock 3B William Dickerson & SS Clive Aylett finish with 5 Hits in a 16-2 win vs Alleghany.
• July 13: Orange C David Dial has 5 Hits, a Home Run, & 9 RBI (ties record) in a 19-16 win at Gotham.
• July 23: Pt. Jersey P Robert Goodman pitches a No-Hitter in an 18-1 win vs Gotham.
• July 23: Mass. Bay RF Kevin Duke bats 5/5 with 3 Doubles in an 8-5 win at American.
• July 27: Flour City 3B Jesse Noss hits 2 HR (1 ItP) in an 8-7 win at Mass. Bay.
• July 27: Newark P John Ratican ties the season high with 9 Strikeouts in a 10-7 loss at Niagara.

• Aug 1: Metro Conf. wins the All-Star Game 8-3 (4th straight). M.V.P.: William Wimple (CF, QS). HOST: Orange.
• Aug 13: American P Jimmy Everhart pitches a three-hit Shutout with 8 Strikeouts in a 3-0 win at Shamrock.
• Aug 22: Excelsior wins the Metropolitan Conference title in a one-game playoff (ORA 5-6 EXC).
• Aug 31: St. John’s (4th title) wins Founders Cup XI vs Excelsior. M.V.P.: Cletus Cannon (2B, StJ)

PERFORMANCES OF THE SEASON (by Game Score)

• #1: 118 by Shamrock 3B William Dickerson vs Kings Co. on July 1 (4/6, 2 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 14 TB)
• #2: 114 by Orange C David Dial at Gotham on July 13 (5/7, 2B, HR, 2 R, 9 RBI, GIDP; 1/5 CS)
• #3: 106 by Kings Co. P Paul Caldwell vs Gotham on May 13 (4/6, GS, 4 R, 7 RBI, SAC BUNT)
• #4: 104 by Pt. Jersey CF Art Kanellopoulos vs St. John’s on May 22 (6/6, 2B, 4 R, 4 RBI)
• #5: 99 by Excelsior CF Henry Arnold at Quaker St. on July 5 (5/6, 2 3B, 3 R, 6 RBI)
• #6: 99 by Pt. Jersey 2B Vincent Dixon at Tiger S.C. on June 29 (5/5, 2B, HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, BB; DP)
• #7: 91 by Knick 2B Anthony Mascherino vs Newark on May 6 (4/5, 2B, 3 R, 6 RBI, SAC FLY)
• #8: 90 by Pt. Jersey P Robert Goodman vs Gotham on July 23 (NO-HITTER, 9.0 IP, 1 R/0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K)
• #9: 89 by Mass. Bay SS Jonathan Quarles vs Orange on May 24 (4/5, 2 2B, HR, 3 R, 5 RBI, SAC FLY; DP)
• #10: 89 by Flour City RF Floyd Hoffman vs Newark on July 13 (4/5, 2 3B, 4 R, 4 RBI, BB)

tm1681 · 06-08-2026, 07:08 PM

Now it's time to build up to the new leagues. It's going to take a bit since it will be three at the same time. I'll need to test them and make sure they integrate properly. The graphics are ready to go, though.

I also have some work deadlines coming up, so can't slack on that front.

tm1681 · 06-10-2026, 01:08 AM

FRANKLIN PETTY RETIRES
LEGENDARY OUTFIELDER WAS 12x ALL-STAR, 2x MVP, 1x BotY DURING 19-YEAR CAREER

PHILADELPHIA, PENN. (Sep. 10, 1881) - Franklin Petty, one of the greatest Outfielders in the young history of the sport of baseball, has decided to put away his bat & cleats to put an end to a nineteen-year career that spanned three decades.

A native of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Petty got his start in league baseball when he signed with struggling Lake Erie as a 19-year-old during the autumn of 1862, joining the team roughly six weeks before another indy ball prospect who would go on to become a familiar name: Wilbur Graff (9x All-Star, 4x Team of the Year).

Petty immediately won the Center Fielder job for Lake Erie, and as a 20-year-old his output in 1863 – .368, .903 OPS, 26 XBH, 44 RBI, 2.5 WAR – saw him miss out on the 1863 N.E.L. Greenhorn of the Year honor only because Pt. Jersey’s Edward Donovan, who himself had an outstanding top-level career (8x All-Star, 2x Golden Hands, 1x Team of the Year), had a historic Greenhorn campaign – .384, .897 OPS, 61 RBI, 37 SB, 3.4 WAR. Petty would make the All-Star Game the next season, establishing himself as one of the sport’s best players at the ripe old age of 21.

In 1868, Petty became a superstar, earning N.E.L. Most Valuable Player for a season that saw him hit .394 with a Slugging Pct. of .622 and an OPS 1.062 while becoming the first Outfielder to cross 6.0 Batsman WAR in a season. The reason why he took that award instead of Batsman of the Year was because he was up against a campaign from Konrad Jensen in which he Jensen hit over .400 and set a new record for OPS (1.088) that still stands. The next year Petty got his Batsman of the Year honor after batting .394 again with another OPS over 1.000 (1.019), 83 RBI, and a league-leading 189 Total Bases.

That winter, Petty left Lake Erie after its second straight under .500 season and signed with Orange B.B.C. Petty was excellent in an Orange shirt and made the move with them to the A.P.B.L., but left Manhattan after the league’s inaugural season to join American.

In Philadelphia, Petty became a key cog in an American machine that won four A.P.B.L. titles in five years, a run that included the best season ever by a pro team: 1873’s 65-25 campaign with a Run Differential that nearly hit +300. That season was James Burke’s first with the team, and together with Petty and 13x All-Star Willie Davis they formed a terrifying Outfield. Petty would go on to win his second career M.V.P. award in 1875, a season in which he hit .365 while scoring 130 times and swiping 79 bases. That would be the last truly great year of his career, although he made two more All-Star games, with his last appearance coming in 1878.

Petty had the most difficult year of his career in 1881. Because of that he decided to call time on his career. His numbers:

• 4x Founders Cup winner (1872-73, 75-76)
• 2x Most Valuable Player (NEL: 1868, APBL: 1875)
• 1x Batsman of the Year (NEL: 1869)
• 12x All-Star (NEL: 1864, 66-69; APBL: 1871-76, 78)
• 6x Team of the Year (NEL: 1866, 68, 69; APBL: 1872-73, 75)
• 1x Golden Glove (NEL: 1864)
• 1st Outfielder with 6+ WAR in a season (6.1 in 1868)
• 5 seasons hitting .350+ (NBBO: 1864, 68-89; APBL: 1871, 75)
• 2 seasons with 1.000+ OPS (NBBO: 1868-69)

For close to fifteen years Franklin Petty was one of the premier players in the sport. He will be remembered as one of the first “Five Tool” Outfielders in baseball, possessing premier contact ability, gap power, running speed, fielding ability/range, and arm strength. My he enjoy his retirement.

tm1681 · 06-10-2026, 01:10 AM

CORMACK ALEXANDER RETIRES
WAS 2x BotY, 11x ALL-STAR, 3x GOLDEN HANDS WINNER, 3x .400 HITTER IN TOP FLIGHT

PITTSBURGH, PENN. (Sep. 17, 1881) - Irishman Cormack Alexander, who became a sensation immediately upon his arrival in the N.B.B.O. in 1864, has ended his baseball career after eighteen seasons, all but one at the highest level.

Alexander, who was born in County Dublin but moved to the United States as a teenager, was spotted by Kings County staff playing independent ball in the summer of 1863 and signed with the team that September. This was how he introduced himself to the National Base Ball Organization the next year, as a 23-year-old:

• 1864 (KC): .430/.453/.523, .976 OPS, 92 R, 138 H, 27 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 62 RBI, 16 BB, 6 SB, 168 TB, 3.8 WPA, 4.0 WAR

In his debut season, Alexander took both N.Y.L. Batsman of the Year & Greenhorn of the Year while establishing new N.B.B.O. records for Batting Average & Hits in what was the greatest debut season ever seen. Those records have seen been surpassed, with Royal Altman batting .445 for Alleghany in 1867 and Troy Oberst collecting 143 Hits for Metropolitan in 1871. Still, at the time what Alexander did was something nobody had seen from a Batsman that young and inexperienced.

Alexander repeated as N.Y.L. Batting Champion the next season with a .375 Average, and after he “only” hit .359 in 1866 he earned B.o.t.Y. #2 in 1867. During the ’67 season, Alexander hit .414 (1.010 OPS) while leading the N.Y.L. in Slugging Pct. (.577), Hits (138), Doubles (34), and Total Bases (192) while also giving Kings Co. 82 RBI in a season that was better than his historic 1864. Sensationally, the Kings Co. front office let Alexander leave after the season because they had a 22-year-old five-star prospect who was ready for the Senior Roster and would save them $1,000 if promoted to regular duty: Garfield Koonce, who turned out to be not too shabby himself.

On Christmas Day of 1867 Alexander agreed to join Quaker State, for whom 1B had been a big issue. He responded by batting comfortably batting over .350 the next two seasons, and then came 1870. In the final season before the league split, Alexander hit .400+ for the third time, batting .418 and tying teammate William Dickerson in the tightest Batting Title race the N.B.B.O. had ever seen. He lost out to Dickerson for B.o.t.Y., but after staying with Quaker St. and being part of their 58-12 team in the first year after the split he won B.o.t.Y. in 1871 with a .434 Average, 1.034 OPS, 83 RBI, and 4.6 WAR, all figures that led the Northeastern League while helping Quaker St. take the final Round Robin edition of the Tucker-Wheaton Cup.

After the best statistical season of his career, Alexander moved back to the highest level of baseball in 1872 by signing for Knickerbocker. He would never hit .400 again or win another B.o.t.Y., but over eight seasons in Manhattan he was consistently excellent, making four All-Star Games with batting & fielding skill that saw him end the 90-game seasons with at least 2.7 Batsman WAR and reach a high of 4.2. During that time he was also part of the Knick team that won Founders Cup VII. He then spent the final two years of his career in Pittsburgh with Alleghany, for whom he would make his final All-Star Game appearance in 1880 before a season-long slump in 1881 led Alexander to put his prolific bat on the rack at the age of 40.

Alexander’s career in summary:

TOP-LEVEL HONORS

• 1x Founders Cup winner (1878)
• 2x Batsman of the Year (NYL: 1864, 67)
• 11x All-Star (NBBO: 1864-67, 69-70; APBL: 1874-75, 77, 79-80)
• 5x Team of the Year (NBBO: 1864-65, 67, 70; APBL: 1875)
• 4x Golden Hands winner (NBBO: 1868, 70; NBBO: 1874)
• 3x .400 Hitter (NBBO: 1864, 67, 70)
• 3x Batting Champion (NYL: 1864-65, 70)

Cormack Alexander will be long talked about as one of the finest First Baseman ever to play the sport, with technical skill that had few peers and a career that began in unprecedented fashion.

tm1681 · 06-10-2026, 01:12 AM

ANTHONY MASCHERINO RETIRES
GREATEST MIDDLE INFIELDER IN BASEBALL HISTORY ENDS CAREER AFTER QUARTER CENTURY

MANHATTAN, N.Y. (Sep. 21, 1881) - Anthony Mascherino, who became Green Mountain’s regular Shortstop as a teenager in the N.B.B.O.’s inaugural season to begin an incomparable career that lasted a quarter of a century, has decided to retire from baseball after 25 years of play at the highest level, shortly before turning 43.

Mascherino’s career began back in the N.B.B.O.’s inaugural season. A native of New Hampshire (Concord), Mascherino went to neighboring Vermont and joined Green Mountain for that very first season of play. Expected to be a backup Middle Infielder, instead Field Manager Dan Davis decided that Mascherino’s fielding ability was so prodigious that he should go straight into the lineup as an 18-year-old, even though his ability to make contact was rated just 4/10 and he was prone to swing & miss.

In the inaugural season, Mascherino struck out more often than any other Batsman in the N.E.L. but he still managed to hit .338 with slightly below average gap power. When factoring in the fielding ability that earned him the first of his record haul of Golden Hands awards, Mascherino finished 1857 as the N.E.L. leader in Batsman WAR. Not bad for a teenager.

The above was just the beginning of a career that spanned four decades and almost defies description. Mascherino would go on to spend eight seasons in Vermont with Green Mtn., and during that span he led the N.E.L. in Batsman WAR six times, including his record-setting mark of 6.7 in 1861 that still stands as the N.B.B.O.’s all-time high. Also, during that timeframe he won an N.E.L. Golden Hands award for his work at Shortstop every year, giving him eight Golden Hands awards before he turned 27. In addition, he was nominated to the N.E.L. Team of the Year six times.

When Mascherino opted to leave for a big club after the 1865 season every single notable club in the N.B.B.O. came calling. In the end he opted to stay in New England, signing for Bostonian club Shamrock. Over the next four years Mascherino would continue his brilliance, registering an Average as high as .345 in the toughest place to hit in the sport and putting up WAR figures ranging from 4.1 to 4.9 over the 70-game schedule.

However, even though he was one of two key players, along with James Burke, for the most dominant stretch in club history, Mascherino opted to leave Shamrock after the 1869 season and sign for Orange, which gave them a team featuring eight current or former All-Stars as the sport was ramping up to the creation of the first professional league. He was brilliant in his first season with Orange, earning his 12th straight All-Star Game nod before making the move to the A.P.B.L., and he spent the first five seasons of the league’s existence as a member of the club. He was a key part of the Orange team that beat upset American in Founders Cup IV, and after one more season that featured All-Star Game selection #15, he moved on.

