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

[tm1681]

Apologies I haven't updated this in a while - work stuff going on right now, got a Father-in-Law visit from about 1,200 miles away (which has been nice), and I made a bit of a goof.

I wanted to erase the service time of the players in the new Philadelphia League when they were created so they would stay with their original teams longer. However, I forgot that when you click "Erase Service Time" in the League Functions menu it erases the Service Time of every single player in the in-game universe instead of the single league you're intending to target.

I'm going back through and adding the service time to the players on the 60-70 teams in the other two competitions - actually doesn't take that much time but I've been busy lately.

[raptorman415]

Hey, I am a long-time reader and lurker on this here thread. It is really incredible work you do here with this. Attention to detail and historical accuracy is what always keeps me interested and gives me ideas for the historical fiction league I am running.

I do have a question about how you run such a large save with multiple leagues. How do you control the stats so well? Is it auto-calc or the historical pre-calc modifiers, or is it a totally different calculation you use to ensure stats are historically correct with the time period across the universe?
I run my own and a problem I run into is that one season a team can hit a realistic for the time amount of home runs and the next, they either hit way too much or way too little. Sometimes, free agents who enter have ratings that don't match up with players already in the league and that leads to a statistical imbalance.

Just want some insight into how you make your world run. Love the work you put in.

[tm1681]

Originally Posted by raptorman415

Hey, I am a long-time reader and lurker on this here thread. It is really incredible work you do here with this. Attention to detail and historical accuracy is what always keeps me interested and gives me ideas for the historical fiction league I am running.

I do have a question about how you run such a large save with multiple leagues. How do you control the stats so well? Is it auto-calc or the historical pre-calc modifiers, or is it a totally different calculation you use to ensure stats are historically correct with the time period across the universe?
I run my own and a problem I run into is that one season a team can hit a realistic for the time amount of home runs and the next, they either hit way too much or way too little. Sometimes, free agents who enter have ratings that don't match up with players already in the league and that leads to a statistical imbalance.

Just want some insight into how you make your world run. Love the work you put in.

Thanks for the kind words!


So what I've decided works best for me is this: The day before the season starts in one of the competitions I run Auto-Calc and then go to the next day and look at the Season Predictions Report that is generated by the game. If any of the basic statistics - Average, Runs, Strikeouts, etc - looks off I CTL+ATL+DEL out of the game and reload, since it will reload on that previous day instead of autosaving like when you quit a normal way.

From there I tweak with the Auto-Calc modifiers a bit, depending on whether I think certain things need to be decreased or increased, run that day before the season again, and take another look at the Preseason Predictions. If they look good, I go forward. Otherwise, I just repeat the previous step as needed. Typically it only needs a tweak once or twice, and only takes a couple of minutes once you know where you need to go to monkey with everything.


Another thing you could do is set the Park Factors of every venue to 1.000 for everything in order to cut down on the time needed to make sure things are the way you want them. That might not be the best for immersion purposes - Hitters' Parks, Pitchers' Parks, etc - but IIRC the engine takes Park Factors into consideration when doing Auto-Calc, so neutralizing every park would make the Auto-Calc simply rely on the statistics you have loaded into it combined with the ratings of the players.

I've tried the pre-set modifiers before, but those work best if you have a league full of stadiums that are similar to an MLB set with no real quirks.

[tm1681]

THE 1873 AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE PREVIEW

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (May 6, 1873) – Season number three of the American Professional Baseball League opens this afternoon, with First Pitch taking place in Upstate New York where Shamrock plays at Flour City in Rochester just after lunch time. Defending champions American will open their title defense at home against Knickerbocker.

A summary of the offseason for each team:

ALLEGHANY – After eight seasons in Pittsburgh, Samuel Kessler joined Orange. Alleghany replaced him with capable NBBO All-Star Charles Davis of Columbia, but it will be a downgrade 1B. They also surprisingly lost CF Joe Thatcher (1.9 WAR) to Port Jersey in the NBBO, but young OF Robert Golden should be an equal replacement. The team returns their All-Star infield duo of Frank Doherty & Gerald Strong, and they upgraded their pitching by signing Raynard Cordell from Orange. 1873 outlook: about the same as last year.

AMERICAN – The champions will bring what might be the best lineup in baseball history to the start of the 1873 season. After the stunning addition of James Burke over the winter, the team’s first five batsmen will be Willie Davis, William Busby, James Burke, Franklin Petty, & Peter Boyce. The five men combine for a total of three BotY’s, three MVP’s, 35 All-Star Game appearances, and seven Golden Gloves. The only saving grace for the rest of the APBL is that American lost All-Star P Charles Sturch over the winter and thus pitching should be a notable weak point. Still, they’ll enter the season as Founders’ Cup favorites.

EXCELSIOR – They did well over the second half in 1872, and again they spent the winter trying to address defensive issues. They’ve replaced Mario Fusilli with former St. John’s 1B Tarmo Kuopio, signed Knick infielder Clyde Hudspeth to man 2B at a 10/10 grade, recruited Marcel Bresciani – an 8.5/10 SS – from Quaker St. in the NBBO, and brought in corner OF Carl Godin from independent ball. If those four improve the defense and Nicholas Banfield continues his upward trend, then Excelsior should be over .500.

FLOUR CITY – The Colonial runners-up in both APBL seasons changed almost nothing over the winter. They let veteran CF Hiram Majors sign with Shamrock, which allows Ernest Dugas to slide over from RF to play his natural position, with Dugas’ RF spot going to 1872 backup Lon Duffy. Aside from that, F.C. has added the NBBO’s most talented P, James York of N.Y.A.C., to the fold. The Rochester outfit should be just as good as it was last year, if not slightly better.

GOTHAM – The midseason Metropolitan leaders petered out over the second half of 1872, and while the lineup remains mostly the same they did make changes to the pitching staff. John Henry & Gus Woods are gone, replaced by All-Star Charles Sturch and 3.5-star indy ball P Albert Lively. The only change to the lineup is at C, where Sidney Styles will now backup 2x All-Star Howard LeBouf, who joined from American. Unfortunately, the Writers Pool thinks Gotham’s late collapse in ’72 was a sign of things to come for 1873.

KINGS COUNTY – Last year’s worst team (via Run Differential) is trying to overhaul the roster, but it’s going to take time. They have three fine-looking Greenhorns in Calle Forsman (RF), Harold McMichael (3B), & Drees van der Leest (2B) who all grade out in the 2.5-3.0 Star range. They’ve also signed proven veteran leader William McCrory from Shamrock to bring the younger players along. Their roster is built more for the future, so for right now the going will still be tough.

KNICKERBOCKER – A peculiar winter from the Manhattanites. After one year at 3B, 37-year-old Edward Huntley has moved back to SS to make room for 4x All-Star Werner Verstegen. Aside from that, the lineup remains the same even though arguments could have been made for at least an upgrade at C. All eyes will be on #1 overall prospect Bert Landreth as the 22-year-old will join Peadar Daly in the pitching rotation. This could end up being a transition year for Knickerbocker.

MASSACHUSETTS BAY – Mass. Bay is another team that made little in the way of change over the winter. 10x All-Star Thomas Maloney will be back in the lineup at LF, William Trowbridge was signed from Star in the NBBO to be their new SS, and NBBO #1 Frank Bell of Marathon was brought in to be their #2 P. Aside from that all remains the same, and it is expected that M.B. will be at best around the same Won-Loss figure they were at last season.

NIAGARA – A miserable end to 1872 saw Niagara finish last in the Colonial. They responded by releasing 2x All-Star P Monroe Munson and demoting #2 Jack Smith after a disastrous Greenhorn campaign, while bringing in 3.5-star P Carlton Dempsey from indy ball and making Will Johannessen the new #2. They had the weakest offense in the APBL last season but mostly stood pat there, only bringing in SS William Chapman (M.B.) while moving Arthur Bliss to 3B. If Niagara improves, it will be thanks to the new P’s.

