The Big Bang: A Larger Baseball Universe Starting From Nothing in 1857 - Page 57

tm1681 · 03-24-2026, 11:46 AM

GAME ONE (The Elysian Fields in Manhattan, N.Y. – ATT: 8,439)
ALL 8-5 KNI – ALL CF Charles Foster: 3/5 (2B), 1 R, 1 RBI, SB, 4 TB

Alleghany showed Knick why they were 31-14 away from home in their Game One victory.

The visitors took the lead quickly, scoring three times in T1 via an Error and a pair of run-scoring Singles by Foster & 3B Frank Doherty. Knick came back with a pair in B2 on a Single by 1B Cormack Alexander, but Alleghany answered with three more runs in T4 on a Triple by C Harvey O’Donnell, Double by 2B Warren Perkins, & Single by LF John Meier. Now enjoying a 6-2 lead, Alleghany put the game away in T7 with a pair of runs via Single & Error to go ahead 8-2, with Knick’s three runs in B7 the last that they would score.

GAME TWO (The Elysian Fields in Manhattan, N.Y. – ATT: 8,456)
ALL 6-4 KNI (10) – ALL LF John Meier: 3/5 (3B), 2 R, 1 RBI, 5 TB

Alleghany’s away form carried them again in an extremely tight Game Two.

Knick drew first blood on a run-scoring Ground Out in B1. Alleghany took a 2-1 lead in T2 on a Sacrifice Fly followed by a run-scoring Single from C Harvey O’Donnell, but Knick evened the score (2-2) in B3 on a Double by 3B Albert Stoffers. The next runs would come in B6, when Knick went ahead 3-2 on a Stoffers Double and then took a 4-2 lead on a Single by SUB Gerald Burns. Alleghany made it a tie game (4-4) in T8 on run-scoring Singles by Meier and 1B Peter Hildebrand, and after a scoreless ninth it was time for extra frames.

Meier began T10 with a Triple and then scored via Error. With Alleghany ahead 6-5, Knick saw C Cale Jones advance to Third Base with two out in B10 before PH Hamish Marshall hit into a Fly Out to CF, and Alleghany had a 2-0 series lead.

GAME THREE (Recreation Field in Pittsburgh, Penn.. – ATT: 7,322)
KNI 10-4 ALL – KNI 3B Albert Stoffers: 3/5 (2 2B), 3 R, 1 RBI, 5 TB

Knick was hit with tough news in the off day between games 2 & 3: star 1B Cormack Alexander would miss the rest of the Founders Cup after injuring his knee in a collision during the third inning of Game Two. They rallied in his absence to win.

Knick opened scoring in T1 on a Stoffers Double, and Alleghany immediately responded with runs on a Single by 3B Frank Doherty & Double by RF Jonathan Nabors to go ahead 2-1. Knick took the lead back (3-2) in T3, with runs scoring via Passed Ball & Fielder’s Choice. Alleghany would then draw level (4-4) on a Single by 2B Warren Perkins.

Knick won the game late, with six runs over the final three innings. They scored four times in T7 on three run-scoring Hits & an Error to take an 8-4 lead, and they made it 9-4 in T8 on a Double by LF Clive Strachan. The visitors then sealed the win with two runs in T9 via Alleghany miscues, and it was 2-1 series to Knick, with the visitors having won each game.

GAME FOUR (Recreation Field in Pittsburgh, Penn. – ATT: 7,287)
KNI 11-3 ALL – KNI RF Callum Murray: 3/6 (all 1B), 2 R, 2 RBI

The defending champions evened the series in Game Four.

The visitors never trailed. Knick scored twice in T1 on a Passed Ball and a Single by Murray. Alleghany made it 2-1 in B1 on a Double by RF Jonathan Nabors, but that was all the closer they would get. Knick went ahead 3-1 in T4 via Error, and then 4-1 in T6 on a Single by SS Gerald Hathaway. The visitors then hit Alleghany with the knockout blow: a six-run rally in T7, with the key hit a two-run Triple by CF Louis Dyke. That put Knick ahead 10-1, and the victory was in hand.

The series was now even 2-2, with the visiting team having won all four games.

GAME FIVE (Recreation Park in Pittsburgh, Penn. – ATT: 7,285)
KNI 1-12 – ALL C Harvey O’Donnell: 3/3 (HR), 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB

Alleghany FINALLY earned a win for the home team, and it left them one victory from their first A.P.B.L. title.

The first three innings were uneventful. With both teams’ pitching & defense in fine form, B3 ended with the score 0-0. After the Knick batsmen went down scoreless in T4, Alleghany opened the scoring with a five-run rally in B4 that was capped with a two-run Double from 1B Peter Hildebrand. Knick opened their account with a run in T5, but Alleghany responded with four more in B5 on two Singles, a Ground Out, and a Sacrifice Fly to take a 9-1 lead. O’Donnell then guaranteed the victory with a three-run Inside the Park Home Run over the head of the Knick CF in B6.

Alleghany had a 3-2 series lead and, given their away record in 1879, they liked their chances to take one of two possible games at the Elysian Fields and lift the Founders Cup for the first time.

GAME SIX (The Elysian Fields in Manhattan, N.Y. – ATT: 8,529)
ALL 10-5 KNI – ALL LF John Meier: 3/5 (2B), 2 R, 1 RBI, 3 SB, 4 TB

The team with the best away record in A.P.B.L. history leaned on that incredible ability one more time, defeating Knickerbocker by multiple runs in Game Six to win the ninth edition of the Founders Cup.

The key inning was the third. Ahead 1-0, Alleghany grabbed their bats for T3 and scored six times on a one-run Meier Single, a Hit by Pitch with the bases full, a three-run Double by CF Charles Foster, and a one-run Single by C Harvey O’Donnell. Alleghany would make it 8-1 in T4 on a Single by 1B Peter Hildebrand, and while Knick immediately responded with a four-run rally, 8-5 was all the closer they would come. Alleghany added two runs in T7 to go ahead 10-4, and the cup was theirs.

For the team from Pittsburgh, the third time was indeed the charm. After losing Founders Cup IV to Orange in six games and Founders Cup V to the American juggernaut in seven, they now had their turn to lift the trophy.

FOUNDERS’ CUP MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
C Harvey O’Donnell (ALL) – .391 (9/23), 6 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 8/15 CS – 1x P.o.t.G.

Harvey O’Donnell was excellent in the Founders Cup. He hit for contact, hit for power, drove in runs, and gunned down would-be thieves from a team that was in the top five when it came to nabbing extra bases against the opposition.

O’Donnell was signed in 1878 when Alleghany's 2x All-Star, Harry Thompson, left for Pt. Jersey. They weren’t expecting much, as he had Replacement Level WAR (0.0) over 61 starts for Flour City in 1877. However, O’Donnell has played well since joining Alleghany (1879: 1.4 WAR), and in the Founders Cup he helped deliver a championship to the city of Pittsburgh.

Alleghany also saw a fine series performance from CF Charles Foster:

• ALL CF Charles Foster: 5 G, .412 (7/17), 5 R, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 3 SB, 9 TB – 1x P.o.t.G.

Some Writers Pool members made an M.V.P. case for Tom Ricks, who had a comeback season at the age of forty:

• ALL P Tom Ricks: 3-1, 2.88 ERA, 9 K, 34.1 IP, 3 CG, 4 BB, 42 HA, 1.34 WHIP

Lastly for Alleghany, John Meier may have earned Player of the Game twice, but six of his nine Hits came in those two performances. Over the other four games in the series he was 3/17 with the bat.

For Knickerbocker, their series loss was absolutely not the fault of either Louis Dyke or Albert Stoffers:

• KNI 3B Albert Stoffers: .429 (12/28), 9 R, 7 2B, 6 RBI, 1 BB, 19 TB – 1x P.o.t.G.
• KNI CF Louis Dyke: .520 (13/25), 3 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB, 16 TB

Also, backup Gerald Burns did an admirable job filling in for the injured Cormack Alexander:

• KNI 1B Gerald Burns: .348 (8/23), 4 R, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB, 10 TB

In the end, the likely difference between a six-game Knick loss and a repeat Knick championship was the form of their #1:

• KNI P Robert Goodman: 1-3, 6.39 ERA, 4 K, 25.1 IP, 1 CG, 2 BB, 42 HA, 1.74 WHIP

FOUNDERS' CUP SUMMARY

tm1681 · 03-27-2026, 03:16 AM

1879 PHILADELPHIA CITY BASEBALL LEAGUE REVIEW

1879 P.C.B.L. STANDINGS

PER-TEAM STATISTICS

1879: 7.5 R/G, .272 AVG, .654 OPS, 752 H, 120 2B, 50 3B, 6 HR, 88 SB, 3.20 ERA, 70 BB, 154 K, 6.9 E/G, .845 FLD%

LIBERTY BELL CLASSIC:

Penn (1st title) defeats Spartan 3-2

GAME 1: PENN 13-4 SPA – PENN LF John Werra: 4/6 (2B, 3B), 3 R, 4 RBI, SB, 7 TB
GAME 2: PENN 8-6 SPA – PENN RF Charles Taylor: 2/5 (both 1B), 3 R, 1 RBI, SB
GAME 3: SPA 19-9 PENN – SPA 1B Anthony Gutkowski: 4/6 (3 2B), 3 R, 3 RBI, BB, 7 TB
GAME 4: SPA 8-9 PENN (10)* – PENN LF John Werra: 3/5 (2B), 1 R, 2 RBI, 4 TB
*PENN PH John Borland hit a Walkoff Single in B10

SERIES M.V.P.: PENN LF John Werra – .550 (11/20), 5 R, 2 2B, 3 3B, 9 RBI, 1 SB, 19 TB, 0.9 WPA

It was a strange season in Philadelphia.

Last season’s best team, Queen Village, collectively fell off a cliff and became the worst team in the league, seemingly overnight. Frankford, who had never finished worse than second in the East, was under .500 at the end of June for the first time, which meant a 25-10 second half came up three games short of the pennant. Spartan won seventeen games more than last year and went from sixth in the East to #1 overall. Penn only led West Philadelphia at the end of the final day of play, and at no other point in the entire season. Yorktown batsmen somehow struck out more than five and a half times per game (P.C.B.L. Avg.: 2.2 K/G), and they didn’t even finish in last place.

Two things were certainties during the season: Henry Yoder was the league’s best batsman and Thomas Bath was its best pitcher. Yoder led the league in numerous offensive categories for much of 1879, and even though he might not have the most raw talent of any batsman in the league he’s definitely the best at turning quality talent into production. Bath was similar. There were 3-4 pitchers with more talent, but none in Philadelphia could match his 12-1 June with a sub-2.00 ERA or his 5-1 finish in August that helped Penn take the West pennant away from Mercantile on the season’s final afternoon.

PHILADELPHIA CITY BASEBALL LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Henry Yoder (CF; age 25) – Sons of Ben

• .369/.384/.540, .924 OPS, 83 R, 125 H, 24 2B, 17 3B, 0 HR, 83 RBI, 10 BB, 35 SB, 183 TB, 6.6 WPA, 3.9 WAR
• Led league in AVG, SLG, OPS, H, XBH, 3B, RBI, RC, TB, & WPA; Was runner-up for B.o.t.Y. last year
• Benjamin Warnock (1B, MERC) – .354, .843 OPS, 80 R, 112 H, 27 2B, 4 3B, 53 RBI, 5 BB, 15 SB, 4.0 WPA, 3.4 WAR
• Edward Smith (CF, GER) 3rd – .324, .835 OPS, 74 R, 103 H, 30 2B, 10 3B, 47 RBI, 13 BB, 11 SB, 4.7 WPA, 3.1 WAR

No debate this year. Yoder went straight from G.o.t.Y. to B.o.t.Y., and even though the runners-up had fine seasons neither could come close to what he did in the middle of the Sons of Ben lineup.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Thomas Bath (age 32) – Penn B.C.

• 28-10, 2.43 ERA, 348.1 IP, 27 CG, 0 SHO, 1 SV, 123 K, 0.4 BB/9, 8.2 K/BB, 1.08 WHIP, 8.0 WAR, 8.6 rWAR
• Led league in W, BB/9, K/BB, & P-WAR; Top Five in IP, ERA, HA/9, WHIP, CG, & WAR
• Oliver Greene (FRA) 2nd – 25-15, 2.46 ERA, 340.2 IP, 25 CG, 1 SHO, 158 K, 5.9 K/BB, 1.06 WHIP, 8.5 WAR, 5.2 rWAR
• Robert Nygren (OVER) 3rd – 25-18, 2.95 ERA, 341.2 IP, 27 CG, 1 SV, 120 K, 8.0 K/BB, 1.17 WHIP, 8.4 WAR, 8.1 rWAR

Oliver Greene made quite a push over July & August in an attempt to go back-to-back as P.o.t.Y. (16-5, 2.18 ERA, 83 K, 176.1 IP), but Bath’s body of work over the entire season for the champions was superior, especially his 12-1 June. Bath earned 28 of Penn’s 40 Wins in 1879 before helping them win the L.B.C. for the first time.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Richard Norris (SS; age 29) – Spartan B.C.

• .313/.339/.459, .798 OPS, 71 R, 103 H, 12 2B, 15 3B, 2 HR, 83 RBI, 8 BB, 4 SB, +20.5 ZR, 3.4 WPA, 4.0 WAR
• Led league in RBI, ZR, & B-WAR; Top five in 3B & TB; Top batsman for #1 overall team in P.C.B.L.
• Thomas Bath (P, PENN) 2nd – P.C.B.L. Pitcher of the Year
• Jonathan Auriemma (2B, MIN) 3rd – .332, .772 OPS, 86 R, 111 H, 24 XBH, 1 HR, 44 RBI, 54 SB, +18.7 ZR, 5.0 WPA, 3.6 WAR

Norris joined Spartan after six years as a backup & reserve for Alleghany in the A.P.B.L., and he immediately found success with his new club, leading them to the league’s best record and finishing the year with a higher WAR than their Pitchers, a real rarity among successful baseball teams.

GREENHORN OF THE YEAR: Peter Stinson (3B; age 28) – Sons of Ben

• .356/.403/.481, .885 OPS, 86 R, 114 H, 19 2B, 9 3B, 1 HR, 64 RBI, 16 BB, 6 SB, 154 TB, 4.1 WPA, 2.9 WAR
• Led league in OPB; Top Five in AVG, SLG, OPS, R, H, BB, TB, & RC; 2nd straight S.o.B. player to win G.o.t.Y.
• Fred Pietrangelo (1B, MIN) 2nd – .348, .844 OPS, 70 R, 108 H, 22 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 78 RBI, 13 BB, 4.4 WPA, 1.8 WAR
• Damian McLaughlin (C, PENN) 3rd – .287, .674 OPS, 69 R, 92 H, 20 2B, 1 HR, 77 RBI, 10 BB, 2.77 C-ERA, 3.9 WPA, 1.4 WAR

For the second year in a row there were numerous Greenhorn batsmen who had outstanding debut seasons, and Stinson’s was the best of the bunch when considering he was runner-up to teammate Yoder in a number of offensive categories.

GOLDEN HANDS

• P: Paul Burns (YORK) – 8 E, 8.5 ZR, 1.144 EFF
• C: Dennis DeLong (MERC) – 20 PB, 3.11 C-ERA, 36.5 CS%, 7.9 ZR, 1.367 EFF,
• 1B: Benjamin Warnock (MERC) – 18 E, 10.9 ZR, 1.148 EFF
• 2B: Jonathan Auriemma (MIN) – 55 E, 237 AST, 20 DP, 18.7 ZR, 1.138 EFF
• 3B: Bruno Fiorentino (OVER) – 53 E, 138 AST, 7.7 ZR, 1.111 EFF
• SS: Richard Norris (SPA) – 109 E, 242 AST, 22 DP, 20.5 ZR, 1.154 EFF
• LF: Franklin Decker (YORK) – 23 E, 4 AST, 3.2 ZR+ARM, 1.057 EFF
• CF: Michael Stone (IND) – 66 E, 6 AST, 8.6 ZR+ARM, 1.111 EFF
• RF: Gallagher O’Farrell (GER) – 27 E, 4 AST, 6.1 ZR+ARM, 1.035 EFF

TEAM OF THE YEAR

MISCELLANEOUS

PHILADELPHIA CITY BASEBALL LEAGUE STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Average: .369 by Henry Yoder (CF, Sons of Ben)
• On-Base: .924 by Henry Yoder
• Slugging: .403 by Peter Stinson (3B, Sons of Ben)
• OPS: .924 by Henry Yoder
• Home Runs: 3 by James Hurt (2B, Mercantile)
• Runs Batted In: 83 by Richard Norris (SS, Spartan) & Henry Yoder
• Runs: 89 by Charles Taylor (RF, Penn)
• Hits: 125 by Henry Yoder
• Doubles: 30 by Edward Smith (CF, Germantown) & Jonathan Toppin (2B, Frankford)
• Triples: 17 by Henry Yoder
• Extra-Base Hits: 41 by Jonathan Toppin & Henry Yoder
• Bases on Balls: 25 by Charles Taylor
• Stolen Bases: 55 by Wilbur Woods (CF, Yorktown)
• Total Bases: 183 by Henry Yoder (2nd place had 154 TB)
• Zone Rating: +20.5 by Richard Norris
• Win Prob. Added: 6.6 by Henry Yoder (2nd place had 5.0)
• Batsman WAR: 4.1 by Richard Norris

• Wins: 28 by Thomas Bath (Penn)
• Losses: 27 by Robert Benson (Merion) & Paul Burns (Yorktown)
• ERA (175+ IP): 2.00 by Bud Forster (Minerva) (2nd place had a 2.43 ERA)
• Strikeouts: 158 by Oliver Greene (Frankford)
• Innings: 352.2 by John Riley (Spartan)
• Complete Games: 28 by John Riley
• Shutouts: 2 by John Bowman (Bartram Vill.)
• BB/9 (175+ IP): 0.4 by Thomas Bath & Robert Nygran (Overbrook)
• K/9 (175+ IP): 4.3 by Orville Oliver (Keystone)
• K/BB (175+ IP): 8.2 by Thomas Bath
• WHIP (175+ IP): 1.06 by Oliver Greene
• Pitcher WAR: 8.5 by Oliver Greene
• Pitcher rWAR: 8.6 by Thomas Bath

SEASON RECORDS

• Yorktown set a new record for Team Strikeouts (Batting) with 392 (5.6 K/G). The previous record was 215.
• Oliver Greene (Frankford) set new records for Strikeouts (158), Opponents’ OBP (.247), & Pitching WAR (8.5)
• Bruce Mangnall (Frankford) set a new record for Saves with 8.
• Paul Burns (Yorktown) tied the record for Games Pitched with 53.