Two days into 1876 Mascherino signed a record-setting contract with Knickerbocker, who convinced the soon-to-be 37-year-old to move to Second Base to give his career more longevity. The switch worked brilliantly, as it allowed Mascherino to remain highly influential both with his bat and in the field into his 40s. He was one of the leaders of the Knick teams that won three straight Metropolitan Conference titles, with Knick taking down St. John’s in six games to win Founders Cup VIII.

At the age of 40, in 1879 Mascherino hit .348 and won the last of his peerless FIFTEEN Golden Hands awards. That season would also see Mascherino make the last of his TWENTY All-Star Game appearances. In 1880 Mascherino’s Average fell below .300 for the first time since 1873, and in 1881 he hit a career-low .282 while posting a negative Zone Rating for the first time ever. It was the sudden drop in fielding ability that made Mascherino realize it was time to call for a stop to his playing days.

With Mascherino’s career having come to an end after a quarter of a century, here is a look at his unparalleled record:

• 3x Champion (NBBO: 1866; APBL: 1874, 78)
• 2x Most Valuable Player (NEL: 1860, 63)
• 20x All-Star (NEL: 1859-69; NYL: 1870; APBL: 1871-72, 74-79)
• 16x Team of the Year (NEL: 1859-63, 65-69; NYL: 1870; APBL: 1871-72, 75-77)
• 15x Golden Hands (NEL: 1857-66, 68; APBL: 1871-72, 78-79)
• 6x League leader in Batsman WAR (NEL: 1857-58, 60-63)

• Career leader in Games Played (1,953)
• Career leader in Doubles (502)
• Career leader in Zone Rating (+508.0; +23.4/90 G)
• Career leader in Batsman WAR (117.6; 5.4/90 G)
• 2nd in career Runs (1,949)
• 2nd in career Hits (2,836)
• 2nd in career Extra Base Hits (659)
• 2nd in career Runs Batted In (1,457)
• 2nd in career Win Prob. Added (83.6; 3.9/90 G)

When it comes to Middle Infielders, Anthony Mascherino is a man whose résumé simply has no equal. His career started with him being unexpectedly thrust into the Green Mountain lineup as a teenager in the N.B.B.O.’s very first season, and instead of wilting against older competitors he instantly became the most gifted fielder in the sport, a talent that then held up for the better part of 25 years.

Mascherino’s twenty career All-Star Game appearances and fifteen career Golden Hands awards are both all-time records, the latter a record that, on its face, should be impossible to either equal or surpass. His sixteen career Team of the Year nominations are an amount bettered only by Konrad Jensen’s eighteen. He retires as the sport’s all-time leader in a number of statistical categories and the career #2 in a handful of others. Still, Mascherino spent much of his career overlooked as he was only named his league’s Most Valuable Player twice.

Mascherino was also excellent in the postseason, aiding his team with bat and hand right up until the end of his career, batting .391 (9/23) with half a dozen RBI during Knickerbocker’s loss to St. John’s in Founders Cup X last year.

When James Burke & Konrad Jensen retire, then there will be Batsmen whose entire careers can be said to have equaled that of Anthony Mascherino. However, until then the career’s work of the greatest Middle Infielder ever to play the sport stands alone as the grandest monument to greatness.

WooBallFan43 · 06-12-2026, 09:01 AM

Are you gonna move Bridgeport to the NBBO? If so, Gate City B.B.C. (Nashua, NH) could be a great replacement.

tm1681 · 06-23-2026, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WooBallFan43

Are you gonna move Bridgeport to the NBBO? If so, Gate City B.B.C. (Nashua, NH) could be a great replacement.

I'm not sure. It would still be a pretty small team even by N.B.B.O. standards, and I have future plans for New England.

tm1681 · 06-23-2026, 07:03 PM

LEAGUE BASEBALL ESTABLISHED IN THE MIDWEST
THREE TEN-TEAM LEAGUES, ONE PROFESSIONAL AND TWO SEMI-PRO, TO BEGIN PLAY IN 1882

CHICAGO, ILL. (Nov. 13, 1881) - In the culmination of a movement that feels like it has been gathering steam for quite some time, a group of baseball executives gathered in Chicago on Sunday, with Al Spalding in front, to announce that three new leagues would begin play across the Midwestern United States in May of 1882.

First, the Midwest’s maiden professional league, the Midwestern Baseball Association:

The M.W.B.A. will begin its life with teams from the seven largest cities in the Midwestern United States: Chicago (503,185), Cincinnati (255,139), Cleveland (160,146), Detroit (116,340), Indianapolis (75,056), Milwaukee (115,187), & St. Louis (350,518), with Louisville, Kentucky (123,758) fielding a team in the league because that large city’s proximity to the Midwest means their amateur club teams have played the Midwestern style of baseball.

Also, due to their size and number of large clubs, both Chicago & St. Louis will have two teams each in the league for its inaugural season of play, and that will give the M.W.B.A. and even ten for the 1882 season.

So, who are the ten teams, and what do we know about them?

THE MIDWESTERN BASEBALL ASSOCIATION (M.W.B.A.)

CINCINNATI ROYALS (Pres.: Charles Christianson, G.M.: Jesse Howard, Mgr.; William Weaver)
Findlay & Western Park (Cap: 12,713; Dist.: 361, 371, 391, 413, 435, 360, 328; Ht.: 7 LFL-CF, 15 RCF-RFL)

The Cincinnati Royals, formerly Queen City B.C., are headquartered in Northwest Cincinnati and play their home games in a venue located off Findlay Street. Their home, Findlay & Western Park, is a bit of an odd one where Right-Center Field is the deepest part of the field at 435 feet from Home Plate. Left-handers hit the ball well there, but righties have a more difficult time. As amateurs, their club was known for its strong Middle Infield pairing of Joseph Markham & Richard Schreiber.

CLEVELAND GENERALS (Pres.: Harold DeLaCroix, G.M.: Robert Peck, Mgr.; Seamus O’Leary)
Moses Cleaveland Field (Cap: 16,015; Dist.: 360, 361, 388, 450, 440, 365, 290; Ht.: 5 LFL-RCF, 20 RF-RFL)

The team is named after its home city’s namesake and founder, former militia General and land surveyor Moses Cleaveland. Why the “a” was dropped? Nobody knows. Anyway, the team is situated just off the shores of Lake Erie in northern Cleveland, and they play their home games in what is now one of the largest venues in the sport: the unsurprisingly named Moses Cleaveland Field (Cap: 16,015), which is perfectly straight from its 360-foot Left Field to its 450-foot Center Field in order to fit the area in which it was built. Cleveland has the Midwest’s finest First Baseman: Robert Drake.

DETROIT ROBINS (Pres.: Goose McDonald, G.M.: Harold Fox, Mgr.; Uriah Faulkner)
Detroit Sporting Grounds (Cap: 11,634; Dist.: 297, 381, 446, 500, 450, 359, 279; Ht.: 15 LFL-LF, 8 LCF-RCF, 15 RF-RFL)

Detroit is an odd club, one named the “Robins” while its President is named “Goose”. Their ballpark, the Detroit Sporting Grounds, is a bit of an East/West combo: just 297 feet down the lines at Left & Right Field but making up for that lack of length with an eight-foot fence an even 500 feet straightaway in Center Field. That means powerful men that can get the bat around the ball will hit Home Runs, but there were plenty of opportunities for Triples or Inside the Park homers as well. Detroit has the region’s best 3B: Samuel Varagian.

INDIANAPOLIS WARRIORS (Pres.: Jonathan Sebring, G.M.: Clem Tessier, Mgr.; Peter Stephens)
Seventh Street Grounds (Cap: 7,506; Dist.: 311, 375, 431, 432, 430, 378, 286; Ht.: 10 LF-RCF, 38 RF-RFL)

A team based in the “City of the Indians” that serves as the capitol of the state whose name means “The Land of the Indians” is going to have some Native American connection in its name, at least for now (but not “Indians” because I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of having it conflict with the identity of an existing minor league team). They play their games at the 7th Street Grounds, a venue that isn’t terribly peculiar yet very Midwestern: just 286 feet down the Right Field Line, but with a 38-foot fence to minimize Home Runs, and a maximum distance of 432 feet at Center Field, making it look like a child’s playroom compared to some of the Northeastern behemoths.

LOUISVILLE SLUGGERS (Pres.: Joseph Matthews, G.M.: Thurman Scott, Mgr.; Wilbur White)
Slugger Field (Cap: 12,376; Dist.: 317, 353, 391, 424, 398, 346, 311; Ht.: 8 for all fences)

Louisville is the one outfit based outside the Midwest, but thanks to their proximity to the Midwestern Game they were welcomed to the region’s contests with open arms. Due to Kentucky’s warmer and more humid climate, Slugger Field is known as a place where Home Runs can be hit even though it doesn’t have a drastically short field. Their amateur team was capable, and Pitcher Arthur Wilson is regarded as the second-best in the Midwest.

MILWAUKEE BAVARIANS (Pres.: Wilhelm Pfeiffer, G.M.: Walter Symons, Mgr.; Edward Boggs)
Solomon Juneau Field (Cap: 11,558; Dist.: 277, 355, 435, 420, 435, 355, 278; Ht.: 25 LFL-LF, 8 LCF-RCF, 25 RF-RFL)

Made very much in the image of the South German heritage of much of Wisconsin, the club run by President Wilhelm Pfeiffer is one with many oddities. They have the Midwest’s best SS, Jonathan Boone, one of the best 3B’s, Jeffrey Norgan, Ammon Zedlacher is one of the best Hurlers, and 18-year-old Hans Ehle could become the best pitching specialist in the sport. At the same time, their Outfield is regarded as worse than that of many smaller clubs and they have other serious weaknesses. Also, their home of Juneau Field is perhaps the most hitter-friendly in the sport thanks to its short fences that measure just 275-280 feet down the lines.

NORTH CHICAGO GALES (Pres.: Joshua Kelly, G.M.: Joseph Rowlett, Mgr.; Leslie Daniels)
Lake Shore Park (Cap: 15,925; Dist.: 286, 352, 389, 400, 395, 380, 296; Ht.: 38 LFL-LF, 6 LCF-RCF, 38 RF-RFL)

The big club representing the northern half of Chicago has plenty going for it: a good Infield, the best CF in the region (Franklin Smith), the best RF in the region (William Cray), the best Hurler in the region (Edward Bosco), and an extremely loyal group of fans. Their home at Lake Shore Park will be the smallest in the M.W.B.A. by square footage when going by fence measurements from Home Plate. However, it will not be the best Hitter’s Park in the Midwest due to the unpredictable winds hitting it from Lake Michigan, whose shores sit just blocks away.

SOUTH CHICAGO GRIFFONS (Pres.: Abraham Kowalski, G.M.: Klaus Gorissen, Mgr.; Moses Sink)
South Side Park (Cap: 13,185; Dist.: 330, 397, 394, 420, 409, 336, 300; Ht.: 6 LFL-CF, 20 RCF-RFL)

The big club in the southern half of Chicago views itself as the one representing the city’s Working Class, and Polish-American club president Abraham Kowalshi makes sure it stays that way. S.C. has the most balanced roster among the big clubs, and perhaps the most talented overall. Their home venue, the South End Grounds, is viewed as very friendly to left-handed batsmen but more fair to the right-handers.

ST. LOUIS BLUEBIRDS (Pres.: Vincent Douglas, G.M.: Albert Mangold, Mgr.; Oscar Donaldson)
Sportsman’s Park (Cap: 13,551; Dist.: 350, 400, 430, 460, 420, 330, 285; Ht.: 8 LFL-CF, 33 RCF-RFL)

The “smaller” of St. Louis’ two major clubs, the Bluebirds are able to boast of a very talented roster with weaknesses at only one position. The club representing the “blue half” of the city is well run by President Vincent Douglas, and as such they have a number of quality young prospects in the ranks. Their home, the recently opened Sportsman’s Park, is expected to be a boon for lefties, like so many others in the region, while being more of a challenge for more traditional batsmen.

ST. LOUIS SAINTS (Pres.: Stanley Corbett, G.M.: Noble Warren, Mgr.; Thomas Miller)
VanDeVenter Avenue Grounds (Cap: 17,526; Dist.: 350, 430, 446, 500, 430, 358, 290; Ht.: 8 LFL-RCF, 30 RF-RFL)

The biggest club in the Midwest, and after the expansion of the VanDeVenter Avenue Grounds is complete they’ll have the biggest venue in all of baseball as well. Stanley Corbett has been the club’s President since its foundation in 1859, and he has built it into the one with the biggest reach and fanbase in the region. They also have some of the best talents in the Midwest, among them CF Oscar Kress and a reportedly terrifying 21-year-old Outfielder named Jacob Milburn.

Aside from the fact that Midwestern baseball plays much differently than its Northeastern counterpart, the M.W.B.A. will be run differently from the A.P.B.L.

• Each team will play twelve games against the nine other teams (four three-game series; two home & away) for a total of 108 games. The A.P.B.L. has a 90-game schedule.

