The Simplest Beginnings: From Amateurism in 1857, to Pro Ball (1870), Int'l Ball, & More - Page 7

tm1681 · 11-13-2023, 09:28 PM

JAMES KELLER HITS .400 IN 1ST MWBA SEASON!
1ST MWBA .400 HITTER SINCE 1898; WON 2ND STRAIGHT BotY IN ABA LEAGUE

After winning the APBL Batsman of the Year and nearly taking the league’s Triple Crown in 1902, James Keller was shockingly traded to the Minneapolis Lakers in the MWBA for five-star pitching prospect Levi Butcher just weeks later.

Keller underwent a massive improvement from his first season with the Massachusetts Bay Pilgrims in 1901 to his award-winning 1902 season, so there was some argument that he might take some time to adjust to his new league.

Did it take time for Keller to adjust? About a month. After hitting .281 (16/57) in April Keller put up an absurd .427 Batting Average (156/365) over the rest of the 1903 season to become the first MWBA player since Milwaukee’s Thierry Moreau in 1898 to hit .400.

Keller’s 1903 stat line:

• 458 PA, .408/.439/.578, 1.017 OPS, 77 R, 172 H, 33 2B, 3 3B, 11 HR, 92 RBI, 23 BB/16 K, 1 SB, 5.7 WPA, 5.9 oWAR, 5.3 WAR

If Keller’s Plate Appearance amount looks a bit low, that’s because he was part of a first-of-its-kind player rotation undertaken by Minneapolis manager George Gorecki.

After trading for Keller, it meant four-star first baseman Harold O’Mara was out of a spot in the regular lineup. O’Mara could play third base just as easily as first but moving him there would force four-star third baseman, and four-time Team of the Year member, Cleveland DeVoe out of his regular spot in the lineup. However, DeVoe was a true corner utility man who could play first, third, left field, and right field comfortably, ranking about 55/80 at first & third and 60/80 at left & right. Gorecki took DeVoe out of his regular spot, but instead started him for 20-25 games at each of his four positions so he could play as often as a regular, with the regulars in those positions – Keller (1B), O’Mara (3B), Franklin Etheridge (LF), and Elton Crosby (RF) – each starting 100-110 games.

The results speak for themselves. Minneapolis went 92-40 to have the best record of any ABA team, and they led the MWBA in the following offensive categories:

• Runs: 796 (6.03 R/G; 1st by 49)
• Batting Average: .318 (1st by 10 points)
• On-Base Pct: .378 (1st by 8 points)
• Slugging Pct: .420 (1st by 13 points)
• On-Base + Slg: .798 (1st by 30 points)
• Home Runs: 52 (1st by 5)
• Strikeouts: 441 (3.34 K/G; lowest by 20)
• Win Prob. Added: 26.8 (1st by 8.6)
• Batting WAR: 35.7 (1st by 3.7)

They went on to take the Lincoln Memorial Cup in six games over Columbus and finished the season with another six-game triumph over the Manhattan Knickerbockers in the third edition of the President’s Cup.

If there is to be one dark cloud to Keller’s season it’s in the unique player rotation system that he was a part of. While it could be argued that the periodic games Keller spent on the bench kept him fresh enough to hit .408, the same system likely kept him from winning the MWBA Triple Crown. As things were, Keller hit .408 with 11 Home Runs and 92 RBI in 110 games. Columbus’ Ewan King led the MWBA with 12 home runs, and Missouri’s Mark Cronan led the league in RBI with 105. Extrapolating Keller’s HR & RBI rate out to a full 132 games – he wasn’t injured in 1903 – would have him with a .408 Average, 13 Home Runs, and 110 RBI, enough to overtake the leaders in the other two main batting categories, who were out for a handful of games at most.

tm1681 · 11-13-2023, 09:36 PM

MALCOLM MORRISON WINS SEAL TRIPLE CROWN
EVANSVILLE 1B’s ACHIEVEMENT IS 1ST FOR SEAL BATTERS

Evansville, IN (9/6/1903) – Macolm Morrison made Southeastern & Atlantic League history today, as the Evansville Angels’ third-year infielder became the first batter in SEAL history to win the Triple Crown, something that three pitchers have previously done.

Morrison’s .395 average won the SEAL batting title by nearly 25 points, while he tied with Richmond’s Isaiah Grier for the home run lead with 9 and topped the RBI charts by a handful, with his total of 108 making him the best of three players in triple digits.

Morrison’s 1903 stat line:

• 497 PA, .395/.471/.545, 1.016 OPS, 78 R, 171 H, 30 2B, 4 3B, 9 HR, 108 RBI, 56 BB/53 K, 5.9 WPA, 6.3 oWAR, 5.6 WAR

The Triple Crown marks the end of the three seasons of rapid improvement for the first baseman, who entered the SEAL as a good young hitter and has since become a great one:

Morrison is up for arbitration during the SEAL’s Autumn Meetings, and the Evansville front office better be ready to give him a hefty raise from his $3,200 salary or he’ll likely be gone after the end of the 1904 season.

tm1681 · 11-13-2023, 09:42 PM

EVERYTHING’S COMING UP SALTHOUSE IN IRELAND!
1ST-YEAR HURLER WINS AIBC HotY; WAS WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE OF TRIPLE CROWN

Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, Ireland – While the Westmeath Lake Men were unable to win the Connacht Baseball Championship (finished 3rd) and advance to the All-Ireland Baseball Championship playoffs, they still had something from 1903 to hang their hats on: the accomplishments of first-year pitcher Lysagh Salthouse.

Ratings are based on comparison to APBL players.

The 27-year-old Salthouse, who works in a smokehouse curing meats thanks to a bit of Nominative Determinism, showed up to the amateur club’s tryouts this spring and impressed to the point where he was named their #1 starting pitcher for the upcoming AIBC season. Salthouse did much more than simply repay the Westmeath club’s faith in him as he was clearly the best pitcher in the amateur Irish league for the 1903 season, overtaking long-established names like late-season giant Gavin Martin and strikeout king Keehan O’Sullivan.

Just how good was Salthouse’s debut season? Here are the numbers:

• 37 G, 275.0 IP, 23-7, 1.73 ERA, 24 CG, 5 SHO, 71 BB, 174 K, 1.13 WHIP, 5.7 K/9, 6.6 WPA, 7.5 WAR, 9.7 R9-WAR

Salthouse didn’t lead the league in ERA or strikeouts, but he finished second in both. He was 15 points of ERA behind league leader Maurice Green (1.58), who only pitched 119 innings, and he was 7 Ks off O’Sullivan (181), who’s now led Ireland in strikeouts three years in a row.

The rewards given to Salthouse for his performance: He was named AIBC Hurler of the Year and Newcomer of the Year for the 1903 season, with the NotY coming via unanimous vote.

So here’s to Lysagh “The Meat Man” Salthouse: Ireland’s best pitcher in 1903!

tm1681 · 11-15-2023, 07:20 PM

APBL 1903: THE KNICKS TAKE OUT PROVIDENCE AGAIN
HISTORIC SIX-WAY RACE FOR BATTING TITLE; BORDEN WINS UNANIMOUS MVP

Pundit predictions for the 1903 APBL season had two clear favorites, and they were last season’s Adams Trophy finalists: the Providence Saints & Manhattan Knickerbockers. The “experts” had Providence down for about 80 wins and the Colonial pennant by roughly a week’s worth of games, while the Knicks were expected to win 85 games and take the Metropolitan by about ten. There was parity anticipated in the rest of the league, with most other teams winning 45-55% of their games and Jersey City being the rock-solid caboose since they can never seem to put together a competitive squad.

How did the regular season play out? Well…almost exactly as expected:

Providence won the Colonial Conference by eight games but were a bit off their win prediction at 75-52. Manhattan had almost the exact record they were predicted to finish with and won the Metropolitan by the ten games they were expected to win it by. Instead of all the other teams outside of Jersey City winning 45-55% of their games, they all basically won 40-60% of them, which was the most team-by-team parity the league has had in the sixteen-team era.

The Colonial Conference pennant race looked like it was completely up for grabs with six weeks left in the season as Providence & Buffalo were tied at 50-43, with Baltimore two games behind, Boston three behind, and the rapidly improving young Pittsburgh team five games behind. However, Providence did what they usually do late in the season: by mid-August they were five games up on Buffalo & Baltimore and that was the end of anyone else thinking they’d beat the Saints.

Halfway through the Metropolitan Conference season, Manhattan and the New York Athletics were both 41-25, with three teams – Excelsior, Brooklyn, & Pennsylvania – all four games back. However, over the second half of the season the Knicks blew the rest of the conference away with a 46-20 record and nobody else stood a chance against a team that ended 1903 with the best record in the APBL by a full ten games.

Why such a great second half for the Knicks? Their talented attack found a higher gear, and they ended up leading the league in Runs (729) by 60, Extra-base Hits (393), Walks (573) by more than 40, Stolen Bases (274), OPS (.760), Win Probability Added (15.78), and Batting WAR (31.1). Such offensive excellence was incredible given that the famously intimidating Elysian Fields the Knicks call home is a renowned pitcher’s park (AVG FACTOR: .909, FENCES: 380-438-490-517-479-432-376’). Adding that to their talented trio of mid-20s starting pitchers made the team functionally unstoppable.

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That meant for the second year in a row Providence & Manhattan would compete for the Doc Adams Trophy and the chance to play in the President’s Cup. This time around Charley Rankin was healthy, although he’d just finished his worst season from the batter’s box since 1891. Of course, by “worst” that meant he “only” had a Batting Average of .300, an OPS of .828, and a WAR of 6.2 while winning another Golden Glove and being named to yet another Team of the Year.

Unlike last year where Rankin’s absence tilted the series irreversibly in Manhattan’s favor, this time around the Knicks were simply too good. After Providence took a 2-1 series lead at home, the Knicks throttled the Saints in Providence in games 4 & 5 before clinching the series in dramatic fashion at home in Game Six.

Game One nearly saw history, as Providence won 3-0 and ace Chuck Carlyle would’ve thrown the APBL final series’ first no-hitter were it not for a solitary single by Leonard Cochran in the bottom of the 5th. Game Two was a tight one, all even at 2-2 until the Knicks scored five times in the bottom of the 8th to even the series. Providence retook the series lead in Game Three thanks to some decent hitting and excellent pitching by Frank Barber, but Manhattan made it 2-2 in the next afternoon’s Game Four with an 11-run outburst made possible by Shaun Scott’s five hits and four RBI. Carlyle, so dominant in Game One, set a series record by allowing all 11 runs in defeat. The Knicks cruised to a 9-0 win in Game Five to finally go ahead in the series, with Scott bagging three more hits and three more RBI.

Game Six was a special one, as it saw both pitchers go the distance even though the contest went 11 innings. Providence starter Barber threw 167 pitches, and Manhattan starter George Bullock threw just 158. With two outs and Christopher McGowan on third, Knicks catcher Charles Crawley singled on a 2-1 count to drive in McGowan and keep the Doc Adams Trophy in Manhattan.

Shaun Scott was voted Doc Adams Trophy Series MVP. Thanks to his outbursts in games 4 & 5, Scott finished the series hitting .522 (12/23) with two doubles, a triple, seven RBI, four runs scored, and five walks. Homer Wyatt, who was 2-0 with two Complete Game wins and a 1.50 ERA while walking nobody and striking out ten, would have also been a very worthy MVP.

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Pittsburgh, as expected, was the most improved team in the league, going from 44 to 61 wins. That still put them under .500, but they were 36-96 just two seasons ago. Prized signing Willie Munoz lost 22 games, but much of that was bad luck and his overall performance had him as an above-average pitcher in his first season. Fellow signee Onofrio Barberini was even better, going 19-17 with a 2.90 ERA and 6.5 WAR. Severin van der Kooi ended up just as good as advertised in his maiden season as Pittsburgh’s right fielder (.278, 5 HR, 58 RBI, 42 SB, 4.0 WAR). Finally, Milton Royce won 20 games in his sophomore season (20-17, 3.19 ERA, 178 K) while eventually settling in as the team’s first baseman when he wasn’t pitching.

Buffalo, even alongside Providence with that 50-43 mark in mid-July, crashed to a 12-27 finish and ended with a 62-70 record. This was the second year in a row their performance hit a brick wall during the latter stages of the Colonial Conference pennant race. It initially looked like the Blues front office had done a good job replacing Charles Wilkerson & Edward Millard by going to more of a “Starting Rotation by Committee” approach, but their group of pitchers absolutely faltered in the stretch run.

Massachusetts Bay’s daring trade of James Keller to Minneapolis ended up being a mixed bag, as they were two games worse than last year (60-72 vs 62-70). On the face of it, the Pilgrims accomplished the stated goals of their trade as the pitching staff improved from last in the APBL in Runs Allowed to 10th, and they shot up to 4th in Pitching WAR. Also, Clarence Riggs seamlessly slid over to first base, finishing the season hitting .358 with a .466 On-base Percentage and 7.2 Offensive WAR. New catcher Mark Powell (.308, 8 HR, 96 RBI) was an immediate star, and the signings of Alvin Kozlowski (17-17, 2.90 ERA, 148 K) & Gianluca Cicarelli (11-12, 3.34 ERA, 88 K) gave George Roundtree the help he needed in the pitching rotation. While the other half of the trade, Levi Butcher, didn’t make the MB rotation, he did look good in their reserve team and will likely start for them in 1904. For some reason, the improved parts just didn’t add up to better results on the field.

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The most exciting individual action in the 1903 APBL season was easily the race for the batting title, which was the closest it’s ever been. By the end of the season no less than half a dozen players held the lead at various times, and they all finished within ten points of each other:

• 1st Place: George Bixby (1B, BRK) - .379
• 2nd Place: Gilles Joubert (1B, BOS) - .378
• 3rd Place: Alan Gelmetti (RF, KNI) - .371
• 4th Place: Harold Borden (2B, BAL) - .370
• 5th Place: Avery White (1B, NYA) - .3699
• 6th Place: Shaun Scott (1B, KNI) - .3697

Two of the six players involved in that most fantastic of batting title chases won major awards.

Alan Gelmetti entered 1903 having had a legendary start to his career. Over his first four APBL seasons he’d won a Newcomer of the Year award, been named to three editions of the Team of the Year, had a minimum Average & OPS of .328 & .922 respectively, and his lowest WAR in a season was 6.6. He reached a higher level in 1903, leading the league in On-base Percentage (.482) while being the only APBL player to post an OPS over a thousand at 1.015. He also walked 100 times, stole 50 bases, drove in 91 runs, scored 112 of his own, and put up a Win Probability Added of 6.3 with an Offensive WAR of 8.2. Those numbers earned him Batsman of the Year over Joubert and Borden.

Harold Borden didn’t win Batsman of the Year but he didn’t exit 1903 empty-handed. The second baseman, in his first year with the Baltimore Blue Crabs after four very successful years with Detroit in the MWBA, led the league in Hits (214) and stole 58 bases to go with his .371 Batting Average. He was also easily the best-fielding second baseman in the APBL, posting a +21.7 Zone Rating and winning a Golden Glove. On top of that, he led the APBL in both Win Probability Added (6.6) and Batter WAR (9.6) in a feat reminiscent of Charley Rankin, which made him the unanimous choice for Most Valuable Player.

Hurler of the Year award was a tough decision. On one hand: long-time Providence ace Charles Carlyle, who went 26-12 with a league-best 2.32 ERA and ten Shutouts, pitching like this might finally be the year he wins HotY. On the other hand: Homer Wyatt of the Knicks, who won a league-high 28 games (9 losses) with a 2.73 ERA and a league-best 8.3 WAR. In the end, what separated the two was that while Carlyle started the season red-hot – 13-2 over April & May with a sub-2 ERA – Wyatt ended the season red-hot – 15-4, 65 K/24 BB, 3.8 WAR over July/Aug/Sept. In the voters’ minds, that put Wyatt over the top even if Carlyle was the sentimental favorite.

There was a historic crop of rookies in the APBL in 1903:

• Bingham Brinkman (P, PENN) – 20-17, 2.89 ERA, 178 K, 3 SHO, 7.9 WAR, 9.2 R9-WAR
• James Broadbent (CF, NJ) - .297, 1 HR, 76 RBI, 33 SB, 1.4 WPA, 2.7 WAR
• Bob Burger (CF, BRK) - .284 AVG, 2 HR, 49 RBI, 61 SB, 3.1 WPA, 4.9 WAR
• Max Byram (C, NJ) - .320, 5 HR, 58 RBI, 0 SB, 2.2 WPA, 3.9 WAR
• Gianluca Cicarelli (P, MB) – 11-12, 3.34 ERA, 88 K, 2 SHO, 4.2 WAR, 3.4 R9-WAR
• Leonard Cochran (LF, KNI) - .255, 2 HR, 87 RBI, 18 SB, 0.8 WPA, 3.3 WAR
• Otto Coggins (P, PHI) – 15-14, 2.94 ERA, 118 K, 2 SHO, 3.8 WAR, 6.1 R9-WAR
• Brandon Draper (RF, PENN) - .290, 11 HR, 58 RBI, 37 SB, 3.6 WPA, 3.4 WAR
• Michael Horak (LF/1B, PHI) - .253, 2 HR, 47 RBI, 84 SB, 1.1 WPA, 2.7 WAR
• Willie Munoz (P, PITT) – 12-22, 3.35 ERA, 197 K, 3 SHO, 4.5 WAR, 4.5 R9-WAR
• Jesus Robles (C/1B, JC) - .321, 2 HR, 57 RBI, 2 SB, 3.2 WPA, 3.0 WAR
• Charles Still (CF, PRO) - .242, 2 HR, 43 RBI, 25 SB, 0.4 WPA, 1.2 WAR
• Severin van der Kooi (RF, PITT) - .278, 5 HR, 58 RBI, 42 SB, 2.9 WPA, 4.0 WAR

How in the world was one supposed to pick a Newcomer of the Year from that Baker’s Dozen? Actually, it was pretty easy once Bingham Brinkman received a closer inspection. The 22-year-old Brinkman, transferred from the Vermont Green Stockings for $6,500 last autumn, was one of a dozen APBL pitchers to win 20 games, and the only rookie to do so. He was 5th in ERA, 3rd in Strikeouts, 2nd in WAR, 5th in Innings Pitched (326.2), and 7th in WHIP (1.25). That meant he was more than just a solid regular like the others on the above list. Brinkman was one of the best pitchers in the APBL, and thus an extremely deserving Newcomer of the Year. Bob Burger finished in second place, and Severin van der Kooi finished in third.

tm1681 · 11-15-2023, 07:44 PM

MWBA 1903: MINNEAPOLIS’ MIGHT BESTS COLUMBUS’ CRAFTINESS
KELLER HITS .400; EHLE HotY YET AGAIN; KLOCKOW STEALS 100

When it came time for Midwestern baseball’s chattering class to predict what would happen during the 1903 MWBA season, they expected familiar faces at the top of both leagues. In the Eastern League, the Milwaukee Bavarians were picked to win 75-80 times and get the best of Columbus & Indianapolis by a handful of games each. Toledo was expected to finish in 4th as the MWBA’s most improved team, with a predicted 20-win jump from 1902. In the Western League the Minneapolis Lakers were the declared favorites, but a nail-biter of a pennant race was not anticipated this time around. The Lakers were expected to win 75-80 times, like Columbus, and to best Chicago, Kansas City, Lake Michigan, Missouri, & St. Paul all by 7-10 games.

Unlike the APBL, the final MWBA standings weren’t a tight fit to the preseason predictions:

In the Eastern League, Milwaukee failed to live up to expectations and spent almost the rest of the season after May 1st 7-10 games out of the top spot in the standings. Hans Ehle was again the best pitcher in the league, but the other members of the pitching staff faltered significantly and the Bavarians ended up 14th/16 in Runs Allowed. That left the Eastern pennant open for the taking, and the Columbus Capitols grabbed it with both hands. After much of the East hovered around .500 during April, Columbus took over first place on May 3rd and never relinquished it, winning the Eastern League by a record 19 games over Milwaukee, with Cincinnati 22 games back in 3rd place.

The Western League, as predicted, belonged to the Minneapolis Lakers. After some early back-and-forth with division rivals Missouri, the Lakers exited May with a half-game lead and grew it steadily from there even though the Bluebirds were playing excellent baseball themselves. The Lakers finished with the best record of any team in the ABA (92-40) thanks to historically great offense combined with solid pitching. The five-team pileup behind Minneapolis never materialized, as third-place Lake Michigan finished under .500 and no less than 27 games out of first place.

How dominant were the Lakers? Their Run Differential was +259 (796 Runs, 537 Runs Allowed), which translates to them being 1.96 runs per game better than the opposition. They led the league in Runs, Batting Average, On-Base Percentage, Slugging Percentage, OPS, Home Runs, WPA, and WAR, and on top of that their batters struck out less than those of any other MWBA team.

One bright spot to the overall standings: every team won at least 40% of their games, which was a first in the 32-season history of the MWBA.

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The final regular season standings meant there was a newcomer to the Lincoln Memorial Cup series, as Columbus had not only never been there before but had never won the GLBC title before joining the MWBA with Toledo in 1898. On the other side was Minneapolis, now taking part in their third LMC series in four years.

The matchup looked great on paper – Minneapolis’ league-best offense against Columbus’ pitching and speed – and for most of the series it was. The two teams were tied 2-2 after four games, and only a run in the top of the ninth in Columbus put the Lakers up 3-2. However, in Game Six the Lakers’ championship experience took over as a big rally during the middle innings meant they would clinch the cup at home.

Game One in Minneapolis was a deserved Columbus win, as the visitors scored three times each in the 3rd, 5th, & 7th to win 9-5, with 41-year-old Kiefer Hyneman (.246 AVG, .662 OPS, 41 RBI during season) playing the surprise hero by going 3/4 with a pair of RBI. Game Two saw Minneapolis even the series with a 6-4 victory thanks to James Keller’s two-run homer in the bottom of the 7th. Game Three in Columbus was a 5-3 Lakers victory – Minneapolis winning it thanks to a two-run double in the top of the 11th by shortstop Harold Robinson and an extra-inning Complete Game from Abraham Stringer. Game Four saw Columbus even the series as the elder statesman Hyneman again went 3/4 with two RBI and Frank Horton pitched a Complete Game while striking out seven. Game Five was tense, as the teams spent the first five innings canceling out each other’s scoring before the Lakers’ Franklin Etheridge hit an RBI single in the top of the 9th to cap off a 3/5 night with three RBI.

Game Six was all Minneapolis. It was 5-0 by the end of the 4th, 8-0 by the end of the 5th, and after that it was just a matter of finishing up the game and getting to the celebrations. The deciding moment was the deadly bottom of the 4th by the Lakers, in which Keller hit a two-run homer and Robinson came up two batters later to hit a two-run homer of his own. Two home runs in an inning in 1903 is extraordinarily rare, and such a feat demoralized the Columbus squad. Capitols pitcher Theo Hennessey was truly rattled, and after he allowed a two-run triple the next inning there was no coming back.

The Most Valuable Player of the LMC series was James Keller of Minneapolis - no debate needed. He was 12/23 (.522) from the plate, with a pair of doubles & home runs, seven RBI, eight runs, and twenty total bases. He'd managed to follow up his .400 season by hitting ever better when the cup was on the line. In a losing effort, Columbus CF Petter Lund was 10/27 (.370) with three doubles, a homer, three RBI, seven runs, and seven steals.

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The Columbus Capitols were nearly fifteen games better than predicted because numerous players stepped up over the course of the season. Aside from Petter Lund (7.6 WAR) being his usually brilliant self, Gerald Pierotti (.310, 5 HR, 80 RBI) had his best season with the bat as a Columbus player, new signing Benjamin Link (.353, 4 HR, 101 RBI, 60 SB) had his best season since 1900, Ewan King (.331, 12 HR, 91 RBI) led the league in homers and had the best of his fourteen seasons as an ABA player, and 38-year-old Kerwin Barry (.278, 6 HR, 72 RBI) turned back the clock to have his best season as a regular third baseman since 1896. Pitcher Frank Horton went 24-8 and led the league with a 2.46 ERA, and fellow starter Hiram Yeager (21-10, 3.66 ERA) won 20 games for the first time in his career.

The Indianapolis Indians were the league’s most disappointing team. Originally projected to be in contention for the Eastern League pennant, they fell well short of expectations and finished in 6th place with a 61-71 record. It was Indianapolis’ first under-500 season since 1889, before the MWBA expanded from ten teams to fourteen and adopted its two-league format. The main reason for their struggles was their pitching staff, which was among the worst in the MWBA. Expected ace Alfredo Miramontez – 22-15 with Rochester in ’02 – missed half the season with a knee injury and went 6-9 over 140 innings. Claude Jachem, the team’s #1 for the previous eleven seasons, saw a serious fall-off in his ability and went 7-12 with a 4.81 ERA. Also, ’02 Newcomer of the Year Aldous Clifford saw his ERA climb by more than a run (3.03 to 4.19) and his record go from 22-13 to 13-19.