ACHIEVEMENTS & NOTABLE EVENTS

• May 18: Sylvester Rubin of Overbrook hits 3 Triples in a 10-7 loss at Independence.
• May 21: Arthur Hall of Sons of Ben sets a record with 4 Doubles in a 14-4 win at Minerva.
• June 4: William Pupillo of Mercantile has 7 RBI in a 14-10 win vs Independence.
• June 18: Leonard Sanders of Minerva has 7 RBI in a 27-5 win at Yorktown.
• July 2: Oliver Greene of Frankford sets a record with 12 Strikeouts in a 9-2 win vs Yorktown.
• July 2: Arthur Hall of Sons of Ben has 4 Stolen Bases in a 10-7 win at Keystone.
• July 13: John Werra of Penn bats 6/6 (2 2B, 3B; 10 TB) in a 15-6 win at Mercantile.
• July 17: Wilbur Woods of Yorktown has 4 Stolen Bases in an 8-5 win at Pt. Richmond.
• July 24: Francis Stickrod of Merion hits for the Cycle in a 9-4 win vs Schuylkill.
• Aug 7: Oliver Greene of Frankford pitches a 3-Hit Shutout & bats 4/5 in a 16-0 win at Queen Vill.
• Aug 15: The season-long Hitting Streak of Roy Schwarzwald (Mercantile) ends after 27 games.
• Aug 17: Jacky Kooren of Mercantile bats 6/6 (2 2B) in a 21-20 loss vs Bartram Vill.
• Aug 17: Queen Vill. becomes the 1st team w/ less than half as many Wins (23) as the previous season (50).
• Aug 17: Penn takes the West Phi. pennant, with the end of the final day the only time they had the lead.
• Aug 22: Penn (1st title) wins the L.B.C. in four games over Spartan.

PERFORMANCES OF THE SEASON (by Game Score)

• #1: 110 by Frankline Decker (LF, Yorktown) on July 9 vs Queen Vill. (5/5, 2 2B, 3B, 5 R, 5 RBI, 9 TB)
• #2: 104 by Jacky Kooren (3B, Mercantile) on Aug. 17 vs Bartram Vill. (6/6, 2 2B, 4 R, 4 RBI, 8 TB)
• #3: 98 by William Pupillo (SS, Mercantile) on June 4 vs Independence (4/5, 3B, 3 R, 7 RBI, 6 TB)
• #4: 92 by Henry Yoder (CF, S.o.B.) on July 5 at Keystone (5/6, 2B, 3B, 3 R, 5 RBI, 8 TB)
• #5: 91 by Peter Stinson (3B, S.o.B.) on July 5 at Keystone (3/5, 3B, 5 R, 5 RBI, BB, 5 TB)
• #6: 91 by Oliver Greene (P, Frankford) on July 2 vs Yorktown (CG, 2 HA, 2 R/0 ER, 0 BB, 12 K)
• #7: 90 by Leonard Sanders (C, Minerva) on June 18 at Yorktown (4/7, 3B, 3 R, 7 RBI, 6 TB)
• #8: 89 by Biagio Casagrande (P, Pt. Richmond) on July 18 vs Yorktown (CG, 2 HA, 1 R/0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K)
• #9: 88 by Bruno Fiorentino (3B, Overbrook) on May 21 vs Bartram Vill. (4/4, 2 2B, 4 R, 4 RBI, SAC FLY)
• #10: 86 by Bud Forster (P, Minerva) on June 19 at Yorktown (CG, 3 HA, 1 R/0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K)

tm1681 · 03-27-2026, 03:35 AM

1879 COASTAL BASEBALL CONFERENCE REVIEW

FINAL STANDINGS

PER-TEAM STATISTICS

1879: 8.2 R/G, .291, .690 OPS, 817 H, 121 2B, 33 3B, 10 HR, 72 SB, 3.61 ERA, 102 BB, 120 K, 7.0 E/G, .844 FLD%

The second season of the C.B.C. didn't go quite as neatly as the first, when the final top four was identical to the Writers Pool’s predicted top four. This year, the Writers Pool’s top three finished in the same manner as their projected order from the W.P., but projected #4 Camden & Amboy had a last-place season after winning ten fewer games than expected.

In the end, Bridgeport’s flashy moves for N.B.B.O. All-Stars worked, and they took the second C.B.C. title while topping the standings nearly from start to finish. The other major thing to note: 23-year-old Sportsman’s 2B Johnny Holcombe has clearly become the league’s most talented player, and he’s good enough that it’s likely only a year or two before he heads to the A.P.B.L.

COASTAL CONFERENCE AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Johnny Holcombe (2B, age 23) – Sportsman’s B.C.

• .341/.367/.524, .891 OPS, 79 R, 116 H, 33 2B, 13 3B, 1 HR, 66 RBI, 9 BB, 24 SB, 178 TB, 7.3 WPA, 3.2 WAR
• Led league in SLG, OPS, 2B, 3B, XBH, TB, RC, WPA, & B-WAR; .378 AVG, 1.001 OPS over 2nd half
• William Fair (LF, LYNN) 2nd – .354, .851 OPS, 80 R, 108 H, 26 2B, 4 3B, 0 HR, 82 RBI, 8 BB, 5 SB, 4.7 WPA, 2.4 WAR
• Irving Knight (1B, CC) 3rd – .381, .870 OPS, 62 R, 98 H, 11 2B, 6 3B, 53 RBI, 12 BB, 18 SB, 1.8 WPA, 1.6 WAR

Holcomb’s monstrous second half of the season cemented his status as the most talented young batsman outside of the A.P.B.L., and it also earned him his first major individual award.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Walt Harper (age 33) – Sportsman’s B.C.

• 25-13, 3.18 ERA, 337.0 IP, 23 CO, 0 SHO, 1 SV, 63 K, 2.4 K/BB, 11.2 HA/9, 1.33 WHIP, 6.6 WAR, 8.8 rWAR
• Led league in W, IP, WHIP, WAR, & rWAR; Top Five in W-L%, ERA, K, BB/9, K/BB, & HA/9
• Edward Koch (BRI) 2nd – 19-10, 3.36 ERA, 299.2 IP, 21 CG, 1 SV, 52 K, 1.6 K/BB, 1.36 WHIP, 5.0 WAR, 3.9 rWAR
• Howard McGrath (OLY) 3rd – 20-10, 3.81 ERA, 217.1 IP, 14 CG, 80 K, 3.3 K/9, 1.2 K/BB, 1.65 WHIP, 3.1 WAR, 4.6 rWAR

This was Harper’s year, one in which led the league in numerous pitching categories and was close to the top in a handful of others. He was clearly the best Pitcher in the league, and as it turned out he can hit every so often as well (see PERFORMANCES OF THE SEASON)

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Louis Beane (SS; age 32) – Bridgeport B.C.

• .323/.358/.394, .751 OPS, 70 R, 105 H, 17 2B, 3 3B, 0 HR, 77 RBI, 11 BB, 9 SB, +17.3 ZR, 3.6 WPA, 3.2 WAR
• Tied for league lead in WAR; Led league champions in RBI
• Walt Harper (P, SPO) 2nd – C.B.C. Pitcher of the Year
• James Baker (1B, ESX) 3rd – .347, .844 OPS, 55 R, 105 H, 27 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 63 RBI, 9 BB, 4.6 WPA, 2.6 WAR

It was difficult to decide on one player from the champs to give the M.V.P. to, as many of their regulars had fine seasons instead of the team having 1-2 standout stars. N.B.B.O. import Beane had the best individual season of anyone on the team, with LF Walter Kirby, 1B Euan Graham, P Edward Koch, & 3B Jacob Overfield coming close.

GOLDEN HANDS

• P: Walt Harper (SPO) – 10 E, 3.0 ZR, 1.169 EFF
• C: Morris Faske (BRI) – 34 PB, 3.47 C-ERA, 47.0 CS%, 2.0 ZR, .902 EFF,
• 1B: James Baker (ESX) – 40 E, 3.7 ZR, 1.050 EFF
• 2B: George Opalinski (CC) – 71 E, 224 AST, 24 DP, 15.0 ZR, 1.122 EFF
• 3B: Horace Bray (HIGH) – 45 E, 192 AST, 13.9 ZR, 1.155 EFF
• SS: Butler Stout (SPO) – 71 E, 258 AST, 30 DP, 20.2 ZR, 1.182 EFF
• LF: Roy Wentz (C&A) – 35 E, 4 AST, 3.0 ZR+ARM, 1.068 EFF
• CF: Robert Werstler (BRI) – 52 E, 6 AST, 9.7 ZR+ARM, 1.135 EFF
• RF: Roy Smith (HIGH) – 55 E, 7 AST, 6.4 ZR+ARM, 1.131 EFF

TEAM OF THE YEAR

MISCELLANEOUS

COASTAL CONFERENCE STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Average: .381 by Irving Knight (1B, Cap. City)
• On-Base: .399 by Irving Knight
• Slugging: .524 by Johnny Holcombe (2B, Sportsman’s)
• OPS: .891 by Johnny Holcombs
• Home Runs: 4 by Jerald Coleman (CF, C. & A.) & Lucian Diller (RF, Cap. City)
• Runs Batted In: 82 by William Fair (RF, Lynn)
• Runs: 96 by Jacob Overfield (3B, Bridgeport)
• Hits: 119 by George Opalinski (2B, Cap. City)
• Doubles: 33 by Johnny Holcombe
• Triples: 13 by Johnny Holcombe
• Extra-Base Hits: 47 by Johnny Holcombe (2nd place had 32)
• Bases on Balls: 36 by William Davidson (3B, Essex Co.)
• Stolen Bases: 51 by Everton Pauline (LF, Olympic) (2nd place had 33)
• Total Bases: 178 by Johnny Holcombe (2nd place had 147)
• Zone Rating: +20.2 by Butler Stout (SS, Sportsman’s)
• Win Prob. Added: 7.3 by Johnny Holcombe (2nd place had 4.7)
• Batsman WAR: 3.3 by Johnny Holcombe

• Wins: 25 by Walt Harper (Sportsman’s)
• Losses: 24 by Jonathan Reitz (C. & A.)
• ERA (175+ IP): 2.55 by William Stewart (Lynn)
• Strikeouts: 85 by Jonathan Reitz
• Innings: 337.0 by Walt Harper
• Complete Games: 23 by Walt Harper
• Shutouts: 2 by Jonathan Reitz (only P with any Shutouts all year)
• BB/9 (175+ IP): 0.4 by Thomas Koch (Cap. City)
• K/9 (175+ IP): 3.3 by Howard McGrath (Olympic)
• K/BB (175+ IP): 3.5 by Thomas Koch
• WHIP (175+ IP): 1.33 by Walt Harper
• Pitcher WAR: 6.6 by Walt Harper
• Pitcher rWAR: 8.8 by Walt Harper

ACHIEVEMENTS & NOTABLE EVENTS

• May 15: Lucian Diller of Cap. City hits two Home Runs in an 8-5 win vs Olympic.
• June 1: Theodore Foote of Olympic has 6 RBI in a 22-15 win vs Camden & Amb.
• June 6: P Walt Harper of Sportsman’s has 6 RBI during a CG in a 17-3 win vs Camden & Amb.
• June 21: Roy Wentz of Camden & Amb. has 4 Stolen Bases in a 7-4 win at Highlander.
• June 22: Robert Werstler of Bridgeport has 6 RBI in a 19-15 win at Olympic.
• June 25: Bridgeport erases a twelve-run deficit (21-9) over the 8th & 9th to win 22-21 vs Camden & Amb.
• June 25: Walter Kirby of Bridgeport scores 6 Runs in a 22-21 win vs Camden & Amb.
• June 25: John Monroe of Camden & Amb. scores 6 Runs in a 22-21 loss at Bridgeport.
• June 25: Jonathan Brumback of Camden & Amb. has 6 RBI in a 22-21 loss at Bridgeport.
• June 26: The season-long Hitting Streak of Isaac Lohman (Sportsman’s) ends after 22 games.
• July 2: Four Lynn batsmen finish with 4+ Hits in a 24-3 win at Camden & Amb.
• July 2: John Schoessow of Lynn has 5 Hits, 5 Runs, & 5 RBI in a 24-3 win at Camden & Amb.
• July 18: Martin Markovich of Essex Co. has a Grand Slam & 6 RBI in a 17-13 win at Lynn.
• Aug 16: Bridgeport (1st title) clinches the C.B.C. championship with a 21-6 win at Camden & Amb.

PERFORMANCES OF THE SEASON (by Game Score)

• #1: 139 by Walt Harper (P, Sportsman’s) on June 6 vs C. & A. (CG, 9 HA, 3R/0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – 4/5, 1 R, 6 RBI)
• Pitching: 62 GMSC; Batting: 77 GMSC
• #2: 106 by John Schoessow (3B, Lynn) on July 2 at C. & A. (5/6, 3B, 5 R, 5 RBI, 7 TB)
• #3: 92 by Theodore Foote (3B, Olympic) on June 1 vs C. & A. (4/6, HR, 3 R, 6 RBI, 7 TB)
• #4: 92 by Martin Markovich (CF, Essex Co.) on July 18 at Lynn (4/6, 3B, GS, 3 R, 6 RBI, 9 TB)
• #5: 89 by Lester Grant (3B, Cap. City) on Aug. 2 vs C. & A. (5/5, 3 R, 4 RBI)

tm1681 · 03-27-2026, 11:55 PM

1879 NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION REVIEW

NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION STANDINGS

PER-TEAM STATISTICS

1879 N.Y.L.: 7.9 R/G, .285, .681 OPS, 793 H, 103 2B, 48 3B, 8 HR, 96 SB, 3.55 ERA, 107 BB, 123 K, 6.8 E/G, .850 FLD%
1879 N.E.L.: 8.1 R/G, .287, .689 OPS, 792 H, 107 2B, 45 3B, 9 HR, 87 SB, 3.62 ERA, 126 BB, 112 K, 6.8 E/G, .849 FLD%

TUCKER-WHEATON CUP XXIII

N.Y.L. SEMIFINAL: New York A.C. sweeps Frontier 3-0
N.E.L. SEMIFINAL: Philadelphia B.C.C. sweeps Green Mtn. 3-0

N.Y.L. CHAMPIONSHIP: Eckford defeats New York A.C. 3-2
N.E.L. CHAMPIONSHIP: Susquehanna defeats Philadelphia B.C.C. 3-1

T.W.C. FINAL: Susquehanna (3rd title) defeats Eckford 3-1

GAME 1: SUS 3-5 ECK – ECK P William Barnhill: CG W, 5 HA, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – 1/3 (2B), 1 R, 1 RBI
GAME 2: SUS 16-11 ECK – SUS C Scott Lyons: 4/6 (2B), 2 R, 6 RBI, 5 TB
GAME 3: ECK 3-10 SUS – SUS C Scott Lyons: 2/4 (3B), 2 R, 3 RBI, 4 TB – 1/1 CS
GAME 4: ECK 3-6 SUS – SUS SS Stephen Barley: 2/4 (2B), 1 R, 3 RBI, SB, 3 TB

CUP M.V.P.: Scott Lyons – 8 G, .333 (11/33), 10 R, 1 2B, 2 3B, 12 RBI, 1 BB, 16 TB, 1.0 WPA, 8/12 CS

The season finished with Susquehanna taking their third title in six years, but some new teams did break through to the N.B.B.O. elite, with three making it to the playoffs for the first time and one second-year team, Bunker Hill, coming within three games of first place in the Coastal Championship.

The New York League saw Eckford return to prominence after three years of Atlantic supremacy in Brooklyn, while N.Y.A.C.’s dominance over New York City showed no signs of slowing down and plucky small club Frontier was .500 or better for the seventh consecutive season while making the playoffs for the first time.

In the Northeastern League, Susquehanna reigned supreme for the fifth time in six years, with Lancastra Britannia finishing second in Inland again. There was upheaval in the Coastal & New England championships, with Green Mountain & Philadelphia B.C.C. making the playoffs for the first time and the majority of the regions’ teams in the pennant race until the final week. Perhaps Portland’s stranglehold on New England is finally over.

Charles Rhodes & William Hawk continued their pitching dominance over the N.Y.L. & N.E.L., with Rhodes winning his fourth straight Pitcher of the Year award and Hawk earning 30+ Wins for the third season running. On the other hand, a pair of batsmen in their first full season as regulars, Minuteman RF Murdock Whitehurst & Susquehanna C Scott Lyons, were the dominant forces with the lumber in their leagues.

The strangest story of the year was that of Marathon. The 2x defending Brooklyn doormats were 2-18 (-80 RD) through four weeks. It was one of the worst starts in N.B.B.O. history, and one that had everyone assuming they’d finish in last place once again. Not surprisingly, Marathon ended up finishing fifth in the Brooklyn Championship. Wait…what?!? After that catastrophic 2-18 start, Marathon was a relatively stunning 30-20 (+11 RD; 42-28 pace over 70 G) during the last fifty games of the season, and they wound up finishing above Bedford, Nassau Co., & Star thanks to some of the best baserunning in the New York League. It was certainly the biggest in-season turnaround in recent memory, and one that nobody saw coming.

The 70’s began with baseball’s most famous team, St. John’s, winning the Tucker-Wheaton Cup for the fifth time, and it ended with another dominant team, Susquehanna, becoming a several-time champion. What will the 80’s bring?

tm1681 · 03-27-2026, 11:59 PM

NEW YORK LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Murdock Whitehurst (RF; age 25) – Minuteman B.B.C.; 1st career B.o.t.Y.

