The Big Bang: A Larger Baseball Universe Starting From Nothing in 1857 - Page 53

tm1681 · 02-20-2026, 10:08 PM

FOUNDERS’ CUP VIII: TWO GRAND OLD CLUBS

MANHATTAN & PROVIDENCE (Aug. 27 to Sep. 3, 1878) – Last year’s Founders’ Cup saw Jim Creighton and Excelsior try to earn their first title by beating baseball’s greatest winners: St. John’s B.C. The result was a five-game victory by St. John’s, their seventh top-tier title in 21 seasons of organized baseball.

With one week left in the 1878 season, the defending champions had a hill to climb if they wanted to have the chance to defend their title. St. John’s was third in the Colonial Conference, two games behind both Niagara & Shamrock, with Shamrock looking like slight favorites to take the pennant based on the remaining schedule and St. Johns’ two-game deficit.

Incredibly, St. John’s went to Boston and swept Shamrock and then traveled to Philadelphia and swept Quaker St., winning all six games by multiple runs and clinching the Colonial Conference title on the final day of the season after their 7-4 victory at Quaker St. meant Niagara’s 11-7 home win over Kings Co. didn’t matter. As with so many things St. John’s has done over the years, it was the stuff of legend.

Knickerbocker didn’t have such a difficult path to the Founders’ Cup. They had kept Kings Co. roughly at arm’s length for much of the second half of the season, but an extremely demanding nine-game stretch against Kings Co., Shamrock, & St. John’s coming out of the All-Star break would determine if they could keep it that way. Knick went 6-3, stretched their lead from three to five games, and clinched the Metropolitan pennant after winning their second game at Quaker St. to start the final week. Surprisingly, even though this was the seventh time Knick had been in the Metro’s top three it was the first time they would be playing for the A.P.B.L. championship.

As with St. John’s vs Excelsior, this was a fantastic matchup on paper. St. John’s, known for its marauding offense since the foundation of the N.B.B.O. and sporting the A.P.B.L.’s top attack in nearly every major category, would be taking on a Knickerbocker outfit that allowed almost seventy fewer runs than any other team and whose fielders had the surest hands of any team. Once again, it was a pure offense vs defense matchup.

For the second year in a row, it was the Metropolitan Conference champions that neutral fans would be rooting for. Knickerbocker had two stars in their mid/late 30s yet to win a title at the highest level: 1B Cormack Alexander & LF Clive Strachan. On top of that, their status as one of the sport’s two oldest clubs granted them an extra level of respect from non-attached observers.

And for the second year in a row, St. John’s didn’t care. For them, this was postseason trip NUMBER EIGHTEEN in 22 years of top-flight baseball, and they were playing for championship number eight. Only two things mattered to them: first, winning the cup, and second, being able to parade it around Providence in front of their fans.

FOUNDERS’ CUP FORMAT & NOTES

SEEDING

• #1: Knickerbocker (59-31; 7.1 R/G, 5.8 RA/G, +122 RD)
• #2: St. John’s (54-36; 8.9 R/G, 6.5 RA/G, +215 RD)

FORMAT

• HH-AAA-HH Schedule
• One day off after Game Two & Game Five
• #1 seed (Knickerbocker; 32-13 at home) has Home Field Advantage

ST. JOHN'S KEY PLAYERS

• Konrad Jensen (1B): .385, .926 OPS, 111 R, 158 H, 36 XBH, 2 HR, 98 RBI, 29 BB, 78 SB, 5.8 WPA, 4.6 WAR
• Nelson Townsend (RF): .363, .896 OPS, 136 R, 145 H, 32 XBH, 1 HR, 50 RBI, 46 BB, 72 SB, *8.2 WPA*, 4.4 WAR
• Joseph Evans (LF): .346, .822 OPS, 107 R, 146 H, 26 2B, 8 3B, 88 RBI, 18 BB, 26 SB, 4.0 WPA, 3.7 WAR
• Rudolph Decker (CF): .299, .720 OPS, 92 R, 118 H, 28 XBH, 1 HR, 95 RBI, 19 BB, 56 SB, 3.0 WPA, 2.8 WAR
• Howard Burns (P): 27-15, 2.50 ERA, 128 K, 366.2 IP, 29 CG, 1 SV, 4.4 K/BB, 1.17 WHIP, 6.8 WAR, 7.4 rWAR

KNICKERBOCKER KEY PLAYERS

• Anthony Mascherino (2B): .310, .738 OPS, 85 R, 119 H, 26 XBH, 1 HR, 67 RBI, 43 SB, +22.8 ZR, 4.1 WPA, 5.0 WAR
• Clive Strachan (LF): .326, .793 OPS, 83 R, 127 H, 15 2B, 12 3B, 3 HR, 60 RBI, 50 SB, 3.6 WPA, 3.1 WAR
• Cormack Alexander (1B): .296, .743 OPS, 81 R, 115 H, 31 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 62 RBI, 29 BB, 3.6 WPA, 2.8 WAR
• Bertram Landreth (P): 31-11, 2.41 ERA, 134 K, 374.0 IP, 32 CG, 1 SHO, 6.7 K/BB, 1.16 WHIP, 7.0 WAR, 8.7 rWAR
• Robert Goodman (P): 26-18, 3.23 ERA, 106 K, 3570.0 IP, 29 CG, 1 SHO, 4.4 K/BB, 1.24 WHIP, 6.3 WAR, 4.8 rWAR

Knickerbocker had the league’s best record at 59-31, but St. John’s had by far the league’s best Run Differential at +215 (Knick 2nd). However, Knick would have three things going for them:

1. Home Field Advantage with a 32-13 home record (#2 in A.P.B.L.)
2. A 15-6 record in one-run games (#1 in A.P.B.L.)
3. A 3-0 record in extra-inning games (#1 in A.P.B.L.)

Conversely, St. John’s was under. 500 away from home (20-25), under .500 in one-run games (9-13), and under .500 in Extra Innings (2-5), with the latter two far more likely to become a factor in postseason play.

Could St. John’s pound their opponents into submission and lift the cup again without having to worry about close games? Or would Knickerbocker’s outstanding defense and work in high-pressure situations earn them their first A.P.B.L. title?

tm1681 · 02-20-2026, 10:13 PM

GAME ONE (The Elysian Fields in Manhattan, N.Y. – ATT: 8,111)
StJ 3-8 KNI – KNI 3B Arthur Groff: 2/4 (3B), 2 R, 2 RBI, 4 TB

The Founders’ Cup opener was a solid victory by hosts Knickerbocker.

After the teams traded runs during the opening inning, Knick scored in the 2nd & 3rd to take a 3-1 lead. After a scoreless fourth, the hosts won the game thanks to four runs in B5, with the big hit a two-run Single by Groff. Knick was ahead 7-1, and thanks to the pitching of Bert Landreth (CG, 7 HA, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K), the lead was never in jeopardy.

GAME TWO (The Elysian Fields in Manhattan, N.Y. – ATT: 8,148)
StJ 8-15 KNI – KNI CF Louis Dyke: 2/4 (2B), 3 R, 3 RBI, 1 SB, SAC BUNT

Game Two had the kind of score St. John’s typically comes out the better of, but not on this day.

Knick stepped to the plate for B1 and hit St. John’s with a knockout blow consisting of NINE runs – a devastating attack that there was simply no recovering from. The hosts ran the lead as high as ten at 11-1, and by the time the mighty St. John’s offense finally started to put their own runs in the board it was too late to matter. Knick added four insurance runs in the 7th & 8th to make sure they took the win, and the Metropolitan champions were ahead 2-0.

GAME THREE (Olneyville Field in Providence, R.I. – ATT 8,414)
KNI 10-1 StJ – KNI P Bertram Landreth: CG WIN, 7 HA, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, SAC BUNT, SAC FLY

If the first two games were a surprise due to Knick’s margin of victory, then Game Three was a shocker.

Knick went to most venerable Olneyville Field and whooped the defending champions by nine, with four-run rallies in the 3rd & 8th doing most of the damage. They saw a fine performance from C Cale Jones (3/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1/2 CS), and St. John’s were flummoxed by Landreth’s pitching. The hosts simply never had a chance.

The result left Knickerbocker one game from what would certainly be the most unlikely, yet dominant, sweep ever.

GAME FOUR (Olneyville Field in Providence, R.I. – ATT: 8,457)
KNI 4-7 StJ – StJ 1B Konrad Jensen: 3/5 (2B), 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 SB, 4 TB

The defending champions would not be swept.

This was the first close game of the series. St. John’s drew first blood when Nelson Townsend hit a two-run homer in B3. Knick made it 2-1 in T5 on a Double by P Robert Goodman. The teams traded pairs of runs in the seventh to leave St. John’s ahead 4-3, and the hosts sealed the win when an uncharacteristic series of Errors by the Knick fielders allowed St. John’s to score three times in B8 and extend the lead to 7-3.

All St. John’s had to do was win three more times.

GAME FIVE (Olneyville Field in Providence, R.I. – ATT: 8,468)
KNI 1-4 StJ – StJ P Thomas Smith: CG W, 7 HA, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

The opposite of Game Two, this was the kind of game Knick usually wins but St. John’s got the better of instead.

St. John’s took the lead in B1 on a run-scoring Double by Rudolph Decker, then went ahead 2-0 in B2 via Error. St. John’s guaranteed the win in B7, when Joseph Evans hit a one-run Single to make it a 3-0 game and Konrad Jensen’s Double made it 4-0. The best Knick could do was score once in T8, and St. John’s had made it a 3-2 series.

Now St. John’s had to win twice at the Elysian Fields, but that wouldn’t even be the hardest thing they’d done this month.

GAME SIX (The Elysian Fields in Manhattan, N.Y. – ATT: 8,164)
StJ 1-9 KNI – KNI P Bertram Landreth: CG W, 5 HA, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, SAC BUNT

In the end, all the St. John’s home wins after Knickerbocker went up 3-0 did was make sure that Knick would take their first A.P.B.L. title at home – all the sweeter for the Manhattan men.

After a scoreless opening inning, Knick took the lead with three runs in B2 via Error, Sacrifice, and a Single by SS Louis Johnson. The normally light-hitting Johnson then made it 4-0 on a Double in B4, and that sent the hosts on their way to a championship as St. John’s once again couldn’t find a way to get through Bert Landreth and his excellent pitching.

With two runs in the seventh to make it 6-1 and three more in the eight to make it 9-1 the game had turned into a party, and after PH Daniel Zook was retired in T9 it was time for the men of Knickerbocker B.B.C. to lift the Founders’ Cup for the first time.

Of course, it wasn’t just the Knick players who took their turn with the trophy. Knickerbocker President Doc Adams, the man who did no less than write the rules that the men were playing the game by, had the chance to lift the cup, as did Knick scout Bryan Stevenson, who’d been in the same position with the organization since the inception of the N.B.B.O. in 1857. Last but certainly not least, the cup was passed over to the legend Edward Huntley, who won three championships and made sixteen All-Star Games during his career with Orange & Knickerbocker before retiring and becoming the Knickerbocker Bench Coach in 1875.

FOUNDERS’ CUP MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
C Cale Jones (KNI) – .462 (12/26), 9 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 SB, 9/18 CS (50%)

Cale Jones was almost an afterthought of a signing by Knickerbocker, quickly purchased from Union of Morrisania in the N.B.B.O. for $1,300 after regular C Joseph Romano unexpectedly left for Excelsior. That proved to be the best bit of business they did all winter, as the 30-year-old made the All-Star Game in his first A.P.B.L. season (.311, .717 OPS, 71 RBI, 2.5 WAR) and was absolutely fantastic in the postseason.

During the Founders’ Cup, not only did Jones have the most Hits of any player on either team – teammate Clive Strachan was the only other in double digits with ten – but his nine Runs led the series as well. To top it off, his defense was peerless. Over the six games he threw out half the St. John’s men who attempted to steal bases against him, and that was a St. John’s team that has led the A.P.B.L. in Stolen Bases for six of the league’s first eight seasons of existence.

For all the star power Knickerbocker had, it was their new Catcher who proved to be the key to the series victory. That said, the M.V.P. award could easily have gone to Knickerbocker #1 Bertram Landreth:

• 4 G, 3-1, 1.59 ERA, 34.0 IP, 3 CG, 0 BB, 10 K, INF K/BB, 6.6 HA/9, 0.74 WHIP, 2x P.o.t.G.

The reason why it was Cale Jones, not Landreth, given the M.V.P. by the Writers Pool was that Jones had a fantastic series both with the bat and with the glove, not for anything Landreth did or didn’t do.

FOUNDERS' CUP SUMMARY

tm1681 · 02-20-2026, 11:57 PM

Didn't notice this in all the postseason stuff, but apparently the Philadelphia City League had to go to five decimal places to determine the winner of the Batting Title.

tm1681 · 02-23-2026, 07:42 AM

1878 PHILADELPHIA CITY BASEBALL LEAGUE REVIEW

1877 P.C.B.L. STANDINGS

PER-TEAM STATISTICS

1878: 8.4 R/G, .275, .643 OPS, 782 H, 104 2B, 34 3B, 7 HR, 94 SB, 3.14 ERA, 86 BB, 94 K, 8.4 E/G, .817 FLD%
1877: 7.9 R/G, .283, .660 OPS, 795 H, 90 2B, 46 3B, 6 HR, 79 SB, 3.29 ERA, 76 BB, 95 K, 7.7 E/G, .827 FLD%

LIBERTY BELL CLASSIC:

Philadelphia Baseball & Cricket Club (2nd title) defeats Queen Village 3-2

GAME 1: OVER 7-5 QV – OVER 1B James Niven: 2/5 (2B), 1 R, 2 RBI, GW HIT
GAME 2: OVER 8-4 QV – OVER RF William Hill: 3/5 (all 1B), 1 R, 2 RBI
GAME 3: QV 7-6 OVER – QV 3B James Stober: 3/4 (3B), 2 RBI, 5 TB, GW HIT
GAME 4: QV 3-2 OVER – QV P William Johannessen: CG W, 7 HA, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
GAME 5: OVER 8-2 QV – OVER P Robert Nygren: CG W, 5 HA, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

SERIES M.V.P.: OVER 1B/CF James Niven – .318 (7/22), 5 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 7 RBI, 1 SB, 1x P.o.t.G.

It was a fine season in the P.C.B.L.

The East was a 1-2 race between Frankford & Queen Village for the second straight season, and although it looked the Arsenal were going to come out on top at the start of August Q.V.’s brilliant finish took them back to the L.B.C. With P.B.C.C. having moved up a level, West Philadelphia was wide open for the first time in four years and Overbrook was able to outlast the duo of Penn & Schuylkill to take their first pennant, and eventually their first title.

The season’s big disappointment was Minerva, who were projected to 50-20 win the East but finished 39-31 – 3rd place and 11 games back. Penn was a nice surprise, moving up from 32-38 last year to finish above .500 for the first time at 40-30, good for third in the West. The P.C.B.L.’s newest team, Bartram Village, finished where they were expected to: 24-46 and last in the West.