When compared to preseason W/L predictions, it was actually the Chicago Griffons who were the biggest disappointment in the MWBA. The final preseason poll had them going 69-63 and finishing 3rd in the West, but instead they were 55-77 and finished just a pair of games above Omaha for last place. Like their neighbors to the east in Indiana, Chicago’s offense wasn’t a problem but their pitching most definitely was. New signing Henry Danforth (18-18, 2.96 ERA), in from Minneapolis, was a bright spot, but outside of him their pitchers were just as bad Indianapolis’. #2 starter Thomas Call was 13-21 with career highs in ERA (3.99) and WHIP (1.50) in his first Indians season after three years in Baltimore. #3 starter Dave Coombs had a 4.75 ERA and lost 18 games. Four different pitchers occupied the #4 spot in the rotation at times, but none of them were any good.

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James Keller joined the Minneapolis Lakers as part of the most controversial trade of the ’02-03 offseason. The defending APBL Batsman of the Year stepped into the Lakers lineup at first base and proceeded to hit .408, becoming the first MWBA player in five years to break the .400 mark. He also led the league with a .578 Slugging Percentage and 1.017 OPS while finishing near the top in Home Runs with 11 (2nd) and RBI with 92 (6th). The numbers left little doubt as to who the Batsman of the Year would be: Keller, who won his second in a row. Knud van Steen (.383, 1 HR, 97 RBI, 60 SB) of Missouri and Van Kingsbury (.369, 11 HR, 95 RBI, 35 SB) of St. Louis were 2nd and 3rd in the voting, but neither came close.

Hans Ehle did something 1903 that he’d never done before: finish the year with an ERA above 3 (3.30), with his previous high being a 2.74 in 1901. In spite of signs that the 39-year-old’s legendary skills might finally be on the wane, he wasn’t stopped from going 29-9 while also leading the league in Innings Pitched, Complete Games, K/BB Ratio, WPA, and WAR. His 8.9 WAR was a career low, but it was still the 19th season in a row he led the MWBA in Pitching WAR. What it all meant was that Ehle earned Hurler of the Year award number fourteen and Team of the Year nomination number seventeen. Frank Horton (24-8, 2.46 ERA) of Columbus and Jordan Brunet (25-6, 2.99 ERA) of Minneapolis finished 2nd and 3rd, but just like the BotY voting the choice for first place was merely a formality.

Knud van Steen of the Missouri Bluebirds established himself as a quality regular in winning Newcomer of the Year as a 20-year-old in 1898. After three more years of solid play at second base & shortstop, van Steen’s performance took a step up as he was named to his first Team of the Year in 1902 thanks to a .369 average, league-leading 208 hits, and 5.7 WAR. His game took a further leap in 1903, as van Steen’s .383 average was second only to Keller’s, and he posted career highs with 210 hits (led MWBA for 3rd straight year), .924 OPS, 7.7 WAR (led MWBA), and 97 RBI to go with 107 runs and 60 stolen bases. If it hadn’t been for Keller then van Steen would’ve likely been BotY. Instead, he took a nice consolation prize: Most Valuable Player.

There were some good first-year players in the MWBA in 1903, but nowhere near the legendary crop that showed up in the APBL. In the end, the MWBA’s Newcomer of the Year was a curious one: 31-year-old Missouri center fielder Frank Holbrook, who took a long route to the highest levels of baseball. Holbrook signed with the Vermont Green Stockings in the NEBA out of high school in mid-1891 and remained there until the end of 1902, even though he was easily the league’s most talented player. Holbrook was so good in Vermont that in 1900 he put up an NEBA record 9.3 WAR in 111 games (13.6 WAR/162) while winning Batsman of the Year, Most Valuable Player, a Golden Glove (CF), and Ben Franklin Cup MVP.

Why stay for so long? Simple: he was making $3,500 a year – the amount a good APBL/MWBA player typically receives and more than double the typical NEBA star – playing for a small team that received plenty of outside funding. However, after winning his sixth NEBA title in a row in 1902 Holbrook decided that maybe it was time for a new challenge, and when the Missouri front office telegrammed in a five-year contract offer at slightly more than his current salary Holbrook said yes and moved to St. Louis. Holbrook’s first year with Missouri was a very productive one, as he led the MWBA in Plate Appearances (642), At Bats (588), and Runs Scored (120) while putting up a basic line of a .315 AVG, 5 HR, & 70 RBI to go with 51 stolen bases. He was also an above-average center fielder and finished the season with 5.8 WAR, good for 9th in the league.

One notable achievement from someone who didn’t win a major award was the prolific thievery of Cleveland outfielder Russell Klockow. Klockow led the league with 104 Stolen Bases, the third time in four years he’s passed the 100 mark and also the third time in four years he’s led the league. Klockow, who debuted with Davenport in the PL in 1895 as a 19-year-old and stole 71 bases in just 83 games (139 SB/162), has now spent six seasons in the MWBA. Over those six seasons he’s stolen 671 bases, with his career low of merely 87 coming in 1898.

tm1681 · 11-15-2023, 07:58 PM

PRESIDENT’S CUP III: A BATTLE OF TWO OFFENSIVE JUGGERNAUTS
BOTH KNICKS & MPLS LED THEIR LEAGUES IN NUMEROUS OFFENSIVE CATEGORIES

The third edition of the President’s Cup was a battle between repeat APBL champions the Manhattan Knickerbockers and MWBA champions the Minneapolis Lakers. Unlike the previous two series, the matchup in this one wouldn’t involve a contrast in styles since both teams made it to the PC through historically dominant offense and pitching that was good enough to make them untouchable.

Manhattan was led by APBL Batsman of the Year Alan Gelmetti (.371, 2 HR, 91 RBI, 7.6 WAR) and buttressed by several other offensive stars: 1B Shaun Scott (.370, 3 HR, 100 RBI, 6.8 WAR), CF Thomas Ervin (.278, 5 HR, 56 RBI, 7.6 WAR), LF Leonard Cochran (.255, 2 HR, 87 RBI, 3.3 WAR), and 3B Brogan Williams (.281, 1 HR, 57 RBI, 3.2 WAR, 8x champ w/ Providence). They led the APBL in Runs (668), Doubles (264), Triples (104), Walks (573), Stolen Bases (274), On-Base % (.362), Slugging % (.398), OPS (.760), WPA (15.78), and WAR (31.1).

Minneapolis’ attack was led by MWBA Batsman of the Year James Keller (.408, 11 HR, 62 RBI, 5.3 WAR), and like Gelmetti he was supported by a number of offensive stalwarts: 2B Smithwick Fisher (.364, 0 HR, 75 RBI, 6.1 WAR), RF Elton Crosby (.356, 2 HR, 85 RBI, 5.0 WAR), LF Franklin Etheridge (.317, 11 HR, 60 RBI, 3.6 WAR), 3B Harold O’Mara (.339, 5 HR, 63 RBI, 2.4 WAR), UT Cleveland DeVoe (.325, 4 HR, 67 RBI, 3.2 WAR), and C Charles Swan (.284, 8 HR, 83 RBI, 2.4 WAR). They led the MWBA in Runs (796), Average (.318), Home Runs (52), Strikeouts (441), On-Base % (.378), Slugging % (.420), OPS (.798), WPA (26.81), and WAR (35.7).

While it was true that Manhattan could boast of the APBL’s Hurler of the Year in Homer Wyatt (28-9, 2.73 ERA, 141 K, 8.3 WAR) and Minneapolis’ Jordan Brunet (25-6, 2.99 ERA, 114 K, 4.3 WAR) finished 3rd for MWBA HotY, both teams were driven by attacks that bordered on unstoppable.

So, how did the series turn out?

It wasn’t the seven-game slugfest everyone was hoping for, but it was an entertaining series that Minneapolis took in six to gave the MWBA its first President’s Cup victors.

Game One in Minneapolis was over shortly after it started. Manhattan’s Thomas Ervin started the game with a triple, and from there the Knicks hammered Abraham Stringer for five runs before the top of the first was over. Those five runs were more than enough for the Knicks, who got a complete game from Homer Wyatt and 3/5 with two RBI from both Leonard Cochran & Shaun Scott.

Game Two was an easy Minneapolis home win, as Hoyt Yarborough held the Knicks to three hits and went 3/4 from the plate with a pair of RBI and two runs to help his own cause.

Game Three in Manhattan was controlled by the Knicks in the early innings – they were up 3-1 after three. However, the Lakers were ahead 6-4 by the end of the sixth and only lengthened the lead from there. They were led by Smithwick Fisher’s 4/5 with three steals and two runs, while Harold Robinson hit 2/4 with three RBI.

Game Four saw Manhattan even the series thanks to another solid performance from Homer Wyatt (CG, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K). There wasn’t much offense in this one but the Knicks’ batting hero was SS Essie Alblas, who was 3/4 with three doubles.

The all-important Game Five in Manhattan was in the Lakers' control from the second inning onward. In the top of the second CF George Dulia hit an RBI double to put the Lakers up 1-0, and Minneapolis was ahead the rest of the way thanks to Hoyt Yarborough keeping the Knicks attack in check once again. Smithwick Fisher, who was brilliant over the entire series, was 3/5 with a pair of doubles, two runs, and an RBI.

Game Six was back in Minneapolis, and it ended up being a surprising pitcher’s duel between Manhattan’s George Bullock and Minneapolis’ Jordan Brunet. Aside from two Laker runs in the bottom of the sixth that came via singles by Harold O’Mara and George Dulia there was no other scoring. Brunet pitched a three-hit shutout, and the Lakers lifted the cup in front of well over 15,000 raucous fans.

The Lakers had two pitchers finish 2-0 in the series. One was ace Jordan Brunet, who threw two Complete Games with a 1.50 ERA, five walks, and seven strikeouts along with that Game Six masterpiece. The other was Hoyt Yarborough, who threw two Complete Games of his own with a 1.00 ERA, nine walks, and ten Ks. However, the Most Valuable Player award went to Laker second baseman Smithwick Fisher, and it was easy to see why:

• 6 G – 11/28 (.407), .963 OPS, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 7 R, 6 SB, 15 TB

Fisher was far and away the best hitter in the President’s Cup, and he walked away with a most deserved MVP trophy.

tm1681 · 11-16-2023, 09:26 PM

NBBO 1903: SotO HAS HISTORIC SEASON BUT ALBANY LIFTS THE CUP
WALLERSTEIN LEADS NBBO IN AVG & OPS; GARDNER WINS 8th HotY

The 1903 National Baseball Organization season didn’t see any changes off the field. All six member leagues stayed the same size and played the same number of games that they did in 1902. However, on the field there were changes. There were some surprise award winners. There were some extraordinary newcomers. Old champions returned in three NBBO leagues, new champions emerged in two more, only one team repeated as their league’s title holders, and Vermont was knocked off the throne in New England.

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The New York League saw the return of one of its oldest champions to the top of the pack in 1903. The Manhattan Orangemen won the New York Finals for the first time since the league’s second year (1891) while winning the New York City Championship for the sixteenth time going back to the single-competition days of the NBBO that began in 1857.

Manhattan’s road to the NY title was a challenging one. It took a victory on the final day of the season to beat the Yonkers Hilltoppers by a single game for the NYC Championship, and the two teams had been tied atop the standings for three games before that. They would go on to play Atlantic BBC, winners of the Brooklyn Championship by five games, for New York bragging rights. It was a quick series, as the Orangemen won it in a sweep by scores of 6-2, 2-0, and 8-0, with their pitchers striking out 23 Atlantic batters in the process.

The main driver of the Orangemen’s 1903 success was Batsman of the Year Henry McDaniels, who led the league with 173 hits, a .377 average, and a .918 OPS alongside 4 homers and 75 RBI. Hurler of the Year was Oliver Bennett, back with Bedford BBC for another full season after failing to make Providence’s APBL roster in 1902. He was 20-10 with a 2.84 ERA, leading the league in wins, strikeouts (182), and WAR (7.3). Continental BBC’s Thomas Willard was an extremely rare case of a pitcher who was not the Hurler of the Year winning the Most Valuable Player award. Willard was 18-7 with a 2.07 ERA and 154 Ks, and his 8.0 WPA was more than any other player in the league while his Continental team finished barely above .500.

The above taken into account, the most exciting player in the league was Newcomer of the Year Eugenio Lupino of Yonkers. The 27-year-old Italian was playing amateur baseball in the New York metro area when their front office signed him last October. For his debut season, Lupino hit .320 with 3 home runs & 76 RBI, led the league with 79 steals, and led all batters in WAR at 7.2. He struck out only 26 times, was an above-average fielder at shortstop, and was near the league leaders in extra-base hits. He would’ve also won BotY if not for Willard’s season on the mound, and it will be interesting to see if Lupino improves in his second season.

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The New England Baseball Association had both a strange and familiar feel to it in 1903, as the seemingly invincible Vermont Green Stockings were finally dethroned after six consecutive Ben Franklin Cup wins but the ones to dethrone them were the Sons of the Ocean, who took the original Tucker-Wheaton Cup four times but surprisingly had yet to hoist the Franklin Cup.

Neither NEBA division was close, which was no surprise given Vermont went 75-37 and Sons of the Ocean were 77-35. The Ben Franklin Cup series figured to be an epic, but SotO put an end to Vermont in a three-game sweep – scores were 10-4, 9-8, and 5-2, with Game Two going seventeen innings.

The Sons of the Ocean cruised to the NEBA title thanks to the best pitching & defense of any NBBO team ever, going all the way back to 1857. Their pitching staff led the league in every notable category except Strikeouts, and the team’s defense led the league in the three main categories: Errors, Zone Rating, and Defensive Efficiency.

Leading SotO’s historic group of pitchers was George Bryan, who went 24-6 with a 2.06 ERA and 167 Ks. He led the league with a 6.9 WPA while finishing second with 8.1 WAR, and his efforts led to him being named both NEBA Hurler of the Year & Most Valuable Player. On top of that, Bryan had the best Defensive Efficiency of all NEBA pitchers so a Golden Glove was added to his award haul. Three other SotO players won Golden Gloves: Harvey Costello (C), Kenneth Lowe (2B), and Rex Waltz (LF).

There was only one choice for Batsman of the Year: Vermont’s Angus Quinn, who finally got one after ten years of high-contact, high-patience batting as a first baseman. He pulled off a rare feat in that he led the NEBA in both hits (169) and walks (72), which led to him posting a .394 average, .996 OPS, and 7.3 Offensive WAR. It was the sixth time in eight years he’d led the NEBA in free passes, and his mantra of patience at the plate finally paid off with a major individual award. He was further rewarded with an October contract offer to become the regular first baseman for Toledo in the MWBA.

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The 1903 Northeastern League season was one of major parity. Rounding up, no less than eighteen of the league’s twenty teams won 45% of their games. 9th place out of ten went to Frontier BBC in the New York Conference at 51-63 (.447) and the Wilkes-Barre Coal Barons in the Northeastern Conference at 55-59 (.482) – absurdly high marks for bottom-feeding teams.

Leading the close-knit pack were the Albany Minutemen in the NYC at 70-44 (.614) and the Reading Athletics in the NEC at 65-49 (.570). In a battle befitting such a league, the series for the newly renamed Roosevelt Cup went the full five games, with Albany winning their first ever championship thanks to a Grover Gannon shutout in Game Five and Lewis Berry’s 10/21 batsmanship throughout the series.

Once again, the NEL was a league where there were no truly dominant players. However, there was one player who made history this season: Batsman of the Year Charles Gideon of the Utica Stompers, who became the NEL’s youngest BotY at the ripe old age of 21. Gideon, in his first season as a regular and playing as a 20-year-old until the end of May, hit .368 (1st) with 11 homers (2nd) and 68 RBI (3rd) while also leading the league in OPS by more than fifty points at .978.

Fans had figured that the Most Valuable Player award would go to champion Albany star Carl Bird (.289, 1 HR, 45 RBI) thanks to his Golden Glove outfield defense, 52 steals, and 5.5 WAR, but it wasn’t to be. Instead, the MVP went to a most unusual third baseman: Corey McLaughlin (.298, 2 HR, 38 RBI) of the 52-62 Auburn Woodsmen. McLaughlin, who doesn’t have outfield range to match his considerable speed and thus is best playing defense at third, became the first corner infielder in any league to steal 100+ bases in a season, stealing exactly 100 (2nd place: 68) while being caught only 19 times. He also led the league in runs (97) and WPA (5.5), and he took the MVP home as a result.

Hurler of the Year was a very contentious decision, as the writers went with the tried & true method of awarding the pitcher who clearly had the most wins: Samuel Cohen (23-4, 2.09 ERA, 76 K, 3.3 WAR) of Albany. It was a very close vote, with Bob Clemons (Binghamton; 20-13, 2.90 ERA, 125 K, 6.1 WAR) finishing 2nd, and Onan Rowley (Utica; 19-12, 3.05 ERA, 116 K, 7.8 WAR) finishing 3rd, with George Nugent (Phila; 19-4, 1.42 ERA, 87 K, 3.7 WAR), Charles Church (Elmira; 19-7, 1.99 ERA, 124 K, 6.1 WAR), and Lewis Taylor (Olympic; 18-11, 2.18 ERA, 122 K, 6.2 WAR) also receiving votes.

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The Great Lakes Baseball Conference was once again a tale of two teams: the Erie Lakers (70-40) and the Saginaw Lumberjacks (69-41), with Erie winning the GLBC title by one game over Saginaw for the second season in a row. This time, the teams weren’t level with one week to go. Instead, Erie was three games ahead of Saginaw and held on for dear life to repeat as champs.

And just like last year, Erie’s Gabriel Duclos was the GLBC’s Batsman of the Year. His numbers were way down – .300, 5 HR, 62 RBI, 4.4 oWAR – but offense in the league was down to just four runs per game and most of the leaders in the race for the average or OPS titles were patient slap hitters like James Hershey (Saginaw; .361, 1 HR, 47 RBI), George Douglas (Duluth; .342, 1 HR, 51 RBI), and Fanahan Stewart (Rockford; 329, 5 HR, 44 RBI), who ended up winning Most Valuable Player thanks to his league-leading OPS (.875) and WAR (6.3).

As it was in the Northeastern League, the Hurler of the Year award was a source of controversy in the GLBC. There were two main candidates. First was last year’s winner: Andrew Carides of Saginaw, who tied for the league lead in wins, finishing 23-7 with a 2.14 ERA, 130 Ks, 3 shutouts, and 5.3 WAR. The other candidate was Erie’s 24-year-old rookie Frederick Foote, who was the league’s other 23-game winner. He was 23-9 with a 1.89 ERA, 139 Ks, 4 shutouts, and 5.5 WAR – the other numbers all superior to Carides. The writers gave HotY to Carides in a vote that was derided as being based on his reputation from having won it last year. With Foote shut out of HotY, he was unanimously named Newcomer of the Year.

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In the Prairie League the Wichita Wranglers were unable to repeat, instead finishing 2nd to the Dubuque Explorers. With one month to go, Wichita was 51-30 and Dubuque was two games back at 49-32. However, Wichita went 13-16 over the final month while Dubuque went 22-7, and that meant Dubuque were PL champions by seven games. For the Explorers it was their third PL title, their first since 1892. Nobody else mounted a serious title challenge, with the Des Moines Oaks and Southern Missouri Ozarks tied for 3rd at eleven games back.

When 1902 Canadian BotY Harry Steele stunned pretty much everybody by signing a two-year deal with Southern Missouri last November his name was penciled in for 1903 PL Batsman of the Year. Unfortunately, although he hit .361 with a .950 OPS, a hamstring injury in June put him out of action for five weeks and thus he was out of award contention. Not that he would have won BotY anyway, because champions Dubuque employed the NBBO’s best hitter in first baseman Gottfried Wallerstein. The 22-year-old was tied for 2nd in home runs with 8 and alone in 2nd with 71 RBI, but he led the league with a .392 average, .462 on-base, .547 slugging, and 1.009 OPS. He was the only player in any of the six NBBO leagues to put up an OPS over a thousand in 1903, and he had to be the PL’s Batsman of the Year.

The man who finished 2nd in BotY voting, Eulogio Aldono of Sioux City, had to settle for being named the PL’s Most Valuable Player for the third time in his ten seasons in the league since leaving the Brooklyn reserves. His numbers: .355, 2 HR, 57 RBI, 27 SB, and he led the PL in both WPA (5.2) and WAR (5.8) for the third time. Had he won Batsman of the Year, it would have been his fourth.

There were multiple good candidates for Hurler of the Year, but, in the end, it went to the one with the lowest ERA: Henry Durham of Southern Missouri, who was 20-9 with a 1.90 ERA and 10.2 R9-WAR. Wins leader Howard Rosenberg (Wichita; 21-8, 2.33 ERA, 117 K, 6.7 WAR) was 2nd, Marion Gregory (Des Moines; 20-10, 2.91 ERA, 160 K, 4.3 ERA) was 3rd, and Ambrose Rossito (Dubuque; 17-2, 2.01 ERA, 99 K, 3.7 WAR) received some points in the voting.

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The Southern League saw its third different champion in its three years of existence in 1903, and it was a closer affair than it was in ’01 or ’02. Instead of two teams clearly being better than the rest, this season five teams – the Gulf Coast Pelicans, Houston 36ers, Little Rock Hilltoppers, New Orleans Gators, & San Antonio Riflemen – were within seven games of each other in the top five spots in the standings. It was Houston who came out on top with a 64-48 (.571) record, finishing three games better than New Orleans and San Antonio.

Although the league was spread evenly, the major awards all went to the champions.

First up: Batsman of the Year, which went to 21-year-old first baseman Bernard Custer. Custer, who played all of ten games in 1902, started every game in ’03 and was the best hitter in the NBBO other than Wallerstein in the PL. Custer was three points of average off the Triple Crown, finishing at .361 (2nd) with a league-leading 10 homers and 89 RBI. In addition, he led the league in hits (161), total bases (223), on-base (.427), OPS (.927), and Offensive WAR (5.9). If the league had been around enough to award Newcomer of the Year, Custer certainly would have taken that as well. For the record, it was Austin slap-hitter Frank Stawicki (.363, 16 XBH) who won the batting title.

Next up: Hurler of the Year, which went to Emerson Gardner for the second year running. Gardner was the only SL pitcher to win 20 games and he led the league in strikeouts. A final line of 20-10 with a 2.80 ERA, 168 Ks, and 6.5 WAR for the league champions was enough to see him pick up his eighth HotY award in an NBBO league (6x NEL, 2x SL).

Finally: Most Valuable Player, which went to center fielder Emil Rutland. Rutland hit only .255, but he led the league in runs (97) and steals (54, 9 CS) while putting up an above-average OPS (.769) and winning a Golden Glove for his work in center field. The result was a league-leading 6.6 WAR and another major award to a Houston player.

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For the second edition of the new Tucker-Wheaton Cup, there really wasn’t a lot to write home about. The Albany Minutemen apparently responded to winning its first championship in 47 years of competitive baseball by thinking, “Oh what the hell, let’s go win another one!” because they took the rest of the competition by the scruff of the neck and strangled it, as they won on Gameday One and never let up:

It was a complete team effort by Albany to go 8-2 in the TWC. Minutemen left fielder Ray Smith was easily the competition’s Most Valuable Player, hitting .486 (17/35) with five doubles, a home run, five RBI, and ten runs scored while walking five times to boot. Grover Gannon was 3-0 with a 1.61 ERA and a trifecta of Complete Game wins. Frederick Foote was 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA and 14 Ks over 26 innings. Catcher Daniel Scanlan led the TWC with a pair of dingers and ten RBI. First baseman Lewis Berry hit a pair of homers of his own, drove in seven, and scored eight times. Outfielder Carl Bird didn’t hit well, but he scored five runs and stole more bases than anyone else (4).