• Because M.W.B.A. teams use three regular “Hurlers” instead of two Pitchers, M.W.B.A. Senior Rosters will have a limit of 20 players – 6 Hurlers & 14 Batsmen – compared to the A.P.B.L.’s 18. Furthermore, the executives of the M.W.B.A. have decided to allow teams to have up to 25 men on their Reserve Rosters as opposed to the A.P.B.L.’s 18.

• Due to the fact that there will only be ten teams in the A.P.B.L.’s inaugural season, all of the teams will be placed in the same subdivision and there will be no playoffs or cup competition.

• Instead of a Pitcher of the Year, the M.W.B.A. will give out an award for the “Hurler of the Year” after the end of each season. Other awards will be similar to those in the Northeastern leagues. However, in the inaugural season the Greenhorn of the Year award will go to the best player under the age of 25.

• Because of the longer schedule, player pay in the M.W.B.A. will be higher than it is in the A.P.B.L. However, don’t expect to see a rush Northeastern imports due to the significant differences in the sport between the two regions.

• Another factor of the longer schedule: the M.W.B.A. season will be 18 weeks long as opposed to 16 in the A.P.B.L.

The most important thing to take away from the above list is this: whoever has the best record at the end of the M.W.B.A.’s 108-game season will be crowned the inaugural champions, and only if teams are tied will there be some kind of playoff.

With the second professional league not expected to bring in any players from the A.P.B.L., it’s now just a matter of getting things in order over the winter and starting play in May. There is now another major competition, and that can only be a good thing for baseball in the United States.

While the big news from Chicago was the foundation of the Midwest’s first professional league, as mentioned there are three new leagues that will begin play across the region next year. While the M.W.B.A. will consist of full-time players, the other two leagues will be semi-professional, similar in nature to the National Base Ball Organization and Coastal Conference.

The two leagues: the Great Lakes Conference and the Prairie League.

THE GREAT LAKES CONFERENCE (G.L.C.)

• COLUMBUS CAPITOLS
Columbus, Ohio – Parsons Ave. Grounds (Cap: 5,164; Dist.: 352, 411, 418, 433, 457, 379, 299)
• COOK COUNTY RAILRIDERS
Chicago, Ill. –West Side Grounds (Cap: 7,752; Dist.: 340, 401, 468, 523, 490, 388, 340)
• DAYTON GEMSTONES
Dayton, Ohio –Fairview Park (Cap: 3,868; Dist.: 332, 388, 428, 461, 433, 378, 356)
• EVANSVILLE ANGELS
Evansville, Ind. – Louisiana St. Grounds (Cap: 2,928; Dist.: 320, 365, 407, 437, 416, 387, 343)
• FORT WAYNE DEFENDERS
Ft. Wayne, Ind. – Camp Allen (Cap: 2,689; Dist.: 326, 348, 375, 401, 367, 333, 302)
• GRAND RAPIDS WOLVES
Grand Rapids, Mich. – Isaac McCoy Field (Cap: 3,201; Dist.: 280, 349, 394, 404, 399, 361, 285)
• PEORIA CARDINALS
Peoria, Ill. – Lake View Park (Cap: 2,926; Dist.: 366, 383, 400, 431, 446, 381, 353)
• SAGINAW LUMBERJACKS
Saginaw, Mich. – Davenport Ave. Grounds (Cap: 3,050; Dist.: 309, 373, 443, 462, 443, 391, 337)
• TOLEDO BADGERS
Toledo, Ohio – Toledo Armory (Cap: 5,013; Dist.: 318, 372, 418, 432, 411, 332, 293)
• YOUNGSTOWN COAL DIGGERS
Youngstown, Ohio – Idora Park (Cap: 3,086; Dist.: 332, 401, 452, 494, 475, 415, 342)

THE PRAIRIE LEAGUE (P.L.)

• DES MOINES OAKS
Des Moines, Iowa – Raccoon River Park (Cap: 5,240; Dist.: 338, 377, 404, 433, 403, 388, 284)
• DUBUQUE EXPLORERS
Dubuque, Iowa – Elm Street Diamond (Cap: 2,525; Dist.: 305, 331, 389, 514, 415, 368, 352)
• KANSAS CITY BULLS
Kansas City, Mo. – Industrial Exposition Park (Cap: 5,578; Dist.: 322, 374, 440, 479, 447, 394, 348)
• LINCOLN BUCKS
Lincoln, Neb. – Antelope Park (Cap: 2,601; Dist.: 340, 383, 412, 431, 400, 361, 297)
• MINNEAPOLIS LAKERS
Minneapolis, Minn. – Nicollet Park (Cap: 4,688; Dist.: 334, 338, 366, 432, 342, 299, 280)
• OMAHA CORN KINGS
Omaha, Neb. – Vinton St. Grounds (Cap: 3,051; Dist.: 352, 373, 430, 415, 430, 349, 311)
• SIOUX CITY FALCONS
Sioux City, Iowa – State Line Field (Cap: 1,890; Dist.: 324, 388, 443, 463, 453, 389, 381)
• ST. JOSEPH RIDERS
St. Joseph, Mo. – William Wadell Field (Cap: 3,243; Dist.: 308, 362, 392, 414, 402, 371, 319)
• ST. PAUL NORTH STARS
St. Paul, Minn. – University Ave. Grounds (Cap: 4,147; Dist.: 315, 333, 378, 470, 401, 369, 365)
• WICHITA WRANGLERS
Wichita, Kan. – James Mead Field (Cap: 2,385: Dist.: 351, 375, 430, 478, 427, 382, 306)

The Great Lakes Conference and the Prairie league will be run, at a basic level, in similar fashion to the M.W.B.A. Both leagues have decided to play 18-week, 108-game seasons and all ten teams will be allowed a maximum of 20 players on their Senior Rosters. The main bureaucratic difference with the M.W.B.A. is that, owing to their smaller budgets, facilities, and resources, G.L.C. & P.L. teams will have a 20-man limit for their Reserve Rosters instead of the 25-man limit in the M.W.B.A.

One thing all three new leagues have in common is that they would like to have playoffs in place at some point in the future, but executives from all three agreed that postseason competition cannot take place in any of the three unless that league has at least a dozen teams to split into two subdivisions of six each.

What makes the Prairie League interesting is that it has teams in four rapidly growing cities – Kansas City, Minneapolis, Omaha, & St. Paul – that could see the M.W.B.A. come calling before long. If so, then the P.L. will need to find four new teams to fill the void.

And with that, league baseball has been established in the Midwestern United States. It is a different brand of baseball, but it is still baseball nonetheless. Time will tell if the Northeastern game remains dominant, or if the Midwestern variant eventually reigns supreme. The coming years will be a very interesting time for hardcore fans and observers alike.

tm1681 · 06-23-2026, 07:20 PM

Team names for these teams & leagues are mostly made up, with some taken from historical sources or other sports (one should be very obvious).

Stadiums are mostly historical in nature, either with fictional names but real dimensions & locations or real location but fictional dimensions. It depended on how much information I could find. For the cities that had Major League Baseball teams it wasn't too difficult, but for some of the others I used protoball.org to find locations of old baseball fields in the city and used those as an inspiration point.

tm1681 · 06-27-2026, 01:51 AM

TIGER LANDS SAMUEL EASTMAN IN APBL SHOCKER
STAR 3B HAD SPENT FOUR SEASONS WITH PT. JERSEY; WAS 1880 BATSMAN OF THE YEAR

PHILADELPHIA, PENN. (Nov. 14, 1881) - Tiger Social Club, who recently completed its best season since joining the A.P.B.L. in 1878, has announced their statement of intention to contend for the Metropolitan Conference pennant in 1882 with the winter’s first major signing: Port Jersey 3B Samuel Eastman, the 1880 A.P.B.L. Batsman of the Year.

Eastman joins Tiger S.C. after four seasons with Pt. Jersey, having signed for them as a 22-year-old just days after the club made its move from the N.B.B.O. to the A.P.B.L. After a decent Greenhorn season in 1878 (.299, .710 OPS, 41 RBI, 1.5 WAR) Eastman made the All-Star Game each of the next three years, and in 1880 won the Batsman of the Year award thanks to one of the best campaigns in A.P.B.L. history (.392, .987 OPS, 67 RBI, 5.6 WPA, 6.7 WAR). He led Pt. Jersey to a surprising second-place finish in the Colonial Conference that season, and in 1881 he had another fine season (.326, .877 OPS, 63 RBI, 3.6 WAR) although Pt. Jersey fell to sixth place.

Unless Pt. Jersey is able to snag a capable replacement who’s available who’s available to sign, like Quaker St.’s Jerry Rockford or Knickerbocker’s Albert Stoffers, the loss of Eastman will be a massive blow to the Pt. Jersey roster. As it stands, Eastman’s projected replacement is 30-year-old Harvey Cameron, a two-star 3B who spent all of 1881 in the Pt. Jersey reserves and who would represent a downgrade of 2.5-3.0 stars at the position, about as large a downgrade as can be made without throwing a teenager out into the field. Cameron is reportedly a defensive specialist, so his bat would represent an even larger downgrade.

Conversely, Tiger fans will be over the moon at the news that their club has procured Eastman’s signature. Tiger’s Third Baseman for the last three years was Harold McMichael (2.5/2.5*), a slick fielder at 3B & SS who had a somewhat light bat. His production in 1881: .296, .688 OPS, 35 RBI, +5.7 ZR, 1.7 WAR. Eastman isn’t as good in the field, but his ability with the lumber should do much more than make up for any advantage over him that McMichael had in the left corner of the Infield.

The move to Philadelphia shouldn’t change Eastman’s offensive output much. While the Broad Street Diamond is unique in that it has straight outfield fences that given the venue a diamond-like shape, its Ballpark Factors show Broad St. to be extremely similar to Pt. Jersey’s home of Hoboken & Oakland Park, albeit shaded slightly more toward Home Runs and slightly less toward Extra Base Hits.

The above bodes well for Tiger, as adding Eastman to an Infield already featuring first-time All-Star 2B Griffin Gray and 8x All-Star SS Martin Prince, who just had his finest season, will give them the A.P.B.L.’s best Infield if they can find an upgrade at First Base over currently projected 1B Albert Howe (2.0/2.0*). Their front office is believed to have enough money remaining to go after a 1B and a new #2 to partner with Willie Gray after the retirement of Walter Johannessen, so long as neither is a major signing.

Tiger will go into the 1882 season with 4.0-5.0* players at 2B, 3B, & SS, and after the emergence of LF Howard Boley last season (.358, .882 OPS, 66 RBI, 3.2 WAR) combined with Willie Gray’s excellent first year in tiger stripes (24-19, 2.73 ERA, 102 K, 5.0 WAR, A-S), by the time the calendar turns over to next May the team should have everything in place to be a serious threat to take the Metropolitan Conference pennant for the first time. The rest of the A.P.B.L. is now on notice.

tm1681 · 06-27-2026, 01:52 AM

ALL-STAR CHESSMAN MOVES TO NEW JERSEY
EXCELSIOR SS SIGNS FOR PT. JERSEY AFTER ENJOYING BEST SEASON OF HIS CAREER IN 1881

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (Nov. 16, 1881) - Just 48 hours after losing the services of 1880 Batsman of the Year Samuel Eastman, Port Jersey B.C. has softened the blow by signing All-Star SS John Baker Chessman from Excelsior.

Chessman, a 29-year-old, had spent his entire five-year career with Excelsior, signing with them in November of 1876 and immediately becoming their regular Shortstop. After four quality seasons with the Brooklynites, Chessman had the best campaign of his career in 1881 (.313, .751 OPS, 52 RBI, +14.7 ZR, 4.4 WAR), making the All-Star Game for the first time and helping lead the team to the Metropolitan Conference pennant for the second time.

Having lured J.B. Chessman away from Excelsior with a four-year contract, Pt. Jersey should have the A.P.B.L.’s best Middle Infielder pairing next season, with Chessman sliding in at SS next to Batsman of the Year runner-up Vincent Dixon at 2B. However, both Dixon and Chessman are comfortable playing as Third Basemen, and if the Pt. Jersey front office can’t find a pro-level bat to take over at the “Hot Corner” then they could turn to a young prospect with sufficient fielding ability at 2B/SS like William Alexander (22 y/o) while moving either Chessman or Dixon to 3B.

The loss of Chessman leaves a hole a Shortstop for Excelsior. The team had plenty of money in the bank after their trip to the Founders Cup and thus expected to have him back next year. As matters stand the likely replacement is William Hart, a 2.5-star Batsman whose fielding grades at 8/10 at SS but whose bat is a notable step down from Chessman’s. There are some three-star Middle Infielders available, so Excelsior may be able to bridge the gap. In any event, what Excelsior really needs over the winter is at least one new Pitcher.

The signing of Chessman shouldn’t be the last notable move of the winter for Pt. Jersey. While their new Middle Infield pairing will let Robert Goodman pitch to the best of his considerable abilities, their lineup still has major weaknesses at Catcher, First Base, and the previously mentioned Third Base position. There are quality players available at all three places, so if the Pt. Jersey front office makes more smart moves over the coming months then they could field a team that contends in 1882 in spite of the fact that they have lost their best player.

tm1681 · 06-27-2026, 01:53 AM

REIGNING PotY MILLER SIGNS FOR NEWARK
WAS 29-16 W/ 2.92 ERA FOR ORANGE; WILL GIVE NEW JERSEY TEAM ALL-STAR PITCHING DUO

NEWARK, N.J. (Dec. 23, 1881) - Newark hit the A.P.B.L. with a big surprise on Thursday afternoon, as President Jebediah Sellers announced via telegram that the club has signed 1881 Pitcher of the Year Andrew Miller away from Metropolitan Conference runners-up Orange with a five-year contract that will nearly triple his Orange B.C.C. wages.