• .374/.396/.524, .920 OPS, 83 R, 117 H, 16 2B, 14 3B, 1 HR, 89 RBI, 9 BB, 13 SB, 164 TB, 5.5 WPA, 2.9 WAR
• Led N.Y.L. SLG, OPS, & RBI; Top five in AVG, OBP, H, XBH, 3B, & RC; Hit for the Cycle on June 19th
• Louis Murray (LF, ECK) 2nd – N.Y.L. Most Valuable Player
• Jackson Wright (1B, ATL) 3rd – .334, .865 OPS, 79 R, 106 H, 24 2B, 6 3B, 2 HR, 60 RBI, 25 BB, 4.8 WPA, 3.1 WAR

In his first full season as a regular Whitehurst took the N.Y.L. by storm, batting .418 in May before hitting even better during June and winning Batsman of the Month. Simply put, he had a fantastic campaign. Murray would have to settle for a different major award. Wright didn’t over .400 like he did three years ago, but he was still a force in the Atlantic attack.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Charles Rhodes (age 30); New York Athletic Club; 5th career P.o.t.Y.

• 24-14, 2.20 ERA, 359.2 IP, 28 CG, 0 SHO, 3 SV, 134 K, 6.7 K/BB, 1.06 WHIP, 10.3 WAR, 11.6 rWAR
• Led N.Y.L. in ERA, K, IP, CG, QS, K/BB, WHIP, WAR, rWAR; 4th consecutive N.Y.L. P.o.t.Y. award
• Arthur Rice (UNI) 2nd – 20-19, 2.63 ERA, 339.1 IP, 25 CG, 1 SHO, 91 K, 3.5 K/BB, 1.21 WHIP, 8.0 WAR, 10.5 rWAR
• William Barnhill (ECK) 3rd – 27-9, 2.76 ERA, 349.1 IP, 26 CG, 2 SHO, 51 K, 1.1 K/BB, 1.23 WHIP, 4.4 WAR, 4.3 rWAR

Who else would it be? Not only did Rhodes lead league P’s in nine statistical categories, but he finished 2nd in BB/9, K/9, & HA/9. When it comes to pure talent, not even William Hawk compares among N.B.B.O. Pitchers. Rice was rewarded for his 20-19 season for a Union team that finished 21st in the N.Y.L. in offense. Barnhill was excellent, but still a distant third.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Louis Murray (LF; age 35) – Eckford of Greenpoint; 1st career M.V.P.

• .356/.380/.487, .866 OPS, 101 R, 120 H, 19 2B, 11 3B, 1 HR, 62 RBI, 12 BB, 77 SB, 164 TB, 6.8 WPA, 3.7 WAR
• Led league in R, H, TB, RC, WPA, & B-WAR; Top five in AVG, SLG, OPS, XBH, & SB
• Charles Rhodes (P, NYAC) 2nd – N.Y.L. Pitcher of the Year
• George Whaley (CF, FRO) 3rd – .343, .839 OPS, 89 R, 108 H, 19 2B, 9 3B, 2 HR, 73 RBI, 25 SB, 4.0 WPA, 2.4 WAR

Murray has had an outstanding ten-year career, but this was by no means a lifetime achievement award. He had career highs in AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, R, H, SB, & WPA for the N.Y.L. #1 and cup runners-up. Murray was absolutely brilliant in ‘79. Many made an argument for Rhodes, but the excellent fielding behind him aids somewhat in his dominance. Whaley had a fine season for Upstate champions Frontier.

GREENHORN OF THE YEAR: Michael Akhverdov (RF; age 28) – Continental B.B.C.

• .333/.373/.497, .870 OPS, 86 R, 106 H, 13 2B, 12 3B, 5 HR, 59 RBI, 21 BB, 17 SB, 158 TB, 3.5 WPA, 3.4 WAR
• Made All-Star Game; First batsman since 1875 with 5+ HR; Top five in SLG, OPS, RC, & B-WAR
• James Cramer (CF, COL) 2nd – .352, .794 OPS, 60 R, 96 H, 8 2B, 4 3B, 52 RBI, 11 BB, 20 SB, 3.2 WPA, 1.7 WAR
• Henry Smith (SS, UTI) 3rd – .344, .816 OPS, 73 R, 110 H, 11 2B, 6 3B, 1 HR, 59 RBI, 26 BB, 3.9 WPA, 1.2 WAR

No contest here. Akhverdov doubled the B-WAR of the next best Greenhorn in the N.Y.L., and for a while it looked like he might be part of the B.o.t.Y. conversation. Cramer had a fine debut season for struggling Columbia as a slap-hitting CF. Smith was very good with the bat for Utica, but a Zone Rating of -20.1 at SS really hurt his overall production.

GOLDEN HANDS

• P: Jacob Wesolowski (SYR; 1st) – 5 E, 7.9 ZR, 1.264 EFF
• C: Robert Borut (ECK; 1st) – 17 PB, 2.80 C-ERA, 33.0 CS%, 3.5 ZR, 1.074 EFF
• 1B: John Kelly (STAR; 1st) – 26 E, 10.9 ZR, 1.131 EFF
• 2B: Melvin Greenawalt (UN; 3rd) – 51 E, 224 AST, 29 DP, 15.3 ZR, 1.155 EFF
• 3B: Herman Filer (EAG; 1st) – 54 E, 152 AST, 12.8 ZR, 1.158 EFF
• SS: William Cruise (UNI; 5th) – 74 E, 249 AST, 27 DP, 28.3 ZR, 1.241 EFF
• LF: Howard Newton (SYR; 1st) – 44 E, 2 AST, 3.2 ZR+ARM, 1.050 EFF
• CF: Speedy Brown (CON; 1st) – 50 E, 9 AST, 8.3 ZR+ARM, 1.115 EFF
• RF: John White (FRO; 1st) – 70 E, 12 AST, 6.9 ZR+ARM, 1.038 EFF

TEAM OF THE YEAR

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Scott Lyons (C; age 26) – Susquehanna B.C.; 1st career B.o.t.Y.

• .399/.450/.555, 1.005 OPS, 86 R, 105 H, 22 2B, 5 3B, 3 HR, 78 RBI, 23 BB, 0 SB, 146 TB, 4.4 WPA, 3.8 WAR
• Led N.E.L. in AVG, OBP, SLG, & OPS; Top five in HR, RBI, RC, & WAR; .333 (11/33) w/ 12 RBI in playoffs
• William White (CF, LBR) 2nd – .361, .904 OPS, 88 R, 115 H, 19 2B, 12 3B, 1 HR, 77 RBI, 31 SB, 4.7 WPA, 3.9 WAR
• Chris Becker (CF, GRA) 3rd – .364, .916 OPS, 78 R, 121 H, 16 2B, 14 3B, 3 HR, 66 RBI, 33 SB, 4.3 WPA, 3.2 WAR

Like Murdock Whitehurst in the N.Y.L., Lyons had an extraordinary first season as a regular and was rewarded with B.o.t.Y. While he agonizingly fell short of .400, Lyons was one of the major factors in Susquehanna’s third title run. White was brilliant for another scrappy Lancastra. Becker emerged as a star in his third season as a regular for Granite.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR: William Hawk (age 29) – Susquehanna B.C.; 3rd career P.o.t.Y.

• 30-11, 2.68 ERA, 346.0 IP, 26 CG, 1 SV, 87 K, 0.5 BB/9, 4.6 K/BB, 1.23 WHIP, 7.7 WAR, 7.5 rWAR
• Led N.E.L. in W, IP, BB/9, K/BB, WAR, & rWAR; 30+ Wins for 3rd straight season & 4th time overall.
• Francis Molinari (PORT) 2nd – 24-13, 3.18 ERA, 330.2 IP, 20 CG, 115 K, 3.1 K/9, 2.9 K/BB, 1.30 WHIP, 6.0 WAR, 5.2 rWAR
• William Burrow (PBCC) 3rd – 25-14, 3.18 ERA, 345.0 IP, 26 CG, 47 K, 1.5 K/BB, 10.6 HA/9, 1.27 WHIP, 5.9 WAR, 4.8 rWAR

As in the N.Y.L. P.o.t.Y. debate, who else could it be? Hawk led the N.B.B.O. in Wins while being superior to every other N.E.L. pitcher in secondary statistics. Hawk’s career record after his third straight 30-win campaign? 185-62. Molinari had his 4th All-Star campaign, and Burrow was easily the best Greenhorn P in the N.B.B.O.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Stephen Barley (SS, age 28) – Susquehanna B.C.; 1st career M.V.P.

• .318/.350/.451, .801 OPS, 85 R, 98 H, 17 2B, 12 3B, 70 RBI, 15 BB, 16 SB, 139 TB, +26.1 ZR, 4.6 WPA, 3.9 WAR
• Top five in N.E.L. in ZR, WPA, & B-WAR; .316 (13/28) with 3 2B, 11 RBI, 2 SB in playoffs
• Wilbur Graff (1B, PBCC) 2nd – .339, .847 OPS, 77 R, 104 H, 17 XBH, 1 HR, 49 RBI, 54 BB, 11 SB, 3.8 WPA, 3.1 WAR
• Bertrand Bosley (C, GM) 3rd – .336, .857 OPS, 69 R, 94 H, 17 2B, 12 3B, 51 RBI, 18 BB, 43.1 CS%, 3.7 WPA, 3.2 WAR

Some wanted to give Lyons a “Double” after his M.V.P. work in the Tucker-Wheaton Cup, but it stood to reason that without having an elite-fielding SS like Barley who can also produce with the bat Susquehanna wouldn’t be 3x cup winners. Graff was a beautifully patient offensive table setter for P.B.C.C. at age 40. 7x All-Star Bosley finally got his postseason chance.

GREENHORN OF THE YEAR: Oliver Johnson (3B; age 25) – Bunker Hill

• .335/.383/.448, .831 OPS, 88 R, 104 H, 19 2B, 8 3B, 0 HR, 69 RBI, 21 BB, 56 SB, 139 TB, 3.9 WPA, 2.9 WAR
• Made All-Star Game; Led N.E.L. in Stolen Bases; 3B in N.E.L. Team of the Year
• William Burrow (P, PBCC) 2nd – N.E.L. Pitcher of the Year 3rd Place
• Joseph Sullivan (C, BRI) 3rd – .335, .826 OPS, 51 R, 78 H, 18 XBH, 3 HR, 54 RBI, 18 BB, 44.7 CS%, 3.5 WPA, 2.1 WAR

Johnson, a batsman with an interesting mix of skills who led the N.E.L. in steals as a 3B, excelled enough as a Greenhorn that he was nominated for the Team of the Year. That moved him ahead of Burrow, who was a finalist for Pitcher of the Year. Sullivan was also extremely good – a hard-hitting C who showed himself to have a cannon for an arm.

GOLDEN HANDS

• P: Frank Davis (MLD; 1st) – 6 E, 7.2 ZR, 1.186 EFF
• C: Bertrand Bosley (GM; 1st) – 27 PB, 2.77 C-ERA, 43.1 CS%, 3.8 ZR, 1.074 EFF
• 1B: Jesse Craig (SotO; 1st) – 31 E, 5.9 ZR, 1.114 EFF
• 2B: Lennon Haley (LBR; 1st) – 43 E, 231 AST, 29 DP, 18.2 ZR, 1.122 EFF
• 3B: Jerald Kinney (SH; 1st) – 64 E, 167 AST, 11.3 ZR, 1.120 EFF
• SS: Moody Steiger (QUI; 1st) – 72 E, 292 AST, 31 DP, 30.3 ZR, 1.249 EFF
• LF: Herman Kramer (DS; 1st) – 18 E, 10 AST, 12.1 ZR+ARM, 1.061 EFF
• CF: John Schultz (SUS; 1st) – 44 E, 12 AST, 9.7 ZR+ARM, 1.084 EFF
• RF: Livingston Hollingsworth (OCE; 1st) – 37 E, 13 AST, 8.7 ZR+ARM, 1.022 EFF

1st time in N.B.B.O. history that all nine Golden Hands winners in a league had won the award for the first time.

TEAM OF THE YEAR

tm1681 · 03-28-2026, 12:04 AM

MISCELLANEOUS

SEASON RECORDS

• Joseph Cobb (Lake Erie) set a new record for Bases on Balls (P) in a season with 152.
• Joseph Cobb (Lake Erie) tied the record for Games Pitched with 55.

NEW YORK LEAGUE STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Average: .375 by Lucas Tiggs (2B, Binghamton)
• On-Base: .424 by Lee Thompson (3B, Star)
• Slugging: .524 by Murdock Whitehurst (RF, Minuteman)
• OPS: .920 by Murdock Whitehurst
• Home Runs: 5 by Michael Akhverdov (RF, Continental)
• Runs Batted In: 89 by Murdock Whitehurst (2nd place had 73)
• Runs: 101 by Louis Murray (LF, Eckford)
• Hits: 120 by Louis Murray & Robert Wolf (CF, Mutual)
• Doubles: 25 by William Rockford (3B, Frontier)
• Triples: 15 by Herb Verrett (LF, Atlantic)
• Extra-Base Hits: 35 by Herb Verrett
• Bases on Balls: 28 by Speedy Brown (CF, Cont’l) & Pierce Hardaway (3B, Nassau Co.)
• Stolen Bases: 80 by Manuel Romeiras (CF, New York A.C.)
• Total Bases: 164 by Louis Murray & Murdock Whitehurst
• Zone Rating: +28.3 by William Cruise (SS, Union)
• Win Prob. Added: 6.8 by Louis Murray (2nd place had 5.5)
• Batsman WAR: 3.7 by Louis Murray & Isaac Kelly (3B, ECK)

• Wins: 27 by William Barnhill (Eckford)
• Losses: 26 by Harold Morse (Columbia)
• ERA (175+ IP): 2.20 by Charles Rhodes (New York A.C.)
• Strikeouts: 134 by Charles Rhodes (2nd place had 111)
• Innings: 359.2 by Charles Rhodes
• Complete Games: 28 by Charles Rhodes
• Shutouts: 2 by four different pitchers
• BB/9 (175+ IP): 0.5 by three different pitchers
• K/9 (175+ IP): 4.6 by George Cerven
• K/BB (175+ IP): 6.7 by Charles Rhodes
• WHIP (175+ IP): 1.06 by Charles Rhodes
• Pitcher WAR: 10.3 by Charles Rhodes (2nd place had 8.2)
• Pitcher rWAR: 11.5 by Charles Rhodes

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Average: .399 by Scott Lyons (C, Susquehanna)
• On-Base: .450 by Scott Lyons
• Slugging: .555 by Scott Lyons
• OPS: 1.005 by Scott Lyons (2nd place had a .921 OPS)
• Home Runs: 4 by 3B John Bergen (Merrimack M.) & Alexander Engels (LF, Reading A.C.)
• Runs Batted In: 81 by Alexander Engels
• Runs: 96 by Lennon Haley (2B, Lancastra B.)
• Hits: 123 by Walter Braden (LF, Susquehanna)
• Doubles: 26 by Chester Dudek (2B, National) & Earl Seals (SS, Trenton Utd.)
• Triples: 19 by James Hines (RF, Trenton Utd.)
• Extra-Base Hits: 37 by Chester Dudek & Alexander Engels
• Bases on Balls: 54 by Wilbur Graff (1B, Philadelphia B.C.C.)
• Stolen Bases: 56 by Oliver Johnson (3B, Bunker Hil) & Steffen Strandlund (CF, Merrimack M.)
• Total Bases: 174 by Chris Becker (CF, Granite)
• Zone Rating: +30.3 BY Moody Steiger (SS, Quinnipiac)
• Win Prob. Added: 5.7 by Walter Little (RF, National)
• Batsman WAR: 4.2 by Earl Seals

• Wins: 30 by William Hawk (Susquehanna)
• Losses: 32 by Joseph Cobb (Lake Erie)
• ERA (175+ IP): 2.59 by Paul Caldwell (Green Mtn.)
• Strikeouts: 115 by Francis Molinari (Portland)
• Innings: 346.0 by William Hawk
• Complete Games: 26 by William Burrow (Philadelphia B.C.C.) & William Hawk
• Shutouts: 2 three different pitchers
• BB/9 (175+ IP): 0.5 by William Hawk
• K/9 (175+ IP): 3.6 by Earl Quinn (Maryland)
• K/BB (175+ IP): 4.6 by William Hawk
• WHIP (175+ IP): 1.22 by Paul Caldwell
• Pitcher WAR: 7.7 by William Hawk
• Pitcher rWAR: 7.5 by William Hawk

ACHIEVEMENTS & NOTABLE EVENTS

• May 14: Bunker Hill wins 27-10 at Lord Baltimore on Opening Day.
• May 22: George Cerven of New York A.C. has 10 Strikeouts in an 8-1 win vs Hilltop.
• May 28: Metropolitan sets an N.B.B.O. record with 37 Hits in their win at Harlem (MET 34-9 HAR).
• May 28: Metropolitan scores 10+ Runs in an inning twice (10 in 2nd, 16 in 8th) at Harlem.
• May 28: David Phillips of Metro bats 6/9 with 6 RBI in a 34-9 win at Harlem.
• May 28: P Abraham Evans of Metro bats 5/7 with 6 RBI in a 34-9 win at Harlem.
• May 30: Cody Harris of Portland bats 6/6 with a HR, 7 RBI, & 10 TB in a 17-8 win at Granite.

• June 1: Edward Pelham of Frontier pitches his second consecutive Shutout.
• June 5: Scott Lyons of Susquehanna bats 5/6 with a HR & 8 RBI in a 17-15 win at Pioneer.
• June 7: Cont’l scores 7 Runs in 9th to tie Bedford, wins 19-14 in 11 innings.
• June 11: Eckford’s 15-game Winning Streak ends with a 17-15 loss at Atlantic.
• June 19: Murdock Whitehurst of Minuteman hits for the Cycle (5/6, 5 RBI) in a 14-12 win at Eagle.
• June 21: William Martin of Trenton Utd. bats 5/6 with 6 Runs, a HR, & 5 RBI in a 22-8 win at Diamond St.
• June 21: James Hunsberger of Trenton Utd. has 7 RBI in a 22-8 win at Diamond St.
• June 27: William Cody of Merrimack M. has 11 Strikeouts in an 11-3 win at Lake Erie.
• June 29: Howard Newton of Syracuse has 3 Triples & 10 Total Bases in a 9-5 loss vs Eagle.