Although Albany was clearly the class of the competition, the highlight of the competition was provided by Dubuque pitcher Ambrose Rossito. On Gameday Nine, Rossito threw a no-hitter against NEBA champs the Sons of the Ocean, walking four and striking our four while throwing 113 pitches.

tm1681 · 11-16-2023, 09:48 PM

1903 YEAR IN REVIEW: CHAMPIONS

AMERICAN BASEBALL ASSOCIATION

APBL Colonial Conf: Providence Saints (75-57 – Baltimore 8 GB)
APBL Metropolitan Conf: Manhattan Knickerbockers (87-45 – Brooklyn 10 GB)
APBL Doc Adams Trophy: Manhattan beats Providence 4-2

• MVP: Shaun Scott (1B, KNI) – 12/23 (.522), 2 2B, 1 3B, 7 RBI, 4 R, 5 BB
• NOTABLE: Knicks clinched series with RBI single by Charles Crawley in bottom of the 11th of Game Six

MWBA Eastern League: Columbus Capitols (89-43 – Milwaukee 19 GB)
MWBA Western League: Minneapolis Lakers (92-40 – Missouri 10 GB)
MWBA Lincoln Memorial Cup: Minneapolis beats Columbus 4-2

• MVP: James Keller (1B, MPLS) – 12/23 (.522), 2 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 8 R, 2 BB, 20 TB
• NOTABLE: Petter Lund (CF, CLB) – 10/27 (.370), 3 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 7 R, 7 SB, 16 TB

President’s Cup III: Minneapolis beats Knickerbockers 4-2

• Game 1: KNI 8-3 MPLS – LF L. Cochran (KNI) 3/5, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB
• Game 2: KNI 1-6 MPLS – SP H. Yarborough (MPLS) CG, 3 H, 1 R/ER, 6 BB, 4 K – 3/4, 2 RBI, 2 R
• Game 3: MPLS 9-5 KNI – 2B S. Fisher (MPLS) 4/5, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 2 R, 3 SB
• Game 4: MPLS 2-4 KNI – SP H. Wyatt (KNI) CG, 6 H, 2 R/ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• Game 5: MPLS 6-1 KNI – SP H. Yarborough (MPLS) CG, 8 H, 1 R/ER, 3 BB, 6 K
• Game 6: KNI 0-2 MPLS – SP J. Brunet (MPLS) CG Shutout, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K
• MVP: Smithwick Fisher (MPLS) – 11/27 (.407), 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 7 R, 6 SB, 15 TB, 0.5 WAR
• NOTABLE: Hoyt Yarborough (MPLS) – 2-0, 1.00 ERA, 2 CG, 11 HA, 9 BB, 10 K, 1.2 R9-WAR

INDEPENDENT PROFESSIONAL LEAGUES

Southeastern & Atlantic Lg: Charleston Battery (77-51 – 5th title, Richmond 1 GB)

• Charleston's fourth straight SEAL title; 5th in seven years
• Malcolm Morrison (1B, Evansville) won Triple Crown with .395 AVG, 9 HR, & 109 RBI
• Melvin Sheridan (P, Nashville) led league in Wins for 5th time in six years

Pacific Coast Lg: Spokane Raptors (90-54; San Francisco Bay 7 GB)

• Inaugural Season
• Spokane batters led league in Runs, AVG, OPS, & WAR; no regular hit under .280

Canadian Baseball Lg: Quebec City Voyageurs (75-51 – 5th title, Hamilton 5 GB)

• Quebec City's 5th title in six years
• Cecil Richards (P, QC) led the league in Wins, Shutouts, WPA, & WAR
• Thomas Withers (P, Riverside) set league record with 1.48 ERA over 212.2 innings (14-9 record)

NATIONAL BASEBALL ORGANIZATION

New York Lg.: Manhattan Orangemen (67-45 – 2nd title, beat Atlantic 3-0 in NYC Finals)

• Eugenio Lupino (SS, Yonkers) led league in WAR in debut season

New England Baseball Ass’n: Sons of the Ocean (77-35 – 1st title, beat Vermont 3-0 for Ben Franklin Cup)

• SotO pitchers led the league in R, ERA/ERA+/FIP, CG, SHO, BB, WHIP, AVG, OPS, WPA, WAR, R9-WAR

Northeastern Lg: Albany Minutemen (70-44 – 1st title, beat Reading 3-2 for Roosevelt Cup)

• Carey McLoughlin (3B, Auburn) became the 1st NEL player to steal 100 bases in a season

Great Lakes Baseball Conf: Erie Lakers (70-40 – repeat; 2nd title, Saginaw 1 GB)

• Erie beat Saginaw to title by 1 game for 2nd straight season
• Gabriel Duclos (LF, Erie) won 2nd straight BotY

Prairie Lg: Dubuque Explorers (71-39 – 3rd title, Wichita 7 GB)

• Gottfried Wallerstein (1B, Dubuque) only player in NBBO to post 1.000 OPS
• Eulogio Aldono (LF, Sioux City) led the league in WPA & WAR

Southern Lg: Houston 36ers (68-48 – 1st title, NO & SA 3 GB)

• Bernard Custer (1B, Houston, 21 y/o) led the league in H, HR, RBI, TB, OBP, SLG, & OPS
• Houston players won all three major awards (Batsman: Custer, Hurler: Emerson Gardner, MVP: Emil Rutland)

Tucker-Wheaton Cup results:

• Albany Minutemen (NYL): 8-2
• Sons of the Ocan (NEBA): 5-5 (via tiebreaker)
• Erie Lakers (GLBC): 5-5
• Manhattan Orangemen (NYL): 5-5
• Dubuque Explorers (PL): 4-6
• Houston 36ers (SL): 3-7
• MVP: Ray Smith (LF, ALB) - .486 AVG (17-35), 5 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 10 R, 5 BB/3 K, 2 SB, 25 TB, 1.1 WAR
• NOTABLE: Albany’s 1st Tucker-Wheaton Cup; founding member of NBBO in 1857

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUES

All-Ireland Champ.: Wexford Slaneysiders (51-33, beat Derry 3-2 in All-Ireland Final)

• Brock Kelly (CF, Antrim) led 32-team league in both WPA & WAR

Cuban Nat’l Series: Pinar del Rio Tobacco Growers (66-46 – 1st title, La Habana 1 GB)

• Willie Munoz (PdR, 20 y/o) struck out 55 more batters than any other pitcher

* Won title or reached championship series via one-game playoff

tm1681 · 11-16-2023, 10:09 PM

1903 YEAR IN REVIEW: ABA AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR

APBL: Alan Gelmetti (28 y/o RF, Manhattan Knickerbockers)

• 612 PA, .371/.482/.533, 1.015 OPS, 112 R, 186 H, 25 2B, 25 3B, 2 HR, 91 RBI, 100 BB/37 K, 50 SB, 8.2 oWAR, 7.6 WAR
• Top five in AVG, SLG, R, RBI, XBH, BB, TB, & WAR
• Only APBL player with an OPS over 1.000

MWBA: James Keller (25 y/o 1B, Minneapolis Lakers)

• 458 PA, .408/.439/.578, 1.017 OPS, 77 R, 172 H, 33 2B, 3 3B, 11 HR, 92 RBI, 23 BB/16 K, 1 SB, 5.9 oWAR, 5.3 WAR
• 1st .400 hitter in the MWBA since 1898 (Thierry Moreau)
• Only MWBA player with an OPS over 1.000
• Won APBL Batsman of the Year with Mass. Bay in 1902

HURLER OF THE YEAR

APBL: Homer Wyatt (25 y/o, Manhattan Knickerbockers)

• 346.2 IP, 28-9, 2.73 ERA, 32 CG, 6 SHO, 70 BB, 141 K, 1.16 WHIP, 3.7 K/9, 3.5 WPA, 8.3 WAR, 9.2 R9-WAR
• 2nd straight season leading APBL pitchers in WAR

MWBA: Hans Ehle (38 y/o, Milwaukee Bavarians)

• 343.2 IP, 29-9, 3.30 ERA, 34 CG, 4 SHO, 71 BB, 175 K, 1.32 WHIP, 4.6 K/9, 2.5 K/BB, 3.5 WPA, 8.9 WAR, 7.7 R9-WAR
• 14th MWBA Hurler of the Year award
• 19th straight season leading MWBA pitchers in WAR
• Led MWBA in Wins for the 11th time

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

APBL: Harold Borden (25 y/o 2B, Baltimore Blue Crabs)

• 626 PA, 577 AB, .371/.418/.477, 117 R, 214 H, 22 2B, 12 3B, 5 HR, 64 RBI, 58 SB, +21.7 ZR (2B), 6.6 WPA, 9.6 WAR
• Led all APBL batters in both WPA & WAR
• Also won APBL Golden Glove at 2B

MWBA: Knud van Steen (25 y/o SS, Missouri Bluebirds)

• 598 PA, .383/.424/.500, 107 R, 210 H, 33 2B, 14 3B, 1 HR, 97 RBI, 40 BB/23 K, 60 SB, 5.4 WPA, 5.7 oWAR, 7.7 WAR
• 3rd straight season leading the MWBA in Hits
• Finished 2nd in the MWBA in Batting Average & Total Bases

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

APBL: Bingham Brinkman (22 y/o P, Pennsylvania Quakers)

• 326.2 IP, 20-17, 2.89 ERA, 32 CG, 3 SHO, 109 BB, 178 K, 1.25 WHIP, 4.9 K/9, 2.0 WPA, 7.9 WAR, 9.2 R9-WAR
• Top five in IP, ERA, K, WAR, & R9-WAR
• APBL Newcomer of the Month in April, May, & August

MWBA: Frank Holbrook (31 y/o CF, Missouri Bluebirds)

• 642 PA, .315/.363/.447, 120 R, 33 2B, 15 3B, 5 HR, 70 RBI, 41 BB/53 K, 51 SB, 3.6 WPA, 5.6 WAR
• Joined Missouri after thirteen years as a semi-pro with Vermont in the NEBA

APBL TEAM OF THE YEAR

C: C. Ornstein (Penn.) - .325/.388/.410, 83 R, 23 2B, 5 3B, 3 HR, 68 RBI, 44 BB/50 K, 14 SB, 2.0 WPA, 5.0 WAR
1B: G. Joubert (Bos.) - .378/.442/.531, 99 R, 40 2B, 10 3B, 7 HR, 86 RBI, 54 BB/31 K, 8 SB, 5.8 WPA, 6.4 WAR
2B: H. Borden (Bal.) - .371/.418/.477, 117 R, 214 H, 22 2B, 12 3B, 5 HR, 64 RBI, 42 BB/31 K, 58 SB, 6.6 WPA, 9.6 WAR, APBL MVP/GG
3B: E. Dunn (Phi.) - .306/.371/.435, 64 R, 19 2B, 4 3B, 13 HR, 83 RBI, 54 BB/66 K, 4 SB, 4.1 WPA, 4.1 WAR
SS: C. Rankin (Prov.) - .300/.404/.424, 96 R, 26 2B, 13 3B, 4 HR, 56 RBI, 77 BB/32 K, 25 SB, 0.8 WPA, 6.2 WAR, APBL Runner-up/GG
OF: C. Kirk (NJ) - .360/.420/.536, 99 R, 39 2B, 21 3B, 5 HR, 77 RBI, 54 BB/23 K, 45 SB, 293 TB, 5.4 WPA, 7.2 WAR
CF: J. Mixon (Roch.) - .337/.402/.451, 105 R, 30 2B, 9 3B, 4 HR, 79 RBI, 48 BB/29 K, 86 SB, 4.0 WPA, 7.1 WAR
OF: A. Gelmetti (Kni.) - .371/.482/.533, 1.015 OPS, 112 R, 25 2B, 25 3B, 2 HR, 91 RBI, 100 BB/37 K, 50 SB, 6.3 WPA, 7.6 WAR, APBL Champ/BotY

P: H. Wyatt (Kni.) – 28-9, 2.73 ERA, 32 CG, 6 SHO, 70 BB, 141 K, 1.16 WHIP, 3.7 K/9, 3.5 WPA, 8.3 WAR, 9.2 R9-WAR, APBL Champ/HotY
P: C. Carlyle (Prov.) – 26-12, 2.32 ERA, 32 CG, 10 SHO, 116 BB, 172 K, 1.17 WHIP, 4.8 K/9, 4.3 WPA, 6.9 WAR, 11.1 R9-WAR, APBL Runner-up
P: L. Walsh (NY A’s) – 22-11, 3.02 ERA, 27 CG, 4 SHO, 101 BB, 202 K, 1.27 WHIP, 5.8 K/9, 1.5 WPA, 7.5 WAR, 6.5 R9-WAR
P: B. Brinkman (Penn.) – 20-17, 2.89 ERA, 32 CG, 3 SHO, 109 BB, 178 K, 1.25 WHIP, 4.9 K/9, 2.0 WPA, 7.9 WAR, 9.2 R9-WAR; APBL NotY

MGR: F. Gannon (Kni.) – 87-45, Knickerbockers repeated as APBL champions

MWBA TEAM OF THE YEAR

C: E. Martin (Ind.) - .305/.417/.417, 69 R, 31 2B, 0 3B, 6 HR, 76 RBI, 71 BB/64 K, 2 SB, 3.8 WPA, 4.2 WAR
1B: J. Keller (Mpls.) - .408/.439/.578, 1.017 OPS, 77 R, 33 2B, 3 3B, 11 HR, 92 RBI, 23 BB/16 K, 1 SB, 5.7 WPA, 5.3 WAR, MWBA Champ/BotY
2B: T. Moreau (Mil.) - .364/.446/.501, 85 R, 25 2B, 16 3B, 3 HR, 81 RBI, 68 BB/22 K, 12 SB, 5.6 WPA, 6.7 WAR
3B: C. DeVoe (Mpls.) - .325/.400/.413, 73 R, 15 2B, 5 3B, 4 HR, 67 RBI, 51 BB/33 K, 32 SB, 4.3 WPA, 3.2 WAR, MWBA Champ
SS: K. van Steen (Miss.) - .383/.424/.500, 107 R, 210 H, 33 2B, 14 3B, 1 HR, 97 RBI, 40 BB/23 K, 60 SB, 5.4 WPA, 7.7 WAR, MWBA MVP
OF: V. Kingsbury (StL) - .369/.425/.551, 76 R, 36 2B, 13 3B, 11 HR, 95 RBI, 39 BB/74 K, 35 SB, 287 TB, 4.1 WPA, 7.2 WAR
CF: P. Lund (Clb.) - .336/.421/.478, 104 R, 31 2B, 13 3B, 6 HR, 70 RBI, 73 BB/31 K, 81 SB, 4.5 WPA, 7.6 WAR, MWBA Runner-up
OF: E. King (Clb.) - .331/.423/.505, 99 R, 28 2B, 8 3B, 12 HR, 91 RBI, 69 BB/76 K, 28 SB, 3.8 WPA, 5.7 WAR, MWBA Runner-up

P: H. Ehle (Mil.) – 29-9, 3.30 ERA, 34 CG, 4 SHO, 71 BB, 175 K, 1.32 WHIP, 4.6 K9, 2.5 K/BB, 3.5 WPA, 8.9 WAR, 7.7 R9-WAR
P: F. Horton (Clb.) – 24-8, 2.46 ERA, 29 CG, 5 SHO, 99 BB, 162 K, 1.23 WHIP, 4.9 K/9, 3.1 WPA, 5.4 WAR, 9.8 R9-WAR, MWBA Runner-up
P: J. Brunet (Mpls.) – 25-6, 2.99 ERA, 26 CG, 2 SHO, 89 BB, 114 K, 1.28 WHIP, 3.6 K/9, 0.4 WPA, 4.3 WAR, 7.6 R9-WAR, MWBA Champ
P: F. Harding (Cin.) – 19-14, 2.72 ERA, 28 CG, 2 SHO, 106 BB, 137 K, 1.26 WHIP, 3.9 K/9, 1.2 WPA, 5.3 WAR, 8.5 R9-WAR

MGR: B. Corsini (Clb.) – 89-43; Columbus won 1st Eastern League pennant, were 53-79 three seasons ago

tm1681 · 11-16-2023, 10:34 PM

1903 YEAR IN REVIEW: OTHER AWARDS

INDEPENDENT LEAGUE AWARDS (PCL, SEAL, CBL)

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Malcolm Morrison (24 y/o 1B, Evansville Angels – SEAL)

• 497 PA, .395/.471/.545, 1.016 OPS, 78 R, 172 H, 30 2B, 4 3B, 9 HR, 109 RBI, 56 BB/53 K, 0 SB, 6.0 WPA, 6.3 oWAR, 5.6 WAR
• 1st SEAL batter to win Triple Crown
• 2nd consecutive Evansville player to win Batsman of the Year (1902: George Sales)

HURLER OF THE YEAR: Cecil Richards (31 y/o, Quebec City Voyageurs – CBL)

• 325.0 IP, 29-9, 3 SV, 2.05 ERA, 33 CG, 7 SHO, 61 BB, 190 K, 1.08 WHIP, 1.7 BB/9, 3.1 K/BB, 7.6 WPA, 9.9 WAR, 10.0 R9-WAR
• Won CBL Hurler of the Year for the 5th time
• Also named CBL Most Valuable Player for the 3rd time
• 8th time leading CBL in Wins & Pitching WAR

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Horace Farley (34 y/o CF, Charleston Battery- SEAL)

• 591 PA, .345/.432/.463, 106 R, 173 H, 31 2B, 8 3B, 4 HR, 98 RBI, 65 BB/28 K, 232 TB, 45 SB, 4.8 WPA, 6.4 WAR
• Named SEAL Most Valuable Player for the 2nd time
• Top five in RBI, Runs, & WAR
• Top ten in OBP, SLG, OPS, H, 2B, XBH, BB, SB, & TB

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Lionel DeLalande (25 y/o CF, Riverside Huskies – CBL)

• 520 PA, .277/.342/.375, 68 R, 22 2B, 10 3B, 1 HR, 42 RBI, 36 BB/55 K, 87 SB, +16.1 ZR (CF), 2.5 WPA, 6.3 WAR
• Won CBL Golden Glove at CF
• Finished 3rd in voting for CBL Most Valuable Player

INDEPENDENT LEAGUE TEAM OF THE YEAR

C: F. Charron (V.M./CBL) - .309/.375/.402, 49 R, 18 2B, 5 3B, 5 HR, 63 RBI, 45 BB/30 K, 4 SB, 1.0 WPA, 4.5 WAR
1B: M. Morrison (Evansville/SEAL) - .395/.471/.545, 1.016 OPS, 78 R, 30 2B, 4 3B, 9 HR, 109 RBI, 56 BB/53 K, 0 SB, 6.0 WPA, 5.6 WAR, SEAL BotY
2B: S. Tyler (Spokane/PCL) - .331/.388/.448, 97 R, 40 2B, 12 3B, 1 HR, 86 RBI, 51 BB/15 K, 37 SB, 2.7 WPA, 5.0 WAR, PCL Champ
3B: I. Grier (Richmond/SEAL) - .349/.462/.481, 88 R, 26 2B, 5 3B, 9 HR, 98 RBI, 95 BB/59 K, 15 SB, 4.8 WPA, 5.3 WAR, SEAL Runner-up
SS: N. Bunting (Memphis/SEAL) - .351/.451/.457, 95 R, 34 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 84 RBI, 85 BB/46 K, 8 SB, 3.1 WPA, 5.3 WAR
OF: M. Nunn (S.F./PCL) - .374/.429/.460, 92 R, 216 H, 26 2B, 6 3B, 4 HR, 102 RBI, 43 BB/64 K, 2 SB, 266 TB, 4.1 WPA, 4.3 WAR, PCL BotY
CF: H. Farley (Charleston/SEAL) - .345/.432/.463, 106 R, 31 2B, 8 3B, 4 HR, 98 RBI, 65 BB/28 K, 45 SB, 4.8 WPA, 6.4 WAR, SEAL Champ/MVP
OF: E. Hayward (Richmond/SEAL) - .343/.391/.485, 106 R, 24 2B, 26 3B, 0 HR, 100 RBI, 40 BB/43 K, 57 SB, 260 TB, 5.6 WPA, 6.1 WAR, SEAL Runner-up/GG
ALT: J. Duggan (Hamilton/CBL) - .322/.374/.433, 83 R, 34 2B, 10 3B, 1 HR, 78 RBI, 40 BB/12 K, 63 SB, 223 TB, 3.8 WPA, 5.5 WAR, CBL BotY

P: C. Richards (Q.C./CBL) – 29-9, 2.05 ERA, 33 CG, 7 SHO, 61 BB, 190 K, 1.08 WHIP, 1.7 BB/9, 5.3 K/9, 3.1 K/BB, 7.6 WPA, 9.9 WAR, 10.0 R9-WAR, CBL Champ/HotY/MVP
P: M. Sheridan (Nashville/SEAL) – 25-9, 2.71 ERA, 30 CG, 3 SHO, 101 BB, 207 K, 1.31 WHIP, 6.0 K/9, 1.5 WPA, 7.4 WAR, 10.2 R9-WAR, SEAL HotY
P: D. Easterly (Seattle/PCL) – 24-12, 2.87 ERA, 30 CG, 3 SHO, 82 BB, 150 K, 1.38 WHIP, 4.2 K/9, 1.2 WPA, 5.2 WAR, 8.1 R9-WAR, PCL HotY
P: F. Ashton (Hamilton/CBL) – 27-14, 2.99 ERA, 334.2 IP, 45 G, 37 GS, 35 CG, 4 SHO, 94 BB, 203 K, 1.20 WHIP, 5.5 K/9, 1.4 WPA, 6.3 WAR, 6.3 R9-WAR

MGR: O. Lucciardi (Spokane/PCL) – 90-54; Spokane won inaugural PCL title by 7 games with the sixth-highest payroll in the league

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NATIONAL BASEBALL ORGANIZATION AWARDS (NYL, NEBA, NEL, GLBC, PL, SL)

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Gottfried Wallerstein (22 y/o 1B, Dubuque Explorers - PL)

• 434 PA, .392/.462/.547, 1.009 OPS/175 OPS+, 65 R, 149 H, 19 2B, 8 3B, 8 HR, 71 RBI, 42 BB/28 K, 208 TB, 4.5 WPA, 6.0 oWAR
• Only batter across the six NBBO leagues to post a 1.000 OPS
• PL Champion

HURLER OF THE YEAR: George Bryan (27 y/o, Sons of the Ocean - NEBA)

• 279.2 IP, 24-6, 2.06 ERA, 167 K, 38 G, 27 CG, 4 SHO, 74 BB, 1.14 WHIP, 2.3 K/BB, 6.9 WPA, 8.1 WAR, 10.7 R9-WAR
• NEBA Hurler of the Year, Most Valuable Player, & Golden Glove winner (P)
• NEBA champion

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Emil Rutland (33 y/o CF, Houston 36ers – SL)

• 506 PA, .255/.347/.421, 97 R, 110 H, 23 2B, 11 3B, 9 HR, 53 RBI, 51 BB/48 K, 54 SB/9 CS, +16.3 ZR (CF), 2.7 WPA, 6.6 WAR
• SL Most Valuable Player & Golden Glove winner (CF)
• SL champion

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Eugenio Lupino (27 y/o SS, Yonkers Hilltoppers - NYL)

• 501 PA, .320/.372/.463, 78 R, 147 H, 21 2B, 18 3B, 3 HR, 76 RBI, 36 BB/26 K, 79 SB, 213 TB, 3.7 WPA, 4.8 oWAR, 7.2 WAR
• Led batters across all NBBO leagues in WAR
• Signed as an amateur Free Agent from Italy on 10/6/1902

NBBO TEAM OF THE YEAR

C: P. Schmitz (Bing’ton/NEL) - .313/.400/.378, 57 R, 10 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 57 RBI, 0 SB, 2.23 WPA, 4.0 WAR
1B: G. Wallerstein (Dubuque/PL) - .392/.462/.547, 65 R, 19 2B, 8 3B, 8 HR, 71 RBI, 5 SB, 4.5 WPA, 5.1 WAR, PL BotY/Champ
2B: H. Solomon (Little Rock/SL) - .333/.389/.451, 63 R, 22 2B, 6 3B, 6 HR, 46 RBI, 15 SB, 1.6 WPA, 3.7 WAR
3B: C. McLoughlin (Auburn/NEL) - .298/.410/.426, 97 R, 23 2B, 11 3B, 2 HR, 38 RBI, 100 SB, 5.5 WPA, 4.7 WAR, NEL MVP
SS: E. Lupino (Yonkers/NYL) - .320/.372/.463, 78 R, 21 2B, 18 3B, 3 HR, 76 RBI, 79 SB, 3.7 WPA, 7.2 WAR, NYL NotY
OF: E. Aldono (Sioux C./PL) - .355/.421/.506, 86 R, 153 H, 27 2B, 16 3B, 2 HR, 57 RBI, 27 SB, 218 TB, 5.2 WPA, 5.8 WAR, PL MVP
CF: E. Rutland (Houston/SL) - .255/.347/.421, 97 R, 23 2B, 11 3B, 9 HR, 53 RBI, 54 SB, +16.3 ZR (CF), 2.7 WPA, 6.6 WAR, SL MVP/GG/Champ
OF: H. McDaniels (Orangemen/NYL) - .377/.425/.492, .918 OPS, 66 R, 173 H, 27 3B, 7 3B, 4 HR, 75 RBI, 18 SB, 226 TB, 3.5 WPA, 5.5 WAR, NYL BotY/Champ
ALT: B. Custer (Houston/SL) - .361/.427/.500, .927 OPS, 70 R, 161 H, 24 2B, 4 3B, 10 HR, 89 RBI, 5 SB, 223 TB, 3.9 WPA, 5.3 WAR, SL BotY/GG/Champ

P: G. Bryan (SotO/NEBA) – 24-6, 2.06 ERA, 167 K, 279.2 IP, 38 G, 27 CG, 4 SHO, 74 BB, 1.14 WHIP, 6.9 WPA, 8.1 WAR, 10.7 R9-WAR, NEBA HotY/MVP/GG/Champ
P: O. Bennett (Bedford/NYL) – 20-10, 2.84 ERA, 182 K, 272.2 IP, 27 CG, 2 SHO, 84 BB, 1.27 WHIP, 1.4 WPA, 7.3 WAR, 5.5 R9-WAR, NYL HotY
P: A. Carides (Saginaw/GLBC) – 23-6, 2.14 ERA, 130 K, 261.0 IP, 27 CG, 3 SHO, 85 BB, 1.17 WHIP, 5.5 WPA, 5.3 WAR, 8.3 R9-WAR, GLBC HotY
P: E. Gardner (Houston/SL) – 20-10, 2.80 ERA, 168 K, 247.1 IP, 34 G, 24 CG, 2 SHO, 1.19 WHIP, 2.5 K/BB, 2.2 WPA, 6.5 WAR, 5.2 R9-WAR, SL HotY/Champ

MGR: S. Keller (SotO/NEBA) – Team improved from 50-62 in 1902 to 77-35 in 1903, won 1st NEBA title

tm1681 · 11-17-2023, 07:20 PM

LONGER ABA SCHEDULE ON THE HORIZON; EXPANSION POSSIBLE
150 GAMES PLANNED FOR 1905; APBL & MWBA MAY GO TO 18 TEAMS; NEW STANDARDS FOR 1910

New York, NY (12/10/1903) – The annual Winter Meetings of the American Baseball Association Executive Committee take place in New York City during the early part of December, with mundane discussion of rules and regulations typically the norm. The ABAEC is made up of the presidents of the APBL & MWBA, select owners, some front office members, and current & former players. The main topic of this year’s meetings was the makeup of the schedule going forward, all overseen by the head of the ABA: the Commissioner of Baseball. It was there that the normally mundane became quite interesting.