The 27-year-old Miller joins Newark after having spent his entire five-year career in an Orange shirt. Miller struggled during his first three seasons pitching for the club. After going 7-31 with a 4.64 Earned Run Average during his Greenhorn season of 1877, Miller had a career-worst ERA of 4.72 in 1879. He turned his performance around in 1880, finishing the year 23-17 with a 3.20 ERA and 6.2 WAR for an Orange team that was over .500 for the first time in six years. In 1881, he put it all together:

• 29-16, 2.92 ERA, 394.0 IP, 32 CG, 126 K, 0.4 BB/9, 2.9 K/9, 6.6 K/BB, 1.14 WHIP, 8.9 WAR, 5.0 rWAR

Miller’s efforts earned him a Pitcher of the Year honor that nobody saw coming ahead of the season, and for good reason given his body of work through the end of the 1880 season.

Miller will join John Ratican, who himself struggled upon joining the A.P.B.L. before making the All-Star game the past two seasons, to form an All-Star Pitching Duo that could well be one of the most powerful in the league. The main question will be if Newark’s fielding, ranked 14th/16 this past season, will keep the two from looking like the best versions of themselves during play in 1882.

For Orange, the loss of Miller blows a big hole in the lineup since Walter Bertelli (2.5/2.5*) would rank last out of sixteen as a #1. However, there are decent Pitchers available to sign that could still give Orange a respectable Pitching Duo that allows them to contend for the 1882 Metropolitan Conference pennant. The larger issue currently facing their front office is the uncertain status of Team of the Year RF Jonathan Cobb.

Newark has been slowly trending upward since joining the A.P.B.L. in 1878, and next season could be their best one yet.

tm1681 · 06-27-2026, 01:53 AM

JONATHAN COBB MOVES TO UPSTATE NEW YORK
WAS 3x ALL-STAR IN FOUR YEARS WITH ORANGE; SIGNS TEN-YEAR CONTRACT WITH NIAGARA

BUFFALO, N.Y. (Jan. 31, 1882) - The big moves keep on coming in the A.P.B.L.

Roughly five weeks after 1881 Pitcher of the Year Andrew Miller completed a switch from Orange to Newark, it has been announced that 3x All-Star Jonathan Cobb has also left Orange, himself opting to move upstate and play for Niagara.

While Miller’s deal with Newark was a big one – a five-year contract that nearly tripled his previous salary of $860 per year – Cobb’s new contract with Niagara is one of the largest in A.P.B.L. history: ten years in length and totaling $36,240, with his 1882 salary of $2,920 doubling what he made with Orange this past season.

What makes Cobb’s move to Niagara a shocker to A.P.B.L. observers is that apparently it was Orange who offered Cobb the most money to return to what is now his former club, but after considering contract proposals from Niagara, Orange, & Kings County he decided that the team in Buffalo was the one that would offer the best fit for his style of play. Cobb will join a Niagara Outfield that returns Team of the Year member Charles Barrett and 1877 All-Star Boyd Myers after ten-year mainstay Reginald Roper opted to leave, and the addition of Cobb should give Niagara the best Corner Outfield pairing in the league if Boyd Myers’ projected move back to CF for 1882 comes true.

The loss of Jonathan Cobb is the second major blow to the Orange roster in a matter of weeks. On December 23rd they lost P.o.t.Y. Andrew Miller to New Jersey, and now they’ve lost Cobb, who had made the previous three All-Star games but will still only be 25 years old on Opening Day this year.

Cobb was originally seen as a big gamble when he was transferred from Granite in the N.B.B.O. for $1,650 in the winter of 1877/78. Then 21, Cobb had never played in the N.B.B.O. but was graded as a five-star N.B.B.O. prospect and a 3.5-star A.P.B.L. recruit. However, an Orange team that had finished last the previous season and was projected to stay there decided to put him straight into the lineup at Right Field even though he was graded at only 2.0* on Current Ability, and he had a respectable Greenhorn campaign (.259, .625 OPS, 56 RBI, 1.7 WAR). After one season of development Cobb became an All-star in 1879 (.357, .870 OPS, 77 RBI, 4.0 WAR), and he was then nominated to the Team of the Year in 1880 for his work (.326, .843 OPS, 67 RBI, 4.8 WAR). Cobb was even better in 1881 (.349, .898 OPS, 74 RBI, 4.5 WAR), but he was overshadowed in the Orange Outfield by John Meier and passed over for a place in the Team of the Year.

Cobb will be closely watched next season. Park Factors place Niagara’s home of the Upper New York Sporting Grounds (AVG LHB: 1.077) as 17.4% better for the Average of left-handed Batsmen than Orange’s home of the Upper Manhattan Grounds (AVG LHB: .917), so if Cobb could hit .325 to .350 for Orange than .375 with an OPS well over .900 isn’t out of the question for his first season with Niagara. Such output would put Cobb in contention for Batsman of the Year.

Once again, a major player move will leave the A.P.B.L. looking much different in 1882, and that’s before getting into all of the other signings and transfers from the lower leagues. The upcoming season will be a fascinating one.

tm1681 · 07-06-2026, 08:33 AM

So...I said "screw it" and went over every uniform and logo, updating where needed.

I've started to upload images of everything in my thread in the Mods forum - https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...=347180&page=6 - Post #115 on Page 6 is where the new stuff starts. I may still do some more minor tweaking before I go through the process of putting everything back up on my OneDrive.

tm1681 · 07-13-2026, 11:46 PM

SPARKLING NEW VENUES TO OPEN IN 1882
A NUMBER OF TEAMS IN NORTHEASTERN LEAGUES SET TO CHRISTEN NEW HOMES THIS YEAR

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (Mar. 12, 1882) - A new year means new beginnings, and for some clubs in the Northeast that means a new venue to call home beginning with the upcoming baseball season.

NOTE: I took some of the reconfigured stadium dimensions from the ballparks that can be found in this thread, while tweaking for more realistic stadium factors: https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=351645

First, it’s over to Philadelphia where American is set to open their new home park, the Jefferson Street Grounds, on May 12th vs crosstown rivals Quaker State.

Located on the corner of Jefferson Street & North 25th Street in Philadelphia, the new venue will seat 15,200 spectators, an improvement of nearly three thousand over American’s previous home of Glenwood Field.

In some respects, Jefferson St. will be the polar opposite of Glenwood. The Jeferson St. fences will be a uniform ten feet tall, while at Glenwood the outfield fence from the Right Field line to Right Center Field was a whopping sixty feet tall to make up for the short length (RFL: 281, RF: 287, RCF: 334). Whereas Glenwood Field was a left-handed hitter’s paradise (LHB AVG: 1.105, 2B: 1.322, LHB HR: 1.261), it’s the right-handed batsmen who will have the advantage at Jefferson St. (RHB AVG, 1.052, 2B: 1.289, RHB HR: .979).

Also, while Glenwood Field had an irregular shape made to fit the plot of land it was built on – RF to CF was a straight line measuring the shortest at each point in the N.B.B.O. or A.P.B.L. while CF to LF was more of a normal curve – Jefferson St. will be shaped more like a diamond.

The Left Field line at Jefferson St. will measure 325’ while the Right Field Line is set at 374’, giving a distinct edge to right-handed power hitters. The fences on both sides go straight out until they meet in the middle of Center Field, 467’ from home.

For an American club looking for a return to good fortune after its worst pro season, Jefferson St. offers a fresh start.

In Brooklyn, Kings County has been forced to reconfigure Washington Park due to surrounding developments, and while it will have the same exterior look and capacity that it’s had since Kings County became one of the clubs to form the A.P.B.L., its new dimensions will make it the best hitter’s park in all of pro baseball.

The reconfiguration will keep Washington Park’s capacity at a healthy 13,353, with its fine modern grandstand that curves around the ground behind home plate remaining untouched. However, the same cannot be said for the exterior fences.

Starting this season, Washington Park will now measure just 265’ down the Left Field Line and 276’ down the Right Field Line, both the shortest distances in the A.P.B.L. Furthermore, the park’s Center Field distance of 385’ from Home Plate is also the shortest in the league. In an effort to make up for such a miniscule playing surface, a new outfield fence measuring thirty feet tall from one foul pole to the other has been built so that balls stay in the park. Still, Washington Park will now be the biggest batsman’s paradise in the Metropolitan Conference, if not the entirety of the A.P.B.L.

In Boston, Massachusetts Bay is set to open their brand-new stadium, the Huntington Avenue Grounds, on May 5th vs Gotham.

After a quarter-century at Oceanside Park, which was located right off Dorchester Bay in Boston, Mass. Bay is moving landward with their new venue, which will be centered near the intersection of Huntington Avenue & Forsyth Street, roughly 3.3 miles directly west of where they played home games during each of their first 25 seasons of existence.

Mass. Bay’s new home will be huge, one that can’t be thoroughly diagrammed here for reasons that will soon be explained.

Huntington Ave. will have a smaller capacity than Oceanside Park – 11,485 vs 14,485 – but it will feature better amenities for fans at an easier-to-reach location. However, its dimensions are what sets it apart from Oceanside Park. Mass. Bay’s old home measured just 280’ down the Right Field Line with a 26-foot fence since it was on the water’s edge, and because of that it was the kindest park to lefty batsmen anywhere in baseball for 25 years (LHB AVG: 1.133). At Huntington Ave. the Right Field line measures 320’, and its diamond shaped fences cause the Right Field side to shoot out to a Center Field that measures an A.P.B.L.-longest 530’, a spot that will feel like No Man’s Land. Conversely, the measurements of Left Field (350’, 370’, 422’) are expected to make the park about as far for righties as Oceanside Park was (RHB AVG: .987 vs .991).

Clubs outside of the professional ranks are moving into new venues as well.

Once the smallest club in the N.B.B.O., Eagle has moved into a new park on Church Street in Elmira. The Church Street Grounds feature straight fences that fit the surrounding landscape, with the Right Field Line measuring 292’ from Home Plate, the Left Field Line clocking in at 346’, and Center Field just a touch above 435’ away.

The above will make Church St. a place southpaws love to hit in, while the right-handers will probably perform close to average. The new venue will also sit 250 more people than Eagle’s previous home at the Fair Street Grounds. That gives Eagle a home capacity of just 2,304, but it does mean they no longer have the smallest venue in the N.B.B.O. or even Upstate N.Y.

Merrimack Mills is the next club to have a new home, with the grounds at Lowell South Commons scheduled to open this May.

Lowell South Commons will hold nearly six thousand spectators, and its dimensions, particularly its lengthy gaps in Left & Right Center Field, should make it a park that pitchers will enjoy working in. The 468-foot power alleys on both sides of Center Field aren’t the longest in the Northeastern League thanks to Bunker Hill’s massive home field, but they are the fourth-longest out of the two dozen parks in the league and that means quality pitchers should be able to sink batsmen who don’t have consistent gap power.

Going back to Upstate New York, 1875 cup winners Minuteman have a new home at the Albany Cricket Grounds. After taking over the venue last autumn, the Minuteman front office rebuilt the grandstand and increased the venue’s capacity to 10,076, making it one of a select few places in the N.B.B.O. that holds over ten thousand people.

The short fences at the A.C.G., with its 418-foot Center Field the shortest in the New York League, make it appear to be a batsman-friendly park. However, the natural shape of the cricket field this venue is on means there is plenty of foul territory, and those who don’t hit the ball square are far more likely to be caught out than at other parks.

Nassau County is another club with a new home, although unlike Minuteman they have moved out of a cricket ground instead of into one. Their new home: the Clarendon Road Grounds, located within the East Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn.

The fences at Clarendon Road make it read like a slightly larger version of Washington Park, although the dimensions here are symmetrical: 285’ down the lines, 375’ in Left & Right Field, 440’ in the gaps, and 425’ straight from Home Plate. The big difference: ten-foot fences as opposed to thirty. The venue will also hold roughly a thousand more fans than Nassau Co.’s previous home at the Long Island Cricket Grounds, giving them a place to play that comfortably fits over 4,500 spectators.

Finally, it’s back to Massachusetts where Pioneer has moved into a new place: the Forest Park Grounds.

Forest Park will give Pioneer home games a capacity of around five hundred extra fans compared to their old grounds at King Street (3,847 vs 3,347), and its dimensions will make Forest Park much kinder to batsmen, especially left-handers. The 363-foot Left Field Line will be intimidating for righties, but even so it should still be a better place for them to hit than King St., which went 368’ and 377’ down the Left & Right Field lines respectively.

That is a look at the fantastic new venues opening in the Northeast this year. Over the coming years, expect many more to come to fruition.

tm1681 · Yesterday, 03:25 AM

NBBO, CBC, PCBL MOVE TO PLAY 84 GAMES EACH
NORTHEASTERN LEAGUES CONCERNED BY LONGER SEASON IN MIDWEST, APBL STAYS PUT

NEW YORK CITY (Mar. 20, 1882) - It has been a little over four months since the announcement in Chicago of three new baseball leagues in the Midwestern United States, one professional and two semi-pro. Given the differences in the way the sport is played in the two regions, it was presumed there would be little to no overlap between the two sets of competitions. However, worries about the upstarts in the Midwest have caused the northeastern leagues to spring into action.