ORANGE – Orange lacked punch in the corner OF spots last year. As a result, they demoted Bernard Lambert & Bill Lewis, replacing them with 14x All-Star Samuel Kessler and William Valentine, who was runner-up for New York League BotY in 1871 while playing in the NBBO. The rest of their lineup is the same but they lost inaugural PotY Raynard Cordell to Alleghany, which could negate the improvements made to the attack. Orange figures to be as good as last year, if not slightly better.

SHAMROCK – Of course, Shamrock was involved in the story of the winter when they lost James Burke to American. However, there’s plenty of reason for optimism. Even though Golden Glover Hiram Majors isn’t an equal replacement at CF, new LF Earl Crosby is a speed merchant, new 2B Art Fisher has the tools to win a Golden Glove, and winter centerpiece Will Dickerson was graded 4.5 stars at 3B even though he’d spent his whole career in the NBBO, such is his talent. Shamrock could actually improve in 1873.

ST. JOHN’S – After its attack fell short in the Founders’ Cup, St. John’s retooled over the winter. C Peter Caliguri was replaced with 2x All-Star Falco van der Vaart, 1B Tarmo Kuopio was replaced with 4x All-Star Mario Fusilli, and 2B John Baddley was replaced with 4x All-Star Theo Kohlberg. The hope is that by making the three changes the team has traded a slight downgrade to its APBL-best defense for a notable upgrade in offense. Howard Burns & Thomas Smith return as their pitching duo, so the team should contend once again.

AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE PROJECTED STANDINGS

COLONIAL CONFERENCE
		 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA	   RD	 1872
St. John’s	51	39	.567	--	777	683	  +94	56-34
Flour City	50	40	.556	 1	713	605	 +108	52-38
Shamrock	49	41	.544	 2	665	591	  +74	42-48
Alleghany	43	47	.478	 7	596	591	   +5	39-51
Niagara		41	49	.456	 9	625	719	  -94	38-52
Mass. Bay	38	52	.422	12	648	835	 -187	43-47

METROPOLITAN CONFERENCE
		 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA	   RD	 1872
American	59	31	.656	--	797	592	 +205	51-39
Orange		51	39	.567	 8	832	736	  +96	46-44
Excelsior	49	41	.544	10	663	653	  +10	41-49
Knick		42	48	.467	17	729	783	  -54	46-44
Gotham		38	52	.422	21	690	752	  -62	48-42
Kings Co.	32	58	.356	27	633	828	 -195	38-52

American is the clear favorite to take the Metropolitan Conference and repeat as APBL champions, while the Colonial appears to be a toss-up involving last year’s top two plus Shamrock.

APBL AWARD FAVORITES

Batsman of the Year: Konrad Jensen (33 y/o OF, St. John’s) – projected .367/.417/.486, 1 HR, 90 RBI, 70 SB
Pitcher of the Year: Jim Creighton (32 y/o P, Excelsior) – projected 30-16, 3.23 ERA, 147 K’s in 367.2 IP
Most Valuable Player: James Burke (31 y/o OF, American) – projected .314/.332/.400, 0 HR, 69 RBI, 93 SB
Greenhorn of the Year: Martin Prince (24 y/o SS, American) – projected .304/.348/.387, 3 HR, 54 RBI, 34 SB

APBEL TEAM OF THE YEAR FAVORITES

P: Jim Creighton (EXC), C: Everett Schreiber (ORA), 1B: William Busby (AME), 2B: Babe Johnson (GOT), 3B: William Dickerson (SHA), SS: Anthony Mascherino (ORA), LF: Konrad Jensen (StJ), CF: James Burke (AME), RF: Nelson Townsend (StJ)

TOP TEN APBL GREENHORNS & PROSPECTS

#1: Bert Landreth (22 y/o P, KNI), #2: Martin Prince (22 y/o SS, AME), #3: Charles Griffith (21 y/o P, AME), #4: William Marrs (24 y/o P, KNI), #5: George Miller (22 y/o OF, KC), #6 Albert Lively (24 y/o P, GOT), #7: William Carrigan (22 y/o 3B, AME), #8: Eddie Morris (24 y/o P, GOT), #9: Robert Earegood (22 y/o OF, AME), #10: Harold Long (23 y/o P, EXC)

KEY SIGNINGS & PLAYER CHANGES

P: John Brown (21-19, 4.08, 4.4 WAR) from American to Excelsior
P: Raynard Cordell (17-21, 2.55, 4.8 WAR) from Orange to Alleghany
P: Carlton Dempsey (3.5-Star Greenhorn) to Niagara
P: John Henry (17-10, 3.65, 2.0 WAR) from Gotham to American
P: Albert Lively (3.5-Star Greenhorn) to Gotham
P: Charles Sturch (28-15, 3.00, 5.3 WAR) from American to Gotham
P: James York (4.0 Stars) from New York Athletic Club (NBBO) to Flour City

C: Howard LeBouf (.285, 45 RBI, 1.6 WAR) from American to Gotham
C: Raynard Steinbach (2.5 Stars) from Binghamton (NBBO) to American
C: Falco van der Vaart (.266, 22 RBI, 0.5 WAR in 61 G) from Massachusetts Bay to St. John’s
1B: Charles Davis (2.5 Stars) from Columbia (NBBO) to Alleghany
1B: Mario Fusilli (.318, 66 RBI, 1.8 WAR) from Excelsior to St. John’s
1B: Tarmo Kuopio (.341, 56 RBI, 2.1 WAR) from St. John’s to Excelsior
2B: Arthur Fisher (3.0 Stars) from Nassau County (NBBO) to Shamrock
2B: Clyde Hudspeth (.308, 58 RBI, 1.4 WAR) from Knickerbocker to Excelsior
2B: Theodore Kohlberg (.337, 43 RBI, 2.6 WAR) from Kings County to St. John’s
2B: Drees van der Leest (2.5-Star Greenhorn) to Kings County
3B: William Dickerson (4.5 Stars) from Quaker State (NBBO) to Shamrock
3B: Harold McMichael (2.5-Star Greenhorn) to Kings County
3B: Lorik van Unen (3.0-Star backup) from Knickerbocker to American
3B: Werner Verstegen (.295, 85 RBI, 1.6 WAR) from American to Knickerbocker
SS: Marcel Bresciani (2.5 Stars) from Quaker State (NBBO) to Excelsior
SS: William Chapman (.228, 45 RBI, 0.2 WAR) from Massachusetts Bay to Niagara
SS: Martin Prince (4.0-Star Greenhorn) to American
SS: William Trowbridge (3.0 Stars) from Star (NBBO) to Massachusetts Bay

LF: Earl Crosby (3.0 Stars) from Bedford (NBBO) to Shamrock
LF: Alfred Godin (2.5-Star Greenhorn) to Excelsior
LF: Samuel Kessler (.345, 64 RBI, 3.1 WAR) from Alleghany to Orange
LF: William McCrory (.282, 41 RBI, 1.4 WAR) from Shamrock to Kings County
CF: James Burke (.324, 49 RBI, 2.5 WAR in 73 G) from Shamrock to American
CF: Hiram Majors (.275, 58 RBI, 1.4 WAR) from Flour City to Shamrock
RF: Calle Forsman (2.5-Star Greenhorn) to Kings County
RF: William Valentine (3.5 Stars) from New York Athletic Club (NBBO) to Orange

[tm1681]

Just a few more teams to fix and I'll be ready to go full speed ahead again!