PHILADELPHIA CITY BASEBALL LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: James Harris (LF, age 31); Frankford Arsenal

• .350/.389/.496, .876 OPS, 104 R, 120 H, 23 2B, 9 3B, 3 HR, 71 RBI, 11 BB, 8 SB, 170 TB, 5.6 WPA, 3.9 WAR
• Led league in Slugging, Runs, Hits, Total Bases, & WAR; 2nd in Extra-base Hits & WPA
• Henry Yoder (LF, SoB) 2nd – Philadelphia City League Greenhorn of the Year
• Milton Foster (C, QV) 3rd – .36145*, .819 OPS, 91 R, 120 H, 20 2B, 1 HR, 73 RBI, 10 BB, 2 SB, 4.0 WPA, 2.9 WAR

Harris didn’t win the Batting Title but he was the league’s best batsman, leading the P.C.B.L. in five major categories and finishing runner-up in two others.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Oliver Greene (age 29); Frankford Arsenal

• 25-12, 2.35 ERA, 155 K, 329.1 IP, 25 CG, 2 SHO, 1 SV, 4.2 K/BB, 9.6 HA/9, 1.18 WHIP, 7.3 WAR, 5.7 rWAR
• 15 points of ERA from Triple Crown; Led league in W, K, CG, & SHO; 3rd in ERA, HA/9, & WHIP
• Robert Nygren (OVER) – Philadelphia City League Most Valuable Player
• Graham Gross (QV) 3rd – 25-7, 2.82 ERA, 64 K, 325.1 IP, 21 CG, 1.7 K/BB, 1.29 WHIP, 4.7 WAR, 8.2 rWAR

It might seem odd for the East runners-up Frankford to have players receive both B.o.t.Y. & P.o.t.Y., but Greene nearly took the Pitching Triple Crown during a brilliant 1878 campaign.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Robert Nygren (P, age 24); Overbrook B.C.

• 23-11, 2.54 ERA, 92 K, 333.2 IP, 21 CG, 1 SHO, 4.8 K/BB, 11.0 HA/9, 1.27 WHIP, 7.4 WAR, 10.0 rWAR
• #1 in WAR & rWAR; Top five in W, ERA, IP, QS, CG, K/BB, & BB/9; P.o.t.G. in Game 5 of Liberty Bell Classic
• James Harris (LF, FRA) 2nd – Philadelphia City League Batsman of the Year
• Jonathan Bagswell (1B, GER) 3rd – .351, .780 OPS, 68 R, 110 H, 12 2B, 1 3B, 57 RBI, 14 BB, 1 SB, 6.5 WPA, 2.6 WAR

Nygren, the league’s most talented #1, was the main reason why Overbrook made it to the Liberty Bell Classic, and his Player of the Game effort in Game Five earned Overbrook their first Philadelphia title.

GREENHORN OF THE YEAR: Henry Yoder (LF, age 24); Sons of Ben

• .36137*/.403/.492, .895 OPS, 88 R, 116 H, 18 2B, 12 3B, 0 HR, 60 RBI, 21 BB, 56 SB, 158 TB, 5.0 WPA, 3.3 WAR
• G.o.t.M. in May & June; Led league in OBP, OPS, & 3B; Top three in AVG, SLG, BB, SB, & TB
• Magnus Demandt (C, FRA) 2nd – .352, .768 OPS, 67 R, 95 H, 11 2B, 1 3B, 46 RBI, 7 BB, 2.65 C-ERA, 2.9 WPA, 2.5 WAR
• James Lynch (CF, MIN) 3rd – .333, .808 OPS, 73 R, 99 H, 21 2B, 5 3B, 52 RBI, 13 BB, 9 SB, 2.7 WPA, 2.5 WAR

There were a number of outstanding Greenhorn batsmen, but Yoder was easily the best of the bunch.

P.C.B.L. GOLDEN GLOVES

• P: Thomas Bath (PENN) – 6.9 ZR, 1.298 EFF
• C: Leonard Sanders (MIN) – 4.3 ZR, 1.233 EFF, 2.64 C-ERA, 28.6 CS%
• 1B: Benjamin Warnock (MERC) – 8.8 ZR, 1.122 EFF
• 2B: Jonathan Auriemma (MIN) – 23.2 ZR, 1.201 EFF
• 3B: Finlay Mackay (PENN) – 26.7 ZR, 1.207 EFF
• SS: Archie Bell (MIN) – 17.9 ZR, 1.149 EFF
• LF: Harrison Comstock (SCH) – 2.9 ZR, 1.032 EFF
• CF: Arthur Morris (SPA) – 7.7 ZR, 1.104 EFF
• RF: Charles Taylor (PENN) – 4.9 ZR, 1.109 EFF

P.C.B.L. TEAM OF THE YEAR

MISCELLANEOUS

PHILADELPHIA CITY BASEBALL LEAGUE STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Average: .36145 by Milton Foster (C, Queen Vill.)
• Henry Yoder (LF, Sons of Ben) 2nd with .36137
• On-Base: .403 by Henry Yoder
• Slugging: .496 by James Harris (CF, Frankford)
• OPS: .895 by Henry Yoder
• Home Runs: 5 by Peter Miller (2B, Germantown)
• Runs Batted In: 86 by George Oman (RF, Schuylkill)
• Runs: 104 by James Harris
• Hits: 120 by Milton Foster
• Doubles: 32 by George Oman
• Triples: 12 by Henry Yoder
• Extra-Base Hits: 40 by George Oman
• Stolen Bases: 57 by Jonathan Auriemma (2B, Minerva)
• Total Bases: 170 by James Harris
• Bases on Balls: 29 by Neal Roberts (3B, Bartram Vill.)
• Zone Rating: +23.1 by Jonathan Auriemma
• Win Prob. Added: 6.5 by Jonatham Bagwell (1B, Germantown)
• Batsman WAR: 4.0 by James Harris

• Wins: 25 by Oliver Greene (Frankford) & Graham Gross (Queen Vill.)
• Losses: 27 by James Pennington (Yorktown)
• ERA (175+ IP): 2.21 by Albert Smiley (Schuylkill)
• Strikeouts: 155 by Oliver Greene
• Innings: 339.2 by John McNally (Mercantile)
• Complete Games: 25 by Bud Forster (Minerva) & Oliver Greene
• Shutouts: 2 by Oliver Greene
• BB/9 (175+ IP): 0.4 by Biagio Casagrande
• K/9 (175+ IP): 5.6 by William Smythe (Merion)
• K/BB (175+ IP): 11.6 by Biagio Casagrande
• WHIP (175+ IP): 1.10 by Jasper Austin (Schuylkill)
• Pitcher WAR: 7.4 by Robert Nygren (Overbrook)
• Pitcher rWAR: 10.0 by Robert Nygren

SEASON RECORDS

• Yorktown set a new record for worst Winning % with .229 (16-54)
• Yorktown set a new record for worst Run Differential with -270 (-3.8 R/G).
• Yorktown set new records for worst Batting Average (.227), On-Base (.249), Slugging % (.279), & OPS (.528).
• Queen Village set a new record for Runs per Game with 10.7 (752 R in 70 G)
• Queen Village set a new record for Hits with 938 (13.4 H/G)
• Queen Village set new records for Batting Average (.311) & On-Base % (.336).
• Sons of Ben set a new record for Stolen Bases with 173 (2.5 SB/G)
• Frankford Arsenal set a new record for Strikeouts (P) with 264 (3.8 K/G)

• James Harris (CF, Frankford) set a new record for Runs with 104.
• George Oman (RF, Schuylkill) set a new record for Doubles with 32.
• Jonathan Auriemma (2B, Minerva) set a new record for Caught Stealing with 25.
• Oliver Greene (P, Frankford) set a new record for Strikeouts (P) with 155.
• Moses Smith (P, Keystone) set a new record for Games Started (P) with 46.
• Moses Smith (P, Keystone) set a new record for Hits Allowed with 486 (13.8 HA/9).
• William Smythe (P, Merion) set a new record for K/9 (175+ IP) with 5.6.
• Jasper Austin (P, Schuylkill) set a new record for Opponents’ OPS (175+ IP) with .540.

ACHIEVEMENTS & NOTABLE EVENTS

• May 8: Walter Heisenberg (RF, Germantown) has a record 6 Stolen Bases in an 11-8 win at Merion.
• June 2: Peter Hildebrand (RF, Keystone) bats 6/7 in a 20-4 win at Queen Vill.
• June 5: Merion defeats Independence in a 23-0 Shutout at home.
• June 5: Clifford Martin (5/6, 2B) & Wallace Wagner (5/6, 3B, HR) have 5 Hits for Merion.
• June 14: Jonathan Toppin (2B, Frankford) bats 6/7 (2B) in a 21-7 win at Keystone.
• June 30: Sam Brown (LF, Mercantile) has his season-long Hitting Streak end at 37 games.
• July 7: James Harris (LF, Frankford) hits 3 Triples in a 14-2 win at Sons of Ben.
• July 21: Oliver Greene (P, Frankford) has a record 12 Strikeouts in a 10-1 win vs Yorktown.
• Aug 2: Wallace Liston (C, Pt. Richmond) has a record 8 RBI in a 15-6 win at Spartan.
• Aug 10: Wallace Wagner (CF, Merion) bats 6/7 (3B) in a 21-5 win at Overbrook.
• Aug 11: James Corcoran (CF, Penn) scores 7 Runs in a 26-3 win at Bartram Vill.
• Aug 17: Overbrook B.C. (1st title) wins the Liberty Bell Classic against Queen Vill.

PERFORMANCES OF THE SEASON BY GAME SCORE

• #1: 107 by Peter Hildebrand (RF, Keystone) on June 2 at Queen Vill. (6/7, 4 R, 5 RBI)
• #2: 106 by Magnus Demandt (C, Frankford) on June 12 at Keystone (5/6, 2 2B, 5 R, 5 RBI)
• #3: 102 by Ross Kinsella (SS, Penn) on Aug. 11 at Bartram Vill. (5/7, 3 R, 7 RBI)
• #4: 97 by Peter Hildebrand (RF, Keystone) on May 12 at Sons of Ben (5/6, 3 2B, 3 R, 5 RBI, 1 BB)
• #5: 95 by Leonard Sanders (C, Minerva) on Aug. 8 at Keystone (5/7, 2B, 3 R, 6 RBI)
• #6: 94 by James Hurt (2B, Mercantile) on July 5 at Independence (4/6, 2 3B, 3 R, 7 RBI)
• #7: 94 by Wallace Liston (C, Pt. Richmond) on Aug. 2 at Spartan (4/6, 2 2B, 2 R, 8 RBI)
• #8: 91 by James Traywick (3B, Pt. Richmond) on May 17 vs Keystone (3/5, 3B, GS, 3 R, 7 RBI)
• #9: 90 by James Niven (1B, Overbrook) on June 16 at Independence (4/7, 2B, 2 3B, 6 R, 4 RBI)
• #10: 89 by Nelson Shaw (RF, Bartram Vill.) on May 10 vs independence (4/5, 2 2B, HR, 3 R, 5 RBI)

tm1681 · 02-23-2026, 07:54 AM

INAUGURAL COASTAL CONFERENCE REVIEW

PER-TEAM STATISTICS

1878: 8.0 R/G, .273, .645 OPS, 768 H, 110 2B, 29 3B, 5 HR, 70 SB, 3.02 ERA, 116 BB, 157 K, 7.9 E/G, .828 FLD%

The inaugural season of the Coastal Conference went as expected. The Writers Pool projection called for a top four of Olympic, Sportsman’s, Essex County, & Highlander. The quartet finished in that exact order, although Sportsman’s was expected to give Olympic more of a fight at the top of the standings. Of the teams new to league baseball Bridgeport was the biggest surprise with eight wins more than projected, while there were no major disappointments. One team finished with the exact Win-Loss Record the W.P. had tipped them for: Camden & Amboy.

COASTAL CONFERENCE AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Euan Graham (1B, age 31); Bridgeport B.C.

• .353/.408/.486, .894 OPS, 83 R, 112 H, 25 2B, 7 3B, 1 HR, 58 RBI, 25 BB, 3 SB, 154 TB, 3.9 WPA, 3.0 WAR
• Led league in AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, OPS+, H, XBH, 2B, TB, RC, ISO, wOBA, & WAR
• James Baker (1B, ESX) 2nd – .325, .778 OPS, 82 R, 107 H, 24 XBH, 3 HR, 65 RBI, 8 BB, 1 SB, 4.9 WPA, 2.8 WAR
• Clifton Curry (CF, LYNN) 3rd – .318, .797 OPS, 62 R, 87 H, 25 XBH, 1 HR, 48 RBI, 17 BB, 11 SB, 2.3 WPA, 2.5 WAR

Graham led the league in all three parts of the Slash Line as well as Hits, Total Bases, Batsman WAR, and numerous other categories. He was a deservedly unanimous B.o.t.Y.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Carl Bancroft (age 43); Olympic B.C.

• 22-13, 2.35 ERA, 131 K, 314.0 IP, 26 CG, 1 SHO, 3 SV, 4.0 K/BB, 9.9 HA/9, 1.21 WHIP, 9.2 WAR, 8.0 rWAR
• Led league in G, CG, K/BB, & WAR; Top five in W, ERA, K, IP, QS, WHIP, BB/9, K/9, & HA/9
• William McClure (HIGH) 2nd – 24-9, 2.58 ERA, 48 K, 300.1 IP, 18 CG, 2 SHO, 2.2 K/BB, 1.24 WHIP, 4.1 WAR, 1.4 rWAR
• Walt Harper (SPO) 3rd – 22-13, 2.28 ERA, 69 K, 331.2 IP, 21 CG, 2.6 K/BB, 9.6 HA/9, 1.15 WHIP, 6.2 WAR, 9.1 rWAR

The old master proved he’s still got it, although he faced stiff competition from McClure & Harper. Bancroft has now been a regular pitcher for 22 years, and he shows no signs of wanting to stop.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Noah Skiles (2B, age 26); Olympic B.C.

• .321/.355/.410, .766 OPS, 62 R, 104 H, 17 2B, 6 3B, 0 HR, 74 RBI, 13 BB, 3 SB, 133 TB, 4.7 WPA, 2.2 WAR
• Led league in RBI while batting third for inaugural C.B.C. champions
• James Baker (1B, ESX) 2nd – C.B.C. Batsman of the Year Runner-Up
• John Schoessow (3B, LYNN) 3rd – .304, .761 OPS, 65 R, 100 H, 25 XBH, 3 HR, 62 RBI, 18 BB, 2 SB, 4.3 WPA, 2.7 WAR

GOLDEN GLOVES

• P: William McClure (HIGH) – 2.9 ZR, 1.071 EFF
• C: Hugh McEvoy (CAP) – 3.9 ZR, 36.5 RTO%, 3.39 C-ERA
• 1B: James Baker (ESX) – 7.9 ZR, 1.107 EFF
• 2B: James Fink (BRI) – 9.9 ZR, 1.098 EFF
• 3B: Edward Welch (HIGH) – 8.8 ZR, 1.106 EFF
• SS: Art Munstermann (OLY) – 17.1 ZR, 1.159 EFF
• LF: Sidney Adams (HIGH) – 2.8 ZR, 1.050 EFF
• CF: Robert Werstler (BRI) – 10.9 ZR, 1.120 EFF
• RF: James Emmert (OLY) – 3.5 ZR, 1.061 EFF

TEAM OF THE YEAR

MISCELLANEOUS

COASTAL CONFERENCE STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Average: .353 by Euan Graham (1B, Bridgeport)
• On-Base: .408 by Euan Graham
• Slugging: .486 by Euan Graham
• OPS: .894 by Euan Graham
• Home Runs: 3 by three different batsmen
• Runs Batted In: 74 by Noah Skiles (2B, Olympic)
• Runs: 98 by Sidney Adams (LF, Highlander)
• Hits: 112 by Euan Graham
• Doubles: 25 by Euan Graham
• Triples: 11 by James Emmert (RF, Olympic)
• Extra-Base Hits: 33 by Euan Graham
• Stolen Bases: 59 by Everton Pauline (LF, Olympic)
• Total Bases: 154 by Euan Graham
• Bases on Balls: 31 by William Davidson (3B, Essex Co.)
• Zone Rating: +17.1 by Art Munsterman (SS, Olympic)
• Win Prob. Added: 4.9 by James Baker (1B, Essex Co.)
• Batsman WAR: 3.0 by Euan Graham

• Wins: 24 by William McClure (Highlander)
• Losses: 25 by Grover Harding (Lynn)
• ERA (175+ IP): 2.28 by Walt Harper (Sportsman’s)
• Strikeouts: 138 by Robert Murphy (Bridgeport)
• Innings: 331.2 by Walt Harper
• Complete Games: 26 by Carl Bancroft
• Shutouts: 2 by William McClure
• BB/9 (175+ IP): 0.5 by Casper Shultis (Essex Co.)
• K/9 (175+ IP): 4.2 by Howard McGrath (Olympic)
• K/BB (175+ IP): 4.0 by Carl Bancroft
• WHIP (175+ IP): 1.15 by Walt Harper
• Pitcher WAR: 9.2 by Carl Bancroft
• Pitcher rWAR: 9.1 by Walt Harper

ACHIEVEMENTS & NOTABLE EVENTS

• May 9: Charles Edwards (C, Highlander) has 6 RBI in a 14-4 win vs Capitol City.
• May 10: Everton Pauline (LF, Olympic) has 4 Stolen Bases in an 11-5 win at Bridgeport.
• May 23: Two Lynn batsmen finish with 5 Hits in a 27-20 win at Olympic. Two others have 4 Hits.
• May 23: Clifton Curry (RF, Lynn) has 3 Doubles, 6 Runs & 9 RBI in a 27-20 win at Olympic.
• June 12: Noah Skiles (2B, Olympic) has his season-long Hitting Streak end at 25 games.
• June 27: Howard McGrath (P, Olympic) has 10 Strikeouts in a 13-4 win vs Bridgeport.
• July 21: Ray Werstler (CF, Bridgeport) has 4 Stolen Bases in an 11-3 win at C. & A.
• July 25: John Monroe (RF, C. & A.) has 6 RBI in a 16-15 win vs Highlander.
• Aug 1: Olympic clinches the inaugural Coastal Conference championship with a 10-8 win at Highlander.
• Aug 9: Wilbur Jones (2B, Lynn) hits 3 Doubles in a 12-10 loss vs Highlander.