During the Executive Committee’s annual Spring Meetings in New York City, there was much discussion about the upcoming 108-game season that would be played be each of the three new leagues west of the Pennsylvania border. A.P.B.L. executives stated that they would stick with a 90-game schedule for 1882 because it was too late to reconfigure the upcoming professional season. However, the three semi-professional leagues decided that an increase in games was needed so as not to fall significantly behind their semi-pro counterparts in the Midwest.

Executives from the N.B.B.O., C.B.C., & P.C.B.L. all decided on a schedule for 1882 that works as follows:

• Teams in the N.B.B.O. will play every other team in their region 12 times over four three-game series.
• Teams in the C.B.C. will play the other seven teams 12 times over four three-game series.
• Teams in the P.C.B.L. will play every other team in their division 12 times over four three-game series.
• Teams in all three competitions will play six times per week, increased from five.

With eight teams in each region, conference, or division, that works out to an 84-game schedule for all three competitions. While the change makes for a semi-pro season that is still more than twenty percent shorter than the ones in the Great Lakes Conference or Prairie League, the alternative was sticking to the 70-game schedule, and that would have made for a season less than two-thirds as long as that in the Midwest. Such a difference in workload would likely make the pay to the west superior to the point that many of the Northeast’s best semi-pro ballplayers, especially the batsmen, would be willing to try learning Midwestern Baseball on the fly. Something had to be done, and this stopgap solution will work for now.

With the above in mind, if the 108-game Midwestern season makes playing there a much more attractive financial proposition, it would be little surprise if this same discussion is had again next spring, with the A.P.B.L. joining the three semi-professional leagues in making further changes to the yearly schedule. In the case of the A.P.B.L., expanding from a 90-game season to 108 or more could put another round of expansion on the table, and that would almost certainly mean the ascension of Maryland & National to the professional ranks, which was originally planned for in the 1877 Autumn Meetings but neither club had shown enough success on the field to be trusted to run a professional team.

In the end, not only will there be more baseball thanks to the new leagues in the Midwest, but there will be more baseball in the Northeast as well.

06-08-2026, 06:27 PM	#1301
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,808	1881 NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION REVIEW NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION STANDINGS PER-TEAM STATISTICS 1881 NYL: 7.3 R/G, .286, .704 OPS, 781 H, 143 2B, 48 3B, 10 HR, 101 SB, 3.57 ERA, 119 BB, 158 K, 5.5 E/G, .875 FLD% 1880 NYL: 6.8 R/G, .281, .686 OPS, 758 H, 135 2B, 43 3B, 9 HR, 87 SB, 3.29 ERA, 107 BB, 185 K, 5.4 E/G, .880 FLD% 1881 NEL: 7.3 R/G, .283, .697 OPS, 773 H, 145 2B, 46 3B, 9 HR, 98 SB, 3.43 ERA, 123 BB, 143 K, 5.7 E/G, .873 FLD% 1880 NEL: 7.1 R/G, .283, .696 OPS, 758 H, 141 2B, 45 3B, 10 HR, 80 SB, 3.44 ERA, 113 BB, 160 K, 5.4 E/G, .880 FLD% ADAMS CUP I N.Y.L. SEMIFINALS: Atlantic defeats Metropolitan 3-2 N.E.L. SEMIFINALS: Quinnipiac defeats Susquehanna 3-2 N.Y.L. CHAMPIONSHIP: Frontier defeats Atlantic 3-0 N.E.L. CHAMPIONSHIP: National defeats Quinnipiac 3-2 ADAMS CUP FINAL: National (1st title) defeats Frontier 3-1 GAME 1: NAT 15-6 FRO – 2B Chester Dudek (NAT): 5/6 (all 1B), 2 R, 1 RBI, SB; DP GAME 2: NAT 12-2 FRO – 3B James Kinney (NAT): 3/5 (2B), 3 R, 2 RBI, BB, SB, 4 TB GAME 3: FRO 7-4 NAT – 2B Bertram Wagner (FRO): 2/4 (2B, 3B), 1 R, 2 RBI, SAC BUNT 5 TB – 2 DP GAME 4: FRO 4-6 NAT – 3B James Kinney (NAT): 3/4 (2B), 1 R, 4 RBI, 4 TB CUP M.V.P.: 3B James Kinney (NAT): .422 (19/45), 10 R, 6 2B, 1 3B, 15 RBI, 3 BB, 2 SB, 27 TB, 2x PotG National was the team of destiny this year. The N.B.B.O.’s #1 team during the season, when faced with Frontier and their 26-9 home record after being Quinnipiac in the N.E.L.C.S. National hammered the home favorites in both of the opening two games of the Adams Cup Final, and then they went on to become the first team to lift the new trophy. That National won their first ever title was befitting an N.E.L. that had some previously struggling teams establish themselves in 1881. Granite had their first over-500 campaign in ten years, Maryland B.C. had the best season in club history, Quinnipiac took the New England pennant for the first time before upsetting Susquehanna in the N.E.L. Semifinals, and Squirrel Hill finished runner-up for the Inland title in just their fourth season in the N.B.B.O. There was also change afoot in the N.Y.L. Small club Frontier was crowned N.Y.L. champions for the first time. Thanks to a one-game playoff Metropolitan made the postseason after a five-year wait. While Atlantic took the Brooklyn pennant once again, runner-up Continental ended up just two games back after finishing 1880 in 6th. After 24 seasons of trying, Hilltop had the first 40-win season in club history, and also in N.Y.C. Mutual had their best season since 1872. There was one major oddity in the N.Y.L. standings. Minuteman had the league’s best Run Differential by nearly 50 Runs at +171, but with a 43-27 record they finished the season three games out of 1st in Upstate New York. In the N.E.L. Pioneer managed to finish 41-29 with a -50 Run Differential, one that suggested a 32-38 record would have been fairer. That nine-win difference between actual W-L mark and expected W-L figure was the largest in N.B.B.O. history. Also, in New England, Salem finished tied for last place with a positive Run Differential (+48), an N.B.B.O. first. Individually, the season was dominated by two Pitchers: Charles Rhodes in the N.Y.L. and Ben Lauppe in the N.E.L. Both men led their leagues in more than a dozen statistical categories, and in the case of Rhodes that meant two other Pitchers with 28 Wins and ERA’s near or below 3.00 knew they had no chance of taking Pitcher of the Year. That’s not to say there weren’t dominant Batsmen, as Francis Smith & James Burke led their leagues in a number of offensive statistics while being the only one in each to finish with an OPS over 1.000. There was also Continental 3B William Denham, who put up a Batsman WAR not seen in the New York League since before the league split in 1870-71. There was one Greenhorn whose brilliance was far brighter than anyone else’s: John Porretta of Susquehanna, who put together a season that would have earned either B.o.t.Y. or the old M.V.P. award in years past if it wasn’t for the presence of James Burke in the N.E.L. Still, Frontier C William Burke shouldn’t be overlooked, for he was the top Batsman on the best team in the N.Y.L. and as a result he earned a place in the Team of the Year. As always, autumn and the upcoming winter will bring change, and it will be interesting to see if that means there will be more upheaval or if members of the old guard will return to their places at the front of the pecking order in 1882. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here