[tm1681]

ORANGE OUTLASTS EXCELSIOR IN WEEK ONE THRILLER
VISITORS OVERCOME EARLY SEVEN-RUN DEFICIT; STAR C SCHREIBER SETS TWO RECORDS

BROOKLYN (May 7, 1873) – Day two of the 1873 APBL season saw Orange & Excelsior put on a show in Brooklyn’s Carroll Park, with the visitors coming out on top:

By the end of the opening inning it looked like hosts Excelsior would enjoy an easy afternoon, as they scored seven times in the bottom of the 1st on four hits, five Orange fielding miscues, and a pair of Bases on Balls to take a very early 7-0 lead.

However, by the middle of the contest Orange would not only erase the deficit but take the lead, as two runs in the 4th and a seven-run rally of their own in the top of the 5th – the key hit a Grand Slam by C Everett Schreiber – saw the visitors go ahead 9-7.

Excelsior would take a run back in the bottom of the 5th on a Clyde Hudspeth Single and then score twice in the 7th to take a 10-9 lead. In the top of the 8th Orange scored twice on a pair of Excelsior mistakes to retake the lead 11-10, but in the bottom of the 8th Excelsior took the lead back again with three runs – C Albert Goddard’s two-run Double the key hit – to bring a 13-11 lead into the 9th inning.

In the top of the 9th, after a leadoff error, Charles Whitehead Single, and Taliesin Buckley bunt Schreiber came to bat again with the bases loaded, and again he delivered a big hit: a two-run double to tie the game 13-13. Two batters later, PH Frederick Pipkin brought Buckley home with a Sacrifice Fly and Orange was ahead 14-13. No Excelsior batsman went further than First Base in the bottom of the inning, and Orange took the victory.

As mentioned, Everett Schreiber had two massive hits with the bases loaded, and it was part of a history-making day:

• T2: Double to LCF off N. Banfield
• T4: 2-run Double to LF off N. Banfield
• T5: GRAND SLAM to LF off N. Banfield
• T8: Leadoff Single past SS off J. Brown
• T9: 2-run Double to CF off J. Brown
• TOTAL: 5/5, 3 2B, GRAND SLAM, 1 R, 8 RBI, 11 TB, 108 GMSC

Not only did the 5x All-Star belt out the rarest of hits – a Grand Slam – but Schreiber set two APBL records, with his eight Runs Batted In and eleven Total Bases both establishing new single-game bests in the league’s short history.

The season-opening series between Orange & Excelsior ends tomorrow afternoon, with Lambert van Erp battling Jim Creighton at 3:00 PM sharp.

[tm1681]

NIAGARA TOPS MASS. BAY IN 30-RUN CONTEST
5X ALL-STAR NIAGARA 2B LEWIS PUNCHES OUT FIVE HITS & DRIVES IN FIVE RUNS

BOSTON (May 10, 1873) – The APBL is still in Week One of play, but already the league has seen its second frenetic, high-scoring tilt of the early season:

With the score level 2-2 after two innings, Niagara scored ten times in the top of the 3rd on nine hits and a trio of Mass. Bay fielding mistakes. There were a number of run-scoring hits during inning, but the key knock was a two-run Single by star 2B Ernest Lewis.

Mass. Bay responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the 3rd to make the score 10-5, but as a result of Niagara’s double-digit rally the hosts were forced to play catch-up for the rest of the game. The closest Mass. Bay came to Niagara was the two-run final margin, thanks to a four-run rally in the bottom of the 9th that finally stopped when Niagara relief man Martin Hales man got Mass. Bay C Harry Thompson to hit a meek ground ball to Lewis for an easy out to end the game.

Two Niagara batsmen had four Hits: CF Henry Card & 1B Paul LaGuerre. However, 2B Ernest Lewis did both men one better with a five-hit afternoon:

• T1: 1-run Triple to LCF off T. Hauser
• T3: 1-run Triple to LCF off J. Desautels (R)
• T3: 2-run Single past 2B off J. Desautels (R)
• T4: 1-run Single to LF off F. Nicholas
• T7: Reached via Error by SS W. Trowbridge (R)
• T8: Single to LF off F. Nicholas (11-pitch AB)
• TOTAL: 5/6, 2 3B, 3 R, 5 RBI, 9 TB, 92 GMSC

Lewis is looking to rebound from a career-worst season in 1872 – .255 AVG, .578 OPS, 36 RBI, -0.1 WAR. Through five games the 5x NBBO/APBL All-Star is 14/26 with a pair of Triples and eight Runs Batted In, clearly a small sample size but an indication that that Lewis may have righted the proverbial ship.

The series between Niagara & Mass. Bay ends tomorrow, with Niagara #2 William Johannessen going against Andrew Martz.

[tm1681]

SCHUMACHER STRIKES SIX HITS IN SHAMROCK SLUGFEST
4TH-YEAR VET HAS FINEST GAME OF CAREER AS TEAM BEATS BOSTON RIVALS BY TWENTY

BOSTON (May 13, 1873) – The start of the 1873 season has been one to forget for Massachusetts Bay, and that poor start continued with a bludgeoning at home at the hands of cross-town rivals Shamrock to start Week Two:

The hosts never had a chance. After allowing ten runs to Shamrock during the top of the 2nd (8 H, 7 E) it was an afternoon of misery for Mass. Bay, who was behind as much as 21 Runs when the score was 27-6 in the top of the 9th. The only M.B. Pitcher to record an out without allowing any Shamrock scoring was actually backup outfielder Felix Charles, who was brought in during the 9th by M.B. Manager Jasper Chamberlain just to see if somebody...anybody...could confuse the opposing batsmen.

Conversely, it was a banner afternoon for Shamrock, who set APBL team records with 27 Runs and 31 Hits. No fewer than seven members of their lineup had 3+ Hits. 1B Frank Bulger, LF Earl Crosby, RF Henry Gaul, & C James Simon had three each. CF Hiram Majors & P Tom Ricks had four. The leader of the pack was SS William Schumacher:

• T1: 1-run Single past SS off A. Martz (CS)
• T2: 2-run Single to RF off A. Martz (R)
• T3: Single past 1B off J. Desautels
• T5: Leadoff Single past SS off J. Desautels (R)
• T5: Fly Out to SS
• T7: 1-run Single to RF off F. Nicholas
• T9: 1-run Single to RF off F. Nicholas (R)
• TOTAL: 6/7 (all 1B), 3 R, 5 RBI, 100 GMSC

Schumacher’s performance represented the third six-hit game in APBL history, with Nelson Townsend (St. John’s) collecting the first in 1871 and Royal Altman (Gotham) completing the second in 1872.

The loss dropped Massachusetts Bay to 1-6. Their #1, Tom Hauser, is currently unavailable due to a stiff back, and they’ve already been outscored by thirty runs in little over a week.

[tm1681]

THE 1873 NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION PREVIEW

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (May 14, 1873) – It is a little later than usual thanks to the change of Opening Day to the second Wednesday in May, but the 1873 NBBO season is upon us!

Last year, the field didn’t catch up to Quaker State during the season but Portland delivered a historic upset in the NEL Championship Series, coming from 2-0 down to stun a team that had the NBBO’s best record for the second consecutive season. In the aftermath, Eckford of Greenpoint claimed the Tucker-Wheaton Cup in its first ever playoff appearance, and some semblance of uncertainty was finally restored to the NBBO.

Quaker St. is again expected to finish the season with the NBBO’s best record, but for the first time in a number of years none of the 48 teams are expected to win 50+ games, and on top of that none are expected to lose 50+. No teams are expected to have a Run Differential better than +200. Either four or five regional pennants are expected to change hands, depending on how the projected tie atop Brooklyn shakes out, and for the first time in a while only one region is expected to be decided by more than a handful of games.