After going under the ABA umbrella in 1890, the American Professional Baseball League moved from a 112-game schedule to 132, while the Midwestern Baseball Association went from 108 to 130. The two leagues’ schedules remained slightly different until 1898, when the MWBA added Columbus & Toledo to its ranks to match the APBL’s sixteen-team lineup. Since then both leagues have run a 132-game seasonal schedule, with the two starting their seasons on the same day and ending them on the same day as well. This arrangement was what made the first President’s Cup possible in 1901, but after three years a new baseball league had the ABAEC thinking about new ideas.

For its inaugural season in 1903 the independent Pacific Coast League decided that, because of the weather on the West Coast, their ten teams would be able play 144 games, easily the longest season in existence. The ABA executives watched the PCL season closely because conventional wisdom thought there wasn’t a market for fans to watch league play well past the end of August. The first-season success of the PCL proved otherwise.

This gave the Executive Committee an idea: If a brand-new independent league like the PCL can play 144 games, why can’t we do better? So, the EC took a look at the teams in the two leagues and came up with a plan for a 150-game schedule that would be discussed and drawn up for the 1905 season. At the same time, with America’s population continuing to grow at rapid pace the EC discussed the possibility of another round of league expansion. The members quickly realized that a fair, 150-game schedule would be possible with both 16 and 18 teams in a league, so two plans were worked up:

• NO EXPANSION: League has 16 teams (2 divisions x 8 teams)
• All teams play each other 10 times (5 home, 5 away in a pair of 5-game series)
• 15 other teams x 10 games = 150 games

• EXPANSION: League has 18 teams (2 divisions x 9 teams)
• Teams play fellow division members 12 times (6 home, 6 away in four 3-game series)
• Teams play opposite division 6 times (3 home, 3 away in a pair of 3-game series)
• 8 same-division teams: 8 x 12 = 96 games
• 9 opposite-division teams: 9 x 6 = 54 games
• 96 SD games + 54 OD games = 150 total

In real life, schedules varied in length from 130-150+ games in the 1890s and early 1900s, with the standardized 154-game schedule created for the 1904 season (link) and lasting until 1960, with exceptions being made during the World War I years.

The “12 + 6 Format" was currently in use by both leagues, so expansion to eighteen teams in the APBL & MWBA wouldn’t even require a change in the way games are scheduled. Adding two NBBO teams wouldn’t be much of a problem for the APBL, since the Northeast was the population center of the United States and there were NBBO markets easily big enough move up to APBL status. However, the prospect of expansion was a larger problem for the MWBA.

When considering expansion for the Midwestern Baseball Association, adding one of two teams would be easy. It was thought that if the New York Metropolitan Area could handle four pro teams then Chicago could handle three. That would mean bringing in the Cook County Railriders from the Great Lakes Baseball Conference. The Railriders joined the GLBC in 1898 and they’d been slowly improving, climbing from 10th to 7th to 5th to 4th place over the past four seasons.

But, what of a second team? Taking a team from the Prairie League, like when the MWBA brought four in from the PL for 1890 season, was out of the question. The two largest stadiums in the current PL? St. Joseph’s (MO) William Waddell Field at 7,741 & Des Moines’ (IA) Raccoon River Park at 6,214. Not big enough. What about the GLBC? The majority of that league’s stadiums held 4,000-6,000 people, so finding another team to bring along with Cook County would be difficult. Dayton? They were recent (1900) champions and their venue held 8,500, but that would put five MWBA teams in Ohio. Grand Rapids’ stadium had a capacity of about 9,000, but they’d never finished higher than 3rd in the GLBC. Cleveland? The Buckeyes were just two years removed from amateur status and still finding their footing as a pro outfit, but the city doubled in size from 1880 to 1900 and now had 400,000+ people. That meant Cleveland could potentially handle two pro teams. Detroit? Michigan’s largest city still had only one pro or semi-pro team, so adding a second Detroit club to the MWBA would mean creating one from scratch or taking an amateur club straight to an ABA league, which hadn’t been done since the APBL’s creation in 1871.

Even if the MWBA decided not to expand it would still mean the leagues could play a 150-game schedule in 1905, with the APBL having 18 teams and the MWBA having 16. 150 games were a certainty.

In addition, the Executive Committee decided that, due to the parade of new stadiums in the two ABA leagues in recent years, it was time for new stadium standards. It was decreed and signed that:

• Starting in 1910, two-thirds of stadiums in each ABA league must hold at least 15,000 people and seat at least 10,000
• Venues that don’t reach the 15,000 mark must have a capacity of 10,000 or better
• new or renovated parks must use modern construction techniques – no more all-lumber tinderboxes

To go along with this, the Commissioner of Baseball made another decree

• ANY LEAGUE meeting the above standards is eligible to join the ABA, beginning the next season

This raised the possibility of multiple ABA leagues. Three? Four? Who knows – as many as eventually fit the criteria would be accepted. It could potentially make the President’s Cup chaotic, but that could be figured out on the fly.

Even though the 20th Century had just begun, the men who made decisions about the makeup of the highest level of the sport decided that it was time for another new era of professional baseball.

tm1681 · 11-17-2023, 08:45 PM

LA HABANA’s BETS ON FOREIGN TALENT PAY OFF W/ CUBAN TITLE
ABA REGULARS MORROW & SCHULER ANCHORED CHAMPIONSHIP LINEUP

Havana, Cuba (3/7/2014) – The La Habana Lions of the Cuban National Series beat Santa Clara 6-2 yesterday, and in doing so clinched their first CNS title. The title marks the end of a steady rise for the Lions team, which finished last (8th) in the 00/01 season and since then improved to 7th in 01/02, 2nd in 02/03, and now 1st place in 03/04.

La Habana finished one game back of Pinar del Rio last season, so what pushed them over the top in this one? They already had the league’s most talented player in center fielder Tony Vasquez (03/04 CNS MVP) and its most accurate pitcher in Mario Trejo (22 BB/129 K in 255 IP). The Cuban league allows for teams to have three foreigners - two batters and one pitcher - and the LH front office decided to make the best possible use of those two foreign batter spots. La Habana, which had a total player payroll that amounted to just under $10,000 for the 02/03 season, spent four thousand dollars to bring in a pair of outfield regulars from ABA leagues: LF George Morrow from the Kansas City Bulls and RF Oliver Schuler from the Toledo Mud Hens.

Morrow played well with KC in 1903 – a .310 average with 5 homers, 87 RBI, and 32 steals. Schuler was okay in Toledo - .263/3 HR/45 RBI. With the Cuban season starting in the first week of November, both players jumped at the chance to make more money playing baseball during the winter – Morrow made $2,500 and Schuler $1,500. The two men repaid La Habana’s front office by finishing #3-4 in WAR and giving the Lions three outfielders, when including Tony Vasquez, who finished in the top five in Wins Above Replacement. They easily had the CNS’ best outfield, and that put them over the hump as they were able to beat inter-city rivals the Havana Sugar Kings by one game for the Cuban title.

None of the superstar outfielders won the Cuban ward for best batsman. That went to PdR’s .380 hitter Jorge Garza for the second year in a row. However, their Cuban center fielder Tony Vasquez was named the league’s Most Valuable Player. He finished with a .333 AVG/6 HR/51 RBI, and on top of that he led the league in runs (90), steals (73) and WAR (5.5). George Morrow was 2nd in the Batsman of the Year vote, finishing with a .310 average, 7 homers, and a league-leading 87 RBI while his 5.0 WAR was tied with teammate Schuler for 3rd. He also won the Golden Glove at LF. Oliver Schuler wasn’t a finalist for any of the individual awards, but he finished with a basic line of .321/6 HR/64 RBI while leading the league in walks (75) and on-base (.424).

After the parade through the north and east of Havana, the Lions front office thanked Morrow & Schuler for their services and saw them off to a boat back to American soil, where they’ll no doubt be employed by ABA teams for the 1904 season.

tm1681 · 11-17-2023, 10:29 PM

OLD FACES, NEW PLACES: 1904’s NOTABLE OFFSEASON MOVES
MWBA SIGNIFICANTLY BUSIER BRINGING IN NEW PLAYERS

New York City & Chicago (4/1/1904) – Opening day for the 1904 American Baseball Association season might fall on April Fools’ Day, but the various signings and trades that happened during the 1903/04 offseason were very real. Players young and old changed teams, new contracts were signed, and thanks to the National Baseball Organization’s transfer system young talent was injected into the ABA’s two leagues. A summary of the winter’s notable moves, involving players who are all expected to have regular roles with their teams this season:

AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE

• Oct. 16th: New Jersey traded for Lake Mich. LF Thomas Buchanan (43.9 career WAR) in exchange for a top prospect
• Oct. 17th: Brooklyn signed 1B George Bixby (1903 Batting Champion) to a five-year extension ($5,100/yr)
• Oct. 21st: Brooklyn signed SP/RF Anthony Molloy (68.3 career WAR) to a four-year extension ($8,600/yr)
• Oct. 29th: Providence traded for Washington SP Ralph Easterly in exchange for a backup C and a reserve squad SP
• Nov. 2nd: Manhattan traded for Boston SP Arthur Hanks (195 career W) in exchange for a top prospect
• Nov. 23rd: Philadelphia transferred C Thomas Weems from Dubuque (PL) for $3,000
• Nov. 27th: Manhattan signed Mpls. SP Tracy Gilchrist (24-7, 3.26 ERA, 116 K) to a four-year contract ($5,375/yr)
• Nov. 28th: New York signed Boston SP Phil Koenig (20-16, 3.16 ERA, 118 K) to a four-year contract ($3,400/yr)
• Dec. 7th: Jersey City traded for Mpls. CF George Dulia (58.1 career WAR) & a reserve team P in exchange for two prospects
• Dec. 8th: New Jersey traded for Cleveland SS Levi Trainor (.260, 1 HR, 45 RBI) in exchange for a prospect
• Dec. 12th: New York transferred CF Charlie Holder (NBBO: .314, 9 HR, 72 RBI) from Baltic BBC (NYL) for $9,000
• Dec. 19th: New York traded for Boston 2B Bonaventure Martin (29.4 career WAR) in exchange for a top prospect
• Jan. 5th: Rochester traded 2B Jan Schaaphok (.255, 39 SB, 3.3 WAR) to Evansville (SEAL) for two prospects
• Jan. 22nd: Boston signed 1B Clarence Riggs (.358, .466 OBP, 7.1 oWAR) to a two-year extension ($,4,700/yr)
• Feb. 28th: Excelsior traded RF Henry North (.321, 91 RBI, 5.3 WAR) to Richmond (SEAL) for a top prospect
• Mar. 12th: Boston signed St. Louis RF Finn Kennedy (.285, 61 RBI, 28 SB) to a 1-year contract ($2,450)

MIDWESTERN BASEBALL ASSOCIATION

• Oct. 9th: Minneapolis signed 1B James Keller (.408, 11 HR, 92 RBI, BotY) to a five-year extension ($7,400/yr)
• Oct. 12th: Minneapolis signed SP Hoyt Yarborough (22-15, 3.41, 212 K) to a two-year extension ($4,500/yr)
• Oct. 13th: C’bus signed Vermont (NEBA) 1B Angus Quinn (NBBO: .394, 7 HR, 75 RBI, .488 OBP) to 5-year contract ($3,725/yr)
• Oct. 16th: Detroit signed Memphis (SEAL) 2B Robert Gibson (.325, 1 HR, 48 RBI) to a six-year contract ($3,900/yr)
• Oct. 18th: Louisville signed Toledo CF Jared Gladney (.304, 4 HR, 60 RBI) to a four-year contract ($5,025/yr)
• Oct. 19th: Lake Michigan traded for Toledo SP Fred Gorton (21.8 career WAR) in exchange for a top prospect
• Oct. 20th: Kansas City traded for Phila. RF Ira Ritter (22.3 career WAR) in exchange for a prospect
• Oct. 22nd: Indianapolis signed Cincinnati SP Franklin Harding (19-14, 2.27 ERA, 137 K) to a seven-year contract ($6,200/yr)
• Oct. 23rd: Missouri traded for Excelsior SP Frank Abernathy (18-17, 3.30 ERA, 125 K) in exchange for a top prospect
• Oct. 24th: Columbus signed Brooklyn SP George Aldrich (19-15, 3.88 ERA, 105 K) to a five-year contract ($5,625/yr)
• Oct. 25th: Columbus signed Penn. SP Redmond Krebs (247 career W, 74.2 WAR) to a five-year contract ($5,200/yr)
• Oct. 31st: Missouri signed Yonkers (NYL) 1B Carl Wells (.353 career AVG in NBBO) to a four-year contract ($3,800/yr)
• Nov. 1st: Toledo signed Columbus SP/C Gerald Pierotti (94.0 career WAR) to a four-year contract ($7,000/yr)
• Nov. 5th: Milwaukee traded for Toledo SP Elmer Brown (16-13, 3.25 ERA, 98 K) in exchange for a prospect
• Nov. 10th: Cincinnati signed Atlanta (SEAL) 2B Frank Kirkland (.326, 64 RBI, 3.7 WAR) to a seven-year contract ($3,475/yr)
• Nov. 14th: Omaha signed Washington LF Paris Glenn (38.7 career WAR) to a five-year contract ($3,950/yr)
• Nov. 21st: Columbus transferred 1B Bernard Custer (NBBO: .361, 10 HR, 89 RBI) from Houston (SL) for $10,000
• Nov 25th: Kansas City signed Ville Marie (CBL) C Fred Charron (3 straight TotY) to a five-year contract ($4,700/yr)
• Nov. 25th: Milwaukee signed Brooklyn LF Lindsey Christianson (‘00 BotY, 74.3 WAR) to a two-year contract ($8,800/yr)
• Nov. 30th: Cincinnati signed Ville Marie (CBL) SS Clay Brunt (7 straight GG, 40.4 WAR) to a six-year contract ($4,100/yr)
• Dec. 2nd: Minneapolis transferred SP Thomas Willard (NBBO: 18-7, 2.07 ERA, 8.0 WPA) from Continental (NYL) for $9,000
• Dec. 5th: Toledo transferred RF Earl Frey (NBBO: .357, 5 HR, 48 RBI) from Worcester (NEL) for $8,000
• Dec. 9th: Missouri transferred LF Patrick Simon (NBBO: .297, 42 RBI, 4.1 WAR) from South Bend (PL) for $6,000
• Dec. 9th: Toledo transferred CF George Stanton (NBBO: .323, 48 RBI, 4.2 WAR) from Olympic (NEL) for $8,000
• Dec. 12th: St. Louis signed Columbus SP Hiram Yeager (21-10, 3.66 ERA, 126 K) to a three-year contract ($4,625/yr)
• Dec. 13th: Missouri transferred 3B David Fuqua (NBBO: .310, 49 SB, 3.5 WAR) from Eckford (NYL) for $7,500
• Dec. 13th: St. Paul signed Columbus 3B Kewin Barry (.278, 6 HR, 72 RBI) to a three-year contract ($4,125/yr)
• Dec. 16th: Louisville transferred SP James Boynton (NBBO: 20-9, 2.47 ERA, 9.1 WAR) from Fall River (NEBA) for $7,500
• Dec. 19th: Chicago signed int’l 4.5-star free agent Bailey Grant to a five-year contract ($5,875/yr)
• Dec. 24th: Lake Michigan transferred RF Louis Eberhart (NBBO: .327, 82 R, 5.0 WAR) from Grand Rapids (GLBC) for $7,000
• Dec. 28th: Lake Michigan transferred LF Per Nissen (NBBO: .314, 7 HR, 66 RBI) from Camden (NEL) for $4,500
• Dec. 31st: Lake Michigan signed SP Clarence Boston (career 145-107, 48.9 WAR) to a seven-year extension ($6,350/yr)
• Jan. 2nd: Cleveland signed Missouri 1B Mark Cronan (105 RBI, ’01 BotY) to a four-year contract ($6,600/yr)
• Jan. 22nd: Cleveland signed Peoria (GLBC) SS John Wheelock (NBBO: 5x TotY, .330 AVG) to a five-year contract ($6,500/yr)
• Feb. 3rd: Louisville transferred LF Frank Hinson (4.5-star prospect) from Peoria (GLBC) for $9,000
• Feb. 22nd: Omaha signed Evansville (SEAL) 2B Andre Guillaume (.307, 6 HR, 44 RBI) to a three-year contract ($3,675/yr)
• Mar. 9th: Kansas City traded for Cleveland 3B Cyrano Kalvos (.318, 3 HR, 79 RBI) in exchange for a top prospect
• Mar. 29th: Lake Michigan transferred CF Luis Gutierrez (CNS: 52 SB, 4.4 WAR, GG) from Santiago (CNS) for $5,000

It’s obvious the MWBA was SIGNIFICANTLY busier in bringing in new talent, and it’s clear why. The three-team trio of Minneapolis, Columbus, & Missouri was so much better than the rest of the league in 1903 that the other thirteen front offices had to spend the winter catching up, or the outcomes of both leagues would practically have been decided before a ball was even thrown. Will that make the MWBA collectively better than the APBL? It'll be hard to tell, but the MWBA certainly had the more interesting offseason.

tm1681 · 11-20-2023, 06:40 PM

IS 1904 THE END OF THE BIG THREE?
EHLE, WILKERSON, & KEARNS ALL FACING DIMINISHED ROLES

Brooklyn, Milwaukee, & New York City – The first week of the professional baseball season has brought with it what appears to be the imminent end of pitching’s “Big Three” of Hans Ehle, Charles Wilkerson, & Martin Kearns.

In Milwaukee, Ehle had another fantastic season in 1903, finishing 29-9 and winning his 14th Hurler of the Year award. However, he finally showed his age (40) during Spring Training and agreed to be the #4 starter for the upcoming season.

Ehle needs just two wins to reach 600 between his time in Milwaukee and the three years he spent as a semi-pro in Columbus at the start of his career, and he’s considered likely to move the bullpen afterwards.

In New York, Wilkerson still has enough talent to be an APBL starter but the Athletics’ historic level of pitching talent – their starting rotation declared the most talented of all-time by pundits during preseason – has led to him being moved to the bullpen.

If five-star prospect Dave Penny falters, Wilkerson will move back into the rotation. However, based on Penny’s preseason form that seems unlikely.

In Brooklyn, Kearns has been moved to the Long Relief role after having a career-worst season – 13-18, 4.15 ERA, 153 K – in 1903:

His command has fallen off significantly, and it’s looking very likely that this will be Kearns’ last season in an ABA league.

If this is indeed the last year for each of the Big Three, a significant piece of the history of professional baseball in the late 19th Century will go with them. The trio entered the season with a combined record of 1,391-691, a 2.51 ERA, 12,993 Ks, and 614.8 WAR.

Add in the fact that two-way Penn Quakers legend Jurgen Schultz (429-252, 3.18 ERA, 3,222 K – 2,032 H, 734 RBI, 156.2 total WAR) wasn’t offered a contract anywhere over the winter, and 1904 could very easily be remembered as the year the greatest living legends of the mound called time on their careers.

tm1681 · 11-21-2023, 07:51 PM

MISSOURI’S HAMILTON BELTS SIX HITS AT RIVAL ST. LOUIS
MWBA’s 2ND SIX-HIT GAME THIS DECADE; TEAMMATE HOLBROOK SMACKS 5 HITS

St. Louis, MO (6/25/1904) – Missouri Bluebirds LF Matthew Hamilton had himself quite an afternoon yesterday, as the fifth-year pro blasted six hits in Missouri’s 12-3 victory at inter-city rivals the St. Louis Saints.

Hamilton’s splendid day at the plate consisted of the following:

• Top 1st: RBI Single off St. Louis SP Oliver Grayson
• Top 2nd: RBI Single off Grayson
• Top 4th: Leadoff Single off Grayson
• Top 5th: Infield Single off Grayson
• Top 8th: Infield Single off St. Louis RP Jordan Carpenter
• Top 9th: RBI Double off Carpenter
• Total: 6/6, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, 2 SB, 7 TB

It was the second six-hit game by an MWBA player so far in the 1900s, with the other coming from Indianapolis 1B Arthur Rousey on July 10th of 1902 against Detroit. Interestingly Hamilton's performance didn’t even earn him Player of the Game honors. That's because the man in front of him in the lineup, leadoff hitter Frank Holbrook, did this:

• Top 1st: Leadoff Single
• Top 2nd: RBI Triple
• Top 3rd: RBI Single
• Top 5th: RBI Groundout (6-3)
• Top 8th: Leadoff Double
• Top 9th: RBI Triple
• Total: 5/6, 1 2B, 2 3B, 4 RBI, 4 R, 1 SB, 10 TB

Holbrook’s output meant that for the first time this century two players on the same MWBA team had 5+ hits in a game. The victory moved the Bluebirds up to 2nd in the Western League, 40-33 and four games behind the Minneapolis Lakers.

tm1681 · 11-21-2023, 08:15 PM

DES MOINES STAR GREGORY BREAKS FOUR PL RECORDS IN LOSS
SETS NEW RECORDS FOR INNINGS, PITCHES, BATTERS FACED, & K’s IN A SINGLE START

Dubuque, IA (5/26/1904) – Tuesday afternoon’s Prairie League game between the Des Moines Oaks & Dubuque Explorers at Dubuque Recreation Park was a wild one. Des Moines was set for the win before the Explorers scored three times in the home half of the ninth to level the score at 6-6, and it took six more innings to find a winner:

The pitchers of record were Dubuque reliever Fred Blakely and, incredibly, Des Moines starting pitcher Marion Gregory, who set no less than four Prairie League records in defeat:

• Innings: 15.2 innings pitched in one start
• Pitches: 221 pitches thrown in one start (153 strikes, 68 balls)
• Strikeouts: 16 strikeouts in one start (12 over first 9 innings)
• Batters: 67 batters faced in one start

For much of his five-and-a-half year career with Des Moines, Gregory has been regarded as among the most durable pitchers in semi-pro ball (raw Stamina rating is 210/250) and Tuesday’s epic certainly reinforced that. However, the loss dropped the bad-luck pitcher - 20-10 (2.91 ERA, 160 Ks) & 3rd in PL Hurler of the Year voting in '03 - to 1-6 so far on the season.

tm1681 · 11-27-2023, 07:14 PM

Bad news: I've run into some issues with the save for this in-game universe that go all the way back to when I imported it from OOTP 23. I want to go to a back up, but the last time I did that I lost 25 years of leaderboard data.

So, I think I'm going to start this universe over.

The good news: I figured out a way to change the in-game database (Explore World) around via changing nations' Baseball Quality so that I can have a regional league where all the players are from the Northeast & New England while also having foreigners enter in a way that models 1800s immigration patterns.

Also, a major issue with the current in-game universe was that the older version of the game engine would create players in the 1800s such that you'd have entire leagues where about 80% of shortstops and outfielders would rate 70-80 out of 80 at their position. That meant the league leader in WAR pretty much every year was at SS or CF. Thanks to recent patches, that doesn't happen anymore and it should allow for a greater variety of star players.

Finally, I never really touched on the earliest years of baseball in this thread, which are actually some of the most interesting! I'll probably have my tm1681Universe up and going in a couple of days, and since I have all the logos and uniforms pre-made up to 1905 it should go a lot faster.

jasg224 · 11-27-2023, 10:52 PM

Tough to end this rendition of the universe in this way. I'm certain the new one will manage to be even better though! Can't wait to see the new players that will make history.

tm1681 · 11-27-2023, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasg224

Tough to end this rendition of the universe in this way. I'm certain the new one will manage to be even better though! Can't wait to see the new players that will make history.

I think it'll be a lot better. I brought over the original posts from the old thread that I started when I was still figuring things out. Remember that I started doing this to pass the time after my daughter was born via a C-Section that became infected and the baby spat up every other feeding, so I was doing triple duty after being laid off weeks into the pandemic.