• July 3: Isaac Mitchell of Quinnipiac bats 6/7 with 4 RBI in a 21-4 win vs Granite.
• July 5: 44-year-old Carl Bancroft (Frontier) pitches his second Shutout in four weeks.
• July 6: George Whaley of Frontier bats 6/6 with 1 RBI in a 20-13 win vs Syracuse.
• July 11: P William Hawk of Susquehanna has 5 Hits & 5 RBI in a 20-12 win at Merrimack M.
• Jule 13: Calle Forsman of Oceanic has 10 Total Bases (5/6, 3B, HR) in an 18-3 win at Quinnipiac.
• July 19: Bertrand Bosley of Green Mtn. has 3 Triples & 11 Total Bases in an 11-8 win at S.o.t.O.
• July 20: Three players have 5+ Hits during the game between Binghamton & Frontier (FRO 25-13 BING)
• July 20: John White of Frontier bats 6/7 with 4 RBI in a 25-13 win at Binghamton.
• July 20: Lawrence May of Green Mtn. has 7 RBI in a 16-10 win at S.o.t.O.
• July 24: James Lanagan of Utica bats 6/6 with 1 RBI in an 8-5 win at Frontier.
• July 25: Michael Akhverdov of Cont’l becomes the first player since 1875 to hit 5 HR in a season.
• July 28: N.E.L. wins their 5th straight All-Star Game (11-9). M.V.P: Jesse Craig (1B, SotO). HOST: Maryland
• July 30: Scott Conway of Reading A.C. hits 4 Doubles in a 7-5 win vs Squirrel Hill.
• July 31: Bernard Puckett of Binghamton hits for the Cycle (5/6, 7 RBI) in a 14-11 win at Syracuse.

• Aug 3: Flanagan Dunne of Hilltop bats 5/5 with a HR & 4 RBI in an 11-5 win vs Baltic.
• Aug 8: Earl Ludgate of Portland bats 6/7 with 1 RBI in a 12-inning win vs S.o.t.O.
• Aug 9: Six Frontier batsmen have 3+ Hits during their win at Columbia (FRO 24-11 COL).
• Aug 10: The season-long Hitting Streak of Clifford Carroll (Scranton) ends after 32 games.
• Aug 10: Sylvester Mellon of Cantabrig’s has 12 Strikeouts in a 24-13 win vs Granite.
• Aug 18: Philadelphia B.C.C. wins the Coastal in a one-game playoff at Trenton Utd. (PBCC 7-6 TU).

• Sep 8: Susquehanna (3rd title) wins the Tucker-Wheaton Cup Final in four games over Eckford.

PERFORMANCES OF THE SEASON (by Game Score)

• #1: 135 by Abraham Evans (P, Metro) at Harlem on May 28 (8.2 IP, 10 HA, 9 R/2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K – 5/6, 3 R, 7 RBI)
• Pitching: 40 GMSC; Batting: 95 GMSC
• #2: 125 by Scott Lyons (C, Susquehanna) at Pioneer on June 5 (5/6, 2B, HR, 4 R, 8 RBI, 9 TB)
• #3: 118 by William Martin (C, Trenton Utd.) at Diamond St. on June 21 (5/6, 2B, HR, 6 R, 5 RBI, 9 TB)
• #4: 113 by David Phillips (LF, Metro) at Harlem on May 28 (6/9, 3B, 5 R, 6 RBI, 8 TB)
• #5: 111 by Murdock Whitehurst (RF, Minuteman) at Eagle on June 19 (5/6, CYCLE, 4 R, 6 RBI, 11 TB)
• #6: 109 by Cody Harris (RF, Portland) at Granite on May 30 (6/6, 2B, HR, 1 R, 7 RBI, 10 TB)
• #7: 104 by Bernard Puckett (1B, Bing’ton) at Syracuse on July 31 (5/6, CYCLE, 2 R, 7 RBI, 11 TB)
• #8: 100 by John White (RF, Frontier) at Binghamton on July 20 (6/7, 2B, 4 R, 4 RBI, SB, 7 TB)
• #9: 97 by William Simons (LF, Oceanic) at Quinnipiac on July 13 (5/6, 3B, HR, 3 R, 5 RBI, SB, 10 TB)
• #10: 96 by Cody Harris (CF, Portland) at Cantabrig’s on June 14 (3/5, HR, 3 R, 5 RBI, BB, 6 TB)

tm1681 · 03-28-2026, 12:08 AM

1879 AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE REVIEW

1879 A.P.B.L. STANDINGS

PER-TEAM STATISTICS

1879: 7.1 R/G, .292, .703 OPS, 1024 H, 185 2B, 70 3B, 7 HR, 134 SB, 3.78 ERA, 81 BB, 146 K, 5.4 E/G, .879 FLD%

FOUNDERS CUP IX

Alleghany (2nd title; 1st in A.P.B.L.) defeats Knickerbocker 4-2.

GAME 1: ALL 8-5 KNI – ALL CF Charles Foster: 3/5 (2B), 1 R, 1 RBI, SB, 4 TB
GAME 2: ALL 6-4 KNI (10) – ALL LF John Meier: 3/5 (3B), 2 R, 1 RBI, 5 TB
GAME 3: KNI 10-4 ALL – KNI 3B Albert Stoffers: 3/5 (2 2B), 3 R, 1 RBI, 5 TB
GAME 4: KNI 11-3 ALL – KNI RF Callum Murray: 3/6 (all 1B), 2 R, 2 RBI
GAME 5: KNI 1-12 – ALL C Harvey O’Donnell: 3/3 (HR), 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB
GAME 6: ALL 10-5 KNI – ALL LF John Meier: 3/5 (2B), 2 R, 1 RBI, 3 SB, 4 TB

SERIES M.V.P.: C Harvey O’Donnell (ALL) – .391 (9/23), 6 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 8/15 CS

WRITERS POOL OBSERVATIONS

ALLEGHANY: An even .500 the previous two years, but not this year! Projected 4th in the Colonial by the Writers Pool after they lost 2B Burton Ellerby, everything just worked. Former Mass. Bay 2B Warren Perkins put up 1.5 WAR after not even being on a team last year. Tom Ricks became a regular at P for the first time in three years and had his best A.P.B.L. season at age 40. Frank Doherty hit better than he had since 1875. Jonathan Nabors hit .334 after three years as a backup. We could go on and on, but the bottom line is this: they absolutely earned their championship triumph.

M.V.P: SS Gerald Strong – .306, .732 OPS, 96 R, 128 H, 30 XBH, 1 HR, 49 RBI, 43 SB, +25.9 ZR, 3.3 WPA, 4.5 WAR

AMERICAN: All great things must come to an end, and for American any semblance of what was once the most feared team in baseball is no more. They fell all the way to 13th/16 in Runs, and they were in the bottom half of the league in Average & OPS. Even James Burke saw a serious fall-off in his production. The time has come for changes.

M.V.P: CF James Burke – .319, .810 OPS, 71 R, 110 H, 30 2B, 7 3B, 54 RBI, 25 BB, 66 SB, 2.8 WPA, 3.0 WAR

EXCELSIOR: A down, up, then down again, then up again season that finished with them at 3rd in the Metro, although that’s not much to brag about since they were 44-46. The excellent duo of Elijah Hill & Troy Oberst carried the team, and they are who Excelsior likely needs to build around going forward.

M.V.P: LF Troy Oberst – .368, .915 OPS, 88 R, 154 H, 33 2B, 14 3B, 2 HR, 82 RBI, 10 BB, 4.1 WPA, 4.4 WAR

FLOUR CITY: Utterly lifeless by the end of the season. They lost their last nine games, and finished last in Runs, AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, & Batsman WAR. Their top batsman hit .305, and rumor is that James Goodman is retiring.

[B]M.V.P: P James Goodman – 22-23, 3.48 ERA, 64 K, 362.1 IP, 25 CG, 1 SHO, 4.3 K/BB, 1.40 WHIP, 6.9 WAR, 5.0 rWAR

GOTHAM: Should’ve been a .500 team but they were 6-18 in one-run games, which was even worse than Pt. Jersey by the end of the season. Still, they have a top-five offense, some good young batsmen, and the league’s top young pitching prospect in Everett Huggard (22 y/o), so they do have next year to look forward to.

M.V.P: 1B Royal Altman – .380, .929 OPS, 83 R, 146 H, 35 2B, 9 3B, 97 RBI, 15 BB, 9 SB, 5.5 WPA, 4.0 WAR

KINGS CO: A 12-4 August saw them finish 2nd in the Metro. Great offense – top four in every team metric – but sloppy pitching (11th) and bad defense (13th) prevented them from achieving better things. K.C.’s top seven batsmen all hit over .300, and four of them are under 30. Now those men just need to work on their fielding over the winter.

M.V.P: 1B Garfield Koonce – .344, .821 OPS, 83 R, 135 H, 26 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 86 RBI, 19 BB, 5.9 WPA, 2.7 WAR

KNICKERBOCKER: Another highly successful season, but this one came up just short. Their main question going into the winter is whether they bring Cormack Alexander back or replace him with Gerald Burns, who is a dozen years younger. Otherwise, everything else is in place for a possible three-peat in the Metro.

M.V.P: 3B Albert Stoffers – .398, .940 OPS, 98 R, 158 H, 35 2B, 8 3B, 77 RBI, 7 BB, 4 SB, 6.7 WPA, 4.2 WAR

MASS. BAY: A nice 10-5 August gave them an over-500 season. Former Gotham SS Jonathan Quarles was just what they needed at SS, and LF Harold Durand had his best season. However, the loss of Stoffers to Knick really hurt, so they could do with bringing in another big bat this winter.

M.V.P: LF Harold Durand – .362, .862 OPS, 79 R, 144 H, 27 2B, 9 3B, 71 RBI, 9 BB, 2 SB, 5.2 WPA, 2.5 WAR

NEWARK: From 27-63 to 38-52…not bad. They did the needful by upgrading the middle infield and John Ratican had a better season as a result, but former All-Star Washington Kihlstedt was a dud as their new #2 and C & LF remain issues.

M.V.P: RF Will Valentine – .323, .795 OPS, 83 R, 130 H, 31 2B, 9 3B, 1 HR, 83 RBI, 8 SB, 3.9 WPA, 2.4 WAR

NIAGARA: Would have been 2nd in the Metro, but playing in the stronger conference meant they finished 4th. They received an incredible season from William Norman, an outstanding one from Boss Barrett, quality leadoff batsmanship from Reginald Roper, and a high level of performance from their pitching duo of Edward Jenkins & Tomoharu Mukai.

M.V.P: 1B William Norman – .405, .949 OPS, 91 R, 168 H, 17 2B, 18 3B, 112 RBI, 7 BB, 4 SB, 7.8 WPA, 4.1 WAR

ORANGE: Worst record in the league and last place for the 3rd straight year, but THERE IS HOPE. Their Average & OPS climbed from last on May 31st to 8th by season’s end. At age 23, Jonathan Cobb was the best RF in the league other than Nelson Townsend and he took All-Star Game M.V.P. Their other two under-25 batsmen hit comfortably over .300. They’re also in a position to let three underperforming & expensive veterans go, which should allow Orange to make upgrades.

M.V.P: RF Jonathan Cobb – .357, .870 OPS, 81 R, 142 H, 25 2B, 14 3B, 77 RBI, 7 BB, 22 SB, 4.5 WPA, 4.1 WAR

PT. JERSEY: Their Run Differential suggests they should’ve finished 42-48, but an 8-22 record in one-run games and 2-7 in Extra Innings killed their season. On the plus side, Pt. Jersey’s young core of batsmen continues to improve, especially Samuel Eastman, who hit .350+ during every month. They just need a reliable #2.

M.V.P: 1B Samuel Eastman – .385, .424 OBP, .963 OPS, 77 R, 147 H, 24 2B, 16 3B, 1 HR, 68 RBI, 4.7 WPA, 3.5 WAR

QUAKER ST: Started with a 16-7 May, but finished with a 4-11 August – a shame, because a lot went right for them this year. Ned Morganti made the All-Star Game, Ross Gill was one of the best P’s in the league for the first half of the season, LF William Wimple played MUCH better until August, and Charles Aplin’s 2nd season was a carbon copy of his 1st.

M.V.P: P Ross Gill – 21-19, 3.18 ERA, 64 K, 373.1 IP, 27 CG, 3 SHO, 3.8 K/BB, 1.14 WHIP, 6.8 WAR, 8.3 rWAR

SHAMROCK: Same problem as last year: 1st-place team on paper, but a weak offense undid excellent fielding and outstanding work by their pitching duo of George Burroughs & Donal Hagan. Heny Jost proved to be exactly what they needed at CF, but they suffered from dips in offensive production at other positions.

M.V.P: P George Burroughs – 26-19, 3.00 ERA, 104 K, 381.1 IP, 35 CG, 1 SHO, 2.5 K/BB, 1.18 WHIP, 5.7 WAR, 5.1 rWAR

ST. JOHN’S: Brilliant offense yet again – 1st-2nd in every major team metric – but they couldn’t match the magical season of Alleghany. Howard Burns led the league in Wins for the 2nd time in three years, they had three batsmen hit .350+, and both of their Greenhorns made the All-Star Game. Nothing to really complain about, other than that they didn’t finish 1st.

M.V.P: RF Nelson Townsend – .384, .561 SLG, .972 OPS, 115 R, 160 H, 56 XBH, 3 HR, 86 RBI, 46 SB, 5.8 WPA, 3.9 WAR

TIGER S.C.: They actually had a pretty good 2nd season when considering that Martin Prince hit under .300 for the 1st time in five years. Their trio of second-year batsmen either improved or held steady, old hand Mario Fusilli provided decent run production, and Henry Tallman was a workhorse in the #1 spot.

M.V.P: P Henry Tallman – 25-20, 3.34 ERA, 56 K, 374.1 IP, 25 CG, 1 SV, 1.5 K/BB, 1.26 WHIP, 4.5 WAR, 8.5 rWAR

tm1681 · 03-28-2026, 12:11 AM

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

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: William Norman (1B; age 29) – Niagara B.B.C.; 1st career B.o.t.Y.

• .405/.416/.533, .949 OPS, 91 R, 168 H, 17 2B, 18 3B, 0 HR, 112 RBI, 7 BB, 0 SB, 221 TB, 7.8 WPA, 4.0 WAR
• Set records for AVG & RBI; Led league in H, RC, & WPA; Hit .457 (1.015 OPS) in May
• Nelson Townsend (RF, StJ) 2nd – .384, .972 OPS, 115 R, 160 H, 41 2B, 12 3B, 3 HR, 86 RBI, 46 SB, 5.8 WPA, 3.8 WAR
• Albert Stoffers (3B, KNI) 3rd – A.P.B.L. Most Valuable Player

The winter after Joseph Evans joined St. John’s, it was Norman who was the winter’s big prize from the P.C.B.L., having just finished a season in which he hit .406 for Merion. After a decent Greenhorn campaign (.310, 79 RBI, 1.5 WAR), in 1879 Norman showed exactly why numerous teams bid for his services in the winter of 77/78. He was superb.

Townsend’s 1879 would have been good for B.o.t.Y. in a few other seasons, but it wasn’t going to beat out Norman’s record-breaking year. Stoffers was also tremendous, having his best season at the age of 36 even though he moved from a Hitter’s Park in Boston to a Pitcher’s Park in Manhattan.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Howard Burns (age 30) – St. John’s B.C.; 1st career P.o.t.Y.

• 29-7, 3.55 ERA, 377.1 IP, 33 CG, 0 SHO, 94 K, 2.2 K/9, 4.3 K/BB, 1.28 WHIP, 7.4 WAR, 8.0 rWAR
• Led league in W (2nd time in 3 yrs.) & P-WAR; Top five in CG, QS, K/9, K/BB, & WHIP
• Robert Goodman (KNI) 2nd – 26-7, 3.20 ERA, 334.1 IP, 26 CG, 77 K, 4.1 K/BB, 1.19 WHIP, 5.1 WAR, 5.5 rWAR
• Tom Ricks (ALL) 3rd – 27-12, 3.09 ERA, 320.1 IP, 25 CG, 2 SHO, 46 K, 1.6 K/BB, 1.26 WHIP, 4.0 WAR, 7.9 rWAR

Burns had the highest ERA of any P.o.t.Y. in the league’s nine seasons, but with offense up across the board only two regular P’s had an ERA under 3.00. Burns led the league in Wins, and the rest of his statistical output showed that he was the A.P.B.L.’s best Pitcher.

Robert Goodman was one of two Knick P’s with 26 Wins, but he had a superior season to partner William Avery. Ricks made for a wonderful comeback story in what was his final season at the age of 40.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Albert Stoffers (3B; age 36) – Knickerbocker B.B.C.; 1st Career M.V.P.

• .398/.413/.526, .940 OPS, 98 R, 158 H, 35 2B, 8 3B, 0 HR, 77 RBI, 7 BB, 4 SB, 209 TB, 6.7 WPA, 4.1 WAR
• Top five in AVG, OBP, OPS, H, 2B, & WPA; Hit .429 (12/28) with 9 R, 7 2B, 6 RBI in Founders Cup
• Gerald Strong (SS, ALL) 2nd – .306, .732 OPS, 96 R, 128 H, 21 2B, 8 3B, 1 HR, 49 RBI, 43 SB, +25.9 ZR, 3.3 WPA, 4.4 WAR
• Konrad Jensen (1B, StJ) 3rd – .352, .871 OPS, 106 R, 148 H, 41 XBH, 1 HR, 77 RBI, 74 SB, +14.6 ZR, 6.1 WPA, 4.4 WAR

Stoffers didn’t lead the league in any offensive category, but he was in the top five in many of the major ones while batting nearly .400 and he was Knick’s best player in the Founders Cup. For the 36-year-old, it was the best season of his nine in the A.P.B.L., and Knick will be hoping for more of the same next year.

Strong, the 1874 M.V.P., had another fine all-around season and was the best player for the champions. Jensen was a finalist for A.P.B.L. M.V.P. for the sixth time while playing the best defense ever seen from a First Baseman.

GREENHORN OF THE YEAR: Eamonn Higgins (3B; age 25) – St. John’s B.C.