No team in the New York League is expected to have a significantly improved record, but the Writers Pool is looking for Trenton United to be at least a dozen wins better than they were last year after the team signed All-Stars Manuel Romeiras & Earl Seals along with 3.0-4.0* star Greenhorns Jelmar Keereweer (3B) & Thomas Koch (#2 P).

From a collective standpoint, this year’s most competitive regions are expected to be New York City & New England, with both projected to have at least five teams finish fewer than ten games behind 1st place. Meanwhile, it looks like Brooklyn & Coastal will consist of a top two and then six other teams far back in the standings.

Finally, it is expected that after one year under the new pitching rules batsmen will have made adjustments and offense will take a step back up in 1873.

And with that, it’s time to play ball!

NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION PROJECTED FINISH

Brooklyn Championship
• Favorites: Atlantic & Eckford at 46-24 (ATL +150 RD, ECK +140 RD)
• Marathon 10 GB, Empire 11 GB, Nassau Co. 12 GB

New York City Championship
• Favorites: Mutual at 42-28 (+150 RD)
• Union 1 GB, Metropolitan 4 GB, Harlem 6 GB

Upstate New York Championship
• Favorites: Utica at 46-24 (+165 RD)
• Syracuse 3 GB, Minuteman 7 GB, Frontier 8 GB

Coastal Championship
• Favorites: Quaker State at 49-21 (+165 RD)
• Trenton Utd. 3 GB, Port Jersey 13 GB, Maryland 15 GB

Inland Championship
• Favorites: Merrimack Mills at 45-25 (+130 RD)
• Lancastra 6 GB, Susquehanna 8 GB, Sportsman’s 11 GB

New England Championship
• Favorites: Sons of the Ocean at 43-27 (+90 RD)
• Portland 2 GB, Cantabrigians 3 GB, three teams 8 GB

Tucker-Wheaton Cup favorites: Quaker State BC

BROOKLYN – Atlantic fell from repeat champions to 3rd last season, but the offseason signings of TotY members Henry Neal (Syracuse) & Herb Verrett (Maryland) have put them right back up at the top. They also have four-star Greenhorn Michael Kapral as their new #2 P. Defending cup winners Eckford decided that a championship-winning roster couldn’t really be improved upon, only making a change at C, where Frederick Chervenak (Frontier) replaces Scott Keys. Aside from the top two, the rest of Brooklyn isn’t expected to contend for a spot in the cup playoffs.

NEW YORK CITY – Mutual, 3rd place last year at 2½ GB, is expected to take top spot after signing reigning NYL Pitcher of the Year George Layman (Marathon). Union, last year’s champs, lost both middle infielders but appear to have found adequate replacements, and they’ve made an upgrade at 1B, signing William Simpkins (Tiger). Metropolitan’s power trio of Troy Oberst, Jerald Peterson, & Francis Smith, should have that team in the mix, while 3-4 offseason reinforcements look to give Harlem an outsider’s shot at taking 1st place in spite of the loss of All-Star CF Manuel Romeiras.

UPSTATE – Utica’s signing of everyday APBL 2B John Baddley (St. John’s) has given the team the most talented infield in the NYL, while their OF trio of Felix Brand, Will Buschmann, & the ageless James Heilman (43 y/o) is also very strong. 2x defending champs Syracuse lost Henry Neal but replaced him with BotY Chester Alexander, and they return the stalwart pitching duo of Ashley Atkins & Richard Frazee. Minuteman should again have fine pitching from Ernst Hermann & William Tighe, but their lineup is a bit iffy. Frontier lost Charles Rhodes but replaced him with the legendary Carl Bancroft.

COASTAL – Quaker St. should reign supreme again. 1B has seen a major upgrade thanks to the signing of Gerhardt Berg (S.o.t.O.), but 3B has taken a major hit with Moses Barnes taking over from Will Dickerson. What will worry Q.S. is Trenton Utd., whose offseason overhaul that included Earl Seals (Marathon) & Manuel Romeiras (Harlem) has turned them into a legitimate contender on paper. Trenton has excellent pitching & defense, so 45+ wins is doable. The rest of Coastal appears to be little more than cannon fodder for the projected top two.

INLAND – The signing of APBL 1B Julius Bailey (Flour City) & All-Star SS Bertram Zahn (Trenton Utd.), along with the continued development of 21 y/o CF Chuck Barrett, makes Merrimack the team to beat. Defending champs Susquehanna brought in ten-year Shamrock regular Will Gillette to play 2B, but their lineup has holes at SS & RF that will likely cause the team to finish a handful of games behind. Lancaster has two new quality P’s – Ralph Dodson (Pioneer) & John Faulkner (Trenton Utd.) – and that should allow their defense-heavy lineup to stay competitive.

NEW ENGLAND – This is the region where it looks like anything can happen. S.o.t.O. lost All-Stars Gerhardt Berg (1B) & Fred Richards (P), but the Writers Pool believes the team’s defensive strength will see them finish in front, although only just. Portland has a fine Greenhorn CF in Jonathan Ovaska, but weaknesses at C & RF are expected to scupper their attempts to take a third consecutive New England pennant. Cantabrigians returns every member of the lineup & pitching duo except at 3B, where they brought back Hoyt Woodford after one year with Merrimack. That is expected to see the Cambridge men finally crack the top three. The rest of New England is expected to be close but not quite good enough.

NBBO AWARD FAVORITES

NYL Batsman of the Year: Isaac Kelly (3B, Eckford) – projected .375/.395/.462, 1 HR, 74 RBI, 3 SB
NEL Batsman of the Year: Elijah Hill (3B, Green Mtn.) – projected .396/.417/.512, 0 HR, 74 RBI, 12 SB
NYL Pitcher of the Year: George Layman (Mutual) – projected 26-13, 2.50 ERA, 19 K in 331.2 IP
NEL Pitcher of the Year: Ross Gill (Quaker St.) – projected 30-9, 2.10 ERA, 28 K in 342.2 IP
NYL Most Valuable Player: William Buschmann (CF, Utica) – projected .358/.395/.490, 1 HR, 48 RBI, 41 SB
NEL Most Valuable Player: Ned Morganti (CF, Quaker St.) – projected .390/.424/.523, 1 HR, 73 RBI, 32 SB
NYL Greenhorn of the Year: Michael Kapral (26 y/o P, Atlantic)
NEL Greenhorn of the Year: Walt Proctor (27 y/o P, Green Mtn.)

NBBO TEAM OF THE YEAR FAVORITES

NEW YORK LEAGUE – P: George Layman (Mutual), C: Cale Jones (Union), 1B: Jerald Peterson (Metro), 2B: Chester Alexander (Syracuse), 3B: Isaac Kelly (Eckford), SS: Henry Nabors (Victory), OF: Troy Oberst (Metro), OF: William Buschmann (Utica), OF: Herb Verrett (Atlantic)

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE – P: George Burroughs (Pt. Jersey), C: Joseph Steele (Pioneer), 1B: Gerhardt Berg (Quaker St.), 2B: Lennon Haley (Lancastra), 3B: Elijah Hill (Green Mtn.), SS: Earl Seals (Trenton Utd.), OF: Manuel Romeiras (Trenton Utd.), OF: Ned Morganti (Quaker St.), OF: George Black (S.o.t.O.)

MOST TALENTED GREENHORNS (by position)

P: Walt Proctor (27 y/o, Green Mtn.) at 4.5*, C: Henry Robertson (28 y/o, Scranton) at 3.0*, 1B: Callum Tait (28 y/o, S.o.t.O.) at 2.5*, 2B: James Lanagan (24 y/o, Trenton Utd.) at 3.5*, 3B: Peter James (23 y/o, N.Y.A.C.) at 3.0*, SS: Edward Davis (28 y/o, Utica) at 3.5*, OF: Jonathan Ovaska (28 y/o, Portland) at 3.5*, OF: Herman Kramer (26 y/o, Lake Erie) at 3.5*, OF: Harold Durand (21 y/o, Olympic) at 3.0* w/ 5.0* pot.