PERFORMANCES OF THE SEASON BY GAME SCORE

• #1: 137 by Clifton Curry (RF, Lynn) on May 23 at Olympic (5/7, 3 2B, 3B, 6 R, 9 RBI)
• #2: 85 by John Gradishar (2B, Essex Co.) on June 6 at Capitol City (5/6, 3B, 2 R, 5 RBI)
• #3: 84 by Felix Valentine (LF, Capitol City) on May 19 vs Bridgeport (4/5, 2B, 4 R, 4 RBI)
• #4: 84 by Walt Harper (P, Sportsman’s) on July 31 at Capitol City (CG, 3 HA, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K)
• #5: 83 by John Gradishar (2B, Essex Co.) on July 20 at Olympic (5/6, 2B, 3 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB)

WooBallFan43 · 02-23-2026, 11:03 AM

Solid foundation for my hometown Highlanders in their first year! Will be following them closely.

tm1681 · 02-23-2026, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WooBallFan43

Solid foundation for my hometown Highlanders in their first year! Will be following them closely.

Well, have fun! I had them in a previous iteration game as the Worcester Highlanders, and it looks like through one year they're faring a bit better.

tm1681 · 02-23-2026, 08:48 PM

1878 NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION REVIEW

NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION STANDINGS

PER-TEAM STATISTICS

1878 N.Y.L.: 8.4 R/G, .286, .673 OPS, 810 H, 98 2B, 44 3B, 5 HR, 90 SB, 3.48 ERA, 112 BB, 117 K, 7.6 E/G, .834 FLD%
1878 N.E.L.: 8.6 R/G, .291, .687 OPS, 818 H, 103 2B, 44 3B, 4 HR, 86 SB, 3.63 ERA, 120 BB, 121 K, 7.7 E/G, .832 FLD%

1877 N.Y.L.: 7.7 R/G, .288, .677 OPS, 794 H, 94 2B, 45 3B, 5 HR, 96 SB, 3.39 ERA, 101 BB, 96 K, 6.8 E/G, .844 FLD%
1877 N.E.L.: 7.8 R/G, .287, .675 OPS, 790 H, 93 2B, 44 3B, 5 HR, 85 SB, 3.43 ERA, 104 BB, 119 K, 6.9 E/G, .842 FLD%

TUCKER-WHEATON CUP XXII

N.Y.L. SEMIFINAL: #2 Atlantic defeats #3 Minuteman 3-2
N.E.L. SEMIFINAL: #3 Portland defeats #2 National 3-1

N.Y.L. CHAMPIONSHIP: #1 N.Y.A.C. sweeps Atlantic 3-0
N.E.L. CHAMPIONSHIP: #1 Susquehanna defeats Portland 3-2

T.W.C. FINAL: New York Athletic Club (1st title) defeats Susquehanna B.C. 3-2

GAME 1: NYAC 15-9 SUS – NYAC RF Jack Anastasio: 2/6 (2B, 3B), 4 R, 2 RBI, 2 SB, 5 TB
GAME 2: NYAC 4-12 SUS – SUS P William Hawk: CG, 9 HA, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K; 2/4, 1 R, 1 RBI
GAME 3: SUS 8-7 NYAC – SUS LF Walter Braden: 3/5 (all 1B), 3 R, 1 RBI
GAME 4: SUS 2-9 NYAC – NYAC P George Cerven: CG, 7 HA, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K; 2/3
GAME 5: NYAC 9-8 SUS – SUS LF Walter Braden: 3/5 (2B, 3B, HR), 3 R, 2 RBI, 9 TB

CUP M.V.P.: NYAC 1B Peaches Watson – 8 G, .353 (12/34), 6 R, 9 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB

There were no major surprises in the N.B.B.O. in 1878. Nearly every team that was predicted to finish at or near the top of the standings did, and in the end both halves of the League Championship Series as well as the Tucker-Wheaton Cup Final all featured rematches from the previous year. Of the eighteen teams picked to finish in the top three in their regions, only two finished more than two places below projection: Salem (proj. 2nd in NE, finished 6th) and Syracuse (proj. 2nd in UPNY, finished 7th). The team that actually did the worst compared to pre-season predictions was Marathon, who were expected to be last in Brooklyn 26-44 but instead finished a competition-worst 16-54.

The same is true of the six new teams that entered the N.B.B.O. Philadelphia Baseball & Cricket Club was projected to be the best of the six and the only one over .500, and that was exactly what happened. Lord Baltimore finished five wins below expectations but they were unlucky, for their Run Differential suggested they should have finished 34-36 – exactly as predicted. On the other hand, Brighton was simply disappointing in finishing nine wins below their Writers Pool projection.

If there was any team that could be classified as a nice surprise it would be Eagle. The Upstate small-club doormats were expected to finish at the bottom of the standings once again, but their 33-37 record and fifth-place finish were their best marks in both areas in eleven years.

Perhaps the most curious thing to happen this season: the fates of both defending Batsmen of the Year. Star’s Julius Tierney saw his batting fall from .403/.425/.532 (.957 OPS, 2.8 WAR) to .307/.330/.429 (.760 OPS, 0.7 WAR). Lake Erie’s Joe Mitchell saw a falloff just as bad, with his batting crashing from .375/.430/.449 (.879 OPS, 3.5 WAR) to .290/.340/.332 (.672 OPS, 0.8 WAR). It was, quite frankly, bizarre to see BOTH B.o.t.Y.’s struggle that much while defending their titles.

tm1681 · 02-23-2026, 08:53 PM

NEW YORK LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Francis Smith (CF, age 33); Metropolitan B.B.C.; 1st career B.o.t.Y.

• .365/.380/.513, .893 OPS, 92 R, 126 H, 19 2B, 13 3B, 2 HR, 69 RBI, 8 BB, 37 SB, 177 TB, 4.0 WPA, 3.8 WAR
• Led N.Y.L. in SLG, H, TB, & WAR; Top five in OPS, XBH, & 3B; Top ten in five other categories
• Jemke v. Zutphen (2B, STAR) 2nd – .372, .912 OPS, 61 R, 106 H, 16 2B, 6 3B, 3 HR, 53 RBI, 16 BB, 3.3 WPA, 2.8 WAR
• David Bertolet (3B, SYR) 3rd – .377, .865 OPS, 87 R, 126 H, 12 2B, 6 3B, 1 HR, 73 RBI, 16 BB, 4.2 WPA, 3.0 WAR

Van Zutphen had higher slash figures but missed nine starts, and Smith, a 7x All-Star and 1x league M.V.P., had a better all-around season while batting over .400 after July 1st.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Charles Rhodes (age 29); New York Athletic Club; 4th career P.o.t.Y.

• 24-14, 2.29 ERA, 147 K, 342.0 IP, 27 CG, 2 SHO, 5.4 K/BB, 3.9 K/9, 1.17 WHIP, 10.6 WAR, 8.5 rWAR
• Led N.Y.L. in W, K, CG, SHO, K/9, K/BB, & WAR; Third consecutive N.Y.L. Pitcher of the Year award
• Olaf Sorensen (ATL) 2nd – 23-10, 2.74 ERA, 57 K, 335.0 IP, 21 CG, 1 SHO, 1.3 K/BB, 1.17 WHIP, 5.5 WAR, 7.7 rWAR
• William McMahon (BED) 3rd – 20-14, 2.68 ERA, 92 K, 349.1 IP, 22 CG, 2 SV, 3.0 K/BB, 1.32 WHIP, 8.9 WAR, 6.0 rWAR

At this point it could be argued that “The Colossus” has become too dominant for the N.B.B.O., but it’s a poorly kept secret that N.Y.A.C. pays him more than about half the regular pitchers in the A.P.B.L., including 31-game winner Bert Landreth of champions Knickerbocker. At a time when many people work twelve-hour days for six days a week just so they can eat, Rhodes has zero interest in jeopardizing that kind of job and pay security.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Jules Thomas (SS, age 26); Minuteman B.B.C.; 1st career M.V.P.

• .339/.368/.444, .812 OPS, 98 R, 113 H, 14 2B, 9 3B, 1 HR, 74 RBI, 14 BB, 33 SB, +10.7 ZR, 4.2 WPA, 3.1 WAR
• Top ten in H, 2B, RBI, TB, & WAR; Career highs in R, H, RBI, BB, SB, TB, & WPA
• Ben Gagliardi (SS, ATL) 3rd – .340, .753 OPS, 91 R, 111 H, 16 XBH, 1 HR, 61 RBI, 32 SB, +17.3 ZR, 5.1 WPA, 3.1 WAR
• Manuel Romeiras (CF, NYAC) 2nd – .301, .753 OPS, 79 R, 104 H, 18 2B, 9 3B, 0 HR, 56 RBI, 23 BB, 80 SB, 3.5 WPA, 2.9 WAR

There wasn’t a standout superstar among the also-rans in the N.Y.L. this season, so the Writers Pool went with the default method of having one star from each of the three regional champions as the finalists, and Thomas’ excellent season was the best of the three.

GREENHORN OF THE YEAR: George Spatz (LF, age 27); Empire B.B.C.

• .318/.342/.415, .757 OPS, 78 R, 105 H, 18 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 62 RBI, 8 BB, 16 SB, 137 TB, 4.1 WPA, 2.1 WAR
• Made All-Star Game; Led N.Y.L. Greenhorn batsmen in R, H, WPA & WAR
• Colin McLean (3B, COL) 2nd – .332, .757 OPS, 55 R, 100 H, 10 2B, 4 3B, 1 HR, 53 RBI, 9 BB, 3.0 WPA, 1.5 WAR
• James Butcher (1B, BED) 3rd – .308, .745 OPS, 67 R, 92 H, 12 2B, 6 3B, 65 RBI, 24 BB, 37 SB, 3.0 WPA, 1.6 WAR

GOLDEN GLOVES

• P: Haywood Birch (EAG/1st) – 6.5 ZR, 1.154 EFF
• C: Mark Lehmann (MET/1st) – 8.9 ZR, .941 EFF, 3.33 C-ERA, 50.0 CS%
• 1B: Willis Michaelson (FRO/1st) – 10.2 ZR, 1.130 EFF
• 2B: Melvin Greenawalt (UNI/2nd) – 21.2 ZR, 1.258 EFF, 6.62 RNG, 34 DP
• 3B: Isaac Kelly (ECK/2nd) – 13.4 ZR, 1.181 EFF
• SS: William Cruise (UNI/4th) – 36.4 ZR, 1.280 EFF, 6.48 RNG, 29 DP
• LF: John Sampson (MUT/1st) – 4.7 ZR, 1.068 EFF, 5 AST
• CF: George Whaley (FRO/1st) – 12.0 ZR, 1.136 EFF, 13 AST
• RF: Lon Duffy (SYR/1st) – 6.0 ZR, 1.085 EFF, 4 AST

TEAM OF THE YEAR

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Leroy Moore (RF, age 24); Philadelphia Baseball & Cricket Club; 1st career B.o.t.Y.

• .381/.412/.552, .964 OPS, 90 R, 131 H, 13 2B, 23 3B, 0 HR, 91 RBI, 16 BB, 6 SB, 190 TB, 6.4 WPA, 3.6 WAR
• Led N.E.L. in SLG, OPS, H, XBH, 3B, TB, & WPA during 1st season in N.B.B.O.
• Lennon Haley (2B, LBR) 2nd – Northeastern League Most Valuable Player
• Joseph Jurski (1B, SUS) 3rd – .381, .914 OPS, 83 R, 112 H, 13 2B, 9 3B, 76 RBI, 19 BB, 17 SB, 4.1 WPA, 2.6 WAR

Moore hit the ground flying in his first season in the N.B.B.O., batting .395 through the end of July before cooling off in August. His four seasons with P.B.C.C.: Reserve team, then regular RF, then star batsman, then B.o.t.Y. What’s next for the 24-year-old?

PITCHER OF THE YEAR: William Hawk (age 28); Susquehanna B.C.; 2nd career P.o.t.Y.

• 32-9, 2.22 ERA, 101 K, 5.6 345.0 IP, 27 CG, 0 SHO, 5.6 K/BB, 2.6 K/9, 1.21 WHIP, 8.7 WAR, 9.8 rWAR
• Led N.E.L. in W, K/BB, & WAR; 30+ Wins for second consecutive season & 3rd time in career
• John Faulker (LBR) 2nd – 29-11, 2.63 ERA, 85 K, 356.1 IP, 30 CG, 1 SV, 2.4 K/BB, 1.33 WHIP, 7.5 WAR, 7.2 rWAR
• Ben Lauppe (NAT) 3rd – 28-12, 2.41 ERA, 122 K, 351.1 IP, 28 CG, 1 SHO, 1.9 K/BB, 1.17 WHIP, 6.1 WAR, 10.4 rWAR

No controversy this year. Without another historic season to compete against, Hawk was clearly the best pitcher in the Northeastern League.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Lennon Haley (2B, age 30); Lancastra Britannia; 1st career M.V.P.

• .369/.382/.506, .888 OPS, 95 R, 121 H, 15 2B, 15 3B, 0 HR, 71 RBI, 9 BB, 34 SB, +14.1 ZR, 4.4 WPA, 4.3 WAR
• Led N.E.L. in Batsman WAR; Top five in AVG, SLG, OPS, 3B, & TB, & ZR (2B)
• John Schultz (CF, SUS) 2nd – .354, .865 OPS, 106 R, 122 H, 21 2B, 10 3B, 61 RBI, 17 BB, 42 SB, 4.2 WPA, 3.7 WAR
• Bertrand Bosley (C, GM) 3rd – .338, .875 OPS, 62 R, 94 H, 20 2B, 12 3B, 1 HR, 71 RBI, 42.9 CS%, 5.9 WPA, 3.0 WAR

Schultz was just as good as in any of his three recent M.V.P. campaigns, but Haley was even better, and that was how Lancastra was able to keep up the pressure on Susquehanna for so long. Bosley was the shining light for 33-37 Green Mtn.