• .301/.360/.427, .878 OPS, 87 R, 117 H, 24 2B, 11 3B, 1 HR, 82 RBI, 28 BB, 14 SB, 166 TB, 2.9 WPA, 2.4 WAR
• Made All-Star Game; Had 49 RBI through first 48 G; One of two St. John’s Greenhorns to make A.S.G.
• Edward Jenkins (P, NIA) 2nd – 21-21, 3.90 ERA, 369.2 IP, 26 CG, 66 K, 2.5 K/BB, 1.25 WHIP, 5.0 WAR, 5.5 rWAR
• Joseph Nalley (C, StJ) 3rd – .321, .697 OPS, 41 R, 103 H, 11 XBH, 1 HR, 59 RBI, 7 SB, 39.9 CS%, 1.5 WPA, 1.9 WAR

Over the first two months of his career Higgins looked like he might make the Team of the Year, but a slow July meant he had to settle for only being G.o.t.Y. His patience at the plate made him a productive hitter, and he should be a fixture in the St. John’s infield for years.

Jenkins hit a wall in August but was very good for the first three months. He gave Niagara a quality partner for #1 Tomoharu Mukai. Nalley was outstanding for a 22-year-old C, with his defense the best among A.P.B.L. backstops.

GOLDEN HANDS

• P: Ross Gill (QS; 2nd) – 9 E, 9.3 ZR, .965 EFF
• C: Joseph Nalley (StJ; GH) – 36 PB, 3.75 C-ERA, 39.9 CS%, 5.5 ZR, 1.059 EFF
• 1B: Konrad Jensen (StJ; 5th) – 20 E, 14.6 ZR, 1.127 EFF
• 2B: Anthony Mascherino (KNI; 15th) – 44 E, 307 AST, 27 DR, 20.3 ZR, 1.128 EFF
• 3B: Frank Doherty (ALL/6th) – 57 E, 201 AST, 15.7 ZR, 1.137 EFF
• SS: William Cruise (UNI; 5th) – 86 E, 392 AST, 44 DP, 25.9 ZR, 1.134 EFF
• LF: John Meier (ALL; 1st) – 26 E, 5 AST, 4.9 ZR+ARM, 1.047 EFF
• CF: Henry Jost (SHA; 2nd) – 32 E, 16 AST, 10.7 ZR+ARM, 1.069 EFF
• RF: Charles Aplin (QS; 1st) – 38 E, 9 AST, 6.5 ZR+ARM, 1.024 EFF

Konrad Jensen has now won the Golden Hands award at three different positions: LF, RF, & 1B

TEAM OF THE YEAR

MISCELLANEOUS

SEASON RECORDS

• Knickerbocker set a new record for team Doubles with 226.
• William Norman (Niagara) set new records for Batting Average (.405) & Runs Batted in (112).
• Reginald Roper (Niagara) set a new record for At Bats with 456.
• Cormack Alexander (Knick) set a new record for Doubles with 43.
• George Scott (Excelsior) set a new record for Games Started (P) with 48.

A.P.B.L. STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Average: .405 by William Norman (1B, Niagara)
• On-Base: .424 by Samuel Eastman (1B, Pt. Jersey)
• Slugging: .561 by Nelson Townsend (RF, St. John’s)
• OPS: .972 by Nelson Townsend
• Home Runs: 3 by four different batsmen
• Runs Batted In: 112 by William Norman
• Runs: 118 by Charles Barrett (CF, Niagara)
• Hits: 168 by William Norman
• Doubles: 43 by Cormack Alexander (1B, Knick)
• Triples: 19 by Charles Barrett
• Extra-Base Hits: 56 by Nelson Townsend
• Bases on Balls: 36 by William Busby (1B, American)
• Stolen Bases: 74 by Konrad Jensen (1B, St. John’s)
• Total Bases: 243 by Nelson Townsend
• Zone Rating: +25.9 by Gerald Strong (SS, Alleghany)
• Batsman WPA: 7.8 by William Norman (2nd place had 6.7)
• Batsman WAR: 4.6 by Charles Barrett & Anthony Mascherino (2B, Knick)

• Wins: 29 by Howard Burns (St. John’s)
• Losses: 30 by Washington Kihlstedt (Newark)
• ERA (200+ IP): 2.69 by Donal Hagan (Shamrock)
• Strikeouts: 104 by George Burroughs (Shamrock)
• Innings: 381.2 by George Scott (Excelsior)
• Complete Games: 35 by George Burroughs
• Shutouts: 3 by Ross Gill (Quaker St.) & Donal Hagan
• BB/9 (200+ IP): 0.4 by four different pitchers
• K/9 (200+ IP): 2.7 by Elmer Seabold
• K/BB (200+ IP): 5.4 by Andrew Miller (Orange)
• WHIP (200+ IP): 1.14 by Donal Hagan & Ross Gill
• Pitcher WAR: 7.4 by Howard Burns
• Pitcher rWAR: 8.5 by Henry Tallman (Tiger S.C.)

ACHIEVEMENTS & NOTABLE EVENTS

• May 13: The Hitting Streak of Babe Johnson (St. John’s) ends after 36 games.
• May 23: John Ratican of Newark pitches a two-hit Shutout (0 BB, 3 K) in a 6-0 win vs Mass. Bay
• May 29: Quaker St. defeats Newark in the season's only 1-0 game. Ross Gill (1 BB, 2 K) pitches the Shutout.
• May 30: Jonathan Evans of St. John’s has 6 RBI in a 19-9 win vs Shamrock.

• June 5: Shamrock’s William Dickerson & Gotham’s Babe Johnson both bat 5/6 in wins.
• June 28: Pt. Jersey finishes the first half of the season with a 1-13 record in one-run games.

• July 1: Four Excelsior batsmen have 3+ Hits in a 23-6 win at Newark.
• July 2: Burton Ellerby of Quaker St. has 6 RBI in a 9-6 win at St. John’s.
• July 9: William Avery of Knick becomes the 1st P ever to hit for the Cycle in a 22-6 win at Kings Co.
• July 18: The season-long Hitting Streak of Nelson Townsend (St. John’s) ends after 44 games.
• July 18: The first four batsmen in the Alleghany lineup have 4+ Hits in a 19-3 win vs Orange.
• July 20: Paul Krueger of Gotham pitches a One-Hitter (1 BB, 2 K) in a 6-0 win vs Flour City.
• July 30: Arthur Kanellopoulos of Pt. Jersey hits 3 Triples in an 8-7 loss vs Newark.

• Aug 1: Garfield Koonce of Kings Co. has 6 RBI in a 10-8 win vs American.
• Aug 4: The Metropolitan wins the All-Star Game 12-9. M.V.P: Jonathan Cobb (RF, ORA). HOST: Knick.
• Aug 9: Niagara becomes the 1st team to have six batsmen with 4+ Hits in a 19-7 win at Gotham.
• Aug 9: Charles Barrett of Niagara has 5 Runs & 5 RBI in a 19-7 win at Gotham.
• Aug 10: The Hitting Streak of Charles Barrett (Niagara) ends after 30 games.
• Aug 12: Ernest Dugas & Jesse Noss both bat 5/5 for Flour City in their 11-9 win vs Newark.
• Aug 14: Ashley Hearns of Flour City bats 4/5 with 4 Runs, a HR, & 4 RBI in a 16-9 win vs Newark.
• Aug 21: Konrad Jensen of St. John’s has 5 Stolen Bases in a 7-3 win at Pt. Jersey.

• Sep 2: Alleghany (1st title) wins the Founders Cup in six games over Knickerbocker.

PERFORMANCES OF THE SEASON (by Game Score)

• #1: 127 by William Avery (P, Knick) at Kings Co. on July 9 (CG, 4 ER, 0 BB, 1 K – 4/5, CYCLE, 3 R, 4 RBI, 10 TB)
• Pitching: 45 GMSC; Batting: 82 GMSC
• #2: 97 by Ashley Hearns (RF, Flour City) vs Newark on Aug. 14 (5/6, HR, 4 R, 4 RBI, SB, 8 TB)
• #3: 90 by Charles Barrett (CF, Niagara) at Gotham on Aug. 9 (4/7, 2 2B, 3B, 5 R, 5 RBI)
• #4: 88 by Nelson Townsend (RF, St. John’s) vs Shamrock on May 30 (3/5, 2B, 5 R, 4 RBI, BB, 3 SB, 4 TB)
• #5: 87 by Jonathan Nabors (RF, Alleghany) on June 21 vs Newark (4/6, 2 2B, 4 R, 5 RBI, SB, 6 TB)
• #6: 87 by Hugh Harris (3B, Mass. Bay) on July 29 at St. John’s (4/6, 2 2B, 4 R, 5 RBI, SB, 6 TB)
• #7: 86 by John Ratican (P, Newark) on May 23 vs Mass. Bay (SHO, 2 HA, 0 BB, 3 K)
• #8: 85 by Gil Cappelletti (1B, Excelsior) at Mass. Bay on Aug. 17 (4/6, 2B, 3 R, 5 RBI, 1 BB)
• #9: 85 by Rudolph Decker (CF, St. John’s) vs Pt. Jersey on June 22 (5/6, 2B, 3B, 3 R, 4 RBI, SB, 8 TB)
• #10: 85 by Harold Groves (2B, Shamrock) vs Tiger S.C. on Aug. (5/6, 2B, 4 R, 3 RBI, 6 TB)

tm1681 · 03-28-2026, 08:20 PM

GAME HIT BY WAVE OF HIGH-PROFILE RETIREMENTS
DALY, GOODMAN, KESSLER, & RICKS AMONG THOSE CALLING TIME ON THEIR CAREERS

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (Oct. 1, 1879) - The baseball season has come to an end, and with teams preparing themselves for the annual winter of player movement and decision making, it’s also time for veterans, especially those who play professionally, to decide if they want to carry on playing for another season or go back to more mundane employment. That means there is a raft of retirements during the remaining weeks of September between the end of the playoffs and the time when teams begin to look at registering new players in October.

This year, there have been a number of high-profile retirements among the veteran stars of the A.P.B.L., and a few forty-somethings who have decided to continue playing for at least another year or two.

Fifteen-year veteran Peadar Daly has retired. The 41-year-old Irishman enjoyed his biggest run of success when he won 28-29 games four times in six years after joining Knickerbocker ahead of their record-setting 1865 season (57-13, 4.5 RA/G, T.W.C. champions), and remained a regular Pitcher for Knick during the first four seasons of the A.P.B.L. Daly joined arch-rivals Gotham for 1875, and after a 22-20 season that earned the last of his nine All-Star Game nominations Daly then spent the final four years of his career as a backup with multiple teams, and was of Founders Cup winners in two of those seasons.

While the end of his career was non-descript, during his first ten years with Knickerbocker Daly was one of the most reliable pitchers in the sport.

Peadar Daly’s career:

• TOTAL: 267-162, 3.30 ERA, 3,840.2 IP, 282 CG, 7 SHO, 7 SV, 314 K, 1.0 K/BB, 1.26 WHIP, 50.6 WAR, 30.8 rWAR

• Knick (1865-74, 78); Gotham (1875), Excelsior (1876, 79); St. John’s (1877)
• 4x Champion (NBBO: 1865-67; APBL: 1877-78)
• 9x All-Star (NBBO: 1865-70; APBL: 1871, 73, 75)
• 1x Team of the Year (NBBO NYL: 1870)
• 3x League Leader in Wins (NBBO NYL: 1865, 67, 70)
• 10x 20-game winner; 4x 25-game winner

Long-time 1B Mario Fusilli has called an end to his career after seventeen seasons. The 41-year-old Italian joined Knickerbocker in 1863, and after two seasons moved upstate to Syracuse. After a seven-season stay that saw him win the N.Y.L. Batsman of the Year award in 1868, Fusilli moved to the A.P.B.L. for its inaugural season. He spent the first two years of the league’s existence as the Excelsior 1B, then spent the next three with St. John’s. After a year with Shamrock, he spent 1877 as a backup with Knick and then moved to Tiger S.C., where he spent his last two years, so he could be a regular 1B again.

When Fusilli joined Knick it was thought that he would be their 1B for the next decade. Thanks to a woeful 1864 that didn’t happen, but he recovered wonderfully in Syracuse to become one of the sport’s best First Basemen, and wound up having a fine nine-year stay in the A.P.B.L as well.

Mario Fusilli’s career:

• TOTAL: .335 AVG, 792 OPS, 1,091 R, 1,812 H, 361 2B, 37 3B, 15 HR, 1,037 RBI, 268 BB, 59 SB, 56.8 WPA, 38.2 WAR
• 1868 (SYR): .413/.443/.515, .958 OPS, 65 R, 126 H, 23 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 64 RBI, 21 BB, 2 SB, 6.1 WPA, 3.7 WAR

• Knick (1863-64, 77); Syracuse (1865-70); Excelsior (1871-72); St. John’s (1873-75); Shamrock (1876); Tiger S.C. (1878-79)
• 1x Batsman of the Year (NBBO NYL: 1868)
• 1x Team of the Year (NBBO NYL: 1868)
• 1x Golden Hands (NBBO NYL: 1867)
• 6x All-Star (NBBO: 1863, 67-69; APBL: 1874-75)
• 1x A.P.B.L. Batting Champion (APBL: 1874 w/ .374 AVG)

James Goodman has decided to retire after 23 seasons to become a Pitching Coach. The “Little Professor”, who was all of 5’4” and 125 pounds when he was a precocious 18-year-old with Minuteman during the inaugural season of the N.B.B.O., needed a couple of years of development to be able to direct his dazzling array of moving pitches closer to the plate. Once he became a regular for Minuteman at the age of 20 in 1859, it took him another five seasons of refinement before he became one of the sport’s biggest stars.

In 1865, Goodman was 24-14 (2.62 ERA, 112 K, 7.9 WAR) and earned his first of twelve All-Star Game nominations for a Minuteman team that went to the Tucker-Wheaton Cup playoffs for the second time. He was an All-Star in ’66 & ’67, and after Minuteman went 30-40 in 1868 Goodman joined fellow Upstate club Flour City. He then put up a season that managed to beat out Jim Creighton for the inaugural N.Y.L. Pitcher of the Year award, even though it was created with Creighton in mind:

• 1869 (FC): 30-6, 2.00 ERA, 342.2 IP, 31 CG, 2 SHO, 132 K, 5.1 K/BB, 8.8 HA/9, 1.05 WHIP, 10.7 WAR, 13.6 rWAR

Goodman’s 1869 season for Flour City saw him tie the N.B.B.O. record for Wins in a season, set a new record for ERA that has since been broken by Charles Rhodes, and set a record for RA9-WAR in a season that nobody else has come close to in the decade since. Goodman was 26-10 the next season, and that set the stage for his career in the A.P.B.L.

Goodman was Flour City’s #1 for each of the first nine seasons of the A.P.B.L. He won 20+ games six times, with his best mark being a 29-13 record in 1873. He was the M.V.P. of Flour City teams that finished runner-up in the Colonial Conference four times during the league’s first five seasons, and while the team has fallen on hard times lately he remained a reliable through the end of the past season, when he was their #1 at the age of 40.

James Goodman’s career:

• TOTAL: 423-370, 3.25 ERA, 6,924.1 IP, 496 CG, 20 SHO, 15 SV, 1,744 K, 2.2 K/BB, 1.33 WHIP, 139.5 WAR, 116.4 rWAR

• Minuteman (1857-68); Flour City (1869-79)
• 2x Pitcher of the Year (NBBO NYL: 1869, APBL: 1872)
• 12x All-Star (NBBO: 1865-67, 69, 70; APBL: 1871-77)
• 7x Golden Hands (NBBO NYL: 1864, 67, 70; APBL: 1871, 74, 75, 77)
• 10x 20-game winner; 4x 25-game winner; 1x 30-game winner
• 2x ERA Champion (NBBO NYL: 1869, APBL: 1871)
• 2x Strikeout Champion (NBBO NYL: 1859-60)
• 1x league leader in Wins (NBBO NYL: 1869)
• 5x league leader in Pitching WAR (NBBO NYL: 1867, 69; APBL: 1873, 76, 77)
• 5x league leader in Complete Games (NBBO NYL: 1866, 67, 69; APBL: 1871, 73)
• 4x league leader in Shutouts (NBBO NYL: 1863, 67, 69; APBL: 1871)

The biggest name on the list of retirements is that of Samuel “the Shark” Kessler, who has called is quits at the age of 43 after 23 seasons of league baseball going all the way back to the start of the N.B.B.O., during which Kessler was a regular in his team’s lineup every single season.

At the beginning of the N.B.B.O., Kessler was an immensely talented 21-year-old 3B for Sons of the Ocean who immediately became one of the best Infielders in the sport, earning a spot in the inaugural N.E.L. Team of the Year. His B-WAR that year was 3.8 over 70 games (NOTE: 8.8 WAR/162 G), and it wouldn’t dip below 3.0 (6.9 WAR/162) until 1868, when it hit 2.9. After that, it didn’t happen again in a 70 or 90-game season until 1875. That meant Kessler was one of the most productive Infielders in the sport for the first eighteen seasons of his career, and he didn’t begin to experience a decrease in his abilities until he was nearly forty.

Kessler spent the first eight years of his career with Sons of the Ocean, and then joined Alleghany in the winter of 1864/65 when they decided to go for big changes after a disastrous 24-46 season. Alleghany went 47-23 in Kessler’s first season in Pittsburgh, and in 1869 they won the Tucker-Wheaton Cup. Kessler would remain with Alleghany until the end of 1872, when he signed with Orange. After two years playing LF & 1B in Manhattan, Kessler spent the rest of his career in Rochester, playing 1B for Flour City.

While Kessler didn’t win any major awards in the A.P.B.L. he was a one-time Batsman of the Year and one-time Most Valuable Player while playing in the N.B.B.O. before the league split.

Kessler started his career as a strong-armed & sure-handed 3B who later moved across the diamond when his range and arm strength started to slip. However, it took much longer for his batsmanship to fall off, as evidenced by the fact that he hit .355 for Orange in 1873 (75 RBI, 33 SB, 3.6 WAR) at the age of 37. He was one of the sport’s best and most popular players for much of his career, and he was nearly universally liked by his teammates.