MOST TALENTED RESERVE PROSPECTS (by position)

P: Howard Shepherd (21 y/o, Cont’l) at 2.5*/5.0*, C: Carl Nevers (21 y/o, Olympic) at 1.5*/4.5*, 1B: Thomas Beane (22 y/o, Newark) at 2.0*/3.0*, 2B: Lucas Maxwell (23 y/o, Susquehanna) at 2.5*/3.5*, 3B: John Shoemaker (22 y/o, Pt. Jersey) at 2.5*/3.5*, SS: Jules Thomas (21 y/o, Minuteman) at 2.0*/5.0*, OF: William Reed (18 y/o, Pioneer) at 1.5*/4.5*, OF: Thomas Fetterman (21 y/o, Newark) at 2.0*/4.5*, OF: Jonathan Nabors (21 y/o, Susquehanna) at 2.0*/4.5*

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THE 1873 PHILADELPHIA CITY BASEBALL LEAGUE PREVIEW

PHILADELPHIA (May 14, 1873) – After months of preparation, it’s time for the inaugural season of the Philadelphia City Baseball League to begin! All eyes will be on Franklin Field at 1:20, where Keystone takes on Sons of Ben in the first game in PCBL history. The other seven games will start between 2:10 and 4:15.

The Philadelphia Writers Pool has put their minds together, and they’ve decided that Frankford Arsenal will be the best of a very-tightly packed East Philadelphia bunch, while in the more powerful West Philadelphia half of the competition Philadelphia Baseball & Cricket Club – no surprise – is expected to field the strongest team in the competition with the other “B.C.C.” teams in the spots behind them.

While the B.C.C. clubs might have the strongest rosters in the city, Mercantile’s Benjamin Warnock has been declared by the W.P. to be the best batsman in the competition, at least based on preseason prognostications. However, the projected #1 Pitcher belongs to Philadelphia B.C.C. – Arthur Lipscomb – and the projected Most Valuable Player – OF Harrison Comstock – is a member of Germantown B.C.C.

Indeed, the B.C.C. batsmen dominate the W.P.’s initial charts of most talented players in the PCBL. In the first listing of the top twenty batsmen eight of the top ten play for Germantown, Merion, or P.B.C.C., and 14/20 overall ply their trade for the power trio. While P.B.C.C. has the projected #1 pitcher, the Top Pitcher listings are more of a mixed bag since there are only two per team, and while Lipscomb is expected to win Pitcher of the Year the W.P. thinks that Sons of Ben’s 23-year-old #1, Paul Krueger, is actually the most talented man with the ball. Still, seven of nine projected Team of the Year members are expected to come from the B.C.C. trio of teams.

Given that this is the first season of the PCBL there are no Greenhorn prospects, but if one were to take stock of the best young players in the league then at the top would be Frankford’s 20-year-old CF Joseph Evans, who is expected to start in the middle of their outfield even though he’s barely old enough to call himself a man. Evans is rated a 3.0*/5.0* talent relative to the competition, and he should quickly improve given the veterans that surround him.

And with that, it’s time to play ball!

PHILADELPHIA CITY BASEBALL LEAGUE PROJECTED FINISH

East Philadelphia
• Favorites: Frankford Arsenal at 40-30 (+105 RD)
• Minerva 1 GB, Spartan 2 GB, Yorktown 4 GB

West Philadelphia
• Favorites: Philadelphia B.C.C. at 45-25 (+125 RD)
• Merion 6 GB, Germantown 7 GB, Mercantile 9 GB

Liberty Bell Classic favorites: Philadelphia Baseball & Cricket Club

EAST PHILDELPHIA – Frankford Arsenal is the favorite to take the East Philadelphia pennant, but just barely. Their lineup has no superstars but grades 2nd-7th out of sixteen at every position, so it’s Frankford’s depth that should carry them to 1st place. Conversely, Minerva has a top-heavy roster that features the PCBL’s best SS: Wilford Janoff. However, that means they could as easily be 2nd or 7th. Spartan has a weak infield but East Philadelphia’s best corner outfielder in Joseph Sizemore, and his star power should keep them very close to top spot. Yorktown is the smallest club in the competition, but the quality of their middle infield is expected to keep the neighborhood club very competitive.

WEST PHILADELPHIA – It should come as little surprise that the biggest & oldest club in the competition is projected to finish with the best record in the PCBL’s inaugural season. They grade at #1/16 at three positions – C, 2B, & 3B – and in the top five at four others: 1B, LF, RF, & P. It should also come as little surprise that the other two moneyed Baseball & Cricket clubs are expected to contend. Merion has talent everywhere, and they have the PCBL’s best CF in Clifford Martin. Germantown has the best batsman duo in the PCBL: 1B Jonathan Bagwell & LF Harrison Comstock. Mercantile is top-heavy, featuring the single best batsman in the PCBL – 1B Ben Warnock – and the second-best set of middle infielders: 2B John Henry George & SS Sidney Boothe. However, they lack the depth that the three “B.C.C.” clubs enjoy.

PCBL AWARD FAVORITES

Batsman of the Year: Benjamin Warnock (1B, Mercantile) – projected .368/.401/.498, 1 HR, 70 RBI, 10 SB
Pitcher of the Year: Arthur Lipscomb (P.B.C.C.) – projected 21-11, 2.46 ERA, 30 K in 278.0 IP
Most Valuable Player: Harrison Comstock (LF, Germantown) – projected .315/.349/.461, 3 HR, 61 RBI, 53 SB

PCBL TEAM OF THE YEAR FAVORITES

P: Jonathan Atkins (Merion), C: Harrison Hearst (P.B.C.C.), 1B: Benjamin Warnock (Mercantile), 2B: Frederick Pike (P.B.C.C.), 3B: Charles Hunt (P.B.C.C.), SS: Wilford Janoff (Minerva), OF: Harrison Comstock (Germantown), OF: Clifford Martin (Merion), OF: James Cray (Merion)

PCBL TOP YOUNG LINEUP MEMBERS (by position)

P: Paul Krueger (23 y/o, Sons of Ben) – rated 5.0*/5.0*
C: Barry Cohen (25 y/o, Germantown) – rated 3.0*/3.0*
1B: William Norman (22 y/o, Merion) – rated 4.0*/5.0*
2B: Frederick Pike (23 y/o, P.B.C.C.) – rated 5.0*/5.0*
3B: James Traywick (24 y/o, Keystone) – rated 2.5*/2.5*
SS: Herman Stanley (21 y/o, Queen Village) – rated 2.5*/5.0*
OF: Joseph Evans (20 y/o, Frankford) – rated 3.0*/5.0*
OF: Clifford Martin (23 y/o, Merion) – rated 3.5*/5.0*
OF: Edward Smith (23 y/o, Germantown) – rated 3.0*/5.0*

[20_range]

I should tell you though that dividing the city into east and west Philadelphia really doesn't sound right. The problem is that North, South, and West Philadelphia are neighborhoods/regions (as well as Northeast, Southwest, and to lesser extent, Northwest), while nothing is called East Philly. I'm not sure of any way to really divide it geographically cleanly though. North and South would almost work, except that they're each distinct regions (in that model the west Philly and center city teams would end up on the "south" division). You might want to name the leagues Franklin and Penn or something like that.

[tm1681]

Originally Posted by 20_range

I should tell you though that dividing the city into east and west Philadelphia really doesn't sound right. The problem is that North, South, and West Philadelphia are neighborhoods/regions (as well as Northeast, Southwest, and to lesser extent, Northwest), while nothing is called East Philly. I'm not sure of any way to really divide it geographically cleanly though. North and South would almost work, except that they're each distinct regions (in that model the west Philly and center city teams would end up on the "south" division). You might want to name the leagues Franklin and Penn or something like that.