GREENHORN OF THE YEAR: Francis Beckham (CF, age 29); Lord Baltimore

• .301/.357/.408, .765 OPS, 71 R, 96 H, 17 2B, 7 3B, 1 HR, 68 RBI, 23 BB, 9 SB, 130 TB, 4.5 WPA, 2.8 WAR
• Made All-Star Game; Led all batsmen from the six new N.B.B.O. teams in WPA & WAR
• Jerald Kinney (3B, SQH) 2nd – .347, .793 OPS, 79 R, 119 H, 16 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 73 RBI, 13 BB, 3.6 WPA, 2.0 WAR
• Scott Conway (REA) 3rd – .326, .809 OPS, 103 R, 118 H, 28 XBH, 2 HR, 55 RBI, 15 BB, 22 SB, 3.4 WPA, 2.3 WAR

GOLDEN GLOVES

• P: Paul Caldwell (GM/1st) – 7.0 ZR, 1.087 EFF
• C: Howard Halsey (PORT/1st) – 5.2 ZR, 1.108 EFF, 2.42 C-ERA, 44.4 CS%
• 1B: George Bartholomew (OCE/1st) – 6.0 ZR, 1.087 EFF
• 2B: Frank Thomas (PIO/1st) – 13.9 ZR, 1.115 EFF, 7.87 RNG, 36 DP
• 3B: James Kinney (NAT/1st) – 12.3 ZR, 1.110 EFF
• SS: Peter Jones (SotO/8th) – 41.6 ZR, 1.330 EFF, 7.30 RNG, 45 DP
• LF: Walter Braden (SUS/1st) – 3.4 ZR, 1.049 EFF, 3 AST
• CF: Fred Lydon (TU/4th) – 8.1 ZR, 1.070 EFF, 14 AST
• RF: Felix Charles (SCR/1st) – 3.9 ZR, 1.050 EFF, 15 AST

N.E.L. TEAM OF THE YEAR

MISCELLANEOUS

SEASON RECORDS

• Marathon set a new record for Runs Allowed per Game with 11.43 (800 RA in 70 G).

• Leroy Moore (P.B.C.C.) set a new record for Triples with 23.
• Speedy Brown (Cont’l) set a new record for Stolen Bases with 94. The previous record was 76.
• Jack Jacobs (Hilltop) set a new record for Bases on Balls (P) with 146.
• Peter Jones (S.o.t.O.) set a new record for Zone Rating with +41.6.

NEW YORK LEAGUE STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Average: .377 by David Bertolet (3B, Syracuse)
• On-Base: .410 by Jemke van Zutphen (2B/3B, Star)
• Slugging: .513 by Francis Smith (CF, Metro)
• OPS: .912 by Jemke van Zutphen
• Home Runs: 3 by Jemke van Zutphen
• Runs Batted In: 85 by Moriarty Murray (2B, Bedford)
• Runs: 100 by Louis Stephens (SS, Bedford)
• Hits: 126 by David Bertolet & Francis Smith
• Doubles: 24 by Walter Lynch (2B, Baltic)
• Triples: 15 by three different batsmen
• Extra-Base Hits: 35 by Lage Barlund (RF, Nassau Co.) & Walter Lynch
• Stolen Bases: 94 by Speedy Brown (CF, Cont’l)
• Total Bases: 177 by Francis Smith
• Bases on Balls: 31 by Emeril Catanzaro (2B, Metro)
• Zone Rating: +36.4 by William Cruise (SS, Union)
• Win Prob. Added: 5.7 by John Hanson (3B, Minuteman)
• Batsman WAR: 3.9 by Francis Smith

• Wins: 24 by Charles Rhodes (N.Y.A.C.)
• Losses: 26 by Martin Hales (Columbia)
• ERA (175+ IP): 2.10 by George Cerven (N.Y.A.C.)
• Strikeouts: 147 by Charles Rhodes
• Innings: 349.1 by William McMahon (Bedford)
• Complete Games: 27 by Charles Rhodes
• Shutouts: 2 by Charles Rhodes
• BB/9 (175+ IP): 0.3 by Lanny Allen (Star)
• K/9 (175+ IP): 3.9 by Charles Rhodes
• K/BB (175+ IP): 5.4 by Charles Rhodes
• WHIP (175+ IP): 1.16 by George Cerven
• Pitcher WAR: 10.6 by Charles Rhodes
• Pitcher rWAR: 9.8 by Walt Proctor (Eagle)

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Average: .384 by Lucas Maxwell (2B, Susquehanna)
• On-Base: .455 by Wilbur Graff (1B, P.B.C.C.)
• Slugging: .552 by Leroy Moore (RF, P.B.C.C.)
• OPS: .964 by Leroy Moore
• Home Runs: 3 by Felix Charles (RF, Scranton)
• Runs Batted In: 96 by Frederick Pike (2B, P.B.C.C.)
• Runs: 106 by John Schultz (CF, Susquehanna)
• Hits: 131 by Leroy Moore
• Doubles: 25 by Fred Harbour (LF, Maryland) & Elwood Scott (LF, Merrimack M.)
• Triples: 23 by Leroy Moore
• Extra-Base Hits: 36 by Stephen Barley (SS, Susquehanna) & Leroy Moore
• Stolen Bases: 54 by Edward Donovan (1B, Portland)
• Total Bases: 190 by Leroy Moore
• Bases on Balls: 64 by Wilbur Graff
• Zone Rating: +41.6 by Peter Jones (SS, S.o.t.O.)
• Win Prob. Added: 6.4 by Leroy Moore
• Batsman WAR: 4.4 by Lennon Haley (2B, Lancastra B.)

• Wins: 32 by William Hawk (Susquehanna)
• Losses: 29 by Ashley Atkins (Lake Erie)
• ERA (175+ IP): 2.12 by Fred Cowan (Pioneer)
• Strikeouts: 147 by Earl Quinn (Maryland)
• Innings: 356.1 by John Faulkner (Lancastra B.)
• Complete Games: 30 by John Faulkner
• Shutouts: 2 by Frank Cyphert (Susquehanna) & Thomas Koch (Trenton Utd.)
• BB/9 (175+ IP): 0.5 by William Hawk (Susquehanna)
• K/9 (175+ IP): 4.5 by Earl Quinn
• K/BB (175+ IP): 5.6 by William Hawk
• WHIP (175+ IP): 1.17 by Ben Lauppe (National)
• Pitcher WAR: 8.7 by William Hawk
• Pitcher rWAR: 10.4 by Ben Lauppe

ACHIEVEMENTS & NOTABLE EVENTS

• May 8: Patrick Nagtegaal (Salem) hits 2 Home Runs in a 9-6 win vs Granite on Opening Day.
• May 10: Frontier wins at Columbia in a 23-0 Shutout.
• May 11: Squirrel Hill wins 24-21 at Susquehanna in their fourth N.B.B.O. game.
• May 11: Binghamton scores all 14 of their Runs during B6 in a win vs Eagle (EAG 10-14 BING)
• May 16: Charles Veverka (Empire) bats 6/7 (2 2B, 3B) in an 11-inning game vs Marathon.
• May 18: James Lanagan (Utica) hits 4 Doubles in a 7-2 win at Victory.
• May 24: Christopher Richards (Syracuse) bats 6/7 (2B) in a 24-4 win vs Binghamton.
• May 30: William White (Lancastra B.) has 5 Stolen Bases in a 17-8 win vs Lake Erie.
• May 31: Atlantic scores 30 Runs on 27 Hits in a win at Marathon (ATL 30-4 MAR)

• June 8: 1x P.o.t.Y. & 1x M.V.P. William Tighe (Minuteman) is forced to retire due to injury.
• June 13: Bendt Frandson (Nassau Co.) hits 3 Triples in a 13-4 win vs Atlantic.
• June 16: Earl Quinn (Maryland) has 12 Strikeouts in a 12-2 win at Bunker Hill.
• June 19: James Slaughter (Granite) bats 6/7 (2B), in a 13-inning games vs Green Mtn.
• June 27: Joseph Jurski (Susquehanna) bats 6/7 (2 2B) in a 10-inning game at Squirrel Hill.
• June 30: Everton Edwards (Reading A.C.) has his season-long Hitting Streak end at 37 games.

• July 11: Frank Miller (Maryland) hits 4 Doubles in an 11-10 loss vs Trenton Utd.
• July 11: Fred Lydon (Trenton Utd.) hits 3 Triples in an 11-10 win at Maryland.
• July 14: Luther Fairburn (Oceanic) bats 6/7 (2 2B) in a 26-8 win at Cantabrigians.
• July 18: Speedy Brown (Excelsior) has 5 Stolen Bases in a game for the second time in two weeks.
• July 19: George Canterbury (C’brigians) bats 6/7 in a 23-6 win at Green Mtn.
• July 22: The N.E.L. wins the All-Star Game 12-5. M.V.P.: William McCrory (LF, CAN) HOST: N.Y.A.C.

• July 24: Utica vs Columbia (multiple rain delays)…
• July 24: Game sets a new record for combined Runs with 62. (COL 17-45 COL)
• July 24: Utica sets a new record for Runs in a single game in a 45-17 win vs Columbia.
• July 24: Game sets a new record for Total Errors with 52.
• July 24: Columbia sets a new record for Errors in a single game with 35.
• July 24: Edward Davis (Utica) has 7 Runs & 9 RBI.
• July 24: Fox Ellis (Utica) has 9 RBI

• July 24: Two Cantabrigians batsmen have 5 Hits in a 24-2 vs Granit.
• July 24: Harold Shedd (Bunker Hill) hits 3 Triples in a 16-5 win vs Brighton.
• July 31: Frank Tucker (Minuteman) bats 6/7 in a 14-7 win at Binghamton.

• Aug 3: Maryland vs Bunker Hill ends with both teams scoring 20+ runs in ten innings (BH 20-21 MLD).
• Aug 3: Enda O’Farrell (Maryland) bats 6/7 in a ten-inning game vs Bunker Hill.
• Aug 12: The N.Y.C. Championship goes to a one-game playoff. N.Y.A.C. wins 12-7 at Union.

• Sep 5: N.Y.A.C. (1st title) wins the Tucker-Wheaton Cup final against Susquehanna in five games.

PERFORMANCES OF THE SEASON BY GAME SCORE

• #1: 137 by Edward Davis (SS, Utica) vs Columbia on July 24 (4/7, 2B0, 7 R, 9 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB)
• #2: 110 by John Kelly (1B, Star) vs Marathon on June 30 (4/5, 3B, 5 R, 6 RBI, 1 BB)
• #3: 107 by Luther Fairburn (RF, Oceanic) at Cantabrigians on July 14 (6/7, 2 2B, 3 R, 6 RBI)
• #4: 106 by Andrew O’Shea (3B, Lancastra B.) vs Scranton on May 9 (5/6, 2 2B, 5 R, 5 RBI)
• #5: 100 by Enda O’Farrell (CF, Maryland) vs Bunker Hill on Aug. 3 (6/7, 2 2B, 3 R, 5 RBI)
• #6: 100 by George Canterbury (1B, C’brigians) at Green Mtn. on July 19 (6/7, 2 R, 6 RBI)
• #7: 99 by Edward Harper (C, Salem) on May 11 vs Granite (5/6, 2 2B, 4 R, 5 RBI)
• #8: 97 by Callum Allison (LF, Cont’l) at Marathon on May 26 (5/6, 3 R, 5 RBI, 1 BB)
• #9: 97 by Jelmar Keereweer (3B, Bedford) vs Marathon on Aug 1 (5/6, 3 2B, 3 R, 5 RBI, 1 SB)
• #10: 96 by Jonathan Day (C, Diamond St.) at Bunker Hill on May 23 (5/5, 3B, 4 R, 4 RBI)

tm1681 · 02-23-2026, 09:03 PM

1878 AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE REVIEW

1878 A.P.B.L. STANDINGS

PER-TEAM STATISTICS

1878: 7.4 R/G, .278, .656 OPS, 985 H, 152 2B, 40 3B, 11 HR, 148 SB, 3.40 ERA, 104 BB, 201 K, 6.8 E/G, .849 FLD%
1877: 7.4 R/G, .290, .681 OPS, 1,020 H, 132 2B, 62 3B, 7 HR, 154 SB, 3.55 ERA, 91 BB, 134 K, 6.3 E/G, .854 FLD%

FOUNDERS' CUP VIII

Knickerbocker (3rd title; 1st in A.P.B.L.) defeats St. John’s 4-2.

GAME 1: EXC 5-7 StJ 3-8 KNI – KNI 3B Arthur Groff: 2/4 (3B), 2 R, 2 RBI, 4 TB
GAME 2: StJ 8-15 KNI – KNI CF Louis Dyke: 2/4 (2B), 3 R, 3 RBI, 1 SB, SAC BUNT
GAME 3: KNI 10-1 StJ – KNI P Bertram Landreth: CG WIN, 7 HA, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, SAC BUNT, SAC FLY
GAME 4: KNI 4-7 StJ – StJ 1B Konrad Jensen: 3/5 (2B), 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 SB, 4 TB
GAME 5: KNI 1-4 StJ – StJ P Thomas Smith: CG W, 7 HA, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
GAME 6: StJ 1-9 KNI – KNI P Bertram Landreth: CG W, 5 HA, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, SAC BUNT

SERIES M.V.P.: C Cale Jones (KNI) – .462 (12/26), 9 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 SB, 9/18 CS (50%)

WRITERS POOL OBSERVATIONS

ALLEGHANY: An even .500 for the second straight year. Defense, once again, was second to none, as evidenced by P Harper Cundiff, a 2.0* talent, going 23-11 with a record 2.34 ERA. However, their offense ranked just #13/16, and that lack of production, especially from the lower half of the order, did them in. Could use a new C & RF.

M.V.P: SS Gerald Strong – .310, .725 OPS, 93 R, 129 H, 27 XBH, 1 HR, 51 RBI, 41 SB, +23.4 ZR, 3.2 WPA, 4.3 WAR

AMERICAN: Spent much of the season in 3rd (Metro) before Gotham passed them on the final day. Clearly hurt by the departure of Martin Prince to Tiger. Burke was extraordinary once again and LF Kassabian has become an excellent run producer, but Boyce (2B) & Petty (RF) are showing their age and they need an upgrade at 3B (Lorik van Unen: -0.7 WAR).

M.V.P: CF James Burke – .382, .888 OPS, 116 R, 164 H, 34 XBH, 1 HR, 96 RBI, 16 BB, 95 SB, 7.5 WPA, 5.2 WAR

EXCELSIOR: Couldn’t recapture last year’s magic and spent almost the entire year around .500. Offense fell to #7/16 and Fielding fell to 14th, which led Creighton to open the season with his worth month since he was 20-21. In the end, they fell nine wins and two places short of projections. Not sure what to fix, as they look fine on paper.

M.V.P: P Jim Creighton – 21-19, 3.31 ERA, 168 K, 350.2 IP, 27 CG, 5.4 K/BB, 4.3 K/9, 1.29 WHIP, 8.2 WAR, 2.2 rWAR

FLOUR CITY: Started the season with a 6-16 May and played .500 baseball the rest of the way. 3x All-Star Dugas (CF) hit 50 points below his norm, as he did in ’77, aging Verstegen no longer has the arm for 3B, legend Samuel Kessler (1B), at age 42, was under 1.0 WAR again, and their other legend, P James Goodman, is about to turn 40. Lone bright spot: Knight.