06-08-2026, 06:36 PM	#1302
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,808	NEW YORK LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Francis Smith (CF, age 36) – Metropolitan B.B.C.; 3x winner (3rd in four years) • .382/.404/.618, 1.022 OPS, 104 R, 130 H, 30 2B, 22 3B, 2 HR, 67 RBI, 12 BB, 38 SB, 210 TB, 7.1 WPA, 5.4 WAR • Set N.B.B.O. record for Total Bases; Led N.Y.L. in SLG, OPS, R, H, XBH, 3B, RC, & WPA • William Denham (3B, CON) 2nd – .358, .925 OPS, 68 R, 106 H, 32 XBH, 3 HR, 70 RBI, 20 BB, 12 SB, 5.8 WPA, 5.5 WAR • Jonathan Toppin (2B, MUT) 3rd – .393, .962 OPS, 73 R, 121 H, 25 2B, 10 3B, 67 RBI, 16 BB, 33 SB, 4.7 WPA, 3.6 WAR In earning his third B.o.t.Y. in four years, Francis Smith had the best season of his incredible fifteen-year career at the age of 36. He was so great that he overshadowed Denham, who had the most WAR by the N.Y.L. leader since the legendary Edward Huntley in 1869 (6.5). Denham’s amazing season meant N.Y.L. Batting Champion Toppin finished 3rd. PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Charles Rhodes (age 31); New York Athletic Club; 7x winner (6th straight) • 27-11, 1.89 ERA, 377.0 IP, 32 CG, 1 SHO, 197 K, 4.7 K/9, 8.2 K/BB, 9.1 H/9, *1.07 WHIP, 12.9 WAR, 12.6 rWAR* • Set record for Pitcher WAR; Led N.Y.L. in ERA, IP, QS, K, BB/9, K/9, K/BB, O-AVG/OBP/OPS, WHIP, & rWAR • Francis Molinari (MIN) 2nd – 28-11, 3.03 ERA, 356.0 IP, 33 CG, 1 SHO, 174 K, 4.2 K/BB, 1.17 WHIP, 9.0 WAR, 10.5 rWAR • Edward Pelham (FRO) 3rd – 28-9, 2.49 ERA, 343.1 IP, 25 CG, 1 SHO, 68 K, 2.5 K/BB, 1.25 WHIP, 6.8 WAR, 6.8 rWAR Another indescribable season for Rhodes. He led the N.Y.L. in thirteen Pitching categories, and his July (11-4, 1.53 ERA, 73 K, 5.1 WAR) was the best individual month in the history of the N.B.B.O. His competition for P.o.t.Y. was the toughest yet, with both Molinari & Pelham having seasons that would have won P.o.t.Y. in many other years. FIELDER OF THE YEAR: William Denham (3B, age 31) – Continental B.B.C. • 3B: 313 TC, 69 PO, 189 AST, 10 DP, 55 E, .824 FLD%, 3.84 RNG, *1.249 EFF, +22.5 ZR, +23.3 FldRV* • .358/.402/.524, .925 OPS, 68 R, 106 H, 18 2B, 11 3B, 3 HR, 70 RBI, 20 BB, 12 SB, 5.8 WPA, 5.5 WAR • Frank Morrison (MET) 2nd – SS: 99 PO, 266 AST, 41 DP, .831 FLD%, 5.46 RNG, 1.206 EFF, +27.0 ZR, 3.7 WAR • Jules Thomas (MIN) 3rd – SS: 111 PO, 221 AST, 27 DP, .838 FLD%, 4.89 RNG, 1.207 EFF, +23.0 ZR, 3.6 WAR Denham finished the season with a Batsman WAR not seen in New York since the '60s because he was the slickest-fielding 3B in N.Y.L. history in addition to being one of the league’s best Batsmen. That placed him above the league’s two best fielders at Shortstop, Morrison & Thomas. GREENHORN OF THE YEAR: William Butcher (C, age 28) – Frontier B.B.C. • .362/.398/.470, .868 OPS, 64 R, 104 H, 24 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 68 RBI, 20 BB, 1 SB, 135 TB, 3.1 WPA, 3.3 WAR • Made All-Star Game; C in N.Y.L. Team of the Year; Top Batsman for N.Y.L. champions • William Webb (CF, VIC) 2nd – .331, .806 OPS, 84 R, 107 H, 13 2B, 10 3B, 2 HR, 56 RBI, 28 SB, 3.6 WPA, 3.4 WAR • George Decker (P, UTI) 3rd – 21-17, 3.26 ERA, 317.1 IP, 21 CG, 101 K, 1.2 K/BB, 1.52 WHIP, 4.9 WAR, 4.2 rWAR Butcher was the best Batsman for the first Frontier team to take the N.Y.L. pennant, and for that he wins G.o.t.Y. He was also the only N.Y.L. Greenhorn to be named to the Team of the Year. Webb had an excellent season that fell just short of an All-Star Game appearance. Decker pitched well for a Utica team that had some of the poorest fielding in the N.Y.L. GOLDEN HANDS NOMINEES • P: Thomas Onstad (ATL; 1st) – 30 PO, 54 AST, 5 E, .944 FLD%, 2.30 RNG, 1.178 EFF, +5.8 ZR • C: Mark Lehmann (MET; 3rd) – 15 E, .943 FLD%, 25 PB, +6.2 ZR, 35.4 CS%, 3.16 C-ERA • 1B: Andrew Cohen (UTI; 1st) – 44 DP, 32 E, .959 FLD%, 1.113 EFF, +7.7 ZR • 2B: Melvin Greenawalt (NYAC; 4th) – 122 PO, 209 AST, 41 DP, 35 E, .904 FLD%, 5.24 RNG, 1.213 EFF, +17.8 ZR • 3B: William Denham (CON; 2nd) – 69 PO, 189 AST, 10 DP, 55 E, .824 FLD%, 3.84 RNG, 1.249 EFF, +22.5 ZR • SS: Frank Morrison (MET; 2nd) – 99 PR, 266 AST, 41 DP, 74 E, .831 FLD%, 5.46 RNG, 1.206 EFF, +27.0 ZR • LF: Franklin Baum (MUT; 1st) – 10 AST, 2 DP, 21 E, .896 FLD%, 1.075 EFF, +9.3 ZR/ARM • CF: George Whaley (FRO; 3rd) – 11 AST, 1 DP, 22 E, .918 FLD%, 1.048 EFF, +5.3 ZR/ARM • RF: Robert Golden (SYR; 1st) – 10 AST, 0 DP, 12 E, .946 FLD%, 1.066 EFF, +5.2 ZR/ARM TEAM OF THE YEAR NOMINEES • P: Charles Rhodes (NYAC, age 32; 5th) 27-11, 1.89 ERA, 377.0 IP, 32 CG, 1 SHO, *197 K, 4.7 K/9, 8.2 K/BB, 1.07 WHIP, 12.9 WAR, 12.6 rWAR* • C: William Butcher (FRO, age 28; GH) .362, .868 OPS, 64 R, 104 H, 24 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 68 RBI, 20 BB, 1 SB, 3.1 WPA, 3.3 WAR • 1B: Ezechiele Cornaro (MET, age 34; 1st) .376, .972 OPS, 78 R, 117 H, 31 2B, 11 3B, 1 HR, 59 RBI, 22 BB, 6 SB, 5.4 WPA, 3.7 WAR • 2B: Jonathan Toppin (MUT, age 33; 1st) .393, .423 OBP, .962 OPS, 73 R, 121 H, 25 2B, 10 3B, 0 HR, 67 RBI, 16 BB, 33 SB, 4.7 WPA, 3.6 WAR • 3B: William Denham (CON, age 31; 2nd) .358, .925 OPS, 68 R, 106 H, 18 2B, 11 3B, 3 HR, 70 RBI, 20 BB, 12 SB, +22.5 ZR, 5.8 WPA, 5.5 WAR • SS: Ben Gagliardi (ATL, age 34; 3rd) .336, .859 OPS, 60 R, 83 H, 21 2B, 8 3B, 0 HR, 51 RBI, 14 BB, 46 SB, +16.6 ZR, 3.7 WPA, 3.8 WAR (58 G) • OF: Francis Smith (MET, age 36; 7th) .382, .618 SLG, 1.022 OPS, 104 R, 130 H, 30 2B, 22 3B, 2 HR, 67 RBI, 38 SB, 210 TB, 7.1 WPA, 5.4 WAR • OF: Jack Anastasio (NYAC, age 28; 2nd) .322, .880 OPS, 92 R, 102 H, 27 2B, 15 3B, 0 HR, 46 RBI, 28 BB, 69 SB, 5.5 WPA, 3.3 WAR • OF: Herb Verrett (ATL, age 37; 5th) .361, .893 OPS, 70 R, 103 H, 23 2B, 6 3B, 1 HR, 62 RBI, 12 BB, 10 SB, 3.5 WPA, 2.9 WAR NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: James Burke (CF, age 38) – Philadelphia B.C.C.; 7x winner (5 in A.P.B.L.; repeat winner) • .381/.442/.595, 1.037 OPS, 91 R, 114 H, 24 2B, 17 3B, 2 HR, 71 RBI, 35 BB, 58 SB, 178 TB, 4.7 WPA, 4.7 WAR • Led N.E.L. in AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, BB, SB, RC, & WAR; 7th B.o.t.Y. in 9 years between A.P.B.L. & N.B.B.O. • John Porretta (2B, SUS) 2nd – Northeastern League Greenhorn of the Year • Jesse Craig (1B, SotO) 3rd – .346, .877 OPS, 70 R, 103 H, 31 2B, 5 3B, 65 RBI, 25 BB, 1 SB, 4.7 WPA, 3.5 WAR Burke didn’t lead the N.E.L. in nine offensive categories again this season, only eight this time. His On Base, Slugging, & OPS were actually higher than they were last year, so he’s not showing any signs of slowing down. That meant Porretta, whose performance would have earned him a B.o.t.Y. & G.o.t.Y. double in many other years, had to settle for runner-up. Craig, the 1876 B.o.t.Y., had another excellent season for Sons of the Ocean. PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Ben Lauppe (age 29) – National B.C. • 28-13, 2.31 ERA, 355.0 IP, 30 CG, 1 SHO, 171 K, 4.3 K/9, 3.9 K/BB, 9.0 H/9, 1.12 WHIP, 9.0 WAR, 10.3 rWAR • Won Triple Crown; Led N.E.L. in W, ERA, K, IP, CG, QS, O-AVG/SLG/OPS, K/9, H/9, WHIP, WAR, rWAR • James Dressman (LBR) 2nd – 25-14, 2.60 ERA, 335.1 IP, 26 CG, 3 SHO, 118 K, 2.4 K/BB, 1.26 WHIP, 6.9 WAR, 6.3 rWAR • William Burrow (NAT) 3rd – 26-13, 2.57 ERA, 336.0 IP, 27 CG, 1 SHO, 65 K, 3.4 K/BB, 1.18 WHIP, 6.0 WAR, 6.0 rWAR Lauppe was even more dominant relative to the competition than Charles Rhodes was in the N.Y.L., leading the N.E.L. in FOURTEEN statistical categories and winning the Pitching Triple Crown, if limiting ERA Title contenders to 175+ innings instead of one inning per game (70+ IP). Dressman & Burrow had fine seasons, but Lauppe beat them by a country mile. FIELDER OF THE YEAR: William Cruise (SS, age 30) – Portland B.C. • SS: 349 TC, 97 PO, 212 AST, 32 DP, 40 E, .885 FLD%, 4.45 RNG, 1.296 EFF, +26.0 ZR, +29.3 FldRV • .325/.366/.423, .789 OPS, 75 R, 103 H, 15 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 44 RBI, 22 BB, 12 SB, 2.9 WPA, 4.6 WAR • Earl Seals (TU) 2nd – SS: 87 PO, 251 AST, 31 DP, 61 E, .847 FLD%, 4.98 RNG, 1.228 EFF, +26.7 ZR, 4.1 WAR • John Harmon (BH) 3rd – SS: 96 PO, 257 AST, 33 DP, 64 E, .847 FLD%, 5.20 RNG, 1.206 EFF, +26.1 ZR, 3.4 WAR Portland had a down year but Cruise certainly didn’t, as he enjoyed the best season of his career with the bat while winning his 6th Golden Hands award at Shortstop. Seals & Harmon gifted their teams another year of defensive wizardry, and over his eleven years in the N.B.B.O. Seals’ cumulative Zone Rating is now +265.4 (+24.1/YR). GREENHORN OF THE YEAR: John Porretta (2B, age 24) – Susquehanna B.C. • .356/.402/.562, .965 OPS, 97 R, 114 H, 23 2B, 20 3B, 1 HR, 91 RBI, 20 BB, 38 SB, 180 TB, 5.9 WPA, 4.5 WAR • Made All-Star Game; N.E.L. Team of the Year at 2B; Runner-up for N.E.L. Batsman of the Year • Lamberto Porcatello (C, QUI) 2nd – .340, .807 OPS, 41 R, 89 H, 20 XBH, 1 HR, 57 RBI, 13 BB, 2.77 C-ERA, 3.0 WPA, 1.9 WAR • Jerald Campbell (P, GRA) 3rd – 20-15, 3.74 ERA, 315.1 IP, 15 CG, 1 SHO, 41 K, 0.9 K/BB, 1.55 WHIP, 5.1 WAR, 0.6 rWAR A Greenhorn season like the one Porretta just had might mean it’ll be the 24-year-old’s only one in the N.B.B.O. He was brilliant in every aspect of the game except fielding, and in that regard he was still above average. In past years he likely would have earned either B.o.t.Y. or M.V.P. for his efforts. Porcatello & Campbell were good, but far…FAR behind. GOLDEN HANDS NOMINEES • P: Fred Cowan (PIO; 2nd) – 38 PO, 61 AST, 12 E, .892 FLD%, 1.104 EFF, +8.6 ZR • C: Charley Craig (NAT; 1st) – 14 E, .956 FLD%, 27 PB, +6.1 ZR, 42.6 CS%, 2.70 C-ERA • 1B: Jesse Craig (Soto; 2nd) – 40 DP, 27 E, .966 FLD%, 1.065 EFF, +4.4 ZR • 2B: Lennon Haley (LBR; 3rd) – 145 PO, 231 AST, 35 DP, 44 E, .895 FLD%, 5.58 RNG, 1.178 EFF, +18.6 ZR • 3B: Arwin Rijneveld (CAN; 1st) – 52 PO, 199 AST, 15 DP, 82 E, .828 FLD%, 3.70 RNG, 1.224 EFF, +19.7 ZR • SS: William Cruise (PORT; 6th) – 97 PO, 212 AST, 32 DP, 40 E, .885 FLD%, 4.45 RNG, 1.296 EFF, +26.0 ZR • LF: Henry Pittman (NAT; 1st) – 2 AST, 0 DP, 10 E, .935 FLD%, 1.081 EFF, +6.7 ZR/ARM • CF: John Schultz (SUS; 2nd) – 15 AST, 5 DP, 17 E, .950 FLD%, 1.061 EFF, +10.4 ZR/ARM • RF: Livingston Hollingsworth (OCE; 2nd) – 16 AST, 1 DP, 15 E, .938 FLD%, 1.064 EFF, +6.2 ZR/ARM TEAM OF THE YEAR NOMINEES • P: Ben Lauppe (NAT, age 29; 1st) 28-13, 2.31 ERA, 355.0 IP, 30 CG, 1 SHO, 171 K, 4.3 K/9, 3.9 K/BB, 9.0 H/9, 1.12 WHIP, 9.0 WAR, 10.3 rWAR • C: Bertrand Bosley (GM, age 34; 5th) .299, .823 OPS, 53 R, 73 H, 20 2B, 9 3B, 1 HR, 69 RBI, 24 BB, 0 SB, 5.1 WPA, 2.6 WAR • 1B: Jesse Craig (SotO, age 33; 3rd) .346, .877 OPS, 70 R, 103 H, 21 2B, 5 3B, 0 HR, 65 RBI, 25 BB, 1 SB, 4.7 WPA, 3.5 WAR • 2B: John Porretta (SUS, age 24; GH) .356, .965 OPS, 97 R, 114 H, 23 2B, 20 3B, 1 HR, 91 RBI, 20 BB, 38 SB, 180 TB, 5.9 WPA, 4.5 WAR • 3B: James Kinney (NAT, age 32; 3rd) .338, .873 OPS, 88 R, 110 H, 26 2B, 15 3B, 0 HR, 47 RBI, 12 BB, 6 SB, 3.5 WPA, 3.6 WAR • SS: William Cruise (PORT, age 30; 1st) .325, .789 OPS, 75 R, 103 H, 15 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 44 RBI, 22 BB, 12 SB, +26.0 ZR, 2.9 WPA, 4.6 WAR • OF: James Burke (PBCC, age 38; 11th) .381/.442/.595, 1.038 OPS, 91 R, 114 H, 24 2B, 17 3B, 2 HR, 71 RBI, 35 BB, 58 SB, 4.7 WPA, 4.7 WAR • OF: John Schultz (SUS, age 34; 6th) .326, .822 OPS, 96 R, 115 H, 23 2B, 14 3B, 1 HR, 62 RBI, 7 BB, 42 SB, +10.4 ZR/ARM, 5.3 WPA, 3.5 WAR • OF: Francis Edwards (QUI, age 23; 1st) .364, .945 OPS, 69 R, 112 H, 28 2B, 12 3B, 1 HR, 69 RBI, 22 BB, 9 SB, 6.2 WPA, 2.7 WAR __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here