You're touching on a problem I ran into while coming up with the league...

Doing it North/South just seemed too common/stereotypical. When looking around for ideas I noticed that all three of the real-life cricket clubs are based in the western half of Philadelphia, with Merion actually based slightly west of Philadelphia itself in Haverford.

I did see some sources that refer to "West Philadelphia" as its own area, with "Near Northeast Philadelphia" and "Far Northeast Philadelphia" as other sections of the city. So, between that and the cricket clubs all being west, I decided on the East/West split.

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THREE SYRACUSE BATSMEN NAB FIVE HITS EACH IN BUFFALO ROMP
ALEXANDER, CALIGURI, & CRAVEN EACH BAT 5/7 AS UPSTATE CHAMPS MAKE UP FOR OPENING LOSS

BUFFALO (May 15, 1873) – Syracuse lost their season-opening at Columbia in a walk-off, and the team decided to make up for it in spectacular fashion in Game #2:

The 3-2 scoreline at the end of the 1st was the closest this game ever was, as immediately after that the Syracuse attack went to work and hammered Columbia pitching, finishing the afternoon with 22 Runs & 26 Hits against the Buffalo men.

Every starting player for Syracuse reached base and scored, but three players in particular took on starring roles at Hamlin Park: 2B & defending NYL Batsman of the Year Chester Alexander, C Peter Caliguri, & RF Martin Craven:

• SYR #3 Martin Craven (RF): 5/7, 4 2B, 5 R, 3 RBI, 9 TB, 88 GMSC, PotG
• SYR #4 Chester Alexander (2B): 5/7 (all 1B), 5 R, 2 RBI, 81 GMSC
• SYR #6 Peter Caliguri (C): 5/7 (all 1B), 2 R, 5 RBI, 81 GMSC
• TOTAL: 15/21, 4 2B, 12 R, 10 RBI, 19 TB

The three batsmen showed why the 2x defending Upstate champions signed them over the winter, with Craven in particular putting on an amazing show with the lumber. His four Doubles set a team record, and also tied the NYL record for Doubles in a single game.

There was one man in the middle of the 5/7 threesome, who were #3, #4, & #6 in the Syracuse batting order: 1B John Bateman, who himself was 3/7 with a Double, Triple, two Runs, and five RBI on the afternoon.

It was quite an afternoon for Syracuse, and they’ll be hoping that it was the first of many to come in 1873.

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GOTHAM BEATS RIVALS KNICK IN A CLASSIC
TWO-RUN 9TH BY GOTHAM SEALS VICTORY IN THE ELYSIAN FIELDS

MANHATTAN (May 22, 1873) – When the two oldest baseball clubs in existence meet one another on the field the accompanying contests are usually thrilling, and Thursday’s series-ending game between the two was no different:

It looked as if Gotham had the game won barely after it began, as seven runs on seven hits and five Knickerbocker fielding errors in the top of the 1st inning gave the visitors an immediate seven-run lead. However, the Knickerbocker offense was up to the task of clawing away at the deficit, and even though they allowed more runs to Gotham over the next two innings the score was 10-7 after the end of the 3rd.

Gotham added two runs in the 4th to bring the score to 12-7, and the teams traded lone runs over the next two innings to make it 13-8 in the middle of the 6th. That was when Knick really fought back. The home side scored three times in the bottom of the 6th on Singles by SS Edward Huntley & RF Leonard Noble (R+E) to cut the deficit to two, and in the bottom of the 7th they scored thrice more on a Double (2R) by Noble and a Sacrifice Fly by C Oliver Lysiak to take a 14-13 lead.

After a scoreless 8th, LF Royal Altman led off the Gotham 9th with a Single, eventually coming around to score on a Single by 2B Babe Johnson to tie the game. C Howard LeBouf would then bring in Johnson with a Single of his own, and Gotham was ahead 15-14. Greenhorn relief man Howard Budd was the Gotham pitcher for the bottom of the 9th, and he sat down the Knick attack 1-2-3 to end the game and give his team a tense but hard-earned victory.

Speaking of Altman & LeBouf, they were the standout performers in the Elysian Fields on Thursday afternoon:

• GOT #2 Royal Altman (LF): 5/6, 3 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, 8 TB
• GOT #6 Howard LeBouf (C): 5/6, 2 3B, 3 R, 3 RBI, SB, 9 TB, GW HIT, PotG

It was LeBouf’s Single that won the game for Gotham, putting him over the top for Player of the Game honors. His performance raised his average to .415 with ten RBI through fifteen games so far in 1873, while Altman’s 5/6 raised his average to .314 – low for him – with fifteen RBI.

Leonard Noble, who had those two key hits for Knickerbocker in a losing effort, was 4/4 with a Double, Triple, three Runs, and three RBI to bring his average to .382 with a dozen RBI through fifteen games.

Gotham is struggling heavily at 5-10, but such a dramatic win at the home field of the now 12-3 Knickerbocker will be sure to lift their confidence for upcoming games.

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FRANKFORD'S CF PRODIGY CONTINUES TO BATTER BALL
20 YEAR-OLD EVANS 5/5 AGAINST SONS OF BEN, RAISES AVERAGE ABOVE .450

PHILADELPHIA (May 24, 1873) – Frankford Arsenal was declared the favorites to take the first West Philadelphia pennant going into the inaugural season of the PCBL, and they are now 6-3 after a dominant home win over Sons of Ben:

Frankford had three players with multiple hits in the ten-run victory, with their clear leader being CF Joseph Evans:

• B1: Triple to RCF off P. Krueger (R)
• B3: Leadoff Single to LCF off P. Krueger (R)
• B4: Single to CF off P. Krueger
• B5: 2-run Single past SS off P. Krueger
• B7: Leadoff Infield Single off W. Donahue
• TOTAL: 5/5, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI, 7 TB

Evans took Player of the Game honors for his batsmanship, and thanks to his 5/5 performance the young man, who doesn’t turn 21 years of age until July 30th, is batting .476 (1.143 OPS) with three Triples and thirteen RBI through the first nine games of PCBL history.

If these first two weeks are a sign of what to expect from Evans going forward then it may not be long before he finds himself essentially “too good” for intra-Philadelphia baseball, with an NBBO or even an APBL club making an offer for his services.

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PT. JERSEY #2 SPEARS BATS 5/5 IN COMPLETE GAME WIN
PITCHER DOES IT ALL AS P.J. DEFEATS VISITING TIGER S.C. BY EIGHT

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (May 25, 1873) – Tiger S.C. & Port Jersey ended their Week Two series in Hoboken Oakland Park on Sunday afternoon, with the hosts getting the best of their visitors from Philadelphia:

Port Jersey’s 22 hits saw them finish with four players who had 3+ base hits, but there was one bright, shining star on the afternoon, and that was Pt. Jersey #2 pitcher William Spears:

• B2: 1-run Single past 2B off S. Cutitta (R)
• B3: 2-run Single to RF off S. Cutitta
• B5: Single past SS off S. Cutitta
• B6: 1-run Single to LF off S. Cutitta (R)
• B8: 1-run Single past 2B off R. Pace (R)
• TOTAL (batting): 5/5 (all 1B) 3 R, 4 RBI
• TOTAL (pitching): CG, 9 HA, 7 RA, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Apparently, Spears must have taken a look at Port Jersey’s 3-6 start to the season and decided that he was going to have to do everything himself to ensure a win on Sunday afternoon. The Complete Game victory wasn’t all that surprising – Spears was 11-15 (3.53 ERA) last season – but a 5/5 batting performance from a pitcher with a .253 career average certainly is.