M.V.P: 2B Ralph Knight – .314, .743 OPS, 73 R, 126 H, 31 XBH, 4 HR, 69 RBI, 11 SB, +24.6 ZR, 2.3 WPA, 3.0 WAR

GOTHAM: Spent almost the whole season mid-standings but won their last four to finish 3rd in the Metro. P.C.B.L. star Paul Krueger proved to be a capable #1. Their Greenhorn trio of Crisp (3B), Hammond (CF), & Tillman (LF) all played well – Hammond had 2.8 WAR. Royal Altman was back over .300 as a full-time 1B. Johnson had his best season in a few years.

M.V.P: 2B Babe Johnson – .344, .857 OPS, 104 R, 130 H, 25 2B, 8 3B, 77 RBI, 39 BB, 29 SB, 5.2 WPA, 3.5 WAR

KINGS CO: Finally broke through and finished 2nd in the Metro – a fine season. LF Fred Bartholomew & Koonce were outstanding as always. P.C.B.L. import Sig Siemens (RF) looked good after a rough May. New SS Clarence Anderson was okay. The pitching duo of Nicholas Banfield & Willie Gray did well. May need an upgrade at CF.

M.V.P: 1B Garfield Koonce – .375, .872 OPS, 92 R, 157 H, 37 2B, 1 3B, 81 RBI, 17 BB, 1 SB, 4.2 WPA, 4.4 WAR

KNICKERBOCKER: Finally, they won the title. Robert Goodman & Landreth were the best pitching duo in the league. Mascherino looks ageless at 2B. The Dyke/Jost/Strachan Outfield was outstanding defensively and good with the bat. Jones was a great pickup at C. They could stand to upgrade at SS (Louis Johnson: 0.4 WAR).

M.V.P: P Bert Landreth – 31-11, 2.41 ERA, 134 K, 374.0 IP, 32 CG, 1 SHO, 6.7 K/BB, 1.16 WHIP, 7.0 WAR, 8.7 rWAR

MASS. BAY: 43-47 was actually a bit better than their projected finish (38-52). Good offense (Runs: #2, Home Runs: #1), decent pitching (WAR: #8), and terrible fielding (ZR: #15, E/G: last). 5x All-Star 3B Stoffers had a big recovery from ’77. 1B Berg was outstanding again. C Garvin’s batting has dropped off a cliff, and they could also use upgrades at SS & CF.

M.V.P: 1B Gerhardt Berg – .371, .860 OPS, 97 R, 159 H, 28 XBH, 3 HR, 94 RBI, 15 BB, 5 SB, 4.5 WPA, 3.3 WAR

NEWARK: Looked competitive on paper. However, while Orange import Valentine was fantastic every one of their N.B.B.O. holdovers struggled, including superstar #1 John Ratican. That meant a team projected to finish roughly 40-50 had the league’s worst record at 27-63. At the very least, they desperately need upgrades at 2B, SS, & #2 P.

M.V.P: RF Will Valentine – .345, .817 OPS, 84 R, 142 H, 35 XBH, 1 HR, 75 RBI, 11 BB, 13 SB, 4.2 WPA, 3.0 WAR

NIAGARA: Projected 2nd. Finished 2nd, but in most disappointing fashion. Mukai went from dependable P to star #1. “Boss” Barrett (RF) hit an obscene 39/75 (.520) in August. P.C.B.L. superstar William Norman (1B) adjusted well in his debut season. Hudspeth remains the best-fielding 2B in the league. They may need upgrades at C & SS.

M.V.P: P Tomoharu Mukai – 28-15, 2.89 ERA, 99 K, 374.0 IP, 32 CG, 1 SV, 2.1 K/BB, 1.16 WHIP, 5.0 WAR, 8.6 rWAR

ORANGE: Once again, everything that could go wrong did. 10x All-Star C Schreiber hit .265. Veteran 3B Wil Chaffin hit a career-low .231. 3x All-Star LF Earl Crosby hit .223. Charles Whitehead (2B) missed 15+ games. #1 Andrew Miller tore something in his shoulder during July while having a much better second A.P.B.L. season. This team might be cursed.

M.V.P: 2B Charles Whitehead – .293, .655 OPS, 52 R, 94 H, 12 2B, 1 3B, 43 RBI, 13 BB, 2 SB, 1.5 WPA, 1.6 WAR

PT. JERSEY: The league’s biggest surprise – newcomers took a roster with some quality young talent and were over .500 for much of the season. The most impressive part: they were 16-10 in one-run games and 8-4 in extras, meaning they didn’t look like a team that was trying to figure out how to win against top-tier opposition. Martin Elson is the Manager of the year.

M.V.P: P Charles King – 25-16, 3.02 ERA, 99 K, 363.0 IP, 29 CG, 1 SHO, 4.0 K/BB, 1.21 WHIP, 7.0 WAR, 9.3 rWAR

QUAKER ST: Projected to be the best of the four newcomers but struggled all season. N.B.B.O. legends Ross Gill (P) & Ned Morganti (CF) did well, and N.B.B.O. holdover Matt Williams (C) actually had the best season of his career after moving up. Gotham import Theriault aided them at 1B. Aplin was an excellent Greenhorn RF. Their main issues are at 2B & SS.

M.V.P: RF Charles Aplin - .341, .815 OPS, 81 R, 121 H, 24 2B, 6 3B, 43 RBI, 11 BB, 6 SB, 3.3 WPA, 3.0 WAR

SHAMROCK: Projected 3rd. Finished 3rd, but after leading the Colonial until the final week. George Burroughs & Donal Hagan both had 20+ Wins and ERA’s under 3.00. Their infield of Bulger, Groves, Jessup, & Dickerson were collectively excellent. If they can get over the late collapse and upgrade at C & CF, they’ll be in next year’s Founders’ Cup.

M.V.P: 3B William Dickerson – .320, .763 OPS, 102 R, 130 H, 26 2B, 6 3B, 70 RBI, 16 BB, 59 SB, 4.8 WPA, 3.9 WAR

ST. JOHN’S: Did everything right but came up against an amazing Knick team in the Founders’ Cup. Burns & Smith were dependable as ever. The timeless Jensen (1B) was outstanding. Townsend had his best season since ’72. Evans (LF) regressed a bit but was still great. They have a brilliant C prospect in Joe Nalley. They may need to move on from Todd at 3B.

M.V.P: RF Nelson Townsend – .363, .896 OPS, 136 R, 145 H, 32 XBH, 1 HR, 50 RBI, 46 BB, 72 SB, 8.2 WPA, 4.8 WAR

TIGER S.C.: Newcomers were 4-18 in May and slightly under. 500 after. Season went according to plan: build a lineup around fantastic SS Martin Prince and figure out what needs upgrading after the year is over. Greenhorns Gray (2B) & Hollingsworth (LF) looked very promising. Main issues for them to look at: #2 P, C, & 1B.

M.V.P: SS Martin Prince – .349, .818 OPS, 99 R, 141 H, 30 XBH, 1 HR, 73 RBI, 25 SB, +24.6 ZR, 5.1 WPA, 5.0 WAR

tm1681 · 02-23-2026, 09:11 PM

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

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: James Burke (CF, age 35); American B.C.; 5th career B.o.t.Y. (1873, 75-77)

• .382/.405/.483, .888 OPS, 116 R, 164 H, 26 2B, 7 3B, 1 HR, 96 RBI, 16 BB, 95 SB, 207 TB, 7.5 WPA, 5.2 WAR
• Led league in H, SB, TB, & WAR; Top five in AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, RBI, & WPA; 5th B.o.t.Y. in six years
• Konrad Jensen (1B, StJ) 2nd – .385, .926 OPS, 111 R, 158 H, 36 XBH, 2 HR, 98 RBI, 29 BB, 78 SB, 5.8 WPA, 4.6 WAR
• Garfield Koonce (1B, KC) 3rd – .375, .872 OPS, 92 R, 157 H, 37 2B, 1 3B, 81 RBI, 17 BB, 1 SB, 4.2 WPA, 4.4 WAR

Another one. Burke led the league in both Hits & Batsman WAR for the fourth consecutive season, and he was the Total Base leader for the third time in four. He is now batting .380 (!!!) since joining American for the 1873 season. Jensen had his best season since 1873, but the most dynamic batsman in baseball history earned yet another major honor. Pity poor Koonce – if not for his batting .270 in August then he would likely have taken B.o.t.Y., as he was a .398 hitter (.914 OPS) at the end of July and had led the A.P.B.L. in Batting Average for much of the season before his late slump.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Bertram Landreth (age 28); Knickerbocker B.B.C.; 1st career P.o.t.Y.

• 31-11, 2.41 ERA, 134 K, 374.0 IP, 32 CG, 1 SHO, 6.7 K/BB, 3.2 K/9, 1.16 WHIP, 7.0 WAR, 8.7 rWAR
• Led league in W, IP, & CG; Top five in ERA, K, K/BB, WHIP, WAR, & rWAR; 3-1, 1.59 ERA, 10 K (34.0 IP) in F.C.
• Tomoharu Mukai (NIA) 2nd – 28-15, 2.89 ERA, 374.0 IP, 32 CG, 1 SV, 2.1 K/BB, 1.16 WHIP, 5.0 WAR, 8.6 rWAR
• Howard Burns (StJ) 3rd – 27-15, 2.50 ERA, 366.2 IP, 29 CG, 1 SV, 4.4 K/BB, 1.17 WHIP, 6.8 WAR, 7.4 rWAR

No surprise. If you win 30+ games and have an ERA under 2.50 you will take home the P.o.t.Y. trophy. Landreth was brilliant, winning nine more games than last year, shaving a full run off his ERA (3.42 to 2.41), and doing fantastic work in the Founders’ Cup. Mukai deserved the runner-up spot, as his season vaulted him from fine #1 to genuine star for Niagara. Burns, excellent once again, had his second straight 27-Win season for St. John’s.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Nelson Townsend (RF, age 37); St. John’s B.C.; 2nd career M.V.P. (1870)

• .363/.430/.466, .896 OPS, 136 R, 145 H, 24 2B, 7 3B, 1 HR, 50 RBI, 46 BB, 72 SB, 186 TB, 8.2 WPA, 4.5 WAR
• Set records for Runs & WPA; Led league in OBP & BB; Hit .475 (1.095 OPS) w/ 41 R, 29 SB during July
• Anthony Mascherino (2B, KNI) 2nd – .310, .738 OPS, 85 R, 119 H, 26 XBH, 1 HR, 67 RBI, 43 SB, +22.8 ZR, 4.1 WPA, 4.9 WAR
• Martin Prince (SS, TIG) 3rd – .349, .818 OPS, 99 R, 141 H, 30 XBH, 1 HR, 73 RBI, 25 SB, +24.6 ZR, 5.1 WPA, 5.0 WAR

Townsend was the second elder St. John’s star to roll back the clock this season, having his best campaign since 1872 while setting new records for Runs & WPA. His work from July 1st on was absolutely incredible, and it earned him his first M.V.P. since the last season of the pre-split N.B.B.O. Mascherino gave the champs a steady bat and spectacular glove once again. Prince was so brilliant that he received M.V.P. consideration even though Tiger finished eighteen games under .500.

GREENHORN OF THE YEAR: Charles King (P, age 25); Port Jersey B.C.

• 25-16, 3.02 ERA, 99 K, 363.0 IP, 29 CG, 1 SHO, 1 SV, 4.0 K/BB, 2.5 K/9, 1.21 WHIP, 7.0 WAR, 9.3 rWAR
• Made All-Star Game; Led league in RA9-WAR; Top five in W, IP, CG, & QS
• Charles Aplin (RF, QS) 2nd – .341, .815 OPS, 81 R, 121 H, 24 2B, 6 3B, 43 RBI, 11 BB, 6 SB, 3.3 WPA, 2.9 WAR
• Alexander Hammond (CF, GOT) 3rd – .307, .766 OPS, 100 R, 137 H, 36 2B, 11 3B, 53 RBI, 50 SB, 4.2 WPA, 2.8 WAR

There were some great Greenhorn batsmen this season, but in the end King easily won G.o.t.Y. as the All-Star #1 for the league’s most surprising team: Pt. Jersey. In only his second season as a regular, King put nary a foot wrong and actually had a better Strikeout rate than he did in the N.B.B.O. last year. Aplin, an All-Star, hit .356 in May and was consistently excellent for Quaker St. Hammond, an All-Star, led the league in XBH (47) and gave Gotham the CF presence they badly needed.

A.P.B.L. GOLDEN GLOVES

• P: Ross Gill (QS/1st) – .901 FLD%, 2.21 RNG, +8.9 ZR, 1.193 EFF
• C: Carl Nevers (KC/1st) – 35.2 CS%, 3.63 C-ERA, +8.9 ZR, 1.226 EFF
• 1B: Frank Bulger (SHA/7th) – .966 FLD%, 11.48 RNG, +10.6 ZR, 1.901 EFF
• 2B: Anthony Mascherino (KNI/14th) – .903 FLD%, 7.33 RNG, 32 DP, +22.8 ZR, 1.143 EFF
• 3B: Frank Doherty (ALL/5th) – .795 FLD%, 3.39 RNG, +19.4 ZR, 1.221 EFF
• SS: Martin Prince (AME/4th) – .830 FLD%, 6.53 RNG, 37 DP, +24.6 ZR, 1.157 EFF
• LF: Fred Bartholomew (KC/2nd) – .867 FLD%, 1.55 RNG, 2 AST, +5.7 ZR, 1.063 EFF
• CF: Louis Dyke (KNI/4th) – .793 FLD%, 2.09 RNG, 10 AST, +8.9 ZR, 1.126 EFF
• RF: Jonathan Cobb (ORA/GH) – .779 FLD%, 1.79 RNG, 6 AST, +4.0 ZR, 1.020 EFF

A.P.B.L. TEAM OF THE YEAR

MISCELLANEOUS

SEASON RECORDS

• Orange set new records for lowest team Average (.245), On-Base % (.275), Slugging % (.314), & OPS (.589).
• Excelsior set a new record for Doubles in a season with 185.
• Massachusetts Bay set a new record for Home Runs in a season with 20.
• Orange set a new record for Strikeouts in a season with 386 (4.3 K/G).
• Tiger Social Club set a new record for Bases on Balls (P) in a season with 181 (2.0 BB/G).

• Nelson Townsend (RF, St. John’s) set a new record for Runs with 136.
• Garfield Koonce (1B, Kings Co.) set a new record for Doubles with 37.
• Nelson Townsend (RF, St. John’s) set a new record or WPA with 8.17.
• Harper Cundiff (P, Alleghany) set a new record for ERA (200+ IP) with 2.34.
• Alfred Parker (P, Tiger S.C.) set a new record for Bases on Ball (P) with 104.
• Tomoharu Mukai (P, Niagara) set a new record for Opponents’ OPS (200+ IP) with .576.