One thing I might do is bring over some of the legendary players from this game and put them in the new one the same year that the game originally created them. That should be easy to do because I have their initial ratings thanks to the yearly almanacs. I also have a TB of cloud storage now, so backups are a lot easier to keep track of.

Thanks for the support.

BaseballReplayJournal · 12-04-2023, 02:56 PM

Quote:

I figured out a way to change the in-game database (Explore World) around via changing nations' Baseball Quality so that I can have a regional league where all the players are from the Northeast & New England while also having foreigners enter in a way that models 1800s immigration patterns.

This is really cool - any details on what you figured out?

11-13-2023, 09:28 PM	#121
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,080	JAMES KELLER HITS .400 IN 1ST MWBA SEASON! 1ST MWBA .400 HITTER SINCE 1898; WON 2ND STRAIGHT BotY IN ABA LEAGUE After winning the APBL Batsman of the Year and nearly taking the league’s Triple Crown in 1902, James Keller was shockingly traded to the Minneapolis Lakers in the MWBA for five-star pitching prospect Levi Butcher just weeks later. Keller underwent a massive improvement from his first season with the Massachusetts Bay Pilgrims in 1901 to his award-winning 1902 season, so there was some argument that he might take some time to adjust to his new league. Did it take time for Keller to adjust? About a month. After hitting .281 (16/57) in April Keller put up an absurd .427 Batting Average (156/365) over the rest of the 1903 season to become the first MWBA player since Milwaukee’s Thierry Moreau in 1898 to hit .400. Keller’s 1903 stat line: • 458 PA, .408/.439/.578, 1.017 OPS, 77 R, 172 H, 33 2B, 3 3B, 11 HR, 92 RBI, 23 BB/16 K, 1 SB, 5.7 WPA, 5.9 oWAR, 5.3 WAR If Keller’s Plate Appearance amount looks a bit low, that’s because he was part of a first-of-its-kind player rotation undertaken by Minneapolis manager George Gorecki. After trading for Keller, it meant four-star first baseman Harold O’Mara was out of a spot in the regular lineup. O’Mara could play third base just as easily as first but moving him there would force four-star third baseman, and four-time Team of the Year member, Cleveland DeVoe out of his regular spot in the lineup. However, DeVoe was a true corner utility man who could play first, third, left field, and right field comfortably, ranking about 55/80 at first & third and 60/80 at left & right. Gorecki took DeVoe out of his regular spot, but instead started him for 20-25 games at each of his four positions so he could play as often as a regular, with the regulars in those positions – Keller (1B), O’Mara (3B), Franklin Etheridge (LF), and Elton Crosby (RF) – each starting 100-110 games. The results speak for themselves. Minneapolis went 92-40 to have the best record of any ABA team, and they led the MWBA in the following offensive categories: • Runs: 796 (6.03 R/G; 1st by 49) • Batting Average: .318 (1st by 10 points) • On-Base Pct: .378 (1st by 8 points) • Slugging Pct: .420 (1st by 13 points) • On-Base + Slg: .798 (1st by 30 points) • Home Runs: 52 (1st by 5) • Strikeouts: 441 (3.34 K/G; lowest by 20) • Win Prob. Added: 26.8 (1st by 8.6) • Batting WAR: 35.7 (1st by 3.7) They went on to take the Lincoln Memorial Cup in six games over Columbus and finished the season with another six-game triumph over the Manhattan Knickerbockers in the third edition of the President’s Cup. If there is to be one dark cloud to Keller’s season it’s in the unique player rotation system that he was a part of. While it could be argued that the periodic games Keller spent on the bench kept him fresh enough to hit .408, the same system likely kept him from winning the MWBA Triple Crown. As things were, Keller hit .408 with 11 Home Runs and 92 RBI in 110 games. Columbus’ Ewan King led the MWBA with 12 home runs, and Missouri’s Mark Cronan led the league in RBI with 105. Extrapolating Keller’s HR & RBI rate out to a full 132 games – he wasn’t injured in 1903 – would have him with a .408 Average, 13 Home Runs, and 110 RBI, enough to overtake the leaders in the other two main batting categories, who were out for a handful of games at most. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-14-2023 at 05:04 AM.

11-13-2023, 09:36 PM	#122
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,080	MALCOLM MORRISON WINS SEAL TRIPLE CROWN EVANSVILLE 1B’s ACHIEVEMENT IS 1ST FOR SEAL BATTERS Evansville, IN (9/6/1903) – Macolm Morrison made Southeastern & Atlantic League history today, as the Evansville Angels’ third-year infielder became the first batter in SEAL history to win the Triple Crown, something that three pitchers have previously done. Morrison’s .395 average won the SEAL batting title by nearly 25 points, while he tied with Richmond’s Isaiah Grier for the home run lead with 9 and topped the RBI charts by a handful, with his total of 108 making him the best of three players in triple digits. Morrison’s 1903 stat line: • 497 PA, .395/.471/.545, 1.016 OPS, 78 R, 171 H, 30 2B, 4 3B, 9 HR, 108 RBI, 56 BB/53 K, 5.9 WPA, 6.3 oWAR, 5.6 WAR The Triple Crown marks the end of the three seasons of rapid improvement for the first baseman, who entered the SEAL as a good young hitter and has since become a great one: Morrison is up for arbitration during the SEAL’s Autumn Meetings, and the Evansville front office better be ready to give him a hefty raise from his $3,200 salary or he’ll likely be gone after the end of the 1904 season. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-14-2023 at 05:05 AM.

11-13-2023, 09:42 PM	#123
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,080	EVERYTHING’S COMING UP SALTHOUSE IN IRELAND! 1ST-YEAR HURLER WINS AIBC HotY; WAS WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE OF TRIPLE CROWN Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, Ireland – While the Westmeath Lake Men were unable to win the Connacht Baseball Championship (finished 3rd) and advance to the All-Ireland Baseball Championship playoffs, they still had something from 1903 to hang their hats on: the accomplishments of first-year pitcher Lysagh Salthouse. Ratings are based on comparison to APBL players. The 27-year-old Salthouse, who works in a smokehouse curing meats thanks to a bit of Nominative Determinism, showed up to the amateur club’s tryouts this spring and impressed to the point where he was named their #1 starting pitcher for the upcoming AIBC season. Salthouse did much more than simply repay the Westmeath club’s faith in him as he was clearly the best pitcher in the amateur Irish league for the 1903 season, overtaking long-established names like late-season giant Gavin Martin and strikeout king Keehan O’Sullivan. Just how good was Salthouse’s debut season? Here are the numbers: • 37 G, 275.0 IP, 23-7, 1.73 ERA, 24 CG, 5 SHO, 71 BB, 174 K, 1.13 WHIP, 5.7 K/9, 6.6 WPA, 7.5 WAR, 9.7 R9-WAR Salthouse didn’t lead the league in ERA or strikeouts, but he finished second in both. He was 15 points of ERA behind league leader Maurice Green (1.58), who only pitched 119 innings, and he was 7 Ks off O’Sullivan (181), who’s now led Ireland in strikeouts three years in a row. The rewards given to Salthouse for his performance: He was named AIBC Hurler of the Year and Newcomer of the Year for the 1903 season, with the NotY coming via unanimous vote. So here’s to Lysagh “The Meat Man” Salthouse: Ireland’s best pitcher in 1903! __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-14-2023 at 05:06 AM.

11-15-2023, 07:20 PM	#124
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,080	APBL 1903: THE KNICKS TAKE OUT PROVIDENCE AGAIN HISTORIC SIX-WAY RACE FOR BATTING TITLE; BORDEN WINS UNANIMOUS MVP Pundit predictions for the 1903 APBL season had two clear favorites, and they were last season’s Adams Trophy finalists: the Providence Saints & Manhattan Knickerbockers. The “experts” had Providence down for about 80 wins and the Colonial pennant by roughly a week’s worth of games, while the Knicks were expected to win 85 games and take the Metropolitan by about ten. There was parity anticipated in the rest of the league, with most other teams winning 45-55% of their games and Jersey City being the rock-solid caboose since they can never seem to put together a competitive squad. How did the regular season play out? Well…almost exactly as expected: Providence won the Colonial Conference by eight games but were a bit off their win prediction at 75-52. Manhattan had almost the exact record they were predicted to finish with and won the Metropolitan by the ten games they were expected to win it by. Instead of all the other teams outside of Jersey City winning 45-55% of their games, they all basically won 40-60% of them, which was the most team-by-team parity the league has had in the sixteen-team era. The Colonial Conference pennant race looked like it was completely up for grabs with six weeks left in the season as Providence & Buffalo were tied at 50-43, with Baltimore two games behind, Boston three behind, and the rapidly improving young Pittsburgh team five games behind. However, Providence did what they usually do late in the season: by mid-August they were five games up on Buffalo & Baltimore and that was the end of anyone else thinking they’d beat the Saints. Halfway through the Metropolitan Conference season, Manhattan and the New York Athletics were both 41-25, with three teams – Excelsior, Brooklyn, & Pennsylvania – all four games back. However, over the second half of the season the Knicks blew the rest of the conference away with a 46-20 record and nobody else stood a chance against a team that ended 1903 with the best record in the APBL by a full ten games. Why such a great second half for the Knicks? Their talented attack found a higher gear, and they ended up leading the league in Runs (729) by 60, Extra-base Hits (393), Walks (573) by more than 40, Stolen Bases (274), OPS (.760), Win Probability Added (15.78), and Batting WAR (31.1). Such offensive excellence was incredible given that the famously intimidating Elysian Fields the Knicks call home is a renowned pitcher’s park (AVG FACTOR: .909, FENCES: 380-438-490-517-479-432-376’). Adding that to their talented trio of mid-20s starting pitchers made the team functionally unstoppable. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That meant for the second year in a row Providence & Manhattan would compete for the Doc Adams Trophy and the chance to play in the President’s Cup. This time around Charley Rankin was healthy, although he’d just finished his worst season from the batter’s box since 1891. Of course, by “worst” that meant he “only” had a Batting Average of .300, an OPS of .828, and a WAR of 6.2 while winning another Golden Glove and being named to yet another Team of the Year. Unlike last year where Rankin’s absence tilted the series irreversibly in Manhattan’s favor, this time around the Knicks were simply too good. After Providence took a 2-1 series lead at home, the Knicks throttled the Saints in Providence in games 4 & 5 before clinching the series in dramatic fashion at home in Game Six. Game One nearly saw history, as Providence won 3-0 and ace Chuck Carlyle would’ve thrown the APBL final series’ first no-hitter were it not for a solitary single by Leonard Cochran in the bottom of the 5th. Game Two was a tight one, all even at 2-2 until the Knicks scored five times in the bottom of the 8th to even the series. Providence retook the series lead in Game Three thanks to some decent hitting and excellent pitching by Frank Barber, but Manhattan made it 2-2 in the next afternoon’s Game Four with an 11-run outburst made possible by Shaun Scott’s five hits and four RBI. Carlyle, so dominant in Game One, set a series record by allowing all 11 runs in defeat. The Knicks cruised to a 9-0 win in Game Five to finally go ahead in the series, with Scott bagging three more hits and three more RBI. Game Six was a special one, as it saw both pitchers go the distance even though the contest went 11 innings. Providence starter Barber threw 167 pitches, and Manhattan starter George Bullock threw just 158. With two outs and Christopher McGowan on third, Knicks catcher Charles Crawley singled on a 2-1 count to drive in McGowan and keep the Doc Adams Trophy in Manhattan. Shaun Scott was voted Doc Adams Trophy Series MVP. Thanks to his outbursts in games 4 & 5, Scott finished the series hitting .522 (12/23) with two doubles, a triple, seven RBI, four runs scored, and five walks. Homer Wyatt, who was 2-0 with two Complete Game wins and a 1.50 ERA while walking nobody and striking out ten, would have also been a very worthy MVP. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pittsburgh, as expected, was the most improved team in the league, going from 44 to 61 wins. That still put them under .500, but they were 36-96 just two seasons ago. Prized signing Willie Munoz lost 22 games, but much of that was bad luck and his overall performance had him as an above-average pitcher in his first season. Fellow signee Onofrio Barberini was even better, going 19-17 with a 2.90 ERA and 6.5 WAR. Severin van der Kooi ended up just as good as advertised in his maiden season as Pittsburgh’s right fielder (.278, 5 HR, 58 RBI, 42 SB, 4.0 WAR). Finally, Milton Royce won 20 games in his sophomore season (20-17, 3.19 ERA, 178 K) while eventually settling in as the team’s first baseman when he wasn’t pitching. Buffalo, even alongside Providence with that 50-43 mark in mid-July, crashed to a 12-27 finish and ended with a 62-70 record. This was the second year in a row their performance hit a brick wall during the latter stages of the Colonial Conference pennant race. It initially looked like the Blues front office had done a good job replacing Charles Wilkerson & Edward Millard by going to more of a “Starting Rotation by Committee” approach, but their group of pitchers absolutely faltered in the stretch run. Massachusetts Bay’s daring trade of James Keller to Minneapolis ended up being a mixed bag, as they were two games worse than last year (60-72 vs 62-70). On the face of it, the Pilgrims accomplished the stated goals of their trade as the pitching staff improved from last in the APBL in Runs Allowed to 10th, and they shot up to 4th in Pitching WAR. Also, Clarence Riggs seamlessly slid over to first base, finishing the season hitting .358 with a .466 On-base Percentage and 7.2 Offensive WAR. New catcher Mark Powell (.308, 8 HR, 96 RBI) was an immediate star, and the signings of Alvin Kozlowski (17-17, 2.90 ERA, 148 K) & Gianluca Cicarelli (11-12, 3.34 ERA, 88 K) gave George Roundtree the help he needed in the pitching rotation. While the other half of the trade, Levi Butcher, didn’t make the MB rotation, he did look good in their reserve team and will likely start for them in 1904. For some reason, the improved parts just didn’t add up to better results on the field. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The most exciting individual action in the 1903 APBL season was easily the race for the batting title, which was the closest it’s ever been. By the end of the season no less than half a dozen players held the lead at various times, and they all finished within ten points of each other: • 1st Place: George Bixby (1B, BRK) - .379 • 2nd Place: Gilles Joubert (1B, BOS) - .378 • 3rd Place: Alan Gelmetti (RF, KNI) - .371 • 4th Place: Harold Borden (2B, BAL) - .370 • 5th Place: Avery White (1B, NYA) - .3699 • 6th Place: Shaun Scott (1B, KNI) - .3697 Two of the six players involved in that most fantastic of batting title chases won major awards. Alan Gelmetti entered 1903 having had a legendary start to his career. Over his first four APBL seasons he’d won a Newcomer of the Year award, been named to three editions of the Team of the Year, had a minimum Average & OPS of .328 & .922 respectively, and his lowest WAR in a season was 6.6. He reached a higher level in 1903, leading the league in On-base Percentage (.482) while being the only APBL player to post an OPS over a thousand at 1.015. He also walked 100 times, stole 50 bases, drove in 91 runs, scored 112 of his own, and put up a Win Probability Added of 6.3 with an Offensive WAR of 8.2. Those numbers earned him Batsman of the Year over Joubert and Borden. Harold Borden didn’t win Batsman of the Year but he didn’t exit 1903 empty-handed. The second baseman, in his first year with the Baltimore Blue Crabs after four very successful years with Detroit in the MWBA, led the league in Hits (214) and stole 58 bases to go with his .371 Batting Average. He was also easily the best-fielding second baseman in the APBL, posting a +21.7 Zone Rating and winning a Golden Glove. On top of that, he led the APBL in both Win Probability Added (6.6) and Batter WAR (9.6) in a feat reminiscent of Charley Rankin, which made him the unanimous choice for Most Valuable Player. Hurler of the Year award was a tough decision. On one hand: long-time Providence ace Charles Carlyle, who went 26-12 with a league-best 2.32 ERA and ten Shutouts, pitching like this might finally be the year he wins HotY. On the other hand: Homer Wyatt of the Knicks, who won a league-high 28 games (9 losses) with a 2.73 ERA and a league-best 8.3 WAR. In the end, what separated the two was that while Carlyle started the season red-hot – 13-2 over April & May with a sub-2 ERA – Wyatt ended the season red-hot – 15-4, 65 K/24 BB, 3.8 WAR over July/Aug/Sept. In the voters’ minds, that put Wyatt over the top even if Carlyle was the sentimental favorite. There was a historic crop of rookies in the APBL in 1903: • Bingham Brinkman (P, PENN) – 20-17, 2.89 ERA, 178 K, 3 SHO, 7.9 WAR, 9.2 R9-WAR • James Broadbent (CF, NJ) - .297, 1 HR, 76 RBI, 33 SB, 1.4 WPA, 2.7 WAR • Bob Burger (CF, BRK) - .284 AVG, 2 HR, 49 RBI, 61 SB, 3.1 WPA, 4.9 WAR • Max Byram (C, NJ) - .320, 5 HR, 58 RBI, 0 SB, 2.2 WPA, 3.9 WAR • Gianluca Cicarelli (P, MB) – 11-12, 3.34 ERA, 88 K, 2 SHO, 4.2 WAR, 3.4 R9-WAR • Leonard Cochran (LF, KNI) - .255, 2 HR, 87 RBI, 18 SB, 0.8 WPA, 3.3 WAR • Otto Coggins (P, PHI) – 15-14, 2.94 ERA, 118 K, 2 SHO, 3.8 WAR, 6.1 R9-WAR • Brandon Draper (RF, PENN) - .290, 11 HR, 58 RBI, 37 SB, 3.6 WPA, 3.4 WAR • Michael Horak (LF/1B, PHI) - .253, 2 HR, 47 RBI, 84 SB, 1.1 WPA, 2.7 WAR • Willie Munoz (P, PITT) – 12-22, 3.35 ERA, 197 K, 3 SHO, 4.5 WAR, 4.5 R9-WAR • Jesus Robles (C/1B, JC) - .321, 2 HR, 57 RBI, 2 SB, 3.2 WPA, 3.0 WAR • Charles Still (CF, PRO) - .242, 2 HR, 43 RBI, 25 SB, 0.4 WPA, 1.2 WAR • Severin van der Kooi (RF, PITT) - .278, 5 HR, 58 RBI, 42 SB, 2.9 WPA, 4.0 WAR How in the world was one supposed to pick a Newcomer of the Year from that Baker’s Dozen? Actually, it was pretty easy once Bingham Brinkman received a closer inspection. The 22-year-old Brinkman, transferred from the Vermont Green Stockings for $6,500 last autumn, was one of a dozen APBL pitchers to win 20 games, and the only rookie to do so. He was 5th in ERA, 3rd in Strikeouts, 2nd in WAR, 5th in Innings Pitched (326.2), and 7th in WHIP (1.25). That meant he was more than just a solid regular like the others on the above list. Brinkman was one of the best pitchers in the APBL, and thus an extremely deserving Newcomer of the Year. Bob Burger finished in second place, and Severin van der Kooi finished in third. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-15-2023 at 07:21 PM.

11-15-2023, 07:44 PM	#125
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,080	MWBA 1903: MINNEAPOLIS’ MIGHT BESTS COLUMBUS’ CRAFTINESS KELLER HITS .400; EHLE HotY YET AGAIN; KLOCKOW STEALS 100 When it came time for Midwestern baseball’s chattering class to predict what would happen during the 1903 MWBA season, they expected familiar faces at the top of both leagues. In the Eastern League, the Milwaukee Bavarians were picked to win 75-80 times and get the best of Columbus & Indianapolis by a handful of games each. Toledo was expected to finish in 4th as the MWBA’s most improved team, with a predicted 20-win jump from 1902. In the Western League the Minneapolis Lakers were the declared favorites, but a nail-biter of a pennant race was not anticipated this time around. The Lakers were expected to win 75-80 times, like Columbus, and to best Chicago, Kansas City, Lake Michigan, Missouri, & St. Paul all by 7-10 games. Unlike the APBL, the final MWBA standings weren’t a tight fit to the preseason predictions: In the Eastern League, Milwaukee failed to live up to expectations and spent almost the rest of the season after May 1st 7-10 games out of the top spot in the standings. Hans Ehle was again the best pitcher in the league, but the other members of the pitching staff faltered significantly and the Bavarians ended up 14th/16 in Runs Allowed. That left the Eastern pennant open for the taking, and the Columbus Capitols grabbed it with both hands. After much of the East hovered around .500 during April, Columbus took over first place on May 3rd and never relinquished it, winning the Eastern League by a record 19 games over Milwaukee, with Cincinnati 22 games back in 3rd place. The Western League, as predicted, belonged to the Minneapolis Lakers. After some early back-and-forth with division rivals Missouri, the Lakers exited May with a half-game lead and grew it steadily from there even though the Bluebirds were playing excellent baseball themselves. The Lakers finished with the best record of any team in the ABA (92-40) thanks to historically great offense combined with solid pitching. The five-team pileup behind Minneapolis never materialized, as third-place Lake Michigan finished under .500 and no less than 27 games out of first place. How dominant were the Lakers? Their Run Differential was +259 (796 Runs, 537 Runs Allowed), which translates to them being 1.96 runs per game better than the opposition. They led the league in Runs, Batting Average, On-Base Percentage, Slugging Percentage, OPS, Home Runs, WPA, and WAR, and on top of that their batters struck out less than those of any other MWBA team. One bright spot to the overall standings: every team won at least 40% of their games, which was a first in the 32-season history of the MWBA. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The final regular season standings meant there was a newcomer to the Lincoln Memorial Cup series, as Columbus had not only never been there before but had never won the GLBC title before joining the MWBA with Toledo in 1898. On the other side was Minneapolis, now taking part in their third LMC series in four years. The matchup looked great on paper – Minneapolis’ league-best offense against Columbus’ pitching and speed – and for most of the series it was. The two teams were tied 2-2 after four games, and only a run in the top of the ninth in Columbus put the Lakers up 3-2. However, in Game Six the Lakers’ championship experience took over as a big rally during the middle innings meant they would clinch the cup at home. Game One in Minneapolis was a deserved Columbus win, as the visitors scored three times each in the 3rd, 5th, & 7th to win 9-5, with 41-year-old Kiefer Hyneman (.246 AVG, .662 OPS, 41 RBI during season) playing the surprise hero by going 3/4 with a pair of RBI. Game Two saw Minneapolis even the series with a 6-4 victory thanks to James Keller’s two-run homer in the bottom of the 7th. Game Three in Columbus was a 5-3 Lakers victory – Minneapolis winning it thanks to a two-run double in the top of the 11th by shortstop Harold Robinson and an extra-inning Complete Game from Abraham Stringer. Game Four saw Columbus even the series as the elder statesman Hyneman again went 3/4 with two RBI and Frank Horton pitched a Complete Game while striking out seven. Game Five was tense, as the teams spent the first five innings canceling out each other’s scoring before the Lakers’ Franklin Etheridge hit an RBI single in the top of the 9th to cap off a 3/5 night with three RBI. Game Six was all Minneapolis. It was 5-0 by the end of the 4th, 8-0 by the end of the 5th, and after that it was just a matter of finishing up the game and getting to the celebrations. The deciding moment was the deadly bottom of the 4th by the Lakers, in which Keller hit a two-run homer and Robinson came up two batters later to hit a two-run homer of his own. Two home runs in an inning in 1903 is extraordinarily rare, and such a feat demoralized the Columbus squad. Capitols pitcher Theo Hennessey was truly rattled, and after he allowed a two-run triple the next inning there was no coming back. The Most Valuable Player of the LMC series was James Keller of Minneapolis - no debate needed. He was 12/23 (.522) from the plate, with a pair of doubles & home runs, seven RBI, eight runs, and twenty total bases. He'd managed to follow up his .400 season by hitting ever better when the cup was on the line. In a losing effort, Columbus CF Petter Lund was 10/27 (.370) with three doubles, a homer, three RBI, seven runs, and seven steals. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Columbus Capitols were nearly fifteen games better than predicted because numerous players stepped up over the course of the season. Aside from Petter Lund (7.6 WAR) being his usually brilliant self, Gerald Pierotti (.310, 5 HR, 80 RBI) had his best season with the bat as a Columbus player, new signing Benjamin Link (.353, 4 HR, 101 RBI, 60 SB) had his best season since 1900, Ewan King (.331, 12 HR, 91 RBI) led the league in homers and had the best of his fourteen seasons as an ABA player, and 38-year-old Kerwin Barry (.278, 6 HR, 72 RBI) turned back the clock to have his best season as a regular third baseman since 1896. Pitcher Frank Horton went 24-8 and led the league with a 2.46 ERA, and fellow starter Hiram Yeager (21-10, 3.66 ERA) won 20 games for the first time in his career. The Indianapolis Indians were the league’s most disappointing team. Originally projected to be in contention for the Eastern League pennant, they fell well short of expectations and finished in 6th place with a 61-71 record. It was Indianapolis’ first under-500 season since 1889, before the MWBA expanded from ten teams to fourteen and adopted its two-league format. The main reason for their struggles was their pitching staff, which was among the worst in the MWBA. Expected ace Alfredo Miramontez – 22-15 with Rochester in ’02 – missed half the season with a knee injury and went 6-9 over 140 innings. Claude Jachem, the team’s #1 for the previous eleven seasons, saw a serious fall-off in his ability and went 7-12 with a 4.81 ERA. Also, ’02 Newcomer of the Year Aldous Clifford saw his ERA climb by more than a run (3.03 to 4.19) and his record go from 22-13 to 13-19. When compared to preseason W/L predictions, it was actually the Chicago Griffons who were the biggest disappointment in the MWBA. The final preseason poll had them going 69-63 and finishing 3rd in the West, but instead they were 55-77 and finished just a pair of games above Omaha for last place. Like their neighbors to the east in Indiana, Chicago’s offense wasn’t a problem but their pitching most definitely was. New signing Henry Danforth (18-18, 2.96 ERA), in from Minneapolis, was a bright spot, but outside of him their pitchers were just as bad Indianapolis’. #2 starter Thomas Call was 13-21 with career highs in ERA (3.99) and WHIP (1.50) in his first Indians season after three years in Baltimore. #3 starter Dave Coombs had a 4.75 ERA and lost 18 games. Four different pitchers occupied the #4 spot in the rotation at times, but none of them were any good. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James Keller joined the Minneapolis Lakers as part of the most controversial trade of the ’02-03 offseason. The defending APBL Batsman of the Year stepped into the Lakers lineup at first base and proceeded to hit .408, becoming the first MWBA player in five years to break the .400 mark. He also led the league with a .578 Slugging Percentage and 1.017 OPS while finishing near the top in Home Runs with 11 (2nd) and RBI with 92 (6th). The numbers left little doubt as to who the Batsman of the Year would be: Keller, who won his second in a row. Knud van Steen (.383, 1 HR, 97 RBI, 60 SB) of Missouri and Van Kingsbury (.369, 11 HR, 95 RBI, 35 SB) of St. Louis were 2nd and 3rd in the voting, but neither came close. Hans Ehle did something 1903 that he’d never done before: finish the year with an ERA above 3 (3.30), with his previous high being a 2.74 in 1901. In spite of signs that the 39-year-old’s legendary skills might finally be on the wane, he wasn’t stopped from going 29-9 while also leading the league in Innings Pitched, Complete Games, K/BB Ratio, WPA, and WAR. His 8.9 WAR was a career low, but it was still the 19th season in a row he led the MWBA in Pitching WAR. What it all meant was that Ehle earned Hurler of the Year award number fourteen and Team of the Year nomination number seventeen. Frank Horton (24-8, 2.46 ERA) of Columbus and Jordan Brunet (25-6, 2.99 ERA) of Minneapolis finished 2nd and 3rd, but just like the BotY voting the choice for first place was merely a formality. Knud van Steen of the Missouri Bluebirds established himself as a quality regular in winning Newcomer of the Year as a 20-year-old in 1898. After three more years of solid play at second base & shortstop, van Steen’s performance took a step up as he was named to his first Team of the Year in 1902 thanks to a .369 average, league-leading 208 hits, and 5.7 WAR. His game took a further leap in 1903, as van Steen’s .383 average was second only to Keller’s, and he posted career highs with 210 hits (led MWBA for 3rd straight year), .924 OPS, 7.7 WAR (led MWBA), and 97 RBI to go with 107 runs and 60 stolen bases. If it hadn’t been for Keller then van Steen would’ve likely been BotY. Instead, he took a nice consolation prize: Most Valuable Player. There were some good first-year players in the MWBA in 1903, but nowhere near the legendary crop that showed up in the APBL. In the end, the MWBA’s Newcomer of the Year was a curious one: 31-year-old Missouri center fielder Frank Holbrook, who took a long route to the highest levels of baseball. Holbrook signed with the Vermont Green Stockings in the NEBA out of high school in mid-1891 and remained there until the end of 1902, even though he was easily the league’s most talented player. Holbrook was so good in Vermont that in 1900 he put up an NEBA record 9.3 WAR in 111 games (13.6 WAR/162) while winning Batsman of the Year, Most Valuable Player, a Golden Glove (CF), and Ben Franklin Cup MVP. Why stay for so long? Simple: he was making $3,500 a year – the amount a good APBL/MWBA player typically receives and more than double the typical NEBA star – playing for a small team that received plenty of outside funding. However, after winning his sixth NEBA title in a row in 1902 Holbrook decided that maybe it was time for a new challenge, and when the Missouri front office telegrammed in a five-year contract offer at slightly more than his current salary Holbrook said yes and moved to St. Louis. Holbrook’s first year with Missouri was a very productive one, as he led the MWBA in Plate Appearances (642), At Bats (588), and Runs Scored (120) while putting up a basic line of a .315 AVG, 5 HR, & 70 RBI to go with 51 stolen bases. He was also an above-average center fielder and finished the season with 5.8 WAR, good for 9th in the league. One notable achievement from someone who didn’t win a major award was the prolific thievery of Cleveland outfielder Russell Klockow. Klockow led the league with 104 Stolen Bases, the third time in four years he’s passed the 100 mark and also the third time in four years he’s led the league. Klockow, who debuted with Davenport in the PL in 1895 as a 19-year-old and stole 71 bases in just 83 games (139 SB/162), has now spent six seasons in the MWBA. Over those six seasons he’s stolen 671 bases, with his career low of merely 87 coming in 1898. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-15-2023 at 07:49 PM.