The win moved Port Jersey up to 4-6 and 6th place in Coastal, with Tiger falling to 6-4 and part of a three-way tie for 3rd. Stop us if you’re heard this before, but everybody is looking up at Quaker State, who is currently 8-2.

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VICTORY MAKES BIZARRE HISTORY IN LOSS AT B’TON
TROY OUTFIT SETS RECORD FOR E’S IN SINGLE GAME; ALSO 1ST W/ MULTIPLE 5-HIT PLAYERS IN LOSS

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (May 28, 1873) – 5-5 Victory BBC was the favorite to take the win at the start of their series at 1-9 Binghamton in Upstate New York on Wednesday, but unfortunately for the visitors games aren’t played on paper:

What unfolded was one of the strangest games in NBBO history. Victory not only set a new NBBO record for Errors in a single game, but they became the first team ever with twenty fielding miscues in a single contest and cleared that mark by five.

The result was that victors Binghamton scored a team record 31 runs on just 21 hits, with the bulk of their scoring occurring in the middle innings, during which they outscored Victory 21-9.

Even odder: Victory’s baffling defensive display meant that they outhit Binghamton over the course a fourteen-run loss. On top of that, they became the first team ever with multiple five-hit performances in defeat:

• VIC #1 Charles Lamb (CF): 5/7 (all 1B), 3 R, 1 RBI, SB
• VIC #3 Henry Nabors (SS): 5/7 (all 1B), 1 R, 2 RBI

The wins don’t come any stranger than this, but given their 1-9 start over the first two weeks of play Binghamton will take a positive result any way they can get it.

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MALONEY RATTLES OFF 6 HITS VS CROSSTOWN RIVALS
10x ALL-STAR HAS 2ND CAREER SIX-HIT GAME AS M.B. BEATS SHAMROCK BY ELEVEN

BOSTON (May 30, 1873) – Boston’s two professional teams, Massachusetts Bay & Shamrock, began another series on Friday at the South End Grounds, with Mass. Bay dominating the proceedings:

After an even set of opening innings that ended with the score 5-5 after three, Mass. Bay took over during the middle innings by scoring four runs each in the 4th & 5th to take an eight-run lead that Shamrock was never able to put a dent in.

All-Star 1B Albert Stoffers was 3/6 with an RBI and RF Franklin Skaggs was 4/5 with two Runs & RBI each, but Mass. Bay’s key player was former Shamrock stalwart and 10x All-Star Thomas Maloney:

• T1: Hit by Pitch from H. Tallman (SB, R)
• T2: 2-run Single past SS off H. Tallman
• T4: Single off H. Tallman (R)
• T5: Single off H. Tallman (R)
• T6: Single past 2B off J. Walker (SB)
• T7: 1-run Single to RF off J. Walker
• T9: 1-run Triple to RCF off J. Walker
• TOTAL: 6/6, 3B, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 SB, HBP, 8 TB, 90 GMSC

The performance marked the second six-hit game of Maloney’s career, with the first coming on May 7th, 1868 against Trenton Utd. while Mass. Bay was still in the NBBO. It was also the eleventh five-hit game of Maloney’s career.

What Maloney’s six-hit game also did was ensure that, along with Shamrock SS William Schumacher’s six-hit game in a series between the two teams earlier this month, 1873 will be the first season in which the APBL has seen multiple six-hit performances.

After a miserable 1-6 start Mass. Bay has righted the ship, going 9-6 since and improving their record to 10-12, good for a tie with Shamrock for 4th place in the Colonial Conference.

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AMERICAN BASEBALL MAY RECAP

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (June 1, 1873) – The first month of play in the first season in which three formal competitions are taking place has been completed, and here are how things stand as the calendar turns over from May to June:

APBL STANDINGS (23 of 90 games played)

COLONIAL CONFERENCE

		 W	 L	 GB	  RD
Niagara		16	 7	 --	 +15
Flour City	13	10	  3	 +33
Shamrock	11	12	  5	 +5
St. John’s	11	12	  5	 -14
Mass. Bay	10	13	  6	 -1
Alleghany	 8	15	  8	 -38

METROPOLITAN CONFERENCE

		 W	 L	 GB	  RD
American	16	 7	 --	 +66
Knick		16	 7	 --	 +42
Orange		11	12	  5	 -13
Excelsior	10	13	  6	  -7
Gotham		10	13	  6	 -29
Kings Co.	 6	17	 10	 -59

Niagara had a wonderful May, with their previously questionable offense now occupying top spot in the APBL in both Average & On-Base. Flour City is in their familiar home of 2nd place with what is once again shaping up to be a solid overall team. The surprise here is St. John’s, who sits in 4th place due to an offense that is playing far from its best – their #1 batsman sporting only a .330 Average.

American is at the top of the Metropolitan as they should be, although Willie Davis & Franklin Petty are struggling a bit. Knick at 16-7 is a surprise, but Huntley’s offense has returned as has the stroke of new 3B Verstegen. Kessler & Valentine adapted well to their corner OF roles for Orange, Excelsior continues to be all-Creighton or nothing, and Gotham is struggling as expected. Everyone knew Kings Co. was rebuilding, but still their May was worse than anticipated.

APBL MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMAN OF THE MONTH
Reginald Roper (RF, NIA) – .395, .895 OPS, 31 R, 45 H, 5 2B, 3 3B, 28 RBI, 2 BB, 4 SB, 1.89 WPA, 0.9 WAR

PITCHER OF THE MONTH
John Henry (AME) – 10-1, 2.86 ERA, 6 K, 91.1 IP, 7 CG, 1 SHO, 1.12 WHIP, 1.2 K/BB, 2.1 WAR

GREENHORN OF THE MONTH
Bertram Landreth (P, KNI) – 9-0, 3.16 ERA, 6 K, 88.1 IP, 6 CG, 0 SHO, 1.29 WHIP, 0.7 K/BB, 1.1 WAR

Roper didn’t have the highest Average or OPS – both went to American 2B Peter Boyce (.419 AVG, .931 OPS) – but his combination of Average & OPS to go with high Hits & Runs totals for the surprising Niagara team made him Batsman of the Month. Edward Donovan of Knick, who led all batsman with 1.3 WAR, also had a good argument for the award.

Henry was the month’s only ten-win Pitcher, and he did so with a fine ERA, so he was the natural pick for PotM. Landreth was almost as good, James Goodman was 8-2 with a 2.21 ERA, Jim Creighton was only 7-5 but with a 2.84 ERA and 41 K’s, and new Niagara #1 Carlton Dempsey was 9-3 with a 3.70 ERA.

Landreth didn’t quite earn PotM, so he had to settle for GotM instead as he was every bit as good as Knickerbocker staff had hoped. Niagara’s Dempsey was a close 2nd with his aforementioned 9-3 May. The best Greenhorn batsman was American SS Martin Prince, who hit .320 (.723 OPS) with 15 RBI and 0.7 WAR.