06-08-2026, 06:52 PM	#1304
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,808	1881 AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE REVIEW FINAL A.P.B.L. STANDINGS PER-TEAM STATISTICS 1881: 6.2 R/G, .280 AVG, .694 OPS, 946 H, 185 2B, 64 3B, 11 HR, 144 SB, 3.37 ERA, 147 BB, 219 K, 4.5 E/G, .897 FLG% 1880: 5.7 R/G, .271 AVG, .667 OPS, 898 H, 175 2B, 56 3B, 10 HR, 128 SB, 3.11 ERA, 129 BB, 255 K, 4.2 E/G, .905 FLD% FOUNDERS CUP XI St. John’s (4th title, 2nd straight, 9th overall) defeats Excelsior 4-2. GAME 1: EXC 5-17 StJ – 3B Eamonn Higgins (StJ): 5/6 (all 1B), 3 R, 1 RBI GAME 2: EXC 6-7 StJ – LF Joseph Evans (StJ): 2/4 (2B), 1 R, 2 RBI, BB, 3 TB, GW RUN GAME 3: StJ 8-9 EXC – 2B Cletus Cannon: 2/5 (HR), 3 R, 2 RBI, 3 SB, 5 TB GAME 4: StJ 5-11 EXC – CF Henry Arnold (EXC) – 2/4 (3B), 3 R, 2 RBI, BB, 4 TB GAME 5: StJ 19-3 EXC – 2B Cletus Cannon (StJ): 4/6 (2B, 3B), 5 R, 3 RBI, BB, 3 SB, 7 TB GAME 6: EXC 7-10 StJ – 2B Cletus Cannon (StJ): 4/5 (2B, 3B), 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 SB, 7 TB SERIES M.V.P.: 2B Cletus Cannon (StJ) - .500 (15/30), 15 R, 3 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 1 BB, 9 SB, 25 TB, 3x PotG WRITERS POOL OBSERVATIONS After establishing a uniform standard for the entire construction of the game ball during the Executive Committee’s Spring Meetings, Strikeouts went down, Average & OPS went up, and run scoring increased by close to ten percent, although it still was not as high as it was in 1879 (7.1 R/G). ALLEGHANY: For the second straight season their Pitching & Fielding were comfortably in the league’s top half but saw that good work undone by an anemic offense ranked in the league’s bottom two. Last winter they didn’t tinker much with the lineup, but it’s obvious they can’t do that again. Needs: 3B, LF, CF, RF. M.V.P: SS Gerald Strong – .319, .773 OPS, 75 R, 123 H, 25 2B, 5 3B, 1 HR, 53 RBI, 10 BB, 43 SB, 2.1 WPA, 3.6 WAR AMERICAN: They hit rock-bottom in 1881, having their poorest season in the A.P.B.L. and their worst on the whole since their 16-54 N.B.B.O. campaign in 1858. William Busby, Will Carrigan, George Kassabian, & Franklin Petty all had career-worst years, and it leaves one wondering where the front office should even start when it comes to roster changes. M.V.P: P Jimmy Everhart – 15-27, 3.82 ERA, 360.1 IP, 25 CG, 1 SHO, 139 K, 4.0 K/BB, 1.43 WHIP, 8.1 WAR, 3.2 rWAR EXCELSIOR: From 6th place at 40-50 in 1880 to 1st at 54-37 in 1881 – couldn’t have had a better year. Incredible work to sign three Greenhorns who all became All-Stars in their debut seasons. Excellence up & down the lineup, and great fielding as well. Only issue: their Pitching Duo ranked 15th/16 in terms of talent. M.V.P: LF Troy Oberst – .361, .939 OPS, 93 R, 146 H, 39 2B, 16 3B, 1 HR, 57 RBI, 22 BB, 4 SB, 5.9 WPA, 5.5 WAR FLOUR CITY: Once again finished 46-44 even though their lineup had major weaknesses at 3-4 positions. New #1 Steve Breland was outstanding in his first season. Floyd Hoffman had the greatest year-to-year turnaround ever. Ernest Dugas had a career year. Jesse Noss made another All-Star Game. Frank Bulger wasn’t as good as he should have been. Needs: C, 2B, SS. M.V.P: CF Ernest Dugas – .324, .818 OPS, 83 R, 122 H, 24 2B, 14 3B, 0 HR, 82 RBI, 22 BB, 34 SB, 4.5 WPA, 3.7 WAR GOTHAM: Oof…Projected to top the Metro, but instead finished 6th with about a dozen Wins below projections. The problem: the worst Defensive Efficiency in the league, as nobody aside from SS wizard Peter Jones looked good in the field. That caused their Pitchers to unnecessarily suffer, and results went with it. Most immediate need: a new Third Baseman. M.V.P: 2B Babe Johnson – .329, .873 OPS, 89 R, 121 H, 21 2B, 13 3B, 3 HR, 64 RBI, 41 BB, 25 SB, 4.0 WPA, 2.7 WAR KINGS COUNTY: Great in the opening half, but a 20-25 second half caused them to fall short of the Founders Cup. Garfield Koonce and the lineup were very good. Hugo dos Santos hit his All-Star potential, but other P’s really let them down as the season went on. The other issue big issue: it looks like they’re due for a new CF after six years of playing George Miller there. M.V.P: 1B Garfield Koonce – .388, .945 OPS, 80 R, 142 H, 33 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 86 RBI, 22 BB, 1 SB, 5.6 WPA, 4.6 WAR KNICKERBOCKER: Fell from their pennant-winning heights as their offense struggled this season. Clive Strachan had a career-worst year. Cale Jones hit just .227 in his return to the lineup at C. Albert Stoffers saw his OPS fall 50-60 points. William Avery also proved to be a big downgrade from Robert Goodman. Retooling is needed. M.V.P: P Bertram Landreth – 26-19, 2.94 ERA, 392.1 IP, 34 CG, 146 K, 3.5 K/BB, 1.22 WHIP, 8.1 WAR, 5.0 rWAR MASSACHUSETTS BAY: A fine season by the Bostonians that ended with their best Colonial Conference finish to date. What got them there was an attack that was the league’s best even though they lost Harold Durand. M.B. finished the year with seven .300 hitters. Another plus: adding Charles King from Pt. Jersey stabilized their pitching. Needs: LF, CF. M.V.P: RF Kevin Duke – .351, .831 OPS, 78 R, 140 H, 32 2B, 7 3B, 0 HR, 69 RBI, 10 BB, 17 SB, 3.9 WPA, 3.3 WAR NEWARK: Last place again, but they made it to 40 Wins for the 1st time in the A.P.B.L. John Ratican was their best player again – an All-Star for the 2nd straight year. Jacob Kaulback, an 1880 All-Star, really struggled, but Outfield mate Thomas Fetterman made his first A.S.G. Andrew Lowden was better, but still not good enough. Needs: P2, 2B, 3B, SS, LF. M.V.P: P John Ratican – 23-20, 2.70 ERA, 380.0 IP, 33 CG, 1 SHO, 143 K, 2.9 K/BB, 1.26 WHIP, 6.6 WAR, 6.2 rWAR NIAGARA: Better in 1881 – tied for 2nd in the Colonial. Charles Barrett was excellent for the third straight year. Reginald Roper had his best campaign since 1873. William Norman again was a run producer. Oliver Johnson had a decent Greenhorn season at 3B & SS. Jenkins & Mukai weren’t as great as last year but remain a formidable Pitching Duo. M.V.P: CF Charles Barrett – .316, .819 OPS, 78 R, 125 H, 26 2B, 10 3B, 3 HR, 59 RBI, 28 BB, 17 SB, 4.3 WPA, 4.2 WAR ORANGE: Their comeback is complete after forcing Excelsior into a one-game playoff for the Metro crown. Andrew Miller was the best #1 in the league. The Johns – Cobb & Meier – were tremendous in the Outfield. Charles Whitehead had another great year. Walter Carrow improved slightly in Year Two. With a new C and perhaps a new 1B, they’ll be pennant favorites. M.V.P: P Andrew Miller – 29-16, 2.92 ERA, 394.0 IP, 32 CG, 126 K, 6.6 K/BB, 1.14 WHIP, 8.9 WAR, 5.0 rWAR PORT JERSEY: An odd year – 6th in the Colonial but with the 2nd-best Run Differential. Record aside, Robert Goodman was every bit the upgrade they were hoping for at P1. Vincent Dixon had a breakout season. Samuel Eastman didn’t reach last year’s heights but was still very good. They received quality play from their Outfield. Issues going into the winter: C, 1B. M.V.P: 2B Vincent Dixon – .372, .960 OPS, 78 R, 141 H, 42 2B, 12 3B, 2 HR, 78 RBI, 18 BB, 11 SB, 5.7 WPA, 5.8 WAR QUAKER STATE: Lost their long-tenured greats, Gill & Morganti, and it was a deathblow – 2nd-worst record and worst RD in the league. The good: Harold Durand was an All-Star in his 1st season with the team and William Wimple became one in his 4th A.P.B.L. season. The bad: just about everything else. The big needs: 1B, SS, P1, P2. M.V.P: LF Harold Durand – .343, .888 OPS, 67 R, 130 H, 29 2B, 12 3B, 2 HR, 67 RBI, 20 BB, 9 SB, 3.4 WPA, 3.9 WAR SHAMROCK: Disappointment – top of the Colonial midway through the season, but an 18-27 second half saw them finish 5th. George Collier & Joseph Sullivan were All-Stars in their debut seasons. William Dickerson was the best 3B in the league. Henry Jost was a greyhound in the Outfield. George Burroughs was a solid #1 again. Issues: light hitting at 2B, SS, LF, & RF M.V.P: 3B William Dickerson – .337, .855 OPS, 75 R, 122 H, 23 2B, 10 3B, 2 HR, 72 RBI, 29 BB, 47 SB, 5.2 WPA, 5.3 WAR SAINT JOHN’S: Champions again. Six .300 hitters in the lineup, and while Howard Burns wasn’t historically great once again George Cerven backed him up with a 25-9 campaign. Their only issue: will one player take over SS and/or RF next year? M.V.P: 1B Konrad Jensen – .311, .783 OPS, 89 R, 122 H, 24 2B, 6 3B, 0 HR, 68 RBI, 40 BB, 64 SB, 5.4 WPA, 3.7 WAR TIGER S.C.: Their best season in the A.P.B.L. – 4th in the Metro but with the conference’s best RD. Martin Prince had his finest campaign, and Middle Infield partner Griffin Gray became an All-Star. Howard Boley hit over .350 out of nowhere. Their capture of the Flour City Pitching Duo was fine business as both Gray & Johannessen had 20+ Wins. Needs: C, 1B, CF. M.V.P: SS Martin Prince – .361, .943 OPS, 94 R, 130 H, 27 2B, 20 3B, 1 HR, 56 RBI, 11 BB, 24 SB, 3.7 WPA, 5.6 WAR __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 06-08-2026 at 07:17 PM.

06-08-2026, 07:08 PM	#1306
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,808	Now it's time to build up to the new leagues. It's going to take a bit since it will be three at the same time. I'll need to test them and make sure they integrate properly. The graphics are ready to go, though. I also have some work deadlines coming up, so can't slack on that front. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here