11-15-2023, 07:58 PM	#126
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,080	PRESIDENT’S CUP III: A BATTLE OF TWO OFFENSIVE JUGGERNAUTS BOTH KNICKS & MPLS LED THEIR LEAGUES IN NUMEROUS OFFENSIVE CATEGORIES The third edition of the President’s Cup was a battle between repeat APBL champions the Manhattan Knickerbockers and MWBA champions the Minneapolis Lakers. Unlike the previous two series, the matchup in this one wouldn’t involve a contrast in styles since both teams made it to the PC through historically dominant offense and pitching that was good enough to make them untouchable. Manhattan was led by APBL Batsman of the Year Alan Gelmetti (.371, 2 HR, 91 RBI, 7.6 WAR) and buttressed by several other offensive stars: 1B Shaun Scott (.370, 3 HR, 100 RBI, 6.8 WAR), CF Thomas Ervin (.278, 5 HR, 56 RBI, 7.6 WAR), LF Leonard Cochran (.255, 2 HR, 87 RBI, 3.3 WAR), and 3B Brogan Williams (.281, 1 HR, 57 RBI, 3.2 WAR, 8x champ w/ Providence). They led the APBL in Runs (668), Doubles (264), Triples (104), Walks (573), Stolen Bases (274), On-Base % (.362), Slugging % (.398), OPS (.760), WPA (15.78), and WAR (31.1). Minneapolis’ attack was led by MWBA Batsman of the Year James Keller (.408, 11 HR, 62 RBI, 5.3 WAR), and like Gelmetti he was supported by a number of offensive stalwarts: 2B Smithwick Fisher (.364, 0 HR, 75 RBI, 6.1 WAR), RF Elton Crosby (.356, 2 HR, 85 RBI, 5.0 WAR), LF Franklin Etheridge (.317, 11 HR, 60 RBI, 3.6 WAR), 3B Harold O’Mara (.339, 5 HR, 63 RBI, 2.4 WAR), UT Cleveland DeVoe (.325, 4 HR, 67 RBI, 3.2 WAR), and C Charles Swan (.284, 8 HR, 83 RBI, 2.4 WAR). They led the MWBA in Runs (796), Average (.318), Home Runs (52), Strikeouts (441), On-Base % (.378), Slugging % (.420), OPS (.798), WPA (26.81), and WAR (35.7). While it was true that Manhattan could boast of the APBL’s Hurler of the Year in Homer Wyatt (28-9, 2.73 ERA, 141 K, 8.3 WAR) and Minneapolis’ Jordan Brunet (25-6, 2.99 ERA, 114 K, 4.3 WAR) finished 3rd for MWBA HotY, both teams were driven by attacks that bordered on unstoppable. So, how did the series turn out? It wasn’t the seven-game slugfest everyone was hoping for, but it was an entertaining series that Minneapolis took in six to gave the MWBA its first President’s Cup victors. Game One in Minneapolis was over shortly after it started. Manhattan’s Thomas Ervin started the game with a triple, and from there the Knicks hammered Abraham Stringer for five runs before the top of the first was over. Those five runs were more than enough for the Knicks, who got a complete game from Homer Wyatt and 3/5 with two RBI from both Leonard Cochran & Shaun Scott. Game Two was an easy Minneapolis home win, as Hoyt Yarborough held the Knicks to three hits and went 3/4 from the plate with a pair of RBI and two runs to help his own cause. Game Three in Manhattan was controlled by the Knicks in the early innings – they were up 3-1 after three. However, the Lakers were ahead 6-4 by the end of the sixth and only lengthened the lead from there. They were led by Smithwick Fisher’s 4/5 with three steals and two runs, while Harold Robinson hit 2/4 with three RBI. Game Four saw Manhattan even the series thanks to another solid performance from Homer Wyatt (CG, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K). There wasn’t much offense in this one but the Knicks’ batting hero was SS Essie Alblas, who was 3/4 with three doubles. The all-important Game Five in Manhattan was in the Lakers' control from the second inning onward. In the top of the second CF George Dulia hit an RBI double to put the Lakers up 1-0, and Minneapolis was ahead the rest of the way thanks to Hoyt Yarborough keeping the Knicks attack in check once again. Smithwick Fisher, who was brilliant over the entire series, was 3/5 with a pair of doubles, two runs, and an RBI. Game Six was back in Minneapolis, and it ended up being a surprising pitcher’s duel between Manhattan’s George Bullock and Minneapolis’ Jordan Brunet. Aside from two Laker runs in the bottom of the sixth that came via singles by Harold O’Mara and George Dulia there was no other scoring. Brunet pitched a three-hit shutout, and the Lakers lifted the cup in front of well over 15,000 raucous fans. The Lakers had two pitchers finish 2-0 in the series. One was ace Jordan Brunet, who threw two Complete Games with a 1.50 ERA, five walks, and seven strikeouts along with that Game Six masterpiece. The other was Hoyt Yarborough, who threw two Complete Games of his own with a 1.00 ERA, nine walks, and ten Ks. However, the Most Valuable Player award went to Laker second baseman Smithwick Fisher, and it was easy to see why: • 6 G – 11/28 (.407), .963 OPS, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 7 R, 6 SB, 15 TB Fisher was far and away the best hitter in the President’s Cup, and he walked away with a most deserved MVP trophy. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-16-2023 at 01:06 AM.

11-16-2023, 09:26 PM	#127
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,080	NBBO 1903: SotO HAS HISTORIC SEASON BUT ALBANY LIFTS THE CUP WALLERSTEIN LEADS NBBO IN AVG & OPS; GARDNER WINS 8th HotY The 1903 National Baseball Organization season didn’t see any changes off the field. All six member leagues stayed the same size and played the same number of games that they did in 1902. However, on the field there were changes. There were some surprise award winners. There were some extraordinary newcomers. Old champions returned in three NBBO leagues, new champions emerged in two more, only one team repeated as their league’s title holders, and Vermont was knocked off the throne in New England. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The New York League saw the return of one of its oldest champions to the top of the pack in 1903. The Manhattan Orangemen won the New York Finals for the first time since the league’s second year (1891) while winning the New York City Championship for the sixteenth time going back to the single-competition days of the NBBO that began in 1857. Manhattan’s road to the NY title was a challenging one. It took a victory on the final day of the season to beat the Yonkers Hilltoppers by a single game for the NYC Championship, and the two teams had been tied atop the standings for three games before that. They would go on to play Atlantic BBC, winners of the Brooklyn Championship by five games, for New York bragging rights. It was a quick series, as the Orangemen won it in a sweep by scores of 6-2, 2-0, and 8-0, with their pitchers striking out 23 Atlantic batters in the process. The main driver of the Orangemen’s 1903 success was Batsman of the Year Henry McDaniels, who led the league with 173 hits, a .377 average, and a .918 OPS alongside 4 homers and 75 RBI. Hurler of the Year was Oliver Bennett, back with Bedford BBC for another full season after failing to make Providence’s APBL roster in 1902. He was 20-10 with a 2.84 ERA, leading the league in wins, strikeouts (182), and WAR (7.3). Continental BBC’s Thomas Willard was an extremely rare case of a pitcher who was not the Hurler of the Year winning the Most Valuable Player award. Willard was 18-7 with a 2.07 ERA and 154 Ks, and his 8.0 WPA was more than any other player in the league while his Continental team finished barely above .500. The above taken into account, the most exciting player in the league was Newcomer of the Year Eugenio Lupino of Yonkers. The 27-year-old Italian was playing amateur baseball in the New York metro area when their front office signed him last October. For his debut season, Lupino hit .320 with 3 home runs & 76 RBI, led the league with 79 steals, and led all batters in WAR at 7.2. He struck out only 26 times, was an above-average fielder at shortstop, and was near the league leaders in extra-base hits. He would’ve also won BotY if not for Willard’s season on the mound, and it will be interesting to see if Lupino improves in his second season. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The New England Baseball Association had both a strange and familiar feel to it in 1903, as the seemingly invincible Vermont Green Stockings were finally dethroned after six consecutive Ben Franklin Cup wins but the ones to dethrone them were the Sons of the Ocean, who took the original Tucker-Wheaton Cup four times but surprisingly had yet to hoist the Franklin Cup. Neither NEBA division was close, which was no surprise given Vermont went 75-37 and Sons of the Ocean were 77-35. The Ben Franklin Cup series figured to be an epic, but SotO put an end to Vermont in a three-game sweep – scores were 10-4, 9-8, and 5-2, with Game Two going seventeen innings. The Sons of the Ocean cruised to the NEBA title thanks to the best pitching & defense of any NBBO team ever, going all the way back to 1857. Their pitching staff led the league in every notable category except Strikeouts, and the team’s defense led the league in the three main categories: Errors, Zone Rating, and Defensive Efficiency. Leading SotO’s historic group of pitchers was George Bryan, who went 24-6 with a 2.06 ERA and 167 Ks. He led the league with a 6.9 WPA while finishing second with 8.1 WAR, and his efforts led to him being named both NEBA Hurler of the Year & Most Valuable Player. On top of that, Bryan had the best Defensive Efficiency of all NEBA pitchers so a Golden Glove was added to his award haul. Three other SotO players won Golden Gloves: Harvey Costello (C), Kenneth Lowe (2B), and Rex Waltz (LF). There was only one choice for Batsman of the Year: Vermont’s Angus Quinn, who finally got one after ten years of high-contact, high-patience batting as a first baseman. He pulled off a rare feat in that he led the NEBA in both hits (169) and walks (72), which led to him posting a .394 average, .996 OPS, and 7.3 Offensive WAR. It was the sixth time in eight years he’d led the NEBA in free passes, and his mantra of patience at the plate finally paid off with a major individual award. He was further rewarded with an October contract offer to become the regular first baseman for Toledo in the MWBA. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 1903 Northeastern League season was one of major parity. Rounding up, no less than eighteen of the league’s twenty teams won 45% of their games. 9th place out of ten went to Frontier BBC in the New York Conference at 51-63 (.447) and the Wilkes-Barre Coal Barons in the Northeastern Conference at 55-59 (.482) – absurdly high marks for bottom-feeding teams. Leading the close-knit pack were the Albany Minutemen in the NYC at 70-44 (.614) and the Reading Athletics in the NEC at 65-49 (.570). In a battle befitting such a league, the series for the newly renamed Roosevelt Cup went the full five games, with Albany winning their first ever championship thanks to a Grover Gannon shutout in Game Five and Lewis Berry’s 10/21 batsmanship throughout the series. Once again, the NEL was a league where there were no truly dominant players. However, there was one player who made history this season: Batsman of the Year Charles Gideon of the Utica Stompers, who became the NEL’s youngest BotY at the ripe old age of 21. Gideon, in his first season as a regular and playing as a 20-year-old until the end of May, hit .368 (1st) with 11 homers (2nd) and 68 RBI (3rd) while also leading the league in OPS by more than fifty points at .978. Fans had figured that the Most Valuable Player award would go to champion Albany star Carl Bird (.289, 1 HR, 45 RBI) thanks to his Golden Glove outfield defense, 52 steals, and 5.5 WAR, but it wasn’t to be. Instead, the MVP went to a most unusual third baseman: Corey McLaughlin (.298, 2 HR, 38 RBI) of the 52-62 Auburn Woodsmen. McLaughlin, who doesn’t have outfield range to match his considerable speed and thus is best playing defense at third, became the first corner infielder in any league to steal 100+ bases in a season, stealing exactly 100 (2nd place: 68) while being caught only 19 times. He also led the league in runs (97) and WPA (5.5), and he took the MVP home as a result. Hurler of the Year was a very contentious decision, as the writers went with the tried & true method of awarding the pitcher who clearly had the most wins: Samuel Cohen (23-4, 2.09 ERA, 76 K, 3.3 WAR) of Albany. It was a very close vote, with Bob Clemons (Binghamton; 20-13, 2.90 ERA, 125 K, 6.1 WAR) finishing 2nd, and Onan Rowley (Utica; 19-12, 3.05 ERA, 116 K, 7.8 WAR) finishing 3rd, with George Nugent (Phila; 19-4, 1.42 ERA, 87 K, 3.7 WAR), Charles Church (Elmira; 19-7, 1.99 ERA, 124 K, 6.1 WAR), and Lewis Taylor (Olympic; 18-11, 2.18 ERA, 122 K, 6.2 WAR) also receiving votes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Great Lakes Baseball Conference was once again a tale of two teams: the Erie Lakers (70-40) and the Saginaw Lumberjacks (69-41), with Erie winning the GLBC title by one game over Saginaw for the second season in a row. This time, the teams weren’t level with one week to go. Instead, Erie was three games ahead of Saginaw and held on for dear life to repeat as champs. And just like last year, Erie’s Gabriel Duclos was the GLBC’s Batsman of the Year. His numbers were way down – .300, 5 HR, 62 RBI, 4.4 oWAR – but offense in the league was down to just four runs per game and most of the leaders in the race for the average or OPS titles were patient slap hitters like James Hershey (Saginaw; .361, 1 HR, 47 RBI), George Douglas (Duluth; .342, 1 HR, 51 RBI), and Fanahan Stewart (Rockford; 329, 5 HR, 44 RBI), who ended up winning Most Valuable Player thanks to his league-leading OPS (.875) and WAR (6.3). As it was in the Northeastern League, the Hurler of the Year award was a source of controversy in the GLBC. There were two main candidates. First was last year’s winner: Andrew Carides of Saginaw, who tied for the league lead in wins, finishing 23-7 with a 2.14 ERA, 130 Ks, 3 shutouts, and 5.3 WAR. The other candidate was Erie’s 24-year-old rookie Frederick Foote, who was the league’s other 23-game winner. He was 23-9 with a 1.89 ERA, 139 Ks, 4 shutouts, and 5.5 WAR – the other numbers all superior to Carides. The writers gave HotY to Carides in a vote that was derided as being based on his reputation from having won it last year. With Foote shut out of HotY, he was unanimously named Newcomer of the Year. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the Prairie League the Wichita Wranglers were unable to repeat, instead finishing 2nd to the Dubuque Explorers. With one month to go, Wichita was 51-30 and Dubuque was two games back at 49-32. However, Wichita went 13-16 over the final month while Dubuque went 22-7, and that meant Dubuque were PL champions by seven games. For the Explorers it was their third PL title, their first since 1892. Nobody else mounted a serious title challenge, with the Des Moines Oaks and Southern Missouri Ozarks tied for 3rd at eleven games back. When 1902 Canadian BotY Harry Steele stunned pretty much everybody by signing a two-year deal with Southern Missouri last November his name was penciled in for 1903 PL Batsman of the Year. Unfortunately, although he hit .361 with a .950 OPS, a hamstring injury in June put him out of action for five weeks and thus he was out of award contention. Not that he would have won BotY anyway, because champions Dubuque employed the NBBO’s best hitter in first baseman Gottfried Wallerstein. The 22-year-old was tied for 2nd in home runs with 8 and alone in 2nd with 71 RBI, but he led the league with a .392 average, .462 on-base, .547 slugging, and 1.009 OPS. He was the only player in any of the six NBBO leagues to put up an OPS over a thousand in 1903, and he had to be the PL’s Batsman of the Year. The man who finished 2nd in BotY voting, Eulogio Aldono of Sioux City, had to settle for being named the PL’s Most Valuable Player for the third time in his ten seasons in the league since leaving the Brooklyn reserves. His numbers: .355, 2 HR, 57 RBI, 27 SB, and he led the PL in both WPA (5.2) and WAR (5.8) for the third time. Had he won Batsman of the Year, it would have been his fourth. There were multiple good candidates for Hurler of the Year, but, in the end, it went to the one with the lowest ERA: Henry Durham of Southern Missouri, who was 20-9 with a 1.90 ERA and 10.2 R9-WAR. Wins leader Howard Rosenberg (Wichita; 21-8, 2.33 ERA, 117 K, 6.7 WAR) was 2nd, Marion Gregory (Des Moines; 20-10, 2.91 ERA, 160 K, 4.3 ERA) was 3rd, and Ambrose Rossito (Dubuque; 17-2, 2.01 ERA, 99 K, 3.7 WAR) received some points in the voting. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Southern League saw its third different champion in its three years of existence in 1903, and it was a closer affair than it was in ’01 or ’02. Instead of two teams clearly being better than the rest, this season five teams – the Gulf Coast Pelicans, Houston 36ers, Little Rock Hilltoppers, New Orleans Gators, & San Antonio Riflemen – were within seven games of each other in the top five spots in the standings. It was Houston who came out on top with a 64-48 (.571) record, finishing three games better than New Orleans and San Antonio. Although the league was spread evenly, the major awards all went to the champions. First up: Batsman of the Year, which went to 21-year-old first baseman Bernard Custer. Custer, who played all of ten games in 1902, started every game in ’03 and was the best hitter in the NBBO other than Wallerstein in the PL. Custer was three points of average off the Triple Crown, finishing at .361 (2nd) with a league-leading 10 homers and 89 RBI. In addition, he led the league in hits (161), total bases (223), on-base (.427), OPS (.927), and Offensive WAR (5.9). If the league had been around enough to award Newcomer of the Year, Custer certainly would have taken that as well. For the record, it was Austin slap-hitter Frank Stawicki (.363, 16 XBH) who won the batting title. Next up: Hurler of the Year, which went to Emerson Gardner for the second year running. Gardner was the only SL pitcher to win 20 games and he led the league in strikeouts. A final line of 20-10 with a 2.80 ERA, 168 Ks, and 6.5 WAR for the league champions was enough to see him pick up his eighth HotY award in an NBBO league (6x NEL, 2x SL). Finally: Most Valuable Player, which went to center fielder Emil Rutland. Rutland hit only .255, but he led the league in runs (97) and steals (54, 9 CS) while putting up an above-average OPS (.769) and winning a Golden Glove for his work in center field. The result was a league-leading 6.6 WAR and another major award to a Houston player. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the second edition of the new Tucker-Wheaton Cup, there really wasn’t a lot to write home about. The Albany Minutemen apparently responded to winning its first championship in 47 years of competitive baseball by thinking, “Oh what the hell, let’s go win another one!” because they took the rest of the competition by the scruff of the neck and strangled it, as they won on Gameday One and never let up: It was a complete team effort by Albany to go 8-2 in the TWC. Minutemen left fielder Ray Smith was easily the competition’s Most Valuable Player, hitting .486 (17/35) with five doubles, a home run, five RBI, and ten runs scored while walking five times to boot. Grover Gannon was 3-0 with a 1.61 ERA and a trifecta of Complete Game wins. Frederick Foote was 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA and 14 Ks over 26 innings. Catcher Daniel Scanlan led the TWC with a pair of dingers and ten RBI. First baseman Lewis Berry hit a pair of homers of his own, drove in seven, and scored eight times. Outfielder Carl Bird didn’t hit well, but he scored five runs and stole more bases than anyone else (4). Although Albany was clearly the class of the competition, the highlight of the competition was provided by Dubuque pitcher Ambrose Rossito. On Gameday Nine, Rossito threw a no-hitter against NEBA champs the Sons of the Ocean, walking four and striking our four while throwing 113 pitches. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-16-2023 at 09:29 PM.