Samuel Kessler’s career:

• TOTAL: .343 AVG, .834 OPS, 1,777 R, 2,681 H, 501 2B, 142 3B, 16 HR, 1,434 RBI, 440 BB, 453 SB, 83.1 WPA, 75.1 WAR
• 1861 (MVP): .389/.438/.518, .956 OPS, 85 R, 117 H, 19 2B, 10 3B, 0 HR, 48 RBI, 18 BB, 19 SB, 5.3 WPA, 4.4 WAR
• 1862 (BotY): .389/.438/.535, .973 OPS, 69 R, 117 H, 23 2B, 9 3B, 1 HR, 59 RBI, 23 BB, 13 SB, 2.8 WPA, 4.4 WAR

• Sons of the Ocean (1857-64), Alleghany[/B] (1865-72), Orange[/B] (1873-74), Flour City[/B] (1875-79)
• 2x Champion (NBBO: 1869, APBL: 1874)
• 1x Batsman of the Year (NBBO NEL: 1862)
• 1x Most Valuable Player (NBBO NEL: 1861)
• 15x All-Star (NBBO: 1859-70, APBL: 1871-73)
• 10x Team of the Year (NBBO NEL: 1857-58, 60-63, 65-67, 69)
• 2x Golden Hands (NBBO NEL: 1860, 63)
• 9x .350 hitter; 5x .375 hitter; hit .300+ in all 23 seasons of his career

Tom Ricks has decided to go out on top. The 40-year-old was a backup Pitcher with American in 1877 and Knick in 1878 before signing with Alleghany to take on a similar role in 1879. Instead, he won the #1 won role during April training and put together the best of his nine seasons in the A.P.B.L., going 27-12 with a 3.09 ERA before going 3-1 in the Founders Cup as Alleghany took their first professional title.

The Massachusetts native joined Shamrock at age 27 ahead of the 1866 N.B.B.O. season. He immediately became their #1 and went 26-7 for the Tucker-Wheaton Cup winners. That earned him N.E.L. Greenhorn of the Year, and the next season he went 29-11. In the end, Ricks never won fewer than 25 games during his five seasons with Shamrock before the league split, finishing with a Win-Loss record of 132-60.

Ricks found the going tougher in the A.P.B.L. While he picked up 20 Wins in the inaugural season, he finished with a 20-21 record and followed it up with a 16-21 mark the next season. His performance oscillated over the next three years before he caused a stir by joining Boston rivals Massachusetts Bay in the winter following the 1875 season. Ricks was 19-17 during his one seasons pitching for Mass. Bay, and then joined American in the hopes that he could help them win their fifth title in six years. That didn’t happen, but while he was a little-used sub he was still credited with helping Knick win Founders Cup XII, and then came his miraculous comeback with Alleghany in what turned out to be his final season.

Tom Ricks’ career:

• TOTAL: 282-205, 3.05 ERA, 4,188.0 IP, 296 CG, 14 SHO, 7 SV, 457 K, 1.0 K/BB, 1.26 WHIP, 55.0 WAR, 36.1 rWAR

• Shamrock (1866-75), Mass. Bay (1876), American (1877), Knick (1878), Alleghany (1879)
• 3x Champion (NBBO: 1866; APBL: 1878-79)
• Greenhorn of the Year (NBBO NEL: 1866)
• 8x All-Star (NBBO: 1866-70, APBL: 1871, 79)
• 2x Team of the Year (NBBO NEL: 1867, APBL: 1879)
• 1x Golden Hands (APBL: 1873)

Werner Verstegen has also hung up his cleats. The 39-year-old Dutchman spend the first seven years of his career with American, signing with them as a 26-year-old ahead of the 1866 N.B.B.O. season. He stayed with them through the league split and left after the team’s first title-winning campaign in 1872. Verstegen was a 3B & backup with Knickerbocker, and spent two years as a regular with Flour City before he spent his final season as a backup for St. John’s.

At his peak Verstegen was one of the most powerful Third Basemen in the sport, and in two of his first three N.B.B.O. seasons Verstegen hit at least .375. He had a bit of a quicker fall from his prime than the other veterans, but Verstegen still had a fine that included a handful of All-Star Game appearances and one championship.

Werner Verstegen’s career:

• TOTAL: .328 AVG, .769 OPS, 981 R, 1,477 H, 256 2B, 61 3B, 8 HR, 752 RBI, 134 BB, 305 SB, 45.7 WPA, 27.3 WAR

• American (1866-72), Knick (1873-76), Flour City (1877-78), St. John’s (1879)
• 1x Champion (APBL: 1872)
• 5x All-Star (NBBO: 1867-69; APBL: 1871, 73)
• 3x Team of the Year (NBBO NEL: 1868; APBL: 1871, 73)

Clockwise from top left:
Peadar Daly, Mario Fusilli, James Goodman
Werner Verstegen, Tom Ricks, Samuel Kessler

With the above in mind, not all of the sport’s grand old elder statemen have decided to put their equipment away. Some notes…

• Konrad Jensen, who recently turned 40 and missed out on an All-Star Game for the first time since 1862, has signed a three-year contract extension to continue as the St. John’s 1B. He finished third in the vote for A.P.B.L. Most Valuable Player, so Jensen is still playing at a very high level even if he wasn’t an All-Star in 1879.

• Anthony Mascherino, who, like Kessler, has been a regular for 23 seasons, is coming back for at least one more year with Knickerbocker. Even though he’ll be 41 next Opening Day, Mascherino hit .348, won the Golden Hands for his work at 2B, and finished second in the A.P.B.L. in B-WAR with 4.5 in 1879. His play gives him no reason to retire.

• Carl Bancroft has told Frontier he wants to pitch for them next season, and they’re reportedly happy to have him back. Bancroft will more than likely be their #2 behind Edward Pelham, and that would mark Season #24 as a regular Pitcher for a man who will turn 45 on December 2nd. Bancroft was 16-8 with a 3.76 ERA during the 1879 N.B.B.O. season.

All of the above retirees are looking to work in baseball in some capacity next season. It’s known that James Goodman wants to be a Pitching Coach and Samuel Kessler would like to be a Bench Coach or Field Manager. Given the reputations of the six men profiled, it shouldn’t be difficult for any of them to find jobs.

And with that, another offseason begins…

(NOTE: You might notice that players tend to produce until they’re much older in this universe. When I had it start in 1857, I decided to turn the “Aging Target Age” to “Older” to sort of recreate the conditions or rates at which the best cricket players of the time aged under. When I did some research into it, it turned out that it was pretty common for the best players involved in that sport in the mid to late 1800s – also the early 1900s – to continue to be productive in “First Class” cricket into their 40s, or, in the case of the famous W.G. Grace, be a regular in top-level cricket until they were in their early 50s. What I plan on doing is changing that setting back to normal once teams start playing a high number of games per season.)

tm1681 · 03-29-2026, 12:42 AM

THE MIGHTY SUSQUEHANNA: HOW DO THEY DO IT?
A LOOK AT HOW ONE OF THE NBBO’S SMALLEST CLUBS HAS BECOME ITS MOST RUTHLESS WINNERS

WILKES-BARRE, PENN. (Oct. 2, 1879) - Even though its twelve biggest clubs left the competition shortly after the start of the decade and four other big clubs left two years ago, there are still plenty of outfits in the National Base Ball Organization that can boast of some combination of big markets, deep pockets, first-class facilities, and large venues. With that in mind, how is it, then, that a club which has exactly none of those things became the N.B.B.O.’s most dominant team of the 1870s?

Susquehanna Baseball Club wasn’t a major contender in the opening seasons of the N.B.B.O. They finished twenty games behind first place in both of the first two seasons, and in the six years after that they typically finished 5-10 games out of first, with the exception being the 1862 season, when they finished two games behind Inland champions Alleghany at 39-31.

At the time, the team was known for having superstar CF Willie Davis, who earned two Batsman of the Year awards and a Most Valuable Player honor, all by the age of 24, but not much else. They were a club based in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, that had a nice little venue near the Susquehanna River that held about 1,750 people – a fraction of the venues of the big clubs, like Knickerbocker’s Elysian Fields – and a reputation for keeping the books balanced and the on-field product competitive.

Soon after, Susquehanna became a factor in the Inland Championship. Ironically, after Davis left for American they were consecutive Inland runners-up in 1865 & ’66. Then, they were part of the famous three-way tie for first place in 1867, in which the multi-game playoff went to Alleghany. Learning from that experience, in 1868 they stunned Alleghany and their stable of stars by winning the Inland title outright with a 48-22 record, establishing themselves as a team and organization capable of punching well above their weight.

After Susquehanna fell to sixth place the next season, they realized they had a problem: since they lacked the resources of most of the other clubs, including those within their own region, staying competitive meant constantly trying to find quality players on the cheap now that clubs could openly hand out payments. For the 1870 season, club President Fritz Dawson hired a new Field Manager, Callum McKay, a new Bench Coach, a new Hitting Coach, and a new First Base Coach who could help the players work on their baserunning skills. He then told club scout Jeremy Sprouse, who’d been with Susquehanna since the foundation of the N.B.B.O., to focus on finding young players, and told the new coaching staff to focus on developing them.

The result? Susquehanna was back up to .500 (35-35) in 1870, but it was the season after the League Split when their work really started to pay off. Susquehanna went 46-24 in 1871, finishing atop Inland by three games while four of their five best batsmen were 24 or 25 years of age. Their #1 was then 27-year-old Elmer Seabold, who went 29-13.

That season kicked off what has been an almost unbelievable run during the rest of the decade. Susquehanna exits the 1870s having won seven Inland pennants in nine years, having won 50+ five times in the past six seasons, having won the Northeastern League championship in each of those five 50+ win seasons, and having won the Tucker-Wheaton Cup three times:

SUSQUEHANNA B.C. 1870s RECORD:

• 1870: 35-35 – Inland: 3rd (15 GB)
• 1871: 46-24 – Inland: 1st; Tucker-Wheaton Cup: 4th in Round Robin
• 1872: 42-28 – Inland: 1st; Tucker-Wheaton Cup: lost N.E.L. Semifinal 3-0
• 1873: 40-30 – Inland: 2nd (6 GB)
• 1874: 53-17 – Inland: 1st; Tucker-Wheaton Cup: won Final 3-0
• 1875: 42-28 – Inland: 2nd (2 GB)
• 1876: 52-18 – Inland: 1st; Tucker-Wheaton Cup: lost Final 3-2; set record for Run Differential (+309)
• 1877: 54-16 – Inland: 1st; Tucker-Wheaton Cup: won Final 3-2; set record for Runs (771; 11.0 R/G)
• 1878: 51-19 – Inland: 1st; Tucker-Wheaton Cup: lost Final 3-2
• 1879: 50-20 – Inland: 1st; Tucker-Wheaton Cup: won Final 3-1
• TOTAL: 465-235 (.664) – 7x Inland Champs, 5x N.E.L. Champs, 3x Tucker-Wheaton Cup champs
• 1874-79: 302-118 (.719) – 5x Inland Champs, 5x N.E.L. Champs, 3x Tucker-Wheaton Cup champs

It was the 1871 pennant-winning campaign that got the youth movement started, but it was their 1874 season that saw it really take off. 27-year-old John Schultz, who signed for Susquehanna when he was eighteen, won his first M.V.P., 24-year-old William Hawk hit 30 Wins for the first time, and six of their nine regulars were under the age of 30, a rarity in a competition where experienced players and known quantities are preferred. The final result: a sweep in the Tucker-Wheaton Cup final, and the first championship for a truly small club.

After that, their 1876 team that set the record for Run Differential in a season was led by 24-year-old SS Stephen Barley. Their 1877 team that set the record for Runs in a season had only two regulars over the age of 30. Their most recent title-winning team was led by a 26-year-old in his first season as a regular after years of development in the reserves.

Why does Susquehanna rely so much on signing and developing young players? It’s a simple matter of economics. Ranking clubs by venue capacity places Susquehanna 6th out of eight in the Inland Championship, and that’s a region known for not having any “big” clubs. They have a very small venue, their facilities are similarly basic, and their club coffers aren’t very deep, as their 1879 budget ranks 26th out of the 48 N.B.B.O. clubs, with the biggest spenders, like Eckford and New York A.C., putting nearly twice as much money down for their operations. There are two smaller clubs in the Inland, but they’d easily be the smallest club in Brooklyn, New York City, and the Coastal Championship if Trenton United was excluded.

How much does Susquehanna rely on signing and developing young players? Here’s a look at the group of regulars that won the Tucker-Wheaton Cup for them this year, and how they came to be in their places in the Susquehanna lineup:

• C: Scott Lyons – signed in 1874 (age 21), Reserves from ‘75-78, Lineup in ‘79
• 1B: Joseph Jurski – signed in 1870 (age 23), Reserves in ‘70, Lineup from ‘71-79
• 2B: Lucas Maxwell – signed in 1868 (age 18), Reserves from ‘69-72, Backup from ‘73-75, Lineup from ’76-79
• 3B: Frank Carter – signed in 1872 (age 21), Reserves from ’73-74, Backup in ’75, Lineup from ’76-79
• SS: Stephen Barley – signed in 1872 (age 21), Reserves in ’73, Backup in ’74, Lineup from ’75-79
• LF: Walter Braden – signed in 1867 (age 19), Reserves from ’68-72, Lineup from ’73-79
• CF: John Schultz – signed in 1865 (age 18), Reserves from ’66-70, Lineup from ’71-79
• RF: Karl Valentine – in from Oceanic in 1872 (age 29); had been a regular in the N.B.B.O. for six years
• P1: William Hawk – signed in 1871 (age 21), Reserves in ‘72, Lineup from ’73-79
• P2: Frank Cyphert – signed in 1876 (age 26), Lineup from ’76-79

Out of Susquehanna’s ten regulars, exactly one has come from outside the organization, and of the nine homegrown lineup members only Frank Cyphert wasn’t signed as a young player and developed in the reserves before moving to regular duty. Instead, he was an indy ball scouting discovery made by Sprouse, who retired after the club’s cup-winning 1877 season. In a competition where players are allowed to sign their own contracts and move around freely, the above is incredibly rare.

Even a number of the team’s backups have been developed by the organization. Substitute Pitcher Oscar Reed signed for them out of indy ball in 1871. Backup C James McIntosh also signed for the club out of local indy ball in early 1871. Backup 1B Jacob Falk was another indy ball discovery made in 1873. They have a 21-year-old LF prospect named John Holtz who appears ready to move up from the reserves and play a backup role next year.

In contrast, in the New York League champions Eckford had a lineup with 7/10 regulars signed and developed with the team for their whole careers, Upstate champs Frontier had 5/10 homegrown regulars, and N.Y.C. champs and previous cup winners New York A.C. had just four such regulars. Philadelphia B.C.C. is a bit unique since they’re only two years removed from the P.C.B.L., but the other regional champion in the N.E.L., Green Mountain, had 6/10 lineup members developed by the club.

The General Manager who built the team and the Head Scout who found the players that won the titles have retired and are enjoying life in their mid-60s, but the Manager and coaching staff that were put in place to start the ‘70s are still there, meaning the development focus continues for Susquehanna.

That Susquehanna can win three titles in a 48-team league in six years while having less resources available to them than at least half of the competition is, on the face of it, astounding. Add in the fact that they’ve won more than seventy percent of their games over that span, and it becomes clear that Susquehanna B.C. is a giant slayer, a development factory, and the most well-run club that anybody involved in the sport of baseball has ever seen.

tm1681 · 03-30-2026, 12:32 AM

A LONG, STRANGE TRIP: THE 1879 PCBL SEASON
AMAZING & BIZARRE STORYLINES WERE PLENTIFUL AROUND THE PHILADELPHIA BASEBALL SCENE

PHILADELPHIA, PENN. (Oct. 3, 1879) - Every year, the baseball fan can expect the unexpected to happen. After all, that’s why they play the games. Teams win or lose games they shouldn’t, players do things nobody’s seen before, the standings don’t look anything like they’re supposed to, or the planets align just right and some truly weird things happen.

For fans of the unanticipated, the Philadelphia City Baseball League was the competition to follow this year. Neither one of its finalists was projected to be close to first place, one of its two previous finalists became the worst team in the league, a pennant race was decided with a 21-20 game on the final day of the season, and one team managed to see their batsmen Strike Out roughly two and a half times the league average rate, among other odd happenings.

First, the unexpected champions. The Philadelphia Writers Pool projected Penn B.C. to finish sixth out of eight in West Philadelphia with a 34-36 record, eight games behind favorites Mercantile. After the end of the first three weeks things were going exactly as they were supposed to, with red-hot Mercantile topping the standings at 11-4 and Penn in sixth place, thanks to Run Differential, at 7-8. However, by end of June, which also marked the season’s halfway point, Mercantile & Penn were tied for first place at 21-14.

After spending roughly 48 hours in a tie atop West Philadelphia Penn fell slightly back and stayed there, finishing July in second, three games back of first. With one week left in the season Mercantile remained two games in the clear at the top of the standings, although they had just been swept over five games at defending champions Overbrook. Penn was 2nd, and one of four teams still with a shot to take the pennant. Mercantile proceeded to lose the first two games of their season-ending series vs Bartram Village before winning the next two, while Penn won each of their first four games vs last-place Independence. They had tied Mercantile again, and West Philadelphia would be decided on the final day.

What unfolded on the final day was hard to believe. Penn clobbered Independence – an easy 18-6 home win in which they did all of their scoring by the end of the fifth inning. However, what unfolded at the Market Street Grounds was a heart-stopper:

Mercantile & Bartram Village played the P.C.B.L.’s game of the year, one which featured numerous lengthy rallies, lead changes, and a bottom of the ninth that ended with a man stranded on third after Mercantile had scored half a dozen runs to slash the visitors’ lead to a single run. The result gave Penn B.C. the West Philadelphia pennant, and the end of the final day of the season was the only time they were alone in first place.

Penn would advance to the Liberty Bell Cup to battle Spartan B.C., a team that also wasn’t expected to put up a powerful fight over the course of the P.C.B.L. season. Spartan was projected to finish fourth in East Philadelphia at 37-33 and eleven games behind favorites Minerva.

Spartan, who had finished sixth in the East in 1878 with a 28-42 record, responded to the W.P.’s lack of faith with a 10-4 May that saw them alone in first place by two games, and by the end of June they had wrapped up a 25-10 first half. Spartan kept their Winning Pct. over .700 in July, and by the end of the month they were six games clear in first. It looked like they’d be able to walk to the finish of their first successful pennant race, but favorites Minerva won ten of their final eleven games and Frankford Arsenal went 10-3 in August, which meant that Spartan nearly lost their lead and only took the East Philadelphia title by one game. Still, Spartan was in, and they’d finished 1879 with a seventeen-win improvement over the previous year.