A.P.B.L. STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Average: .385 by Konrad Jensen (1B, St. John’s)
• On-Base: .430 by Nelson Townsend (RF, St. John’s)
• Slugging: .500 by Konrad Jensen
• OPS: .926 by Konrad Jensen
• Runs: 136 by Nelson Townsend
• Hits: 164 by James Burke
• Doubles: 37 by Garfield Koonce (1B, Kings Co.)
• Triples: 12 by Clive Strachan (LF, Knick)
• Extra-Base Hits: 47 by Alexander Hammond (CF, Gotham)
• Home Runs: 4 by three different batsmen
• Runs Batted In: 108 by George Kassabian (LF, American)
• Stolen Bases: 95 by James Burke
• Total Bases: 207 by James Burke
• Bases on Balls: 46 by Nelson Townsend
• Zone Rating: +25.4 ZR by Jonathan Quarles (SS, Gotham)
• Batsman WPA: 8.2 by Nelson Townsend
• Batsman WAR: 5.2 by James Burke

• Wins: 31 by Bertram Landreth (Knick)
• Losses: 34 by John Ratican (Newark)
• ERA (200+ IP): 2.34 by Harper Cundiff (Alleghany)
• Strikeouts: 168 by Jim Creighton (Excelsior)
• Innings: 374.0 by Bertram Landreth & Tomoharu Mukai (Niagara)
• Complete Games: 32 by Bertram Landreth & Tomoharu Mukai
• Shutouts: 3 by Ross Gill (Quaker St.)
• BB/9 (200+ IP): 0.3 by James Goodman (Flour City)
• K/9 (200+ IP): 4.3 by Jim Creighton
• K/BB (200+ IP): 6.9 by James Goodman
• WHIP (200+ IP): 1.12 by Harper Cundiff
• Pitcher WAR: 8.2 by Jim Creighton
• Pitcher rWAR: 9.3 by Charles King (Pt. Jersey)

ACHIEVEMENTS & NOTABLE EVENTS

• May 7: Gotham & Quaker St. open the season by combining to score 33 Runs (GOT 15-18 QS).
• May 14: Benjamin Crisp (Gotham) has 5 Hits & 5 RBI in a 13-10 win at Flour City.
• May 23: William Valentine (Newark) bats 6/6 (HR) in a 10-6 win at Orange.
• May 29: Willie Gray (K.C.) & Drees Hobbelink (MB) pitch Shutouts. Both also bat 2/4 with 1 R & 1 RBI.
• May 30: Washington Kihlstedt (Mass. Bay) has 10 Strikeouts in a 7-5 win vs Orange.

• June 4: Sam Jackson (Excelsior) has 5 Hits & 5 RBI in a 24-6 win at Pt. Jersey.
• June 5: Konrad Jensen (St. John’s) has a Home Run, 5 Hits & 6 RBI in a 19-8 win at Kings Co.
• June 6: Inaugural P.o.t.Y. Raynard Cordell retires due to lack of interest from teams.
• June 9: Joseph Evans (St. John’s) scores 6 Runs in a 26-3 win at Newark.
• June 13: St. John’s wins 21-1 vs Knickerbocker, two days after losing to Knick in a 19-0 Shutout.
• June 16: Ned Morganti (Quaker St.) has a Home Runs, 5 Hits, 4 RBI in a 16-5 win vs Orange.
• June 19: Boyd Myers (Excelsior) has 5 Hits, 5 Runs, & 4 RBI in a 16-7 win vs Newark.
• June 20: J.B. Chessman (Excelsior) sets a record with 9 RBI in a 23-8 win vs Newark.
• June 23: James Burke (American) has 6 Runs & 6 RBI in an 18-13 win at Orange.

• July 10: George Kassabian (American) has 5 Hits & 5 RBI in an 18-6 win at Gotham.
• July 17: George Burroughs (Shamrock) pitches a 1-hit Shutout against Niagara (NIA 0-8 SHA).
• July 18: Pt. Jersey scores 14 Runs in B6 as part of a 21-0 win vs Newark.
• July 20: Washington Kihlstedt (Mass Bay.) has 10 Strikeouts in an 18-3 win at Orange.
• July 31: Pt. Jersey & Shamrock contest the season’s only 1-0 game (PtJ 0-1 SHA).

• Aug 5: The M.C. wins the All-Star Game in 11 innings. M.V.P: Gerald Strong (SS, ALL). HOST: St. John’s.
• Aug 9: Howard Boley (Tiger S.C.) has his second consecutive five-hit game in a 13-12 win vs Mass. Bay
• Aug 13: Cale Jones (Knick) hits 2 Home Runs in a 15-8 loss at Kings Co.
• Aug 17: Franklin Penrod (Gotham) has a Home Run, 5 Hits, & 6 RBI in an 11-6 win at Niagara.
• Aug 20: Nelson Townsend (St. John’s) sees his season-long Hitting Streak end after 29 games.
• Aug 24: John Meier (Alleghany) has 5 Stolen Bases in an 11-3 win at Tiger S.C.
• Aug 25: Boyd Myers (Excelsior) hits 4 Doubles in an 11-inning game vs Mass. Bay (MB 13-11 EXC).
• Aug 25: St. John’s wins their last six games to come from two games back and take the Colonial pennant.

• Sep 3: Knickerbocker (1st title) wins the Founders’ Cup against St. John’s in six games.

PERFORMANCES OF THE SEASON BY GAME SCORE

• #1: 121 by J.B. Chessman (SS, Excelsior) vs Newark on June 20 (5/7, 2B, HR, 3 R, 9 RBI)
• #2: 111 by Ralph Knight (2B, Flour City) vs Quaker St. on June 12 (5/6, 2B, HR, 3 R, 7 RBI)
• #3: 108 by Franklin Penrod (C, Gotham) at Niagara on Aug. 17 (5/6, 2B, HR, 3 R, 6 RBI)
• #4: 108 by James Burke (CF, American) at Orange on June 23 (4/6, 2 2B, 3B, 6 R, 6 RBI, 3 SB)
• #5: 107 by Konrad Jensen (1B, St. John’s) at Kings Co. on June 5 (5/7, 2B, HR, 4 R, 6 RBI, SB)
• #6: 99 by Boyd Myers (CF, Excelsior) vs Newark on June 19 (5/6, 2 2B, 3B, 5 R, 4 RBI)
• #7: 98 by James Burke (CF, American) at Newark on June 11 (5/8, 4 R, 6 RBI, SB)
• #8: 96 by Rudolph Decker (CF, St. John’s) vs Mass. Bay on May 24 (4/5, HR, 4 R, 5 RBI, 2 SB)
• #9: 92 by George Kassabian (LF, American) at Gotham on July 10 (5/6, 2 2B, 3 R, 5 RBI)
• #10: 90 by Ned Morganti (CF, Quaker St.) vs Orange on June 16 (5/6, HR, 3 R, 4 RBI)

tm1681 · 02-23-2026, 09:14 PM

So that concludes the most recent season. I'm not sure why errors shot up in each of the leagues. It could have been due to late patches reconfiguring the game engine as well as tweaking generated players.

In real life, errors in the National League started decreasing rather quickly around this time, so I'll be tweaking the Error modifiers before the start of the next season, and in the APBL more than the others.

tm1681 · 02-25-2026, 01:29 AM

PCBL BATTING RACE GOES TO FIVE DECIMALS
CLOSEST BATTING TITLE IN BASEBALL HISTORY NEEDED SLIDE RULES TO DETERMINE WINNER

PHILADELPHIA, PENN. (Sep. 15, 1878) - Among the various subplots that took place across the sport of baseball during the 1878 season, perhaps none had a more fascinating finish than the race to win the P.C.B.L. Batting Title.

Going into the final day of games, Sons of Ben’s fantastic Greenhorn LF Henry Yoder was leading the league with a .362 Batting Average. Just two points behind him was the Catcher of repeat East Philadelphia champs Queen Village, Milton Foster, at .360. The teams played each other at S.o.B.’s Franklin Field to end the season, so the two would be going head-to-head to determine who took the crown.

Queen Village won their Liberty Bell Classic tuneup by the score of 25-9 to finish the season with an even fifty wins. On the visiting side, Foster hit 3/7 – all Singles – with three Runs and one RBI, placing his final Batting Average at .361. For the home side, Yoder hit 1/3 – a Single – while scoring two Runs and drawing two Bases on Balls. This also left him with a final Batting Average of .361. Going by the standard Batting Average format, they had finished the season tied.

• QV C Milton Foster: 120 H in 332 AB; .361 AVG
• SoB LF Henry Yoder: 116 H in 321 AB; .361 AVG

However, P.C.B.L. officials figured that since Batting Average was a matter of Mathematics and the two men had different amounts of Hits & At Bats, a deeper dive was needed to see who the true Batting Champion was. So, they went to four decimal places.

That was when they ran into a problem:

• QV C Milton Foster: 120 H in 332 AB; .3614 AVG
• SoB LF Henry Yoder: 116 H in 321 AB; .3614 AVG

The two men remained tied when taking Batting Average out to the TEN THOUSANDTHS place. Undeterred, the number crunchers working for the P.C.B.L. sharpened their pencils and went further:

• QV C Milton Foster: 120 H in 332 AB; .36145 AVG
• SoB LF Henry Yoder: 116 H in 321 AB; .36137 AVG

After breaking Batting Average down to the HUNDRED THOUSANDTHS position, the P.C.B.L. finally had their Batting Champion: Milton Foster of Queen Village.

Queen Village led the P.C.B.L. in Runs (752; 10.7 R/G), Hits (938), Batting Average (.311), On-Base % (.336), Slugging % (.384), & OPS (.720). It was a team that had six of its regulars hit over .300, a P.C.B.L. first. The two men that didn’t hit at least .300 finished the season batting .296 & .287. They also became the first team to have seven regulars with 50+ RBI, and the one who failed to reach that mark had 45. Q.V. was also the first team in P.C.B.L. history to score 10+ Runs per game.

Upon a quick glance, it seemed natural that one of Queen Village’s stars would take home the P.C.B.L. Batting Title for 1878. However, what was wholly unique was the fact that it took an office and a small group of Mathematicians to confirm that they’d earned it.

Incredibly, this was the second consecutive season that the P.C.B.L. had to go to at least four decimal places to determine the winner of the Batting Title. In 1877, both Francis Brown of Frankford and Frederick Pike of P.B.C.C. finished the season batting .363. When the league broke things down further it was Brown who won the Batting Title, .3633 to .3625.

The only other time a Batting Title race has ever been this close occurred in 1870. During the final season of play in the N.B.B.O. before the league split, both Cormack Alexander & William Dickerson hit .418 for Quaker State. The N.B.B.O. went to four decimal places and found that Alexander had bested Dickerson by the final tally of .4183 to .4182, or one ten-thousandth of a point. However, since the two were teammates the N.B.B.O. decided to let Alexander & Dickers share the honor, calling the Batting Race a tie for the first, and to date, only time in baseball history.

There will no doubt be many exciting and interesting stories to follow next season, and in the seasons after that, but it will be quite some time before baseball sees battle for a major statistical champion quite like this one.

tm1681 · 02-25-2026, 01:39 AM

BASEBALL IN SHOCK AS JIM CREIGHTON RETIRES
SPORT’S MOST DECORATED PITCHER ENDS PLAYING CAREER, BECOMES EXCELSIOR COACH

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Oct 3, 1878) - A bolt of lightning has hit the baseball in the form of a midday telegram on Thursday afternoon: Jim Creighton, the greatest pitcher in baseball history, has ended his playing career after nineteen seasons with Excelsior B.B.C.

At first, a message was sent to A.P.B.L. offices after Creighton let the Excelsior front office know in person that he was going to transition away from playing. From there, it didn’t take long before messages shot around the Northeastern United States announcing the game’s most popular player had called it a career.

According to the 37-year-old Creighton, he went into some deep thought about his career at the close of the 1878 season. Even though he was 21-19 with a 3.31 ERA while leading the A.P.B.L. in Strikeouts (168) & Pitcher WAR (8.2), from a statistical standpoint it was his “worst” season since the A.P.B.L.’s inaugural in 1871. He considered the fact that, while once being unquestionably the fastest pitcher in baseball, in the 5-6 years since pitchers were allowed use wrist action in delivering the ball a new generation of pitchers had come of age who had caught up to him with regards to the speed aspect of delivering the ball to the batsman. So, after being the sport’s highest-paid player for more than a decade Creighton felt he’d made enough money to retire from playing and it was time to move on.

Creighton won’t go far, however. His father is a successful businessman, and his family has enough money that, even though Creighton has five siblings, between his baseball earnings and the family business he’ll be able to spend time during the summers as Excelsior’s new Pitching Coach instead of doing manual labor for 60-70 hours a week. For Creighton, who has enjoyed sports since he was a child, becoming a coach is a natural fit.

For the fans of Excelsior, however, the loss of Creighton the player will feel like a tragedy. After three last-place finishes during the first four seasons of the N.B.B.O., once Creighton joined and came of age he put the team on the proverbial map, and while Excelsior has yet to win a championship his presence made them one of the sport’s biggest draws.

Just how dominant of a presence was Creighton on the diamond? His career stats and accomplishments:

• Career leader in top-tier Wins with 461 (James Goodman 2nd with 401)
• Career leader in top-tier Strikeouts with 2,409 (James Goodman 2nd with 1,680)
• Career leader in top-tier Pitching WAR with 141.1 (James Goodman 2nd with 132.7)
• Career leader in top-tier Total WAR with 171.0 (141.1 pitching, 29.9 batting)

• 5x Most Valuable Player (N.Y.L.: 1863, 66, 67, 68, A.P.B.L.: 1872)
• 4x Pitcher of the Year (N.Y.L.: 1870, A.P.B.L.: 1874-75, 77)
• 3x 30-game winner (A.P.B.L.: 1874-75, 77)
• 17x All-Star (N.Y.L.: 1862-70, A.P.B.L.: 1871-78)
• 8x Team of the Year: (N.Y.L.: 1863-64. 66-68, A.P.B.L.: 1874-75, 77)

• 16x league leader in Strikeouts (1861-75, 78)
• 6x league leader in Wins (1863, 66, 68, 74-75, 77)
• 3x league leader in ERA (1863, 65, 76)
• 11x league leader in Pitching WAR (1863-66, 68, 70-72, 74-75, 78)

• 13x league leader in K/BB ratio (1861-66, 68, 70-72, 74-76)
• 8x league leader in Complete Games (1863-64, 67-68, 73-76)
• 8x league leader in Innings Pitches (1864-65, 67-68, 72-75)
• 3x league leader in Shutouts (1863, 66, 76)

The above is without taking into account his batting. When the N.B.B.O. was still the only competition in existence, Creighton was also one of its most powerful hitters. That ability reached its peak in 1867-68, when he had a season where he hit .416 with a 1.030 OPS, both marks leading the N.Y.L., and followed it up by leading the league again the next season with a .977 OPS.

While it was Creighton’s 1863 season that made him a household name in the Northeast, it was his 1868 season for Excelsior that is considered the greatest ever by an individual player, including the decade since and the formation of the A.P.B.L.:

• BATTING: .378/.463/.514, .977 OPS, 71 R, 84 H, 22 2B, 4 3B, 44 RBI, 35 BB, 5 SB, 3.3 WPA, 3.4 WAR
• PITCHING: 29-11, 2.70 ERA, 197 K, 362.2 IP, 35 CG, 5.6 K/BB, 4.9 K/9, 9.1 HA/9, 1.11 WHIP, 10.9 WAR
• 1868 TOTAL WAR: 14.3 (10.9 as P, 3.4 as B); all-time single season record

Creighton’s 197 Strikeouts and 10.9 Pitching WAR remain the best ever for a full season of baseball at the highest level, and the marks that have come the closest to those are from Creighton himself.

No season before or since has come close has come close to replicating the level of two-way dominance that Jim Creighton displayed in that 1868 season. The only other seasons that look remotely similar are, in fact, Creighton’s 1867 & 1870 seasons for Excelsior.

Jim Creighton joined Excelsior in 1860 from Star B.B.C., then an independent club (NOTE: he joined Excelsior from the “Brooklyn Star Club” in real life), and at the time St. Johns’ John McGowan was cementing his status is the sport’s pre-eminent pitcher. By the time McGowan retired he would be considered the standard all others would be judged by, especially when it came to pitching in the postseason. Other star pitchers of the time would be discussed and dismissed because they “warn’t no McGowan”.