11-16-2023, 09:48 PM	#128
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,080	1903 YEAR IN REVIEW: CHAMPIONS AMERICAN BASEBALL ASSOCIATION APBL Colonial Conf: Providence Saints (75-57 – Baltimore 8 GB) APBL Metropolitan Conf: Manhattan Knickerbockers (87-45 – Brooklyn 10 GB) APBL Doc Adams Trophy: Manhattan beats Providence 4-2 • MVP: Shaun Scott (1B, KNI) – 12/23 (.522), 2 2B, 1 3B, 7 RBI, 4 R, 5 BB • NOTABLE: Knicks clinched series with RBI single by Charles Crawley in bottom of the 11th of Game Six MWBA Eastern League: Columbus Capitols (89-43 – Milwaukee 19 GB) MWBA Western League: Minneapolis Lakers (92-40 – Missouri 10 GB) MWBA Lincoln Memorial Cup: Minneapolis beats Columbus 4-2 • MVP: James Keller (1B, MPLS) – 12/23 (.522), 2 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 8 R, 2 BB, 20 TB • NOTABLE: Petter Lund (CF, CLB) – 10/27 (.370), 3 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 7 R, 7 SB, 16 TB President’s Cup III: Minneapolis beats Knickerbockers 4-2 • Game 1: KNI 8-3 MPLS – LF L. Cochran (KNI) 3/5, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB • Game 2: KNI 1-6 MPLS – SP H. Yarborough (MPLS) CG, 3 H, 1 R/ER, 6 BB, 4 K – 3/4, 2 RBI, 2 R • Game 3: MPLS 9-5 KNI – 2B S. Fisher (MPLS) 4/5, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 2 R, 3 SB • Game 4: MPLS 2-4 KNI – SP H. Wyatt (KNI) CG, 6 H, 2 R/ER, 1 BB, 2 K • Game 5: MPLS 6-1 KNI – SP H. Yarborough (MPLS) CG, 8 H, 1 R/ER, 3 BB, 6 K • Game 6: KNI 0-2 MPLS – SP J. Brunet (MPLS) CG Shutout, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K • MVP: Smithwick Fisher (MPLS) – 11/27 (.407), 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 7 R, 6 SB, 15 TB, 0.5 WAR • NOTABLE: Hoyt Yarborough (MPLS) – 2-0, 1.00 ERA, 2 CG, 11 HA, 9 BB, 10 K, 1.2 R9-WAR INDEPENDENT PROFESSIONAL LEAGUES Southeastern & Atlantic Lg: Charleston Battery (77-51 – 5th title, Richmond 1 GB) • Charleston's fourth straight SEAL title; 5th in seven years • Malcolm Morrison (1B, Evansville) won Triple Crown with .395 AVG, 9 HR, & 109 RBI • Melvin Sheridan (P, Nashville) led league in Wins for 5th time in six years Pacific Coast Lg: Spokane Raptors (90-54; San Francisco Bay 7 GB) • Inaugural Season • Spokane batters led league in Runs, AVG, OPS, & WAR; no regular hit under .280 Canadian Baseball Lg: Quebec City Voyageurs (75-51 – 5th title, Hamilton 5 GB) • Quebec City's 5th title in six years • Cecil Richards (P, QC) led the league in Wins, Shutouts, WPA, & WAR • Thomas Withers (P, Riverside) set league record with 1.48 ERA over 212.2 innings (14-9 record) NATIONAL BASEBALL ORGANIZATION New York Lg.: Manhattan Orangemen (67-45 – 2nd title, beat Atlantic 3-0 in NYC Finals) • Eugenio Lupino (SS, Yonkers) led league in WAR in debut season New England Baseball Ass’n: Sons of the Ocean (77-35 – 1st title, beat Vermont 3-0 for Ben Franklin Cup) • SotO pitchers led the league in R, ERA/ERA+/FIP, CG, SHO, BB, WHIP, AVG, OPS, WPA, WAR, R9-WAR Northeastern Lg: Albany Minutemen (70-44 – 1st title, beat Reading 3-2 for Roosevelt Cup) • Carey McLoughlin (3B, Auburn) became the 1st NEL player to steal 100 bases in a season Great Lakes Baseball Conf: Erie Lakers (70-40 – repeat; 2nd title, Saginaw 1 GB) • Erie beat Saginaw to title by 1 game for 2nd straight season • Gabriel Duclos (LF, Erie) won 2nd straight BotY Prairie Lg: Dubuque Explorers (71-39 – 3rd title, Wichita 7 GB) • Gottfried Wallerstein (1B, Dubuque) only player in NBBO to post 1.000 OPS • Eulogio Aldono (LF, Sioux City) led the league in WPA & WAR Southern Lg: Houston 36ers (68-48 – 1st title, NO & SA 3 GB) • Bernard Custer (1B, Houston, 21 y/o) led the league in H, HR, RBI, TB, OBP, SLG, & OPS • Houston players won all three major awards (Batsman: Custer, Hurler: Emerson Gardner, MVP: Emil Rutland) Tucker-Wheaton Cup results: • Albany Minutemen (NYL): 8-2 • Sons of the Ocan (NEBA): 5-5 (via tiebreaker) • Erie Lakers (GLBC): 5-5 • Manhattan Orangemen (NYL): 5-5 • Dubuque Explorers (PL): 4-6 • Houston 36ers (SL): 3-7 • MVP: Ray Smith (LF, ALB) - .486 AVG (17-35), 5 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 10 R, 5 BB/3 K, 2 SB, 25 TB, 1.1 WAR • NOTABLE: Albany’s 1st Tucker-Wheaton Cup; founding member of NBBO in 1857 INTERNATIONAL LEAGUES All-Ireland Champ.: Wexford Slaneysiders (51-33, beat Derry 3-2 in All-Ireland Final) • Brock Kelly (CF, Antrim) led 32-team league in both WPA & WAR Cuban Nat’l Series: Pinar del Rio Tobacco Growers (66-46 – 1st title, La Habana 1 GB) • Willie Munoz (PdR, 20 y/o) struck out 55 more batters than any other pitcher * Won title or reached championship series via one-game playoff __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-16-2023 at 09:53 PM.

11-16-2023, 10:09 PM	#129
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,080	1903 YEAR IN REVIEW: ABA AWARD WINNERS BATSMAN OF THE YEAR APBL: Alan Gelmetti (28 y/o RF, Manhattan Knickerbockers) • 612 PA, .371/.482/.533, 1.015 OPS, 112 R, 186 H, 25 2B, 25 3B, 2 HR, 91 RBI, 100 BB/37 K, 50 SB, 8.2 oWAR, 7.6 WAR • Top five in AVG, SLG, R, RBI, XBH, BB, TB, & WAR • Only APBL player with an OPS over 1.000 MWBA: James Keller (25 y/o 1B, Minneapolis Lakers) • 458 PA, .408/.439/.578, 1.017 OPS, 77 R, 172 H, 33 2B, 3 3B, 11 HR, 92 RBI, 23 BB/16 K, 1 SB, 5.9 oWAR, 5.3 WAR • 1st .400 hitter in the MWBA since 1898 (Thierry Moreau) • Only MWBA player with an OPS over 1.000 • Won APBL Batsman of the Year with Mass. Bay in 1902 HURLER OF THE YEAR APBL: Homer Wyatt (25 y/o, Manhattan Knickerbockers) • 346.2 IP, 28-9, 2.73 ERA, 32 CG, 6 SHO, 70 BB, 141 K, 1.16 WHIP, 3.7 K/9, 3.5 WPA, 8.3 WAR, 9.2 R9-WAR • 2nd straight season leading APBL pitchers in WAR MWBA: Hans Ehle (38 y/o, Milwaukee Bavarians) • 343.2 IP, 29-9, 3.30 ERA, 34 CG, 4 SHO, 71 BB, 175 K, 1.32 WHIP, 4.6 K/9, 2.5 K/BB, 3.5 WPA, 8.9 WAR, 7.7 R9-WAR • 14th MWBA Hurler of the Year award • 19th straight season leading MWBA pitchers in WAR • Led MWBA in Wins for the 11th time MOST VALUABLE PLAYER APBL: Harold Borden (25 y/o 2B, Baltimore Blue Crabs) • 626 PA, 577 AB, .371/.418/.477, 117 R, 214 H, 22 2B, 12 3B, 5 HR, 64 RBI, 58 SB, +21.7 ZR (2B), 6.6 WPA, 9.6 WAR • Led all APBL batters in both WPA & WAR • Also won APBL Golden Glove at 2B MWBA: Knud van Steen (25 y/o SS, Missouri Bluebirds) • 598 PA, .383/.424/.500, 107 R, 210 H, 33 2B, 14 3B, 1 HR, 97 RBI, 40 BB/23 K, 60 SB, 5.4 WPA, 5.7 oWAR, 7.7 WAR • 3rd straight season leading the MWBA in Hits • Finished 2nd in the MWBA in Batting Average & Total Bases NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR APBL: Bingham Brinkman (22 y/o P, Pennsylvania Quakers) • 326.2 IP, 20-17, 2.89 ERA, 32 CG, 3 SHO, 109 BB, 178 K, 1.25 WHIP, 4.9 K/9, 2.0 WPA, 7.9 WAR, 9.2 R9-WAR • Top five in IP, ERA, K, WAR, & R9-WAR • APBL Newcomer of the Month in April, May, & August MWBA: Frank Holbrook (31 y/o CF, Missouri Bluebirds) • 642 PA, .315/.363/.447, 120 R, 33 2B, 15 3B, 5 HR, 70 RBI, 41 BB/53 K, 51 SB, 3.6 WPA, 5.6 WAR • Joined Missouri after thirteen years as a semi-pro with Vermont in the NEBA APBL TEAM OF THE YEAR C: C. Ornstein (Penn.) - .325/.388/.410, 83 R, 23 2B, 5 3B, 3 HR, 68 RBI, 44 BB/50 K, 14 SB, 2.0 WPA, 5.0 WAR 1B: G. Joubert (Bos.) - .378/.442/.531, 99 R, 40 2B, 10 3B, 7 HR, 86 RBI, 54 BB/31 K, 8 SB, 5.8 WPA, 6.4 WAR 2B: H. Borden (Bal.) - .371/.418/.477, 117 R, 214 H, 22 2B, 12 3B, 5 HR, 64 RBI, 42 BB/31 K, 58 SB, 6.6 WPA, 9.6 WAR, APBL MVP/GG 3B: E. Dunn (Phi.) - .306/.371/.435, 64 R, 19 2B, 4 3B, 13 HR, 83 RBI, 54 BB/66 K, 4 SB, 4.1 WPA, 4.1 WAR SS: C. Rankin (Prov.) - .300/.404/.424, 96 R, 26 2B, 13 3B, 4 HR, 56 RBI, 77 BB/32 K, 25 SB, 0.8 WPA, 6.2 WAR, APBL Runner-up/GG OF: C. Kirk (NJ) - .360/.420/.536, 99 R, 39 2B, 21 3B, 5 HR, 77 RBI, 54 BB/23 K, 45 SB, 293 TB, 5.4 WPA, 7.2 WAR CF: J. Mixon (Roch.) - .337/.402/.451, 105 R, 30 2B, 9 3B, 4 HR, 79 RBI, 48 BB/29 K, 86 SB, 4.0 WPA, 7.1 WAR OF: A. Gelmetti (Kni.) - .371/.482/.533, 1.015 OPS, 112 R, 25 2B, 25 3B, 2 HR, 91 RBI, 100 BB/37 K, 50 SB, 6.3 WPA, 7.6 WAR, APBL Champ/BotY P: H. Wyatt (Kni.) – 28-9, 2.73 ERA, 32 CG, 6 SHO, 70 BB, 141 K, 1.16 WHIP, 3.7 K/9, 3.5 WPA, 8.3 WAR, 9.2 R9-WAR, APBL Champ/HotY P: C. Carlyle (Prov.) – 26-12, 2.32 ERA, 32 CG, 10 SHO, 116 BB, 172 K, 1.17 WHIP, 4.8 K/9, 4.3 WPA, 6.9 WAR, 11.1 R9-WAR, APBL Runner-up P: L. Walsh (NY A’s) – 22-11, 3.02 ERA, 27 CG, 4 SHO, 101 BB, 202 K, 1.27 WHIP, 5.8 K/9, 1.5 WPA, 7.5 WAR, 6.5 R9-WAR P: B. Brinkman (Penn.) – 20-17, 2.89 ERA, 32 CG, 3 SHO, 109 BB, 178 K, 1.25 WHIP, 4.9 K/9, 2.0 WPA, 7.9 WAR, 9.2 R9-WAR; APBL NotY MGR: F. Gannon (Kni.) – 87-45, Knickerbockers repeated as APBL champions MWBA TEAM OF THE YEAR C: E. Martin (Ind.) - .305/.417/.417, 69 R, 31 2B, 0 3B, 6 HR, 76 RBI, 71 BB/64 K, 2 SB, 3.8 WPA, 4.2 WAR 1B: J. Keller (Mpls.) - .408/.439/.578, 1.017 OPS, 77 R, 33 2B, 3 3B, 11 HR, 92 RBI, 23 BB/16 K, 1 SB, 5.7 WPA, 5.3 WAR, MWBA Champ/BotY 2B: T. Moreau (Mil.) - .364/.446/.501, 85 R, 25 2B, 16 3B, 3 HR, 81 RBI, 68 BB/22 K, 12 SB, 5.6 WPA, 6.7 WAR 3B: C. DeVoe (Mpls.) - .325/.400/.413, 73 R, 15 2B, 5 3B, 4 HR, 67 RBI, 51 BB/33 K, 32 SB, 4.3 WPA, 3.2 WAR, MWBA Champ SS: K. van Steen (Miss.) - .383/.424/.500, 107 R, 210 H, 33 2B, 14 3B, 1 HR, 97 RBI, 40 BB/23 K, 60 SB, 5.4 WPA, 7.7 WAR, MWBA MVP OF: V. Kingsbury (StL) - .369/.425/.551, 76 R, 36 2B, 13 3B, 11 HR, 95 RBI, 39 BB/74 K, 35 SB, 287 TB, 4.1 WPA, 7.2 WAR CF: P. Lund (Clb.) - .336/.421/.478, 104 R, 31 2B, 13 3B, 6 HR, 70 RBI, 73 BB/31 K, 81 SB, 4.5 WPA, 7.6 WAR, MWBA Runner-up OF: E. King (Clb.) - .331/.423/.505, 99 R, 28 2B, 8 3B, 12 HR, 91 RBI, 69 BB/76 K, 28 SB, 3.8 WPA, 5.7 WAR, MWBA Runner-up P: H. Ehle (Mil.) – 29-9, 3.30 ERA, 34 CG, 4 SHO, 71 BB, 175 K, 1.32 WHIP, 4.6 K9, 2.5 K/BB, 3.5 WPA, 8.9 WAR, 7.7 R9-WAR P: F. Horton (Clb.) – 24-8, 2.46 ERA, 29 CG, 5 SHO, 99 BB, 162 K, 1.23 WHIP, 4.9 K/9, 3.1 WPA, 5.4 WAR, 9.8 R9-WAR, MWBA Runner-up P: J. Brunet (Mpls.) – 25-6, 2.99 ERA, 26 CG, 2 SHO, 89 BB, 114 K, 1.28 WHIP, 3.6 K/9, 0.4 WPA, 4.3 WAR, 7.6 R9-WAR, MWBA Champ P: F. Harding (Cin.) – 19-14, 2.72 ERA, 28 CG, 2 SHO, 106 BB, 137 K, 1.26 WHIP, 3.9 K/9, 1.2 WPA, 5.3 WAR, 8.5 R9-WAR MGR: B. Corsini (Clb.) – 89-43; Columbus won 1st Eastern League pennant, were 53-79 three seasons ago __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-16-2023 at 10:10 PM.

11-16-2023, 10:34 PM	#130
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,080	1903 YEAR IN REVIEW: OTHER AWARDS INDEPENDENT LEAGUE AWARDS (PCL, SEAL, CBL) BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Malcolm Morrison (24 y/o 1B, Evansville Angels – SEAL) • 497 PA, .395/.471/.545, 1.016 OPS, 78 R, 172 H, 30 2B, 4 3B, 9 HR, 109 RBI, 56 BB/53 K, 0 SB, 6.0 WPA, 6.3 oWAR, 5.6 WAR • 1st SEAL batter to win Triple Crown • 2nd consecutive Evansville player to win Batsman of the Year (1902: George Sales) HURLER OF THE YEAR: Cecil Richards (31 y/o, Quebec City Voyageurs – CBL) • 325.0 IP, 29-9, 3 SV, 2.05 ERA, 33 CG, 7 SHO, 61 BB, 190 K, 1.08 WHIP, 1.7 BB/9, 3.1 K/BB, 7.6 WPA, 9.9 WAR, 10.0 R9-WAR • Won CBL Hurler of the Year for the 5th time • Also named CBL Most Valuable Player for the 3rd time • 8th time leading CBL in Wins & Pitching WAR MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Horace Farley (34 y/o CF, Charleston Battery- SEAL) • 591 PA, .345/.432/.463, 106 R, 173 H, 31 2B, 8 3B, 4 HR, 98 RBI, 65 BB/28 K, 232 TB, 45 SB, 4.8 WPA, 6.4 WAR • Named SEAL Most Valuable Player for the 2nd time • Top five in RBI, Runs, & WAR • Top ten in OBP, SLG, OPS, H, 2B, XBH, BB, SB, & TB NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Lionel DeLalande (25 y/o CF, Riverside Huskies – CBL) • 520 PA, .277/.342/.375, 68 R, 22 2B, 10 3B, 1 HR, 42 RBI, 36 BB/55 K, 87 SB, +16.1 ZR (CF), 2.5 WPA, 6.3 WAR • Won CBL Golden Glove at CF • Finished 3rd in voting for CBL Most Valuable Player INDEPENDENT LEAGUE TEAM OF THE YEAR C: F. Charron (V.M./CBL) - .309/.375/.402, 49 R, 18 2B, 5 3B, 5 HR, 63 RBI, 45 BB/30 K, 4 SB, 1.0 WPA, 4.5 WAR 1B: M. Morrison (Evansville/SEAL) - .395/.471/.545, 1.016 OPS, 78 R, 30 2B, 4 3B, 9 HR, 109 RBI, 56 BB/53 K, 0 SB, 6.0 WPA, 5.6 WAR, SEAL BotY 2B: S. Tyler (Spokane/PCL) - .331/.388/.448, 97 R, 40 2B, 12 3B, 1 HR, 86 RBI, 51 BB/15 K, 37 SB, 2.7 WPA, 5.0 WAR, PCL Champ 3B: I. Grier (Richmond/SEAL) - .349/.462/.481, 88 R, 26 2B, 5 3B, 9 HR, 98 RBI, 95 BB/59 K, 15 SB, 4.8 WPA, 5.3 WAR, SEAL Runner-up SS: N. Bunting (Memphis/SEAL) - .351/.451/.457, 95 R, 34 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 84 RBI, 85 BB/46 K, 8 SB, 3.1 WPA, 5.3 WAR OF: M. Nunn (S.F./PCL) - .374/.429/.460, 92 R, 216 H, 26 2B, 6 3B, 4 HR, 102 RBI, 43 BB/64 K, 2 SB, 266 TB, 4.1 WPA, 4.3 WAR, PCL BotY CF: H. Farley (Charleston/SEAL) - .345/.432/.463, 106 R, 31 2B, 8 3B, 4 HR, 98 RBI, 65 BB/28 K, 45 SB, 4.8 WPA, 6.4 WAR, SEAL Champ/MVP OF: E. Hayward (Richmond/SEAL) - .343/.391/.485, 106 R, 24 2B, 26 3B, 0 HR, 100 RBI, 40 BB/43 K, 57 SB, 260 TB, 5.6 WPA, 6.1 WAR, SEAL Runner-up/GG ALT: J. Duggan (Hamilton/CBL) - .322/.374/.433, 83 R, 34 2B, 10 3B, 1 HR, 78 RBI, 40 BB/12 K, 63 SB, 223 TB, 3.8 WPA, 5.5 WAR, CBL BotY P: C. Richards (Q.C./CBL) – 29-9, 2.05 ERA, 33 CG, 7 SHO, 61 BB, 190 K, 1.08 WHIP, 1.7 BB/9, 5.3 K/9, 3.1 K/BB, 7.6 WPA, 9.9 WAR, 10.0 R9-WAR, CBL Champ/HotY/MVP P: M. Sheridan (Nashville/SEAL) – 25-9, 2.71 ERA, 30 CG, 3 SHO, 101 BB, 207 K, 1.31 WHIP, 6.0 K/9, 1.5 WPA, 7.4 WAR, 10.2 R9-WAR, SEAL HotY P: D. Easterly (Seattle/PCL) – 24-12, 2.87 ERA, 30 CG, 3 SHO, 82 BB, 150 K, 1.38 WHIP, 4.2 K/9, 1.2 WPA, 5.2 WAR, 8.1 R9-WAR, PCL HotY P: F. Ashton (Hamilton/CBL) – 27-14, 2.99 ERA, 334.2 IP, 45 G, 37 GS, 35 CG, 4 SHO, 94 BB, 203 K, 1.20 WHIP, 5.5 K/9, 1.4 WPA, 6.3 WAR, 6.3 R9-WAR MGR: O. Lucciardi (Spokane/PCL) – 90-54; Spokane won inaugural PCL title by 7 games with the sixth-highest payroll in the league ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NATIONAL BASEBALL ORGANIZATION AWARDS (NYL, NEBA, NEL, GLBC, PL, SL) BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Gottfried Wallerstein (22 y/o 1B, Dubuque Explorers - PL) • 434 PA, .392/.462/.547, 1.009 OPS/175 OPS+, 65 R, 149 H, 19 2B, 8 3B, 8 HR, 71 RBI, 42 BB/28 K, 208 TB, 4.5 WPA, 6.0 oWAR • Only batter across the six NBBO leagues to post a 1.000 OPS • PL Champion HURLER OF THE YEAR: George Bryan (27 y/o, Sons of the Ocean - NEBA) • 279.2 IP, 24-6, 2.06 ERA, 167 K, 38 G, 27 CG, 4 SHO, 74 BB, 1.14 WHIP, 2.3 K/BB, 6.9 WPA, 8.1 WAR, 10.7 R9-WAR • NEBA Hurler of the Year, Most Valuable Player, & Golden Glove winner (P) • NEBA champion MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Emil Rutland (33 y/o CF, Houston 36ers – SL) • 506 PA, .255/.347/.421, 97 R, 110 H, 23 2B, 11 3B, 9 HR, 53 RBI, 51 BB/48 K, 54 SB/9 CS, +16.3 ZR (CF), 2.7 WPA, 6.6 WAR • SL Most Valuable Player & Golden Glove winner (CF) • SL champion NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Eugenio Lupino (27 y/o SS, Yonkers Hilltoppers - NYL) • 501 PA, .320/.372/.463, 78 R, 147 H, 21 2B, 18 3B, 3 HR, 76 RBI, 36 BB/26 K, 79 SB, 213 TB, 3.7 WPA, 4.8 oWAR, 7.2 WAR • Led batters across all NBBO leagues in WAR • Signed as an amateur Free Agent from Italy on 10/6/1902 NBBO TEAM OF THE YEAR C: P. Schmitz (Bing’ton/NEL) - .313/.400/.378, 57 R, 10 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 57 RBI, 0 SB, 2.23 WPA, 4.0 WAR 1B: G. Wallerstein (Dubuque/PL) - .392/.462/.547, 65 R, 19 2B, 8 3B, 8 HR, 71 RBI, 5 SB, 4.5 WPA, 5.1 WAR, PL BotY/Champ 2B: H. Solomon (Little Rock/SL) - .333/.389/.451, 63 R, 22 2B, 6 3B, 6 HR, 46 RBI, 15 SB, 1.6 WPA, 3.7 WAR 3B: C. McLoughlin (Auburn/NEL) - .298/.410/.426, 97 R, 23 2B, 11 3B, 2 HR, 38 RBI, 100 SB, 5.5 WPA, 4.7 WAR, NEL MVP SS: E. Lupino (Yonkers/NYL) - .320/.372/.463, 78 R, 21 2B, 18 3B, 3 HR, 76 RBI, 79 SB, 3.7 WPA, 7.2 WAR, NYL NotY OF: E. Aldono (Sioux C./PL) - .355/.421/.506, 86 R, 153 H, 27 2B, 16 3B, 2 HR, 57 RBI, 27 SB, 218 TB, 5.2 WPA, 5.8 WAR, PL MVP CF: E. Rutland (Houston/SL) - .255/.347/.421, 97 R, 23 2B, 11 3B, 9 HR, 53 RBI, 54 SB, +16.3 ZR (CF), 2.7 WPA, 6.6 WAR, SL MVP/GG/Champ OF: H. McDaniels (Orangemen/NYL) - .377/.425/.492, .918 OPS, 66 R, 173 H, 27 3B, 7 3B, 4 HR, 75 RBI, 18 SB, 226 TB, 3.5 WPA, 5.5 WAR, NYL BotY/Champ ALT: B. Custer (Houston/SL) - .361/.427/.500, .927 OPS, 70 R, 161 H, 24 2B, 4 3B, 10 HR, 89 RBI, 5 SB, 223 TB, 3.9 WPA, 5.3 WAR, SL BotY/GG/Champ P: G. Bryan (SotO/NEBA) – 24-6, 2.06 ERA, 167 K, 279.2 IP, 38 G, 27 CG, 4 SHO, 74 BB, 1.14 WHIP, 6.9 WPA, 8.1 WAR, 10.7 R9-WAR, NEBA HotY/MVP/GG/Champ P: O. Bennett (Bedford/NYL) – 20-10, 2.84 ERA, 182 K, 272.2 IP, 27 CG, 2 SHO, 84 BB, 1.27 WHIP, 1.4 WPA, 7.3 WAR, 5.5 R9-WAR, NYL HotY P: A. Carides (Saginaw/GLBC) – 23-6, 2.14 ERA, 130 K, 261.0 IP, 27 CG, 3 SHO, 85 BB, 1.17 WHIP, 5.5 WPA, 5.3 WAR, 8.3 R9-WAR, GLBC HotY P: E. Gardner (Houston/SL) – 20-10, 2.80 ERA, 168 K, 247.1 IP, 34 G, 24 CG, 2 SHO, 1.19 WHIP, 2.5 K/BB, 2.2 WPA, 6.5 WAR, 5.2 R9-WAR, SL HotY/Champ MGR: S. Keller (SotO/NEBA) – Team improved from 50-62 in 1902 to 77-35 in 1903, won 1st NEBA title __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-17-2023 at 11:10 PM.