06-23-2026, 07:03 PM	#1312
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,808	LEAGUE BASEBALL ESTABLISHED IN THE MIDWEST THREE TEN-TEAM LEAGUES, ONE PROFESSIONAL AND TWO SEMI-PRO, TO BEGIN PLAY IN 1882 CHICAGO, ILL. (Nov. 13, 1881) - In the culmination of a movement that feels like it has been gathering steam for quite some time, a group of baseball executives gathered in Chicago on Sunday, with Al Spalding in front, to announce that three new leagues would begin play across the Midwestern United States in May of 1882. First, the Midwest’s maiden professional league, the Midwestern Baseball Association: The M.W.B.A. will begin its life with teams from the seven largest cities in the Midwestern United States: Chicago (503,185), Cincinnati (255,139), Cleveland (160,146), Detroit (116,340), Indianapolis (75,056), Milwaukee (115,187), & St. Louis (350,518), with Louisville, Kentucky (123,758) fielding a team in the league because that large city’s proximity to the Midwest means their amateur club teams have played the Midwestern style of baseball. Also, due to their size and number of large clubs, both Chicago & St. Louis will have two teams each in the league for its inaugural season of play, and that will give the M.W.B.A. and even ten for the 1882 season. So, who are the ten teams, and what do we know about them? THE MIDWESTERN BASEBALL ASSOCIATION (M.W.B.A.) CINCINNATI ROYALS (Pres.: Charles Christianson, G.M.: Jesse Howard, Mgr.; William Weaver) Findlay & Western Park (Cap: 12,713; Dist.: 361, 371, 391, 413, 435, 360, 328; Ht.: 7 LFL-CF, 15 RCF-RFL) The Cincinnati Royals, formerly Queen City B.C., are headquartered in Northwest Cincinnati and play their home games in a venue located off Findlay Street. Their home, Findlay & Western Park, is a bit of an odd one where Right-Center Field is the deepest part of the field at 435 feet from Home Plate. Left-handers hit the ball well there, but righties have a more difficult time. As amateurs, their club was known for its strong Middle Infield pairing of Joseph Markham & Richard Schreiber. CLEVELAND GENERALS (Pres.: Harold DeLaCroix, G.M.: Robert Peck, Mgr.; Seamus O’Leary) Moses Cleaveland Field (Cap: 16,015; Dist.: 360, 361, 388, 450, 440, 365, 290; Ht.: 5 LFL-RCF, 20 RF-RFL) The team is named after its home city’s namesake and founder, former militia General and land surveyor Moses Cleaveland. Why the “a” was dropped? Nobody knows. Anyway, the team is situated just off the shores of Lake Erie in northern Cleveland, and they play their home games in what is now one of the largest venues in the sport: the unsurprisingly named Moses Cleaveland Field (Cap: 16,015), which is perfectly straight from its 360-foot Left Field to its 450-foot Center Field in order to fit the area in which it was built. Cleveland has the Midwest’s finest First Baseman: Robert Drake. DETROIT ROBINS (Pres.: Goose McDonald, G.M.: Harold Fox, Mgr.; Uriah Faulkner) Detroit Sporting Grounds (Cap: 11,634; Dist.: 297, 381, 446, 500, 450, 359, 279; Ht.: 15 LFL-LF, 8 LCF-RCF, 15 RF-RFL) Detroit is an odd club, one named the “Robins” while its President is named “Goose”. Their ballpark, the Detroit Sporting Grounds, is a bit of an East/West combo: just 297 feet down the lines at Left & Right Field but making up for that lack of length with an eight-foot fence an even 500 feet straightaway in Center Field. That means powerful men that can get the bat around the ball will hit Home Runs, but there were plenty of opportunities for Triples or Inside the Park homers as well. Detroit has the region’s best 3B: Samuel Varagian. INDIANAPOLIS WARRIORS (Pres.: Jonathan Sebring, G.M.: Clem Tessier, Mgr.; Peter Stephens) Seventh Street Grounds (Cap: 7,506; Dist.: 311, 375, 431, 432, 430, 378, 286; Ht.: 10 LF-RCF, 38 RF-RFL) A team based in the “City of the Indians” that serves as the capitol of the state whose name means “The Land of the Indians” is going to have some Native American connection in its name, at least for now (but not “Indians” because I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of having it conflict with the identity of an existing minor league team). They play their games at the 7th Street Grounds, a venue that isn’t terribly peculiar yet very Midwestern: just 286 feet down the Right Field Line, but with a 38-foot fence to minimize Home Runs, and a maximum distance of 432 feet at Center Field, making it look like a child’s playroom compared to some of the Northeastern behemoths. LOUISVILLE SLUGGERS (Pres.: Joseph Matthews, G.M.: Thurman Scott, Mgr.; Wilbur White) Slugger Field (Cap: 12,376; Dist.: 317, 353, 391, 424, 398, 346, 311; Ht.: 8 for all fences) Louisville is the one outfit based outside the Midwest, but thanks to their proximity to the Midwestern Game they were welcomed to the region’s contests with open arms. Due to Kentucky’s warmer and more humid climate, Slugger Field is known as a place where Home Runs can be hit even though it doesn’t have a drastically short field. Their amateur team was capable, and Pitcher Arthur Wilson is regarded as the second-best in the Midwest. MILWAUKEE BAVARIANS (Pres.: Wilhelm Pfeiffer, G.M.: Walter Symons, Mgr.; Edward Boggs) Solomon Juneau Field (Cap: 11,558; Dist.: 277, 355, 435, 420, 435, 355, 278; Ht.: 25 LFL-LF, 8 LCF-RCF, 25 RF-RFL) Made very much in the image of the South German heritage of much of Wisconsin, the club run by President Wilhelm Pfeiffer is one with many oddities. They have the Midwest’s best SS, Jonathan Boone, one of the best 3B’s, Jeffrey Norgan, Ammon Zedlacher is one of the best Hurlers, and 18-year-old Hans Ehle could become the best pitching specialist in the sport. At the same time, their Outfield is regarded as worse than that of many smaller clubs and they have other serious weaknesses. Also, their home of Juneau Field is perhaps the most hitter-friendly in the sport thanks to its short fences that measure just 275-280 feet down the lines. NORTH CHICAGO GALES (Pres.: Joshua Kelly, G.M.: Joseph Rowlett, Mgr.; Leslie Daniels) Lake Shore Park (Cap: 15,925; Dist.: 286, 352, 389, 400, 395, 380, 296; Ht.: 38 LFL-LF, 6 LCF-RCF, 38 RF-RFL) The big club representing the northern half of Chicago has plenty going for it: a good Infield, the best CF in the region (Franklin Smith), the best RF in the region (William Cray), the best Hurler in the region (Edward Bosco), and an extremely loyal group of fans. Their home at Lake Shore Park will be the smallest in the M.W.B.A. by square footage when going by fence measurements from Home Plate. However, it will not be the best Hitter’s Park in the Midwest due to the unpredictable winds hitting it from Lake Michigan, whose shores sit just blocks away. SOUTH CHICAGO GRIFFONS (Pres.: Abraham Kowalski, G.M.: Klaus Gorissen, Mgr.; Moses Sink) South Side Park (Cap: 13,185; Dist.: 330, 397, 394, 420, 409, 336, 300; Ht.: 6 LFL-CF, 20 RCF-RFL) The big club in the southern half of Chicago views itself as the one representing the city’s Working Class, and Polish-American club president Abraham Kowalshi makes sure it stays that way. S.C. has the most balanced roster among the big clubs, and perhaps the most talented overall. Their home venue, the South End Grounds, is viewed as very friendly to left-handed batsmen but more fair to the right-handers. ST. LOUIS BLUEBIRDS (Pres.: Vincent Douglas, G.M.: Albert Mangold, Mgr.; Oscar Donaldson) Sportsman’s Park (Cap: 13,551; Dist.: 350, 400, 430, 460, 420, 330, 285; Ht.: 8 LFL-CF, 33 RCF-RFL) The “smaller” of St. Louis’ two major clubs, the Bluebirds are able to boast of a very talented roster with weaknesses at only one position. The club representing the “blue half” of the city is well run by President Vincent Douglas, and as such they have a number of quality young prospects in the ranks. Their home, the recently opened Sportsman’s Park, is expected to be a boon for lefties, like so many others in the region, while being more of a challenge for more traditional batsmen. ST. LOUIS SAINTS (Pres.: Stanley Corbett, G.M.: Noble Warren, Mgr.; Thomas Miller) VanDeVenter Avenue Grounds (Cap: 17,526; Dist.: 350, 430, 446, 500, 430, 358, 290; Ht.: 8 LFL-RCF, 30 RF-RFL) The biggest club in the Midwest, and after the expansion of the VanDeVenter Avenue Grounds is complete they’ll have the biggest venue in all of baseball as well. Stanley Corbett has been the club’s President since its foundation in 1859, and he has built it into the one with the biggest reach and fanbase in the region. They also have some of the best talents in the Midwest, among them CF Oscar Kress and a reportedly terrifying 21-year-old Outfielder named Jacob Milburn. Aside from the fact that Midwestern baseball plays much differently than its Northeastern counterpart, the M.W.B.A. will be run differently from the A.P.B.L. • Each team will play twelve games against the nine other teams (four three-game series; two home & away) for a total of 108 games. The A.P.B.L. has a 90-game schedule. • Because M.W.B.A. teams use three regular “Hurlers” instead of two Pitchers, M.W.B.A. Senior Rosters will have a limit of 20 players – 6 Hurlers & 14 Batsmen – compared to the A.P.B.L.’s 18. Furthermore, the executives of the M.W.B.A. have decided to allow teams to have up to 25 men on their Reserve Rosters as opposed to the A.P.B.L.’s 18. • Due to the fact that there will only be ten teams in the A.P.B.L.’s inaugural season, all of the teams will be placed in the same subdivision and there will be no playoffs or cup competition. • Instead of a Pitcher of the Year, the M.W.B.A. will give out an award for the “Hurler of the Year” after the end of each season. Other awards will be similar to those in the Northeastern leagues. However, in the inaugural season the Greenhorn of the Year award will go to the best player under the age of 25. • Because of the longer schedule, player pay in the M.W.B.A. will be higher than it is in the A.P.B.L. However, don’t expect to see a rush Northeastern imports due to the significant differences in the sport between the two regions. • Another factor of the longer schedule: the M.W.B.A. season will be 18 weeks long as opposed to 16 in the A.P.B.L. The most important thing to take away from the above list is this: whoever has the best record at the end of the M.W.B.A.’s 108-game season will be crowned the inaugural champions, and only if teams are tied will there be some kind of playoff. With the second professional league not expected to bring in any players from the A.P.B.L., it’s now just a matter of getting things in order over the winter and starting play in May. There is now another major competition, and that can only be a good thing for baseball in the United States. While the big news from Chicago was the foundation of the Midwest’s first professional league, as mentioned there are three new leagues that will begin play across the region next year. While the M.W.B.A. will consist of full-time players, the other two leagues will be semi-professional, similar in nature to the National Base Ball Organization and Coastal Conference. The two leagues: the Great Lakes Conference and the Prairie League. THE GREAT LAKES CONFERENCE (G.L.C.) • COLUMBUS CAPITOLS Columbus, Ohio – Parsons Ave. Grounds (Cap: 5,164; Dist.: 352, 411, 418, 433, 457, 379, 299) • COOK COUNTY RAILRIDERS Chicago, Ill. –West Side Grounds (Cap: 7,752; Dist.: 340, 401, 468, 523, 490, 388, 340) • DAYTON GEMSTONES Dayton, Ohio –Fairview Park (Cap: 3,868; Dist.: 332, 388, 428, 461, 433, 378, 356) • EVANSVILLE ANGELS Evansville, Ind. – Louisiana St. Grounds (Cap: 2,928; Dist.: 320, 365, 407, 437, 416, 387, 343) • FORT WAYNE DEFENDERS Ft. Wayne, Ind. – Camp Allen (Cap: 2,689; Dist.: 326, 348, 375, 401, 367, 333, 302) • GRAND RAPIDS WOLVES Grand Rapids, Mich. – Isaac McCoy Field (Cap: 3,201; Dist.: 280, 349, 394, 404, 399, 361, 285) • PEORIA CARDINALS Peoria, Ill. – Lake View Park (Cap: 2,926; Dist.: 366, 383, 400, 431, 446, 381, 353) • SAGINAW LUMBERJACKS Saginaw, Mich. – Davenport Ave. Grounds (Cap: 3,050; Dist.: 309, 373, 443, 462, 443, 391, 337) • TOLEDO BADGERS Toledo, Ohio – Toledo Armory (Cap: 5,013; Dist.: 318, 372, 418, 432, 411, 332, 293) • YOUNGSTOWN COAL DIGGERS Youngstown, Ohio – Idora Park (Cap: 3,086; Dist.: 332, 401, 452, 494, 475, 415, 342) THE PRAIRIE LEAGUE (P.L.) • DES MOINES OAKS Des Moines, Iowa – Raccoon River Park (Cap: 5,240; Dist.: 338, 377, 404, 433, 403, 388, 284) • DUBUQUE EXPLORERS Dubuque, Iowa – Elm Street Diamond (Cap: 2,525; Dist.: 305, 331, 389, 514, 415, 368, 352) • KANSAS CITY BULLS Kansas City, Mo. – Industrial Exposition Park (Cap: 5,578; Dist.: 322, 374, 440, 479, 447, 394, 348) • LINCOLN BUCKS Lincoln, Neb. – Antelope Park (Cap: 2,601; Dist.: 340, 383, 412, 431, 400, 361, 297) • MINNEAPOLIS LAKERS Minneapolis, Minn. – Nicollet Park (Cap: 4,688; Dist.: 334, 338, 366, 432, 342, 299, 280) • OMAHA CORN KINGS Omaha, Neb. – Vinton St. Grounds (Cap: 3,051; Dist.: 352, 373, 430, 415, 430, 349, 311) • SIOUX CITY FALCONS Sioux City, Iowa – State Line Field (Cap: 1,890; Dist.: 324, 388, 443, 463, 453, 389, 381) • ST. JOSEPH RIDERS St. Joseph, Mo. – William Wadell Field (Cap: 3,243; Dist.: 308, 362, 392, 414, 402, 371, 319) • ST. PAUL NORTH STARS St. Paul, Minn. – University Ave. Grounds (Cap: 4,147; Dist.: 315, 333, 378, 470, 401, 369, 365) • WICHITA WRANGLERS Wichita, Kan. – James Mead Field (Cap: 2,385: Dist.: 351, 375, 430, 478, 427, 382, 306) The Great Lakes Conference and the Prairie league will be run, at a basic level, in similar fashion to the M.W.B.A. Both leagues have decided to play 18-week, 108-game seasons and all ten teams will be allowed a maximum of 20 players on their Senior Rosters. The main bureaucratic difference with the M.W.B.A. is that, owing to their smaller budgets, facilities, and resources, G.L.C. & P.L. teams will have a 20-man limit for their Reserve Rosters instead of the 25-man limit in the M.W.B.A. One thing all three new leagues have in common is that they would like to have playoffs in place at some point in the future, but executives from all three agreed that postseason competition cannot take place in any of the three unless that league has at least a dozen teams to split into two subdivisions of six each. What makes the Prairie League interesting is that it has teams in four rapidly growing cities – Kansas City, Minneapolis, Omaha, & St. Paul – that could see the M.W.B.A. come calling before long. If so, then the P.L. will need to find four new teams to fill the void. And with that, league baseball has been established in the Midwestern United States. It is a different brand of baseball, but it is still baseball nonetheless. Time will tell if the Northeastern game remains dominant, or if the Midwestern variant eventually reigns supreme. The coming years will be a very interesting time for hardcore fans and observers alike. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 06-23-2026 at 07:21 PM.

06-12-2026, 09:01 AM	#1310
WooBallFan43 Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jun 2025 Location: Worcester, MA Posts: 288	Are you gonna move Bridgeport to the NBBO? If so, Gate City B.B.C. (Nashua, NH) could be a great replacement.

06-23-2026, 07:20 PM	#1313
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,808	Team names for these teams & leagues are mostly made up, with some taken from historical sources or other sports (*one should be very obvious). Stadiums are mostly historical in nature, either with fictional names but real dimensions & locations or real location but fictional dimensions. It depended on how much information I could find. For the cities that had Major League Baseball teams it wasn't too difficult, but for some of the others I used protoball.org to find locations of old baseball fields in the city and used those as an inspiration point. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 06-23-2026 at 07:23 PM.*

07-06-2026, 08:33 AM	#1318
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,808	So...I said "screw it" and went over every uniform and logo, updating where needed. I've started to upload images of everything in my thread in the Mods forum - https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...=347180&page=6 - Post #115 on Page 6 is where the new stuff starts. I may still do some more minor tweaking before I go through the process of putting everything back up on my OneDrive. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here