APBL STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .419 by Peter Boyce (2B, American)
OPS: .931 by Peter Boyce
Runs: 37 by Clive Strachan (RF, Gotham)
Home Runs: 2 by three different batsmen
Runs Batted In: 32 by Daniel Wiley (2B, Mass. Bay)
Stolen Bases: 28 by Konrad Jensen (LF, St. John’s)
Batsman WPA: 2.13 by Garfield Koonce (1B, Kings Co.)
Batsman WAR: 1.3 by Edward Donovan (LF, Knickerbocker)

ERA (50+ IP): 2.21 by James Goodman (Flour City)
Wins: 10 by John Henry (American)
Complete Games: 10 by James Goodman
Strikeouts: 41 by Jim Creighton
WHIP (50+ IP): 1.11 by James Goodman
Pitcher WAR: 2.0 by James Goodman
Pitcher rWAR: 3.6 by James Goodman

NBBO REGIONAL LEADERS (14 of 70 games played)

BROOKLYN: Empire & Star at 10-4 (Atlantic 2 GB, Bedford & Continental 3 GB)
NEW YORK CITY: Mercury at 10-4 (Harlem 1 GB, Mutual 2 GB, Baltic & Union 3 GB)
UPSTATE NY: Minuteman at 11-3 (Frontier 2 GB, Syracuse 3 GB, Columbia 4 GB)
COASTAL: Maryland, Newark, Quaker St., Tiger, & Trenton Utd. at 9-5
INLAND: Susquehanna at 12-2 (Lake Erie & Sportsman’s 4 GB, Merrimack 5 GB)
NEW ENGLAND: Oceanic at 10-4 (Portland 1 GB, Cantabrigians & Green Mtn. 3 GB)

Star, projected to finish last, shares top spot with perennial mediocrities Empire – surprising to say the least. Defending Brooklyn champs & cup winners Eckford are in 6th at 6-8, but preseason co-favorites Atlantic are just a couple of games off the pace. Nassau Co. at 3-11 are the only notable strugglers.

Mercury was not expected at the top of NYC after a winter of upheaval, but there they are. Preseason favorites Mutual & Union are close behind. The only real surprise in NYC is that preseason #3 Metropolitan is in last place at 4-10, with star OF Troy Oberst batting barely over .300 to start 1873 after two straight seasons over .400.

Minuteman has started hot thanks to the NYL’s #1 defense, and thanks to that both main P’s have an ERA of 2.24 through 50+ innings. Frontier is looking good thanks to solid offense and the signing of Carl Bancroft. 2x defending champs Syracuse are close. Columbia is in the top half thanks to the NYL’s #6 offense.

Coastal has certainly had the oddest May ever, as never before have five teams shared the regional lead after the first month of play. Quaker St. started 8-2 but are 1-3 so far in their series at preseason #2 Trenton Utd, who’ve looked every bit as dangerous as expected. Maryland has the NEL’s #2 defense, Newark has been led by .403-batting Brede Wilhelmsen, and early surprise Tiger has seen RF Harmon Card bat .364 with twenty RBI over just fourteen games.

So much for doubting Susquehanna. Their offense is #1 in the NEL in AVG, OBP, OPS, & WAR through nearly three weeks of play, and four members of their lineup are batting over .400: 2B William Gillette, 1B Joe Jurski, LF Ernest Keel, & 3B Bertrand Sargent. Preseason favorite Merrimack is 7-7, with their main issue being a 21st-ranked fielding crew.

Oceanic was projected .500, but they’ve started 10-4 thanks to excellent pitching from the five-star combo of Thomas Bishop & George Sturgis. The preseason #2-3 combo of Portland & Cantabrigians are right behind them. 4x All-Star Enda Reed is batting .410 for Portland, while C Jonathan Day is batting .343 with twenty RBI for Cantabrigians.

NBBO MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMEN OF THE MONTH
NYL: Lucius Roberts (LF, SYR) – .385, .906 OPS, 25 R, 27 H, 1 2B, 4 3B, 13 RBI, 0 BB, 9 BB, 1.20 WPA, 0.8 WAR
NEL: Joe Jurski (1B, SUS) – .448, 1.068 OPS, 19 R, 30 H, 7 XBH, 1 HR, 20 RBI, 5 BB, 5 SB, 2.05 WPA, 1.0 WAR

PITCHERS OF THE MONTH
NYL: William Tighe (MIN) – 7-1, 2.24 ERA, 4 K, 68.1 IP, 6 CG, 0 SHO, 1.01 WHIP, 0.8 K/BB, 1.2 WAR
NEL: Francis Molinari (TU) – 6-2, 2.51 ERA, 5 K, 71.2 IP, 7 CG, 1 SV, 1.19 WHIP, 1.7 K/BB, 0.6 WAR

GREENHORNS OF THE MONTH
NYL: Clarence Jones (CF, MER) – .375, .889 OPS, 16 R, 27 H, 6 XBH, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 0 BB, 9 SB, 0.76 WPA, 0.7 WAR
NEL: Harmon Card (RF, TIG) – 364, .896 OPS, 13 R, 20 H, 4 2B, 2 3B, 20 RBI, 2 BB, 2 SB, 1.36 WPA, 0.5 WAR

NBBO STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .522 by Erwijn Groenland (LF, Cantabrigians)
OPS: 1.196 by Erwijn Groenland
Runs: 26 by Marion Longwill (LF, Sportsman’s)
Home Runs: 2 by Frank Rose (RF, Maryland)
Runs Batted In: 28 by Bertrand Sargent (3B, Susquehanna)
Stolen Bases: 19 by Walter Williams (CF, Syracuse)
Batsman WPA: 2.05 by Joe Jurski (1B, Susquehanna)
Batsman WAR: 1.3 by Isaac Kelly (3B, Mutual)

ERA (50+ IP): 0.69 by Lars-Bjorn Myhre (Empire)
Wins: 7 by William Tighe (Minuteman)
Complete Games: 7 by three different pitchers
Strikeouts: 12 by Washington Kihlstedt (Sportsman’s)
WHIP (50+ IP): 0.85 by Lars-Bjorn Myhre
Pitcher WAR: 2.2 by William Crane (Tiger)
Pitcher rWAR: 3.4 by William Crane (Tiger)

PCBL REGIONAL LEADERS (14 of 70 games played)

EAST: Frankford Arsenal at 10-4 (Spartan 1 GB, Keystone & Sons of Ben 2 GB)
WEST: Overbrook at 12-2 (Merion & P.B.C.C. 4 GB, Schuylkill 5 GB)

No surprise in East Philadelphia: Frankford is at the top of a tightly-packed group in which five of the other seven teams are within 3-4 games of 1st place. The leaders have been led by their 20-year-old CF Joseph Evans, who is batting .397 (.925 OPS) with 1.2 WAR.

What is going on in West Philadelphia??? Not only are none of the three B.C.C. teams atop the standings, but neighborhood team Overbrook is already four games ahead of everyone else. Overbrook #1 Fred Wertz is 4-1 with an 0.91 ERA through 59.2 innings, and RF Curtis van den Berg is batting .417 (.926 OPS) with both a Run & RBI per game (14 of each).

PCBL MONTHLY AWARDS

BATSMAN OF THE MONTH
Andrew Bennett (3B, SoB) – .457, 1.065 OPS, 19 R, 32 H, 7 2B, 1 3B, 19 RBI, 2 BB, 3 SB, 1.84 WPA, 0.8 WAR

PITCHER OF THE MONTH
Charlie Greiner (FA) – 7-0, 2.10 ERA, 3 K, 60.0 IP, 6 CG, 0 SHO, 1.13 WHIP, 1.0 K/BB, 1.1 WAR

PCBL STATISTICAL LEADERS

Average: .457 by Andrew Bennett (3B, Sons of Ben)
OPS: 1.065 by Andrew Bennett
Runs: 24 by William Engholm (LF, Penn)
Home Runs: 1 by fifteen different batsmen
Runs Batted In: 19 by Andrew Bennett
Stolen Bases: 15 by Harrison Comstock (Germantown)
Batsman WPA: 1.84 by Andrew Bennett
Batsman WAR: 1.2 by Joseph Evans (Frankford Arsenal)

ERA (50+ IP): 0.91 by Fred Wertz (Overbrook)
Wins: 7 Charlie Greiner (Frankford Arsenal)
Complete Games: 6 by three different pitchers
Strikeouts: 11 by Jarvis Whitney (Yorktown)
WHIP (50+ IP): 1.04 by Fred Wertz
Pitcher WAR: 1.3 by Richard Johnson (Penn)
Pitcher rWAR: 2.4 by Fred Wertz