Penn would go on to win the Liberty Bell Classic in four games, and that involved the unexpected as well. Game Four at Penn’s University City Park went to extra innings, and in the bottom of the tenth Field Manager Hap Higgins sent John Borland out to pinch-hit for eventual Pitcher of the Year Thomas Bath. Borland, a Greenhorn with -0.1 WAR over 29 starts in 1879, struck a hard-hit ball which forced an Error out of the Third Baseman that allowed the series-winning run to score. Penn, the unlikeliest of pennant winners, had become the unlikeliest of Philadelphia champions.

If Spartan wanted a team to talk to about disappointment, it would be Queen Village. They had reached the previous two Liberty Bell Classics and lost both in Game Five. They were the best team in the P.C.B.L. in 1878 – 50-20 with a +218 Run Differential – which made their 8-2 loss in the winner-take-all finale vs Overbrook all the more disappointing.

Then, 1879 happened. Queen Village was expected to fall off and finish in the middle of the standings. True to form, they began the season with a 7-7 May. Then, disaster struck as they followed that up with a 5-16 June, and then followed that up with a 6-16 July. Queen Village was now in last place at 18-39, five games behind a Yorktown team that was projected to go 15-55 by the Writers Pool. Queen Village did a little better in August with a 5-8 record, but the damage had been done. They finished the season with a 23-47 record, and in the process became the first team in any league to straight from having its best record to its worst, and also the first team in any league to win less than half as many games as it had the previous season.

It was a truly inexplicable season from Queen Village. Their Run Differential was -156, a swing of -374 from the previous year – again, just a 70-game season. Graham Gross, who had been 3rd in the Pitcher of the Year voting in 1878, was 12-24 with a 4.55 ERA. SS William Bolerjack saw his Average fall by sixty points. LF Edward Long had his OPS crash by 75 points. They were the worst-fielding team in the league in all four defensive metrics. They committed 92 more Errors than any other team. It left observers at a loss to understand how it all happened, but it did.

The team that managed to push them down to last place, Yorktown, finished a dozen games better than their 15-55, last place projection. It was a bit of a head-scratcher, because they ranked 14th-16th/16 at every position except Shortstop, where James Butala was ranked 9th by the Writers Pool. What made their season even more bizarre was that they managed to finish with the league’s third-worst record, instead of the worst, even though they struck out 392 times, or 5.6 times per game in a league where the average was 2.2. The best contact-hitting team in the league, Keystone, struck out 88 times, less than a quarter of Yorktown’s amount. Yorktown struck out nearly twice as much as any other team in the sixteen-team league. The previous record for team Strikeouts in a season was 215, and they nearly doubled it.

How did Yorktown manage such a feat? For one thing, the neighborhood team decided to put a 20-year-old they’d recruited late last year into the lineup at 3B even though he was nowhere close to ready. That player, Kevin LaViolette, proceeded to Strike Out 84 times, almost as much as the entire Keystone team by himself. They also had another player Strike Out 50+ times: CF Wilbur Woods, who interestingly also led the P.C.B.L. in Stolen Bases in spite of a .230 On-Base Percentage. Two other regulars struck out between 45 and 50 times.

In the midst of such strange batsmanship, Yorktown also managed to produce the individual performance of the season. On July 9th, they played – who else? – Queen Village, and during a 17-8 win LF Franklin Decker hit 5/5 with a pair of Doubles, one Triple, five Runs, and five RBI, which was good for a Game Score of 110.

Perhaps the strangest individual season of all was produced by Robert Benson. The 2x Triple Crown winner came back to the P.C.B.L. and joined Merion after a year in the N.B.B.O. that didn’t work out as planned. His peripheral stats for Merion in his return to the Philadelphia League looked fine: a 3.12 ERA, 97 Strikeouts, 21 Complete Games, 3.1 K/BB Ratio, 1.25 WHIP, and 4.4 P-WAR. His resulting record? 8-27, which gave him the most losses in the league. What made Benson’s season even more baffling was that his Pitching Duo partner, Charles Sturch, had a 2.43 ERA and roughly similar peripheral stats, including 4.7 WAR, and his record was 20-11, which would have been All-Star worthy if the P.C.B.L. had an All-Star Game.

It was the lowest level of competition that gave fans the oddest outcomes in the 1879 baseball season. If nothing else, it should drum up interest in the P.C.B.L. going forward. Will the first season of the 1880s produce more high strangeness? That will be impossible to predict, but after the past season the baseball fans of Philadelphia are ready for just about anything.

tm1681 · 03-31-2026, 09:24 PM

BURKE STUNS BASEBALL BY LEAVING APBL
LEGENDARY CF STAYS IN PHILADELPHIA, BUT SIGNS FOR PBCC INSTEAD OF QUAKER ST. OR TIGER

PHILADELPHIA, PENN. (Dec. 1, 1879) - Seven winters ago, James Burke, who had been an All-Star in each of his six seasons with Shamrock, stunned baseball when he left the Bostonians for American of Philadelphia, who had just won was the first of four A.P.B.L. titles in five years. The next year American had the best team in A.P.B.L. history with a 65-25 record (+284 RD), while Burke became the first, and only, player ever with 100+ Runs, RBI, & Stolen Bases in the same season. That historic performance earned him the first of what would become five Batsman of the Year awards in six seasons.

This morning, Burke pulled off another “Philadelphia Stunner” by announcing that he is leaving American after seven seasons, but will be staying in Philadelphia. However, it’s not his exit after American’s 41-49 seasons that’s sent a shock through the sport. Rather, it’s the fact that, instead of signing for one of the other Philadelphian teams in the A.P.B.L. – Quaker State or Tiger Social Club – Burke, who turned 37 today, has decided to spend the remaining days of his career playing for Philadelphia Baseball & Cricket Club in the N.B.B.O. There have been other highly accomplished players who have returned to the N.B.B.O. since the league split, but…

1) None has had anything remotely close to Burke’s career résumé.
2) Most who have moved back to the N.B.B.O. have done so after becoming backups in the A.P.B.L.

In a letter outlining his reasoning for the move, Burke stated that nagging leg injuries he suffered while playing for American last year – he missed two weeks of play and was on American’s Injury List for day-to-day ailments on two other occasions – had him of the belief that it would be best for him to move to a lighter playing schedule after he’d achieved everything he possibly could at the professional level.

As for “why P.B.C.C.?” Burke was a roughly .330 hitter with Shamrock during their two seasons in the N.B.B.O., but upon joining American he instantly put up the most productive season in baseball history. He eventually won three championships, five Batsman of the Year awards, hit .400 twice, and led the A.P.B.L. in B-WAR four times over seven years in his new city. He really wanted to stay in Philadelphia.

Here’s how brilliant Burke was during his seven years playing for American:

• 3x Founders Cup winner (1873, 75, 76)
• 2x Founders Cup M.V.P. (1873, 76)
• 5x A.P.B.L. Batsman of the Year (1873, 75-78)
• 7x A.P.B.L. All-Star (1873-79)
• 6x A.P.B.L. Team of the Year (1873-78)
• 3x A.P.B.L. Batting Champion (1875-77)
• 4x A.P.B.L. leader in Batsman WAR (1875-78)
• 4x A.P.B.L. leader in Hits (1875-78)
• 4x A.P.B.L. leader in Stolen Bases (1873, 74, 76, 78)
• 3x A.P.B.L. leader in Total Bases (1875, 76, 78)
• 2x .400 hitter (1875, 77)
• 1st player ever with 100+ R, RBI, & SB in one season (1873)

Burke’s peak was the highest of any batsman who’s played thus far during the first quarter century of the sport’s existence, and his signing turned American into the most feared team in baseball history.

Obviously, there are weighty on-field implications resulting from Burke’s shocking intra-city switch.

With respect to American, they will no longer look toward next season as one in which they to fight their way back to the top of the standings after their first under-500 campaign in the A.P.B.L. Instead, they will rebuild for the future, perhaps building a team to complement the strengths of their top-five Pitching Duo of Jimmy Everhart & Simeon DiStefano. They may also look to partner Cornelius Jackson with Everhart after five years of development. Robert Miller, a 2.5/3.0* prospect, will likely take over 2B from 8x All-Star Peter Boyce. Franklin Petty will probably switch to CF, with Petty’s place in RF being handed to a younger player. That said, they still have quality Batsmen at 1B, 3B, & SS.

With regard to Philadelphia B.C.C., Burke immediately becomes by far the best Batsman in the N.B.B.O. After all, he was the best in the A.P.B.L. until injuries limited him to “just” a .319 Average with 66 Stolen Bases and 3.0 B-WAR last year. Leroy Moore can move back to RF, which was his position when he earned N.E.L. Batsman of the Year in 1878 before a switch to CF resulted much lower productivity last year. Reportedly with $2,000 still in the coffers available to spend, if P.B.C.C. signs or retains quality players at 1B, 3B, & LF they could have one of the most talented lineups in N.B.B.O. history in 1880.

December is typically the month in which most of the high-profile signings are made across the sport. Less than one day into the final month of 1879, and that has already proven to be the case.

tm1681 · 03-31-2026, 09:25 PM

That was definitely the most “Out of Left Field” signing I’ve seen in either version of this game universe I’ve run.

Burke actually took a pay cut to go to the lower-level competition and play for Philadelphia B.C.C. He was making $1,940 per year with American from 1875-79 and signed with P.B.C.C. for $1,560 per year. I double-checked the A.P.B.L. front offices, and 11/16 teams still had more than enough budget money left over to sign him. Champions Alleghany had the most, with roughly $15,500 thanks to the gate receipt money they took in from hosting three games of the Founders Cup.

tm1681 · 04-04-2026, 10:30 PM

THE 1870s IN REVIEW: AFTER THE LEAGUE SPLIT
THE DECADE BROUGHT NEW COMPETITIONS, NEW TEAMS, AND NEW STANDARDS TO THE SPORT

NORTHEAST U.S.A. (Dec. 31, 1879) - At the start of the 1870s, baseball had one league: the National Base Ball Organization. Consisting of 48 member clubs, the N.B.B.O. was facing upheaval, as the initial “Shamateurism” that gave way to a semi-professional format in the late 1860s, in which some players could be legally paid but most weren’t, left 12-16 clubs clearly a cut above the rest, and the other 32-36 wishing those 12-16 would go away. After St. John’s won Tucker-Wheaton Cup XIV at the end of the 1870 season, the N.B.B.O.’s twelve most prominent members left to form the sport’s first fully professional competition: the American Professional Baseball League.

While the N.B.B.O. found a dozen clubs to fill out the ranks, the A.P.B.L. enjoyed immediate success as attendance proved that the public didn’t have an issue with men turning the act of playing a “bat and ball game” into their full-time job. St. John’s, unsurprisingly, won the inaugural title, but it was American that would win four of the next five, building the most powerful team in baseball history in the process. In 1878 the league expanded by four teams, and by the end of the decade the A.P.B.L. would see three different title winners in three years. An era of relative parity had come across the professional landscape.

With the twelve biggest clubs gone from the N.B.B.O., a small club – Susquehanna B.C. of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania – would come to dominate the decade, going to the Tucker-Wheaton Cup final five times over the final six years of the 1870s and lifting the cup on three occasions. With fellow minnows Trenton United having hoisted the cup in 1875 it was clear the small clubs’ wish had been granted, and they were now not just competitive but able to win it all.

After Quaker State finished 1871 with the best record in N.B.B.O. history (58-12) and followed that by taking Tucker-Wheaton Cup XV, American won the first of their four A.P.B.L. titles in 1872. That led to the sport becoming popular enough in Philadelphia that the first viable citywide competition was created, and in 1873 the Philadelphia City Baseball League began play. Over the seven seasons since the P.C.B.L. has produced stars like Joseph Evans and William Norman, and it has also introduced the public now-famous teams like Frankford Arsenal and Philadelphia Baseball & Cricket Club.

Due to the combination of on-field struggles, financial issues, and the desire to see more Massachusetts-based teams in formal competition, Inland Championship doormats Sportsman’s founded the Coastal Baseball Conference in late 1877, with frequent Coastal Championship doormats Olympic joining them. The eight-team league began play the next spring, and over two seasons it has proven to be another viable path for those who want to play the sport at a high level.

With the way the sport is trending, it's not longer a matter of if new leagues and teams spring up, but when.

With the 1880s set to begin, here is a summary of what happened after one league became two, two became three, and three became four.

tm1681 · 04-04-2026, 10:30 PM

THE CHAMPIONS

AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE

• 1871: St. John’s wins Founders Cup I 3-1 over Orange. MVP: Konrad Jensen (LF, StJ)
• 1872: American wins Founders Cup II 4-3 over St. John’s. MVP: Werner Verstegen (3B, AME)
• 1873: American wins Founders Cup III 4-3 over St. John’s. MVP: James Burke (CF, AME)
• Game 7: StJ 15-16 AME; American scores 3 Runs in B8
• 1874: Orange wins Founders Cup IV 4-2 over Alleghany. MVP: Charles Whitehead (2B, ORA)
• 1875: American wins Founders Cup V 4-3 over Alleghany. MVP: Franklin Petty (RF, AME)
• Game 7: ALL 7-13 AME
• 1876: American wins Founders Cup VI 4-0 over Niagara. MVP: James Burke (CF, AME)
• 1877: St. John’s wins Founders Cup VII 4-1 over Excelsior. MVP: Rudolph Decker (CF, StJ)
• 1878: Knickerbocker wins Founders Cup VII 4-2 over St. John’s. MVP: Cale Jones (C, KNI)
• 1879: Alleghany wins Founders Cup IX 4-2 over Knickerbocker. MVP: Harvey O’Donnell (C, ALL)

NATIONAL BASEBALL ORGANIZATION

• 1871: Quaker St. wins Tucker-Wheaton Cup XV Round Robin with a 7-3 record (+47 RD)
• 1872: Eckford wins Tucker-Wheaton Cup XVI final 3-2 over Portland – GAME 5: PORT 2-12 ECK
• 1873: Utica wins Tucker-Wheaton Cup XVII final 3-1 over Portland
• 1874: Susquehanna wins Tucker-Wheaton Cup XVIII final 3-0 over Metropolitan
• 1875: Trenton Utd. wins Tucker-Wheaton Cup XIX final 3-1 over Eckford
• 1876: Minuteman wins Tucker-Wheaton Cup XX final 3-2 over Susquehanna – GAME 5: MIN 10-3 SUS
• 1877: Susquehanna wins Tucker-Wheaton Cup XXI final 3-2 over N.Y.A.C. – GAME 5: SUS 10-2 NYAC
• 1878: N.Y.A.C. wins Tucker-Wheaton Cup XXII final 3-2 over Susquehanna – GAME 5: NYAC 9-8 SUS
• 1879: Susquehanna wins Tucker-Wheaton Cup XXIII final 3-1 over Eckford

PHILADELPHIA CITY BASEBALL LEAGUE

• 1873: Mercantile wins 1st Liberty Bell Classic 3-2 over Frankford Arsenal – GAME 5: FRA 10-12 MERC
• 1874: Merion B.C.C. wins 2nd Liberty Bell Classic 3-0 over Frankford Arsenal
• 1875: Philadelphia B.C.C. wins 3rd Liberty Bell Classic 3-2 over Frankford Arsenal – GAME 5: FRA 6-9 PBCC
• 1876: Frankford Arsenal wins 4th Liberty Bell Classic 3-1 over Philadelphia B.C.C.
• 1877: Philadelphia B.C.C. wins 5th Liberty Bell Classic 3-2 over Queen Village – GAME 5: QV 9-10 PBCC
• 1878: Overbrook wins 6th Liberty Bell Classic 3-2 over Queen Village; GAME 5 – OVER 8-2 QV
• 1879: Penn wins 7th Liberty Bell Classic 3-1 over Spartan

COASTAL BASEBALL CONFERENCE

• 1878: Olympic wins C.B.C. championship with a 47-23 record
• 1879: Bridgeport wins C.B.C. championship with a 43-27 record

tm1681 · 04-04-2026, 10:31 PM

THE AWARD WINNERS

AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE

Batsman of the Year

• 1871: Nelson Townsend (RF, StJ) – .404, 1.076 OPS, 118 R, 162 H, 24 3B, 4 HR, 88 RBI, 52 SB, 6.1 WPA, 7.0 WAR
• 1872: Konrad Jensen (LF, StJ) – .402, .966 OPS, 96 R, 154 H, 2 HR, 95 RBI, 40 BB, 62 SB, 7.0 WPA, 6.6 WAR
• 1873: James Burke (CF, AME) – .368, .884 OPS, 130 R, 155 H, 16 3B, 1 HR, 109 RBI, 113 SB, 6.7 WPA, 5.1 WAR
• 1874: Konrad Jensen (1B, StJ) – .368, .413 OBP, .899 OPS, 96 R, 3 HR, 79 RBI, 32 BB, 56 SB, 6.3 WPA, 4.3 WAR
• 1875: James Burke (CF, AME) – .401, .950 OPS, 111 R, 173 H, 27 2B, 1 HR, 93 RBI, 77 SB, 5.7 WPA, 5.8 WAR
• 1876: James Burke (CF, AME) – .387, .936 OPS, 120 R, 165 H, 16 3B, 1 HR, 80 RBI, 90 SB, 5.3 WPA, 6.0 WAR
• 1877: James Burke (CF, AME) – .403, .943 OPS, 112 R, 165 H, 22 2B, 10 3B, 87 RBI, 88 SB, 6.3 WPA, 5.9 WAR
• 1878: James Burke (CF, AME) – .382, .888 OPS, 116 R, 164 H, 34 XBH, 1 HR, 96 RBI, 95 SB, 7.5 WPA, 5.2 WAR
• 1879: William Norman (1B, NIA) – .405, .949 OPS, 91 R, 168 H, 17 2B, 18 3B, 112 RBI, 221 TB, 7.8 WPA, 4.0 WAR