It is likely that for generations, baseball fans will take a close look at the game’s most popular pitchers, and as the play they'll all tell each other that those men “warn’t no Creighton.”

NOTE: This will likely be the first of a wave of major retirements over upcoming seasons, as the biggest stars of the early portion of the in-game universe enter their 40s.

As for Jim Creighton, remember that I hadn't planned on including real-life stars from pre-1871 baseball, but in the game Excelsior B.B.C. made a Scouting Discovery of a young pitcher from independent baseball during the winter of 1859-60. In real life, the 19-year-old Creighton was "discovered" by Excelsior in 1859-60 while playing for Star of Brooklyn, and then joined Excelsior. It was too much of a coincidence to pass up, so I ran with it, turned the indy ball player into the equivalent of someone who was billed as the best pitcher and possibly the best hitter of his day in real life, and had fun with it. Hopefully you all did too.

tm1681 · 02-25-2026, 01:42 AM

SPEEDY BROWN, A MAN WHO LIVES UP TO HIS NAME
CONT’L CF BROKE NBBO STOLEN BASE RECORD BY NEARLY 20 DURING 1878 SEASON

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Oct 10, 1878) - Meet Donald Brown. At 31 years of age, Brown has been a member of the Continental B.B.C. organization since joining them as an 18-year-old after the 1865 season. Even though he spent years as a member of the Continental reserve roster, he had one particular skill that earned him the name he more commonly goes by: Speedy.

(NOTE: Speedy was not this player's original first name, but once I saw his speed & running skills I felt a change was needed.)

During his first spring with the team in 1866, Brown made it obvious to his new teammates why Continental had signed him on: he was extremely fast, and on top of that had instincts both on the bases and in the field that allowed him to use that speed to its absolute maximum effectiveness. However, there was a problem: for all his natural ability on the basepaths and in the field, when Brown was given a bat he had about the same ability hitting the ball as if you’d given the bat to a dog. Now, there’s no rule that says a dog can’t play baseball, but we’re pretty sure that wouldn’t work very well.

Aside from some brief appearances as a defensive replacement & Pinch Runner in 1868, Brown would have to work on his bat skills until late in the 1871 season before he received a permanent callup to the Continental senior roster and see regular game action in the N.B.B.O. However, back to the reserve roster Brown went, and he had to wait until 1875 to get another chance at regularly playing in the N.B.B.O.

During the second half of the 1875 season Continental’s new Manager, former Sportsman’s & Mass. Bay P Charlie Carson, took a look at Brown’s speed in the reserves and decided, “…bat be damned, I want to see what he can do for this team as a lineup member.” He was inserted into the lineup for William Leyden, then one of the worst-fielding CF’s in the N.B.B.O. The results: incredibly, Brown hit .319 as a slap hitter and stole 23 bases in 26 games while fielding at a Golden Glove level in the outfield. Carson had seen enough. Speedy Brown would be Continental’s CF going forward.

Unfortunately, Brown’s first full season as the Continental CF, which occurred after ten years with the club, was not the kind of success that his partial campaign of 1875 indicated. He hit just .205 with a .499 OPS, and his lack of ability to get on base limited him to “just” 32 Stolen Bases over the 70-game season. Still, Brown was good enough on the bases (4.5 BsR) and in the field (+4.7 ZR, 1.055 EFF) to be a net positive at 0.9 WAR.

Carson decided to stick with Brown at CF, and the decision paid off. In 1877 Brown hit just .241 with a .565 OPS, that put him on base enough that he was able to steal 69 bases (8 CS), and he managed to finish the season with more Runs than Hits (78 R, 76 H). Combined with his work in the field, Speedy finished the season with a perfectly fine 1.9 WAR, effectively becoming the outfield version of Sons of the Ocean infield wizard Peter Jones.

For his third season as Continental’s CF, Brown & Carson decided it was time for Speedy to simply attack the basepaths with reckless abandon. The results:

• .260/.299/.307, .606 OPS, 90 R, 89 H, 7 XBH, 2 HR, 36 RBI, 18 BB, 94 SB, +7.0 ZR (1.082 EFF), 3.4 WPA, 2.4 WAR

Speedy had become a baserunning maniac. Not only did he have more Runs than Hits for the second season in a row, but this time he managed MORE STOLEN BASES THAN HITS (94 SB, 89 H), a baseball first. Brown had just nine Extra-Base Hits all season, and perhaps unsurprisingly five of them were Triples or Inside-the-Park Home Runs.

However, the big achievement of Speedy’s 1878 season: a new N.B.B.O. record of 94 Stolen Bases compared to 10 Caught Stealing. Speedy didn’t just break the N.B.B.O. Stolen Base record, but destroyed it. Coming into 1878, the single-season SB had belonged to Konrad Jensen, who had 76 Stolen Bases for St. John’s in 1866. Speedy beat that by nearly twenty. In comparison, the Stolen Base leader in the Northeastern League, Portland’s Ed Donovan, had 54 SB on the season, a bit less than 60% of Speedy Brown’s difficult-to-believe total.

Has Speedy Brown’s three seasons as the Continental CF allowed his bat to reach the level of a standard N.B.B.O. CF? Absolutely not:

• BABIP: 3/10
• GAP POWER: 2.5/10
• RAW POWER: 1/10

Speedy Brown will never be asked to defeat the opposition with his hitting skills, but he’s most definitely shown he can help his team win in other ways.

Plenty of eyes will be on Speedy Brown in 1879 to see if he can become the first N.B.B.O. player to break the 100 Stolen Base barrier, something only done by James Burke over 90 games in the A.P.B.L. He just might do it.

tm1681 · 02-25-2026, 01:44 AM

ARSENAL STUNS PCBL BY FIRING WALTERS
FRANKFORD’S ONLY MANAGER HAD LED THEM TO FOUR EAST TITLES & ONE LIBERTY BELL CLASSIC

PHILADELPHIA, PENN. (Oct 12, 1878) - Now that the calendar has turned to October, the offseason is underway in the Northeastern United States. Teams take stock of who has called time on their careers, who wants to come back with a pay raise, and who has decided to leave for different pastures. In some cases, those teams may tell some of the employed that they are free to leave.

Incredibly, the latter has happened in the P.C.B.L. in the form of Frankford Arsenal firing Nicholas Walters, who had been the team’s only Field Manager during the first six seasons of the league’s existence. His crime? “Only” finishing second in East Philadelphia both of the past two seasons after winning it during each of the first four seasons in P.C.B.L. history.

This is the record of the man that the Frankford office has just told to take a hike:

It bears repeating: Nicholas Walters guided Frankford to four straight East Philadelphia pennants, one Liberty Bell Classic title, and won more than 63% of the games he was in charge of. His reward? Being told his services are no longer needed.

On the other hand, the following almost doesn’t need stating, but the decision has stunned baseball observers in Philadelphia as well as the member organizations of the P.C.B.L. itself. Frankford’s record in 1878 was better than it was during each of their first three pennant-winning campaigns, as was their Run Differential. It just so happened that they shared a subdivision with an even better team: repeat East champions Queen Village.

Two questions are on everyone’s minds:

1. Who could Frankford hire to manage them that could possibly do a better job than Walters did?
2. Has the Frankford front office inadvertently done serious harm to the team’s future with this sudden move?

For the Frankford office’s sake, it had better turn out that something like money or control of the roster was at the center of today’s stunner, or else, at the very least, there will be a fan revolt in store.

tm1681 · Yesterday, 10:15 PM

WHAT’S WITH ALL THE FUSS? PAPENFUSS!
TERIFICALLY NAMED SQUIRREL HILL INFIELD RECRUIT EXPECTED TO STAR FOR TEAM IN 1879

PITTSBURGH, PENN. (Nov. 1, 1878) - Squirrel Hill B.C. had a respectable debut season in the N.B.B.O. in 1878. They finished sixth out of eight in the Inland Championship, but more importantly won more than forty percent of their games by going 31-39 (-75 RD). The Pittsburgh outfit is looking to carry that positive momentum over into campaign two.

As is the norm for a new team, pretty much the entire Squirrel Hill roster was announced to be returning during October, the month most players typically decide what they’re going to do for next year if they’re not already signed to a multi-year contract. For Squirrel Hill, their two key returnees are their lone All-Star, 3B Jerald Kinney (.347, .793 OPS, 73 RBI, 2.0 WAR) and talented #1 George McCool (4.5*, 15-22, 3.37, 83 K, 5.1 WAR).

Even though all of the regulars for Squirrel Hill will be back next year, they’re still looking to improve the team over the winter. On October 2nd the team signed 22-year-old C George Kepley (2.5/3.0*) to challenge Edward Wilkerson for a place in the lineup, and on October 4th they signed 22-year-old Neal Fletcher (2.0/2.5*) to be their new CF. Those two moves should make the team a bit better on paper, but to begin the month of November the front office made a signing that should really improve the lineup in 1879.

On November 1st, Squirrel Hill was able to secure the services of one of the most sought after players from indy ball, Second Baseman Vincent Oscar “V.O.” Papenfuss (NOTE: I use an old-timey name set – can’t remember where I got it from – and sometimes it just gives you something beautiful like this). Papenfuss, a 26-year-old, is rated 4.0/4.0* and is noted for his all-around ability. He can hit for contact, find the gap, steal bases, and field the ball well at either Middle Infield position although 2B is his preferred place to play.

The Writers Pool believes that Papenfuss will immediately become one of the top five Second Basemen in the N.B.B.O. if the team resists the temptation to move him over to Shortstop, where he’s notably weaker. Papenfuss projects as a #3 batsman in the Squirrel Hill order, which would give Squirrel Hill a potentially dangerous mid-lineup trio consisting of Papenfuss, LF Jonathan Mills, & the All-Star Kinney.

Don’t expect Squirrel Hill to challenge Lancastra Britannia or Susquehanna B.C. at the top of the Inland standings quite yet, but for 1879 a .500 season and a spot in the top half of the standings isn’t out of the question, all thanks to their new star recruit: V.O. Papenfuss.

02-20-2026, 10:08 PM	#1041
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,512	FOUNDERS’ CUP VIII: TWO GRAND OLD CLUBS MANHATTAN & PROVIDENCE (Aug. 27 to Sep. 3, 1878) – Last year’s Founders’ Cup saw Jim Creighton and Excelsior try to earn their first title by beating baseball’s greatest winners: St. John’s B.C. The result was a five-game victory by St. John’s, their seventh top-tier title in 21 seasons of organized baseball. With one week left in the 1878 season, the defending champions had a hill to climb if they wanted to have the chance to defend their title. St. John’s was third in the Colonial Conference, two games behind both Niagara & Shamrock, with Shamrock looking like slight favorites to take the pennant based on the remaining schedule and St. Johns’ two-game deficit. Incredibly, St. John’s went to Boston and swept Shamrock and then traveled to Philadelphia and swept Quaker St., winning all six games by multiple runs and clinching the Colonial Conference title on the final day of the season after their 7-4 victory at Quaker St. meant Niagara’s 11-7 home win over Kings Co. didn’t matter. As with so many things St. John’s has done over the years, it was the stuff of legend. Knickerbocker didn’t have such a difficult path to the Founders’ Cup. They had kept Kings Co. roughly at arm’s length for much of the second half of the season, but an extremely demanding nine-game stretch against Kings Co., Shamrock, & St. John’s coming out of the All-Star break would determine if they could keep it that way. Knick went 6-3, stretched their lead from three to five games, and clinched the Metropolitan pennant after winning their second game at Quaker St. to start the final week. Surprisingly, even though this was the seventh time Knick had been in the Metro’s top three it was the first time they would be playing for the A.P.B.L. championship. As with St. John’s vs Excelsior, this was a fantastic matchup on paper. St. John’s, known for its marauding offense since the foundation of the N.B.B.O. and sporting the A.P.B.L.’s top attack in nearly every major category, would be taking on a Knickerbocker outfit that allowed almost seventy fewer runs than any other team and whose fielders had the surest hands of any team. Once again, it was a pure offense vs defense matchup. For the second year in a row, it was the Metropolitan Conference champions that neutral fans would be rooting for. Knickerbocker had two stars in their mid/late 30s yet to win a title at the highest level: 1B Cormack Alexander & LF Clive Strachan. On top of that, their status as one of the sport’s two oldest clubs granted them an extra level of respect from non-attached observers. And for the second year in a row, St. John’s didn’t care. For them, this was postseason trip NUMBER EIGHTEEN in 22 years of top-flight baseball, and they were playing for championship number eight. Only two things mattered to them: first, winning the cup, and second, being able to parade it around Providence in front of their fans. FOUNDERS’ CUP FORMAT & NOTES SEEDING • #1: Knickerbocker (59-31; 7.1 R/G, 5.8 RA/G, +122 RD) • #2: St. John’s (54-36; 8.9 R/G, 6.5 RA/G, +215 RD) FORMAT • HH-AAA-HH Schedule • One day off after Game Two & Game Five • #1 seed (Knickerbocker; 32-13 at home) has Home Field Advantage ST. JOHN'S KEY PLAYERS • Konrad Jensen (1B): .385, .926 OPS, 111 R, 158 H, 36 XBH, 2 HR, 98 RBI, 29 BB, 78 SB, 5.8 WPA, 4.6 WAR • Nelson Townsend (RF): .363, .896 OPS, 136 R, 145 H, 32 XBH, 1 HR, 50 RBI, 46 BB, 72 SB, *8.2 WPA, 4.4 WAR • Joseph Evans* (LF): .346, .822 OPS, 107 R, 146 H, 26 2B, 8 3B, 88 RBI, 18 BB, 26 SB, 4.0 WPA, 3.7 WAR • Rudolph Decker (CF): .299, .720 OPS, 92 R, 118 H, 28 XBH, 1 HR, 95 RBI, 19 BB, 56 SB, 3.0 WPA, 2.8 WAR • Howard Burns (P): 27-15, 2.50 ERA, 128 K, 366.2 IP, 29 CG, 1 SV, 4.4 K/BB, 1.17 WHIP, 6.8 WAR, 7.4 rWAR KNICKERBOCKER KEY PLAYERS • Anthony Mascherino (2B): .310, .738 OPS, 85 R, 119 H, 26 XBH, 1 HR, 67 RBI, 43 SB, +22.8 ZR, 4.1 WPA, 5.0 WAR • Clive Strachan (LF): .326, .793 OPS, 83 R, 127 H, 15 2B, 12 3B, 3 HR, 60 RBI, 50 SB, 3.6 WPA, 3.1 WAR • Cormack Alexander (1B): .296, .743 OPS, 81 R, 115 H, 31 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 62 RBI, 29 BB, 3.6 WPA, 2.8 WAR • Bertram Landreth (P): 31-11, 2.41 ERA, 134 K, 374.0 IP, 32 CG, 1 SHO, 6.7 K/BB, 1.16 WHIP, 7.0 WAR, 8.7 rWAR • Robert Goodman (P): 26-18, 3.23 ERA, 106 K, 3570.0 IP, 29 CG, 1 SHO, 4.4 K/BB, 1.24 WHIP, 6.3 WAR, 4.8 rWAR Knickerbocker had the league’s best record at 59-31, but St. John’s had by far the league’s best Run Differential at +215 (Knick 2nd). However, Knick would have three things going for them: 1. Home Field Advantage with a 32-13 home record (#2 in A.P.B.L.) 2. A 15-6 record in one-run games (#1 in A.P.B.L.) 3. A 3-0 record in extra-inning games (#1 in A.P.B.L.) Conversely, St. John’s was under. 500 away from home (20-25), under .500 in one-run games (9-13), and under .500 in Extra Innings (2-5), with the latter two far more likely to become a factor in postseason play. Could St. John’s pound their opponents into submission and lift the cup again without having to worry about close games? Or would Knickerbocker’s outstanding defense and work in high-pressure situations earn them their first A.P.B.L. title? __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here