11-17-2023, 07:20 PM	#131
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,080	LONGER ABA SCHEDULE ON THE HORIZON; EXPANSION POSSIBLE 150 GAMES PLANNED FOR 1905; APBL & MWBA MAY GO TO 18 TEAMS; NEW STANDARDS FOR 1910 New York, NY (12/10/1903) – The annual Winter Meetings of the American Baseball Association Executive Committee take place in New York City during the early part of December, with mundane discussion of rules and regulations typically the norm. The ABAEC is made up of the presidents of the APBL & MWBA, select owners, some front office members, and current & former players. The main topic of this year’s meetings was the makeup of the schedule going forward, all overseen by the head of the ABA: the Commissioner of Baseball. It was there that the normally mundane became quite interesting. After going under the ABA umbrella in 1890, the American Professional Baseball League moved from a 112-game schedule to 132, while the Midwestern Baseball Association went from 108 to 130. The two leagues’ schedules remained slightly different until 1898, when the MWBA added Columbus & Toledo to its ranks to match the APBL’s sixteen-team lineup. Since then both leagues have run a 132-game seasonal schedule, with the two starting their seasons on the same day and ending them on the same day as well. This arrangement was what made the first President’s Cup possible in 1901, but after three years a new baseball league had the ABAEC thinking about new ideas. For its inaugural season in 1903 the independent Pacific Coast League decided that, because of the weather on the West Coast, their ten teams would be able play 144 games, easily the longest season in existence. The ABA executives watched the PCL season closely because conventional wisdom thought there wasn’t a market for fans to watch league play well past the end of August. The first-season success of the PCL proved otherwise. This gave the Executive Committee an idea: If a brand-new independent league like the PCL can play 144 games, why can’t we do better? So, the EC took a look at the teams in the two leagues and came up with a plan for a 150-game schedule that would be discussed and drawn up for the 1905 season. At the same time, with America’s population continuing to grow at rapid pace the EC discussed the possibility of another round of league expansion. The members quickly realized that a fair, 150-game schedule would be possible with both 16 and 18 teams in a league, so two plans were worked up: • NO EXPANSION: League has 16 teams (2 divisions x 8 teams) • All teams play each other 10 times (5 home, 5 away in a pair of 5-game series) • 15 other teams x 10 games = 150 games • EXPANSION: League has 18 teams (2 divisions x 9 teams) • Teams play fellow division members 12 times (6 home, 6 away in four 3-game series) • Teams play opposite division 6 times (3 home, 3 away in a pair of 3-game series) • 8 same-division teams: 8 x 12 = 96 games • 9 opposite-division teams: 9 x 6 = 54 games • 96 SD games + 54 OD games = 150 total In real life, schedules varied in length from 130-150+ games in the 1890s and early 1900s, with the standardized 154-game schedule created for the 1904 season (link) and lasting until 1960, with exceptions being made during the World War I years. The “12 + 6 Format" was currently in use by both leagues, so expansion to eighteen teams in the APBL & MWBA wouldn’t even require a change in the way games are scheduled. Adding two NBBO teams wouldn’t be much of a problem for the APBL, since the Northeast was the population center of the United States and there were NBBO markets easily big enough move up to APBL status. However, the prospect of expansion was a larger problem for the MWBA. When considering expansion for the Midwestern Baseball Association, adding one of two teams would be easy. It was thought that if the New York Metropolitan Area could handle four pro teams then Chicago could handle three. That would mean bringing in the Cook County Railriders from the Great Lakes Baseball Conference. The Railriders joined the GLBC in 1898 and they’d been slowly improving, climbing from 10th to 7th to 5th to 4th place over the past four seasons. But, what of a second team? Taking a team from the Prairie League, like when the MWBA brought four in from the PL for 1890 season, was out of the question. The two largest stadiums in the current PL? St. Joseph’s (MO) William Waddell Field at 7,741 & Des Moines’ (IA) Raccoon River Park at 6,214. Not big enough. What about the GLBC? The majority of that league’s stadiums held 4,000-6,000 people, so finding another team to bring along with Cook County would be difficult. Dayton? They were recent (1900) champions and their venue held 8,500, but that would put five MWBA teams in Ohio. Grand Rapids’ stadium had a capacity of about 9,000, but they’d never finished higher than 3rd in the GLBC. Cleveland? The Buckeyes were just two years removed from amateur status and still finding their footing as a pro outfit, but the city doubled in size from 1880 to 1900 and now had 400,000+ people. That meant Cleveland could potentially handle two pro teams. Detroit? Michigan’s largest city still had only one pro or semi-pro team, so adding a second Detroit club to the MWBA would mean creating one from scratch or taking an amateur club straight to an ABA league, which hadn’t been done since the APBL’s creation in 1871. Even if the MWBA decided not to expand it would still mean the leagues could play a 150-game schedule in 1905, with the APBL having 18 teams and the MWBA having 16. 150 games were a certainty. In addition, the Executive Committee decided that, due to the parade of new stadiums in the two ABA leagues in recent years, it was time for new stadium standards. It was decreed and signed that: • Starting in 1910, two-thirds of stadiums in each ABA league must hold at least 15,000 people and seat at least 10,000 • Venues that don’t reach the 15,000 mark must have a capacity of 10,000 or better • new or renovated parks must use modern construction techniques – no more all-lumber tinderboxes To go along with this, the Commissioner of Baseball made another decree • ANY LEAGUE meeting the above standards is eligible to join the ABA, beginning the next season This raised the possibility of multiple ABA leagues. Three? Four? Who knows – as many as eventually fit the criteria would be accepted. It could potentially make the President’s Cup chaotic, but that could be figured out on the fly. Even though the 20th Century had just begun, the men who made decisions about the makeup of the highest level of the sport decided that it was time for another new era of professional baseball. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-17-2023 at 11:30 PM.

11-17-2023, 08:45 PM	#132
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,080	LA HABANA’s BETS ON FOREIGN TALENT PAY OFF W/ CUBAN TITLE ABA REGULARS MORROW & SCHULER ANCHORED CHAMPIONSHIP LINEUP Havana, Cuba (3/7/2014) – The La Habana Lions of the Cuban National Series beat Santa Clara 6-2 yesterday, and in doing so clinched their first CNS title. The title marks the end of a steady rise for the Lions team, which finished last (8th) in the 00/01 season and since then improved to 7th in 01/02, 2nd in 02/03, and now 1st place in 03/04. La Habana finished one game back of Pinar del Rio last season, so what pushed them over the top in this one? They already had the league’s most talented player in center fielder Tony Vasquez (03/04 CNS MVP) and its most accurate pitcher in Mario Trejo (22 BB/129 K in 255 IP). The Cuban league allows for teams to have three foreigners - two batters and one pitcher - and the LH front office decided to make the best possible use of those two foreign batter spots. La Habana, which had a total player payroll that amounted to just under $10,000 for the 02/03 season, spent four thousand dollars to bring in a pair of outfield regulars from ABA leagues: LF George Morrow from the Kansas City Bulls and RF Oliver Schuler from the Toledo Mud Hens. Morrow played well with KC in 1903 – a .310 average with 5 homers, 87 RBI, and 32 steals. Schuler was okay in Toledo - .263/3 HR/45 RBI. With the Cuban season starting in the first week of November, both players jumped at the chance to make more money playing baseball during the winter – Morrow made $2,500 and Schuler $1,500. The two men repaid La Habana’s front office by finishing #3-4 in WAR and giving the Lions three outfielders, when including Tony Vasquez, who finished in the top five in Wins Above Replacement. They easily had the CNS’ best outfield, and that put them over the hump as they were able to beat inter-city rivals the Havana Sugar Kings by one game for the Cuban title. None of the superstar outfielders won the Cuban ward for best batsman. That went to PdR’s .380 hitter Jorge Garza for the second year in a row. However, their Cuban center fielder Tony Vasquez was named the league’s Most Valuable Player. He finished with a .333 AVG/6 HR/51 RBI, and on top of that he led the league in runs (90), steals (73) and WAR (5.5). George Morrow was 2nd in the Batsman of the Year vote, finishing with a .310 average, 7 homers, and a league-leading 87 RBI while his 5.0 WAR was tied with teammate Schuler for 3rd. He also won the Golden Glove at LF. Oliver Schuler wasn’t a finalist for any of the individual awards, but he finished with a basic line of .321/6 HR/64 RBI while leading the league in walks (75) and on-base (.424). After the parade through the north and east of Havana, the Lions front office thanked Morrow & Schuler for their services and saw them off to a boat back to American soil, where they’ll no doubt be employed by ABA teams for the 1904 season. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-17-2023 at 11:21 PM.

11-17-2023, 10:29 PM	#133
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,080	OLD FACES, NEW PLACES: 1904’s NOTABLE OFFSEASON MOVES MWBA SIGNIFICANTLY BUSIER BRINGING IN NEW PLAYERS New York City & Chicago (4/1/1904) – Opening day for the 1904 American Baseball Association season might fall on April Fools’ Day, but the various signings and trades that happened during the 1903/04 offseason were very real. Players young and old changed teams, new contracts were signed, and thanks to the National Baseball Organization’s transfer system young talent was injected into the ABA’s two leagues. A summary of the winter’s notable moves, involving players who are all expected to have regular roles with their teams this season: AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE • Oct. 16th: New Jersey traded for Lake Mich. LF Thomas Buchanan (43.9 career WAR) in exchange for a top prospect • Oct. 17th: Brooklyn signed 1B George Bixby (1903 Batting Champion) to a five-year extension ($5,100/yr) • Oct. 21st: Brooklyn signed SP/RF Anthony Molloy (68.3 career WAR) to a four-year extension ($8,600/yr) • Oct. 29th: Providence traded for Washington SP Ralph Easterly in exchange for a backup C and a reserve squad SP • Nov. 2nd: Manhattan traded for Boston SP Arthur Hanks (195 career W) in exchange for a top prospect • Nov. 23rd: Philadelphia transferred C Thomas Weems from Dubuque (PL) for $3,000 • Nov. 27th: Manhattan signed Mpls. SP Tracy Gilchrist (24-7, 3.26 ERA, 116 K) to a four-year contract ($5,375/yr) • Nov. 28th: New York signed Boston SP Phil Koenig (20-16, 3.16 ERA, 118 K) to a four-year contract ($3,400/yr) • Dec. 7th: Jersey City traded for Mpls. CF George Dulia (58.1 career WAR) & a reserve team P in exchange for two prospects • Dec. 8th: New Jersey traded for Cleveland SS Levi Trainor (.260, 1 HR, 45 RBI) in exchange for a prospect • Dec. 12th: New York transferred CF Charlie Holder (NBBO: .314, 9 HR, 72 RBI) from Baltic BBC (NYL) for $9,000 • Dec. 19th: New York traded for Boston 2B Bonaventure Martin (29.4 career WAR) in exchange for a top prospect • Jan. 5th: Rochester traded 2B Jan Schaaphok (.255, 39 SB, 3.3 WAR) to Evansville (SEAL) for two prospects • Jan. 22nd: Boston signed 1B Clarence Riggs (.358, .466 OBP, 7.1 oWAR) to a two-year extension ($,4,700/yr) • Feb. 28th: Excelsior traded RF Henry North (.321, 91 RBI, 5.3 WAR) to Richmond (SEAL) for a top prospect • Mar. 12th: Boston signed St. Louis RF Finn Kennedy (.285, 61 RBI, 28 SB) to a 1-year contract ($2,450) MIDWESTERN BASEBALL ASSOCIATION • Oct. 9th: Minneapolis signed 1B James Keller (.408, 11 HR, 92 RBI, BotY) to a five-year extension ($7,400/yr) • Oct. 12th: Minneapolis signed SP Hoyt Yarborough (22-15, 3.41, 212 K) to a two-year extension ($4,500/yr) • Oct. 13th: C’bus signed Vermont (NEBA) 1B Angus Quinn (NBBO: .394, 7 HR, 75 RBI, .488 OBP) to 5-year contract ($3,725/yr) • Oct. 16th: Detroit signed Memphis (SEAL) 2B Robert Gibson (.325, 1 HR, 48 RBI) to a six-year contract ($3,900/yr) • Oct. 18th: Louisville signed Toledo CF Jared Gladney (.304, 4 HR, 60 RBI) to a four-year contract ($5,025/yr) • Oct. 19th: Lake Michigan traded for Toledo SP Fred Gorton (21.8 career WAR) in exchange for a top prospect • Oct. 20th: Kansas City traded for Phila. RF Ira Ritter (22.3 career WAR) in exchange for a prospect • Oct. 22nd: Indianapolis signed Cincinnati SP Franklin Harding (19-14, 2.27 ERA, 137 K) to a seven-year contract ($6,200/yr) • Oct. 23rd: Missouri traded for Excelsior SP Frank Abernathy (18-17, 3.30 ERA, 125 K) in exchange for a top prospect • Oct. 24th: Columbus signed Brooklyn SP George Aldrich (19-15, 3.88 ERA, 105 K) to a five-year contract ($5,625/yr) • Oct. 25th: Columbus signed Penn. SP Redmond Krebs (247 career W, 74.2 WAR) to a five-year contract ($5,200/yr) • Oct. 31st: Missouri signed Yonkers (NYL) 1B Carl Wells (.353 career AVG in NBBO) to a four-year contract ($3,800/yr) • Nov. 1st: Toledo signed Columbus SP/C Gerald Pierotti (94.0 career WAR) to a four-year contract ($7,000/yr) • Nov. 5th: Milwaukee traded for Toledo SP Elmer Brown (16-13, 3.25 ERA, 98 K) in exchange for a prospect • Nov. 10th: Cincinnati signed Atlanta (SEAL) 2B Frank Kirkland (.326, 64 RBI, 3.7 WAR) to a seven-year contract ($3,475/yr) • Nov. 14th: Omaha signed Washington LF Paris Glenn (38.7 career WAR) to a five-year contract ($3,950/yr) • Nov. 21st: Columbus transferred 1B Bernard Custer (NBBO: .361, 10 HR, 89 RBI) from Houston (SL) for $10,000 • Nov 25th: Kansas City signed Ville Marie (CBL) C Fred Charron (3 straight TotY) to a five-year contract ($4,700/yr) • Nov. 25th: Milwaukee signed Brooklyn LF Lindsey Christianson (‘00 BotY, 74.3 WAR) to a two-year contract ($8,800/yr) • Nov. 30th: Cincinnati signed Ville Marie (CBL) SS Clay Brunt (7 straight GG, 40.4 WAR) to a six-year contract ($4,100/yr) • Dec. 2nd: Minneapolis transferred SP Thomas Willard (NBBO: 18-7, 2.07 ERA, 8.0 WPA) from Continental (NYL) for $9,000 • Dec. 5th: Toledo transferred RF Earl Frey (NBBO: .357, 5 HR, 48 RBI) from Worcester (NEL) for $8,000 • Dec. 9th: Missouri transferred LF Patrick Simon (NBBO: .297, 42 RBI, 4.1 WAR) from South Bend (PL) for $6,000 • Dec. 9th: Toledo transferred CF George Stanton (NBBO: .323, 48 RBI, 4.2 WAR) from Olympic (NEL) for $8,000 • Dec. 12th: St. Louis signed Columbus SP Hiram Yeager (21-10, 3.66 ERA, 126 K) to a three-year contract ($4,625/yr) • Dec. 13th: Missouri transferred 3B David Fuqua (NBBO: .310, 49 SB, 3.5 WAR) from Eckford (NYL) for $7,500 • Dec. 13th: St. Paul signed Columbus 3B Kewin Barry (.278, 6 HR, 72 RBI) to a three-year contract ($4,125/yr) • Dec. 16th: Louisville transferred SP James Boynton (NBBO: 20-9, 2.47 ERA, 9.1 WAR) from Fall River (NEBA) for $7,500 • Dec. 19th: Chicago signed int’l 4.5-star free agent Bailey Grant to a five-year contract ($5,875/yr) • Dec. 24th: Lake Michigan transferred RF Louis Eberhart (NBBO: .327, 82 R, 5.0 WAR) from Grand Rapids (GLBC) for $7,000 • Dec. 28th: Lake Michigan transferred LF Per Nissen (NBBO: .314, 7 HR, 66 RBI) from Camden (NEL) for $4,500 • Dec. 31st: Lake Michigan signed SP Clarence Boston (career 145-107, 48.9 WAR) to a seven-year extension ($6,350/yr) • Jan. 2nd: Cleveland signed Missouri 1B Mark Cronan (105 RBI, ’01 BotY) to a four-year contract ($6,600/yr) • Jan. 22nd: Cleveland signed Peoria (GLBC) SS John Wheelock (NBBO: 5x TotY, .330 AVG) to a five-year contract ($6,500/yr) • Feb. 3rd: Louisville transferred LF Frank Hinson (4.5-star prospect) from Peoria (GLBC) for $9,000 • Feb. 22nd: Omaha signed Evansville (SEAL) 2B Andre Guillaume (.307, 6 HR, 44 RBI) to a three-year contract ($3,675/yr) • Mar. 9th: Kansas City traded for Cleveland 3B Cyrano Kalvos (.318, 3 HR, 79 RBI) in exchange for a top prospect • Mar. 29th: Lake Michigan transferred CF Luis Gutierrez (CNS: 52 SB, 4.4 WAR, GG) from Santiago (CNS) for $5,000 It’s obvious the MWBA was SIGNIFICANTLY busier in bringing in new talent, and it’s clear why. The three-team trio of Minneapolis, Columbus, & Missouri was so much better than the rest of the league in 1903 that the other thirteen front offices had to spend the winter catching up, or the outcomes of both leagues would practically have been decided before a ball was even thrown. Will that make the MWBA collectively better than the APBL? It'll be hard to tell, but the MWBA certainly had the more interesting offseason. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-17-2023 at 11:28 PM.

11-20-2023, 06:40 PM	#134
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,080	IS 1904 THE END OF THE BIG THREE? EHLE, WILKERSON, & KEARNS ALL FACING DIMINISHED ROLES Brooklyn, Milwaukee, & New York City – The first week of the professional baseball season has brought with it what appears to be the imminent end of pitching’s “Big Three” of Hans Ehle, Charles Wilkerson, & Martin Kearns. In Milwaukee, Ehle had another fantastic season in 1903, finishing 29-9 and winning his 14th Hurler of the Year award. However, he finally showed his age (40) during Spring Training and agreed to be the #4 starter for the upcoming season. Ehle needs just two wins to reach 600 between his time in Milwaukee and the three years he spent as a semi-pro in Columbus at the start of his career, and he’s considered likely to move the bullpen afterwards. In New York, Wilkerson still has enough talent to be an APBL starter but the Athletics’ historic level of pitching talent – their starting rotation declared the most talented of all-time by pundits during preseason – has led to him being moved to the bullpen. If five-star prospect Dave Penny falters, Wilkerson will move back into the rotation. However, based on Penny’s preseason form that seems unlikely. In Brooklyn, Kearns has been moved to the Long Relief role after having a career-worst season – 13-18, 4.15 ERA, 153 K – in 1903: His command has fallen off significantly, and it’s looking very likely that this will be Kearns’ last season in an ABA league. If this is indeed the last year for each of the Big Three, a significant piece of the history of professional baseball in the late 19th Century will go with them. The trio entered the season with a combined record of 1,391-691, a 2.51 ERA, 12,993 Ks, and 614.8 WAR. Add in the fact that two-way Penn Quakers legend Jurgen Schultz (429-252, 3.18 ERA, 3,222 K – 2,032 H, 734 RBI, 156.2 total WAR) wasn’t offered a contract anywhere over the winter, and 1904 could very easily be remembered as the year the greatest living legends of the mound called time on their careers. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here

11-21-2023, 07:51 PM	#135
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,080	MISSOURI’S HAMILTON BELTS SIX HITS AT RIVAL ST. LOUIS MWBA’s 2ND SIX-HIT GAME THIS DECADE; TEAMMATE HOLBROOK SMACKS 5 HITS St. Louis, MO (6/25/1904) – Missouri Bluebirds LF Matthew Hamilton had himself quite an afternoon yesterday, as the fifth-year pro blasted six hits in Missouri’s 12-3 victory at inter-city rivals the St. Louis Saints. Hamilton’s splendid day at the plate consisted of the following: • Top 1st: RBI Single off St. Louis SP Oliver Grayson • Top 2nd: RBI Single off Grayson • Top 4th: Leadoff Single off Grayson • Top 5th: Infield Single off Grayson • Top 8th: Infield Single off St. Louis RP Jordan Carpenter • Top 9th: RBI Double off Carpenter • Total: 6/6, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, 2 SB, 7 TB It was the second six-hit game by an MWBA player so far in the 1900s, with the other coming from Indianapolis 1B Arthur Rousey on July 10th of 1902 against Detroit. Interestingly Hamilton's performance didn’t even earn him Player of the Game honors. That's because the man in front of him in the lineup, leadoff hitter Frank Holbrook, did this: • Top 1st: Leadoff Single • Top 2nd: RBI Triple • Top 3rd: RBI Single • Top 5th: RBI Groundout (6-3) • Top 8th: Leadoff Double • Top 9th: RBI Triple • Total: 5/6, 1 2B, 2 3B, 4 RBI, 4 R, 1 SB, 10 TB Holbrook’s output meant that for the first time this century two players on the same MWBA team had 5+ hits in a game. The victory moved the Bluebirds up to 2nd in the Western League, 40-33 and four games behind the Minneapolis Lakers. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-21-2023 at 07:53 PM.

11-21-2023, 08:15 PM	#136
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,080	DES MOINES STAR GREGORY BREAKS FOUR PL RECORDS IN LOSS SETS NEW RECORDS FOR INNINGS, PITCHES, BATTERS FACED, & K’s IN A SINGLE START Dubuque, IA (5/26/1904) – Tuesday afternoon’s Prairie League game between the Des Moines Oaks & Dubuque Explorers at Dubuque Recreation Park was a wild one. Des Moines was set for the win before the Explorers scored three times in the home half of the ninth to level the score at 6-6, and it took six more innings to find a winner: The pitchers of record were Dubuque reliever Fred Blakely and, incredibly, Des Moines starting pitcher Marion Gregory, who set no less than four Prairie League records in defeat: • Innings: 15.2 innings pitched in one start • Pitches: 221 pitches thrown in one start (153 strikes, 68 balls) • Strikeouts: 16 strikeouts in one start (12 over first 9 innings) • Batters: 67 batters faced in one start For much of his five-and-a-half year career with Des Moines, Gregory has been regarded as among the most durable pitchers in semi-pro ball (raw Stamina rating is 210/250) and Tuesday’s epic certainly reinforced that. However, the loss dropped the bad-luck pitcher - 20-10 (2.91 ERA, 160 Ks) & 3rd in PL Hurler of the Year voting in '03 - to 1-6 so far on the season. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 11-21-2023 at 11:53 PM.

11-27-2023, 07:14 PM	#137
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,080	Bad news: I've run into some issues with the save for this in-game universe that go all the way back to when I imported it from OOTP 23. I want to go to a back up, but the last time I did that I lost 25 years of leaderboard data. So, I think I'm going to start this universe over. The good news: I figured out a way to change the in-game database (Explore World) around via changing nations' Baseball Quality so that I can have a regional league where all the players are from the Northeast & New England while also having foreigners enter in a way that models 1800s immigration patterns. Also, a major issue with the current in-game universe was that the older version of the game engine would create players in the 1800s such that you'd have entire leagues where about 80% of shortstops and outfielders would rate 70-80 out of 80 at their position. That meant the league leader in WAR pretty much every year was at SS or CF. Thanks to recent patches, that doesn't happen anymore and it should allow for a greater variety of star players. Finally, I never really touched on the earliest years of baseball in this thread, which are actually some of the most interesting! I'll probably have my tm1681Universe up and going in a couple of days, and since I have all the logos and uniforms pre-made up to 1905 it should go a lot faster. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here

11-27-2023, 10:52 PM	#138
jasg224 All Star Reserve Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Guadalajara, México Posts: 564	Tough to end this rendition of the universe in this way. I'm certain the new one will manage to be even better though! Can't wait to see the new players that will make history. __________________ ¡Todos Somos Charros! 100 Years of Pro Baseball in México What if the mesoamerican ballgame turned into baseball? What if baseball began in England in the 1880s and became popular instead of football?