02-20-2026, 11:57 PM	#1043
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,512	Didn't notice this in all the postseason stuff, but apparently the Philadelphia City League had to go to five decimal places to determine the winner of the Batting Title. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here

02-23-2026, 08:48 PM	#1048
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,512	1878 NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION REVIEW NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION STANDINGS PER-TEAM STATISTICS 1878 N.Y.L.: 8.4 R/G, .286, .673 OPS, 810 H, 98 2B, 44 3B, 5 HR, 90 SB, 3.48 ERA, 112 BB, 117 K, 7.6 E/G, .834 FLD% 1878 N.E.L.: 8.6 R/G, .291, .687 OPS, 818 H, 103 2B, 44 3B, 4 HR, 86 SB, 3.63 ERA, 120 BB, 121 K, 7.7 E/G, .832 FLD% 1877 N.Y.L.: 7.7 R/G, .288, .677 OPS, 794 H, 94 2B, 45 3B, 5 HR, 96 SB, 3.39 ERA, 101 BB, 96 K, 6.8 E/G, .844 FLD% 1877 N.E.L.: 7.8 R/G, .287, .675 OPS, 790 H, 93 2B, 44 3B, 5 HR, 85 SB, 3.43 ERA, 104 BB, 119 K, 6.9 E/G, .842 FLD% TUCKER-WHEATON CUP XXII N.Y.L. SEMIFINAL: #2 Atlantic defeats #3 Minuteman 3-2 N.E.L. SEMIFINAL: #3 Portland defeats #2 National 3-1 N.Y.L. CHAMPIONSHIP: #1 N.Y.A.C. sweeps Atlantic 3-0 N.E.L. CHAMPIONSHIP: #1 Susquehanna defeats Portland 3-2 T.W.C. FINAL: New York Athletic Club (1st title) defeats Susquehanna B.C. 3-2 GAME 1: NYAC 15-9 SUS – NYAC RF Jack Anastasio: 2/6 (2B, 3B), 4 R, 2 RBI, 2 SB, 5 TB GAME 2: NYAC 4-12 SUS – SUS P William Hawk: CG, 9 HA, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K; 2/4, 1 R, 1 RBI GAME 3: SUS 8-7 NYAC – SUS LF Walter Braden: 3/5 (all 1B), 3 R, 1 RBI GAME 4: SUS 2-9 NYAC – NYAC P George Cerven: CG, 7 HA, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K; 2/3 GAME 5: NYAC 9-8 SUS – SUS LF Walter Braden: 3/5 (2B, 3B, HR), 3 R, 2 RBI, 9 TB CUP M.V.P.: NYAC 1B Peaches Watson – 8 G, .353 (12/34), 6 R, 9 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB There were no major surprises in the N.B.B.O. in 1878. Nearly every team that was predicted to finish at or near the top of the standings did, and in the end both halves of the League Championship Series as well as the Tucker-Wheaton Cup Final all featured rematches from the previous year. Of the eighteen teams picked to finish in the top three in their regions, only two finished more than two places below projection: Salem (proj. 2nd in NE, finished 6th) and Syracuse (proj. 2nd in UPNY, finished 7th). The team that actually did the worst compared to pre-season predictions was Marathon, who were expected to be last in Brooklyn 26-44 but instead finished a competition-worst 16-54. The same is true of the six new teams that entered the N.B.B.O. Philadelphia Baseball & Cricket Club was projected to be the best of the six and the only one over .500, and that was exactly what happened. Lord Baltimore finished five wins below expectations but they were unlucky, for their Run Differential suggested they should have finished 34-36 – exactly as predicted. On the other hand, Brighton was simply disappointing in finishing nine wins below their Writers Pool projection. If there was any team that could be classified as a nice surprise it would be Eagle. The Upstate small-club doormats were expected to finish at the bottom of the standings once again, but their 33-37 record and fifth-place finish were their best marks in both areas in eleven years. Perhaps the most curious thing to happen this season: the fates of both defending Batsmen of the Year. Star’s Julius Tierney saw his batting fall from .403/.425/.532 (.957 OPS, 2.8 WAR) to .307/.330/.429 (.760 OPS, 0.7 WAR). Lake Erie’s Joe Mitchell saw a falloff just as bad, with his batting crashing from .375/.430/.449 (.879 OPS, 3.5 WAR) to .290/.340/.332 (.672 OPS, 0.8 WAR). It was, quite frankly, bizarre to see BOTH B.o.t.Y.’s struggle that much while defending their titles. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here

02-23-2026, 09:03 PM	#1050
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,512	1878 AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE REVIEW 1878 A.P.B.L. STANDINGS PER-TEAM STATISTICS 1878: 7.4 R/G, .278, .656 OPS, 985 H, 152 2B, 40 3B, 11 HR, 148 SB, 3.40 ERA, 104 BB, 201 K, 6.8 E/G, .849 FLD% 1877: 7.4 R/G, .290, .681 OPS, 1,020 H, 132 2B, 62 3B, 7 HR, 154 SB, 3.55 ERA, 91 BB, 134 K, 6.3 E/G, .854 FLD% FOUNDERS' CUP VIII Knickerbocker (3rd title; 1st in A.P.B.L.) defeats St. John’s 4-2. GAME 1: EXC 5-7 StJ 3-8 KNI – KNI 3B Arthur Groff: 2/4 (3B), 2 R, 2 RBI, 4 TB GAME 2: StJ 8-15 KNI – KNI CF Louis Dyke: 2/4 (2B), 3 R, 3 RBI, 1 SB, SAC BUNT GAME 3: KNI 10-1 StJ – KNI P Bertram Landreth: CG WIN, 7 HA, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, SAC BUNT, SAC FLY GAME 4: KNI 4-7 StJ – StJ 1B Konrad Jensen: 3/5 (2B), 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 SB, 4 TB GAME 5: KNI 1-4 StJ – StJ P Thomas Smith: CG W, 7 HA, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K GAME 6: StJ 1-9 KNI – KNI P Bertram Landreth: CG W, 5 HA, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, SAC BUNT SERIES M.V.P.: C Cale Jones (KNI) – .462 (12/26), 9 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 SB, 9/18 CS (50%) WRITERS POOL OBSERVATIONS ALLEGHANY: An even .500 for the second straight year. Defense, once again, was second to none, as evidenced by P Harper Cundiff, a 2.0* talent, going 23-11 with a record 2.34 ERA. However, their offense ranked just #13/16, and that lack of production, especially from the lower half of the order, did them in. Could use a new C & RF. M.V.P: SS Gerald Strong – .310, .725 OPS, 93 R, 129 H, 27 XBH, 1 HR, 51 RBI, 41 SB, +23.4 ZR, 3.2 WPA, 4.3 WAR AMERICAN: Spent much of the season in 3rd (Metro) before Gotham passed them on the final day. Clearly hurt by the departure of Martin Prince to Tiger. Burke was extraordinary once again and LF Kassabian has become an excellent run producer, but Boyce (2B) & Petty (RF) are showing their age and they need an upgrade at 3B (Lorik van Unen: -0.7 WAR). M.V.P: CF James Burke – .382, .888 OPS, 116 R, 164 H, 34 XBH, 1 HR, 96 RBI, 16 BB, 95 SB, 7.5 WPA, 5.2 WAR EXCELSIOR: Couldn’t recapture last year’s magic and spent almost the entire year around .500. Offense fell to #7/16 and Fielding fell to 14th, which led Creighton to open the season with his worth month since he was 20-21. In the end, they fell nine wins and two places short of projections. Not sure what to fix, as they look fine on paper. M.V.P: P Jim Creighton – 21-19, 3.31 ERA, 168 K, 350.2 IP, 27 CG, 5.4 K/BB, 4.3 K/9, 1.29 WHIP, 8.2 WAR, 2.2 rWAR FLOUR CITY: Started the season with a 6-16 May and played .500 baseball the rest of the way. 3x All-Star Dugas (CF) hit 50 points below his norm, as he did in ’77, aging Verstegen no longer has the arm for 3B, legend Samuel Kessler (1B), at age 42, was under 1.0 WAR again, and their other legend, P James Goodman, is about to turn 40. Lone bright spot: Knight. M.V.P: 2B Ralph Knight – .314, .743 OPS, 73 R, 126 H, 31 XBH, 4 HR, 69 RBI, 11 SB, +24.6 ZR, 2.3 WPA, 3.0 WAR GOTHAM: Spent almost the whole season mid-standings but won their last four to finish 3rd in the Metro. P.C.B.L. star Paul Krueger proved to be a capable #1. Their Greenhorn trio of Crisp (3B), Hammond (CF), & Tillman (LF) all played well – Hammond had 2.8 WAR. Royal Altman was back over .300 as a full-time 1B. Johnson had his best season in a few years. M.V.P: 2B Babe Johnson – .344, .857 OPS, 104 R, 130 H, 25 2B, 8 3B, 77 RBI, 39 BB, 29 SB, 5.2 WPA, 3.5 WAR KINGS CO: Finally broke through and finished 2nd in the Metro – a fine season. LF Fred Bartholomew & Koonce were outstanding as always. P.C.B.L. import Sig Siemens (RF) looked good after a rough May. New SS Clarence Anderson was okay. The pitching duo of Nicholas Banfield & Willie Gray did well. May need an upgrade at CF. M.V.P: 1B Garfield Koonce – .375, .872 OPS, 92 R, 157 H, 37 2B, 1 3B, 81 RBI, 17 BB, 1 SB, 4.2 WPA, 4.4 WAR KNICKERBOCKER: Finally, they won the title. Robert Goodman & Landreth were the best pitching duo in the league. Mascherino looks ageless at 2B. The Dyke/Jost/Strachan Outfield was outstanding defensively and good with the bat. Jones was a great pickup at C. They could stand to upgrade at SS (Louis Johnson: 0.4 WAR). M.V.P: P Bert Landreth – 31-11, 2.41 ERA, 134 K, 374.0 IP, 32 CG, 1 SHO, 6.7 K/BB, 1.16 WHIP, 7.0 WAR, 8.7 rWAR MASS. BAY: 43-47 was actually a bit better than their projected finish (38-52). Good offense (Runs: #2, Home Runs: #1), decent pitching (WAR: #8), and terrible fielding (ZR: #15, E/G: last). 5x All-Star 3B Stoffers had a big recovery from ’77. 1B Berg was outstanding again. C Garvin’s batting has dropped off a cliff, and they could also use upgrades at SS & CF. M.V.P: 1B Gerhardt Berg – .371, .860 OPS, 97 R, 159 H, 28 XBH, 3 HR, 94 RBI, 15 BB, 5 SB, 4.5 WPA, 3.3 WAR NEWARK: Looked competitive on paper. However, while Orange import Valentine was fantastic every one of their N.B.B.O. holdovers struggled, including superstar #1 John Ratican. That meant a team projected to finish roughly 40-50 had the league’s worst record at 27-63. At the very least, they desperately need upgrades at 2B, SS, & #2 P. M.V.P: RF Will Valentine – .345, .817 OPS, 84 R, 142 H, 35 XBH, 1 HR, 75 RBI, 11 BB, 13 SB, 4.2 WPA, 3.0 WAR NIAGARA: Projected 2nd. Finished 2nd, but in most disappointing fashion. Mukai went from dependable P to star #1. “Boss” Barrett (RF) hit an obscene 39/75 (.520) in August. P.C.B.L. superstar William Norman (1B) adjusted well in his debut season. Hudspeth remains the best-fielding 2B in the league. They may need upgrades at C & SS. M.V.P: P Tomoharu Mukai – 28-15, 2.89 ERA, 99 K, 374.0 IP, 32 CG, 1 SV, 2.1 K/BB, 1.16 WHIP, 5.0 WAR, 8.6 rWAR ORANGE: Once again, everything that could go wrong did. 10x All-Star C Schreiber hit .265. Veteran 3B Wil Chaffin hit a career-low .231. 3x All-Star LF Earl Crosby hit .223. Charles Whitehead (2B) missed 15+ games. #1 Andrew Miller tore something in his shoulder during July while having a much better second A.P.B.L. season. This team might be cursed. M.V.P: 2B Charles Whitehead – .293, .655 OPS, 52 R, 94 H, 12 2B, 1 3B, 43 RBI, 13 BB, 2 SB, 1.5 WPA, 1.6 WAR PT. JERSEY: The league’s biggest surprise – newcomers took a roster with some quality young talent and were over .500 for much of the season. The most impressive part: they were 16-10 in one-run games and 8-4 in extras, meaning they didn’t look like a team that was trying to figure out how to win against top-tier opposition. Martin Elson is the Manager of the year. M.V.P: P Charles King – 25-16, 3.02 ERA, 99 K, 363.0 IP, 29 CG, 1 SHO, 4.0 K/BB, 1.21 WHIP, 7.0 WAR, 9.3 rWAR QUAKER ST: Projected to be the best of the four newcomers but struggled all season. N.B.B.O. legends Ross Gill (P) & Ned Morganti (CF) did well, and N.B.B.O. holdover Matt Williams (C) actually had the best season of his career after moving up. Gotham import Theriault aided them at 1B. Aplin was an excellent Greenhorn RF. Their main issues are at 2B & SS. M.V.P: RF Charles Aplin - .341, .815 OPS, 81 R, 121 H, 24 2B, 6 3B, 43 RBI, 11 BB, 6 SB, 3.3 WPA, 3.0 WAR SHAMROCK: Projected 3rd. Finished 3rd, but after leading the Colonial until the final week. George Burroughs & Donal Hagan both had 20+ Wins and ERA’s under 3.00. Their infield of Bulger, Groves, Jessup, & Dickerson were collectively excellent. If they can get over the late collapse and upgrade at C & CF, they’ll be in next year’s Founders’ Cup. M.V.P: 3B William Dickerson – .320, .763 OPS, 102 R, 130 H, 26 2B, 6 3B, 70 RBI, 16 BB, 59 SB, 4.8 WPA, 3.9 WAR ST. JOHN’S: Did everything right but came up against an amazing Knick team in the Founders’ Cup. Burns & Smith were dependable as ever. The timeless Jensen (1B) was outstanding. Townsend had his best season since ’72. Evans (LF) regressed a bit but was still great. They have a brilliant C prospect in Joe Nalley. They may need to move on from Todd at 3B. M.V.P: RF Nelson Townsend – .363, .896 OPS, 136 R, 145 H, 32 XBH, 1 HR, 50 RBI, 46 BB, 72 SB, 8.2 WPA, 4.8 WAR TIGER S.C.: Newcomers were 4-18 in May and slightly under. 500 after. Season went according to plan: build a lineup around fantastic SS Martin Prince and figure out what needs upgrading after the year is over. Greenhorns Gray (2B) & Hollingsworth (LF) looked very promising. Main issues for them to look at: #2 P, C, & 1B. M.V.P: SS Martin Prince – .349, .818 OPS, 99 R, 141 H, 30 XBH, 1 HR, 73 RBI, 25 SB, +24.6 ZR, 5.1 WPA, 5.0 WAR __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here

02-23-2026, 09:14 PM	#1052
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,512	So that concludes the most recent season. I'm not sure why errors shot up in each of the leagues. It could have been due to late patches reconfiguring the game engine as well as tweaking generated players. In real life, errors in the National League started decreasing rather quickly around this time, so I'll be tweaking the Error modifiers before the start of the next season, and in the APBL more than the others. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here

02-23-2026, 11:03 AM	#1046
WooBallFan43 Minors (Single A) Join Date: Jun 2025 Location: Worcester, MA Posts: 93	Solid foundation for my hometown Highlanders in their first year! Will be following them closely.