Pitcher of the Year

• 1871: Raynard Cordell (ORA) – 26-10, 3.12 ERA, 372.2 IP, 26 CG, 1 SHO, 21 K, 0.6 K/BB, 1.05 WHIP, 5.1 WAR
• 1872: James Goodman (FC) – 26-15, 2.74 ERA, 380.1 IP, 32 CG, 3 SHO, 102 K, 3.9 K/BB, 1.20 WHIP, 9.2 WAR
• 1873: John Henry (AME) – 30-5, 3.14 ERA, 341.1 IP, 21 CG, 18 K, 0.7 K/BB, 1.22 WHIP, 3.5 WAR, 10.0 rWAR
• 1874: Jim Creighton (EXC) – 30-21, 2.56 ERA, 396.2 IP, 28 CG, 1 SHO, 136 K, 4.1 K/BB, 1.20 WHIP, 8.4 WAR
• 1875: Jim Creighton (EXC) – 31-14, 2.96 ERA, 383.2 IP, 29 CG, 1 SHO, 116 K, 4.1 K/BB, 1.27 WHIP, 8.8 WAR
• 1876: Simeon DiStefano (AME) – 29-17, 2.54 ERA, 392.2 IP, 30 CG, 28 K, 0.7 K/BB, 1.23 WHIP, 3.9 WAR, 11.3 rWAR
• 1877: Jim Creighton (EXC) – 27-14, 3.38 ERA, 359.0 IP, 23 CG, 2 SHO, 133 K, 4.4 K/BB, 1.33 WHIP, 6.5 WAR
• 1878: Bertram Landreth (KNI) – 31-11, 2.41 ERA, 374.0 IP, 32 CG, 1 SHO, 134 K, 6.7 K/BB, 1.16 WHIP, 7.0 WAR
• 1879: Howard Burns (StJ) – 29-7, 3.55 ERA, 377.1 IP, 33 CG, 1 SV, 94 K, 4.3 K/BB, 1.28 WHIP, 7.4 WAR

Most Valuable Player

• 1871: Konrad Jensen (LF, StJ) – .351, .932 OPS, 106 R, 128 H, 1 HR, 75 RBI, 72 BB, 74 SB, 6.0 WPA, 5.6 WAR
• 1872: Jim Creighton (P, EXC) – 24-18, 2.93 ERA, 383.1 IP, 28 CG, 1 SHO, 170 K, 5.0 K/BB, 1.19 WHIP, 9.7 WAR
• 1873: Konrad Jensen (LF, StJ) – .380, .904 OPS, 113 R, 156 H, 2 HR, 87 RBI, 27 BB, 88 SB, 7.7 WPA, 5.1 WAR
• 1874: Gerald Strong (SS, ALL) – .341, .770 OPS, 92 R, 147 H, 1 HR, 55 RBI, 29 SB, +21.5 ZR, 5.1 WPA, 4.8 WAR
• 1875: Franklin Petty (RF, AME) – .365, .837 OPS, 130 R, 160 H, 26 XBH, 2 HR, 70 RBI, 79 SB, 6.3 WPA, 4.0 WAR
• 1876: James Burke (CF, AME) – 1876 A.P.B.L. Batsman of the Year
• 1877: Konrad Jensen (1B, StJ) – .362, .871 OPS, 122 R, 145 H, 1 HR, 77 RBI, 31 BB, 102 SB, 5.8 WPA, 4.9 WAR
• 1878: Nelson Townsend (RF, StJ) – .363, .896 OPS, 136 R, 145 Hr, 1 HR, 50 RBI, 46 BB, 72 SB, 8.2 WPA, 4.3 WAR
• 1879: Albert Stoffers (3B, KNI) – .398, .940 OPS, 98 R, 158 H, 35 2B, 8 3B, 77 RBI, 209 TB, 6.7 WPA, 4.1 WAR

Greenhorn of the Year

• 1871: Henry Gaul (RF, SHA) – .367, .918 OPS, 71 R, 136 H, 44 XBH, 1 HR, 94 RBI, 8 SB, 4.1 WPA, 4.3 WAR
• 1872: Rudolph Decker (CF, StJ) – .337, .774 OPS, 106 R, 138 H, 19 2B, 6 3B, 36 RBI, 64 SB, 4.0 WPA, 4.6 WAR
• 1873: Martin Prince (SS, AME) – .332, .765 OPS, 88 R, 127 H, 2 HR, 67 RBI, 32 SB, +27.0 ZR, 4.3 WPA, 4.2 WAR
• 1874: Lane Garvin (C, MB) – .324, .710 OPS, 65 R, 110 H, 14 2B, 1 HR, 50 RBI, 127 TB, 3.0 WPA, 1.6 WAR
• 1875: John Meier (LF, ALL) – .330, .771 OPS, 103 R, 144 H, 27 XBH, 2 HR, 82 RBI, 49 SB, 4.5 WPA, 3.3 WAR
• 1876: Alfred Williams (3B, KC) – .292, .720 OPS, 86 R, 125 H, 18 2B, 14 3B, 55 RBI, 14 SB, 3.5 WPA, 2.2 WAR
• 1877: Joseph Evans (LF, StJ) – .393, .947 OPS, 104 R, 160 H, 30 2B, 11 3B, 88 RBI, 25 SB, 5.3 WPA, 4.2 WAR
• 1878: Charles King (P, PtJ) – 25-16, 3.02 ERA, 363.0 IP, 29 CG, 1 SHO, 99 K, 4.0 K/BB, 1.21 WHIP, 7.0 WAR
• 1879: Eamonn Higgins (3B, StJ) – .301, .787 OPS, 87 R, 117 H, 36 XBH, 1 HR, 82 RBI, 14 SB, 2.9 WPA, 2.4 WAR

NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION

New York League Batsman of the Year

• 1871: Troy Oberst (LF, MET) – .439, 1.054 OPS, 41 XBH, 1 HR, 81 RBI, 6.0 WPA, 5.1 WAR
• 1872: Chester Alexander (2B, NYAC) – .427, .984 OPS, 29 XBH, 1 HR, 71 RBI, 6.6 WPA, 4.2 WAR
• 1873: Henry Nabors (SS, VIC) – .397, .898 OPS, 26 XBH, 0 HR, 98 RBI, 6.3 WPA, 4.0 WAR
• 1874: James Heilman (RF, UTI) – .357, .884 OPS, 22 XBH, 1 HR, 79 RBI, 4.1 WPA, 3.4 WAR
• 1875: Jonathan Fraker (1B, UTI) – .385, .877 OPS, 19 XBH, 2 HR, 68 RBI, 3.2 WPA, 3.2 WAR
• 1876: Jackson Wright (1B, ATL) – .413, .972 OPS, 27 XBH, 1 HR, 74 RBI, 3.7 WPA, 3.6 WAR
• 1877: Julius Tierney (LF, STAR) – .403, .957 OPS, 27 XBH, 0 HR, 57 RBI, 2.7 WPA, 2.8 WAR
• 1878: Francis Smith (CF, MET) – .365, .893 OPS, 34 XBH, 2 HR, 69 RBI, 37 SB, 3.9 WAR
• 1879: Murdock Whitehurst (RF, MIN) – .374, .920 OPS, 31 XBH, 1 HR, 89 RBI, 5.5 WPA, 2.9 WAR

Northeastern League Batsman of the Year

• 1871: Cormack Alexander (1B, QS) – .434, 1.034 OPS, 34 XBH, 1 HR, 83 RBI, 4.6 WPA, 4.6 WAR
• 1872: Elijah Hill (3B, GM) – .433, .974 OPS, 20 2B, 2 3B, 45 RBI, 4.8 WPA, 4.3 WAR
• 1873: Deacon George (2B, GM) – .381, .919 OPS, 31 XBH, 3 HR, 74 RBI, 5.9 WPA, 3.0 WAR
• 1874: Ned Morganti (CF, QS) – .389, .917 OPS, 28 XBH, 1 HR, 79 RBI, 3.1 WPA, 4.0 WAR
• 1875: Gerhardt Berg (1B, QS) – .402, .949 OPS, 28 XBH, 1 HR, 66 RBI, 5.1 WPA, 4.0 WAR
• 1876: Jesse Craig (1B, SotO) – .387, .888 OPS, 19 XBH, 1 HR, 68 RBI, 5.3 WPA, 3.9 WAR
• 1877: Joe Mitchell (1B, LE) – .375, .879 OPS, 21 XBH, 1 HR, 61 RBI, 4.3 WPA, 3.5 WAR
• 1878: Leroy Moore (RF, PBCC) – .381, .964 OPS, 13 2B, 23 3B, 91 RBI, 6.4 WPA, 3.5 WAR
• 1879: Scott Lyons (C, SUS) – .399, 1.005 OPS, 30 XBH, 3 HR, 78 RBI, 4.4 WPA, 3.8 WAR

New York League Pitcher of the Year

• 1871: Ashley Atkins (SYR) – 31-11, 3.16 ERA, 32 K, 348.0 IP, 1 SHO, 0.9 K/BB, 6.8 WAR
• 1872: George Layman (MER) – 29-15, 2.63 ERA, 33 K, 379.2 IP, 1 SHO, 1.2 K/BB, 6.1 WAR
• 1873: Charles Rhodes (NYEC) – 22-15, 2.14 ERA, 26 K, 336.1 IP, 2 SHO, 1.1 K/BB, 6.4 WAR
• 1874: Olaf Sorenson (ATL) – 26-15, 2.47 ERA, 28 K, 350.0 IP, 1.4 K/BB, 1.15 WHIP, 6.1 WAR
• 1875: William Tighe (MIN) – 27-16, 2.74 ERA, 35 K, 358.2 IP, 1 SHO, 1.2 K/BB, 6.8 WAR
• 1876: Charles Rhodes (NYAC) – 22-15, 1.84 ERA, 130 K, 342.1 IP, 2 SHO, 6.2 K/BB, 9.5 WAR
• 1877: Charles Rhodes (NYAC) – 26-13, 2.30 ERA, 132 K, 332.1 IP, 1 SHO, 6.0 K/BB, 9.6 WAR
• 1878: Charles Rhodes (NYAC) – 24-14, 2.29 ERA, 147 K, 342.0 IP, 2 SHO, 5.4 K/BB, 10.7 WAR
• 1879: Charles Rhodes (NYAC) – 24-14, 2.20 ERA, 134 K, 359.2 IP, 6.7 K/BB, 1.06 WHIP, 9.6 WAR

Northeastern League Pitcher of the Year

• 1871: Ross Gill (QS) – 33-6, 3.18 ERA, 24 K, 359.1 IP, 0.5 K/BB, 1.27 WHIP, 6.4 WAR
• 1872: Earl Henry (SUS) – 30-11, 2.01 ERA, 37 K, 359.0 IP, 1 SHO, 1.6 K/BB, 6.2 WAR
• 1873: Ross Gill (QS) – 27-11, 2.50 ERA, 31 K, 356.2 IP, 1 SHO, 2.4 K/BB, 7.1 WAR
• 1874: William Hawk (SUS) – 32-6, 2.00 ERA, 39 K, 355.0 IP, 2.8 K/BB, 1.11 WHIP, 6.0 WAR
• 1875: George Burroughs (SHA) – 29-12, 1.99 ERA, 43 K, 341.1 IP, 2 SHO, 2.0 K/BB, 7.1 WAR
• 1876: Earl Quinn (MLD) – 24-18, 2.40 ERA, 148 K, 356.1 IP, 3.2 K/BB, 1.13 WHIP, 7.9 WAR
• 1877: John Ratican (NEW) – 29-9, 1.84 ERA, 133 K, 351.1 IP, 5.5 K/BB, 1.02 WHIP, 10.1 WAR
• 1878: William Hawk (SUS) – 32-9, 2.22 ERA, 101 K, 345.0 IP, 5.6 K/BB, 1.21 WHIP, 8.7 WAR
• 1879: William Hawk (SUS) – 30-11, 2.68 ERA, 87 K, 346.0 IP, 1 SV, 4.6 K/BB, 7.9 WAR

New York League Most Valuable Player

• 1871: Troy Oberst (LF, MET) – 1871 New York League Batsman of the Year
• 1872: Alfred Span (CF, MUT) – .363, .887 OPS, 28 XBH, 45 RBI, +10.2 ZR, 4.4 WPA, 4.2 WAR
• 1873: Isaac Kelly (3B, ECK) – .381, .873 OPS, 29 XBH, 60 RBI, +12.1 ZR, 3.0 WPA, 4.6 WAR
• 1874: Huibrecht v. d. Laan (2B, ECK) – 339, .839 OPS, 2 HR, 57 RBI, +19.1 ZR, 3.8 WPA, 4.0 WAR
• 1875: Isaac Kelly (3B, ECK) – .372, .870 OPS, 4 HR, 68 RBI, +12.1 ZR, 3.6 WPA, 4.3 WAR
• 1876: William Tighe (P, MIN) – 28-11, 2.44 ERA, 98 K, 358.2 IP, 2 SHO, 2.4 K/BB, 7.3 WAR
• 1877: Francis Smith (CF, MET) – .349, .853 OPS, 30 XBH, 56 RBI, 35 SB, 5.5 WPA, 4.0 WAR
• 1878: Jules Thomas (SS, MIN) – .339, .812 OPS, 74 RBI, 33 SB, +10.7 ZR, 4.2 WPA, 3.1 WAR
• 1879: Louis Murray (LF, ECK) – .356, .866 OPS, 31 XBH, 62 RBI, 77 SB, 6.8 WPA, 3.7 WAR

Northeastern League Most Valuable Player

• 1871: James Dressman (P, PORT) – 29-10, 2.81 ERA, 35 K, 355.2 IP, 0.7 K/BB, 1.23 WHIP, 6.6 WAR
• 1872: Ned Morganti (CF, QS) – .391, .958 OPS, 33 XBH, 2 HR, 87 RBI, 3.8 WPA, 4.4 WAR
• 1873: Enda Reed (1B, PORT) – .362, .889 OPS, 30 XBH, 1 HR, 75 RBI, 4.6 WPA, 2.9 WAR
• 1874: John Schultz (CF, SUS) – .352, .821 OPS, 2 HR, 52 RBI, 34 SB, 4.7 WPA, 3.6 WAR
• 1875: Manuel Romeiras (CF, TU) – .360, .899 OPS, 3 HR, 81 RBI, 49 SB, 4.6 WPA, 4.7 WAR
• 1876: John Schultz (CF, SUS) – .343, .803 OPS, 22 XBH, 58 RBI, 44 SB, 3.6 WPA, 3.4 WAR
• 1877: John Schultz (CF, SUS) – .320, 106 R, 27 XBH, 66 RBI, 42 SB, 4.7 WPA, 3.1 WAR
• 1878: Lennon Haley (2B, LBR) – .369, .888 OPS, 71 RBI, 34 SB, +14.1 ZR, 4.4 WPA, 4.2 WAR
• 1879: Stephen Barley (SS, SUS) – .318, .801 OPS, 29 XBH, 71 RBI, +26.1 ZR, 3.6 WPA, 3.8 WAR

New York League & Northeastern League Greenhorns of the Year

• 1871: Oscar Dickey (C, MUT) & William Latham (P, NEW)
• 1872: Sherman Friday (P, CON) & Earl Henry (P, SUS; also P.o.t.Y.)
• 1873: Edward Davis (SS, UTI) & Gus Carlson (CF, NEW)
• 1874: Remi Scrovegni (3B, FRO) & Alfred Williams (3B, PORT)
• 1875: Jonathan Fraker (1B, UTI; also B.o.t.Y.) & Jesse Craig (1B, SotO)
• 1876: Jack Anastasio (RF, NYAC) & Fred Cowan (P, PIO)
• 1877: John Watson (P, MER) & Albert Franklin (P, SAL)
• 1878: George Spatz (LF, EMP) & Francis Beckham (CF, LBA)
• 1879: Michael Akhverdov (RF, CON) & Oliver Johnson (3B, BH)

COASTAL BASEBALL CONFERENCE

Batsman of the Year

• 1878: Euan Graham (1B, BRI) – .353, .894 OPS, 33 XBH, 1 HR, 58 RBI, 3.9 WPA, 3.0 WAR
• 1879: Johnny Holcombe (2B, SPO) – .341, .891 OPS, 47 XBH, 1 HR, 66 RBI, 7.3 WPA, 3.2 WAR

Pitcher of the Year

• 1878: Carl Bancroft (P, OLY) – 22-13, 2.35 ERA, 131 K, 314.0 IP, 1 SHO, 4.0 K/BB, 9.2 WAR
• 1879: Walt Harper (P, SPO) – 25-13, 3.18 ERA, 63 K, 337.0 IP, 1 SV, 2.4 K/BB, 6.6 WAR

Most Valuable Player

• 1878: Noah Skiles (2B, OLY) – .321, .766 OPS, 17 2B, 6 3B, 74 RBI, 4.7 WPA, 2.2 WAR
• 1879: Louis Beane (SS, BRI) – .323, 17 2B, 3 3B, 77 RBI, +17.3 ZR, 3.6 WPA, 3.2 WAR

PHILADELPHIA CITY BASEBALL LEAGUE

Batsman of the Year

• 1873: Joseph Evans (LF, FRA) – .372, .915 OPS, 19 2B, 13 3B, 83 RBI, 4.4 WPA, 4.7 WAR
• 1874: Joseph Evans (LF, FRA) – .336, .857 OPS, 22 2B, 13 3B, 67 RBI, 4.0 WPA, 3.4 WAR
• 1875: Joseph Evans (LF, FRA) – .380, 1.011 OPS, 45 XBH, 5 HR, 75 RBI, 5.4 WPA, 4.8 WAR
• 1876: Joseph Evans (CF, FRA) – .404, 1.028 OPS, 23 2B, 18 3B, 79 RBI, 8.1 WPA, 6.0 WAR
• 1877: William Norman (1B, MER) – .356, .932 OPS, 44 XBH, 1 HR, 75 RBI, 6.4 WPA, 4.3 WAR
• 1878: James Harris (CF, FRA) – .350, .876 OPS, 35 XBH, 3 HR, 71 RBI, 5.6 WPA, 3.9 WAR
• 1879: Henry Yoder (CF, SoB) – .369, .924 OPS, 41 XBH, 83 RBI, 35 SB, 6.6 WPA, 3.9 WAR

Pitcher of the Year

• 1873: Arthur Lipscomb (PBCC) – 19-15, 2.21 ERA, 25 K, 301.1 IP, 2 SHO, 2.3 K/BB, 5.3 WAR
• 1874: Casper Shultis (MERC) – 24-17, 2.02 ERA, 35 K, 355.2 IP, 3.2 K/BB, 1.22 WHIP, 6.7 WAR
• 1875: Arthur Lipscomb (PBCC) – 25-14, 2.52 ERA, 26 K, 338.2 IP, 1 SHO, 1.2 K/BB, 5.7 WAR
• 1876: Robert Benson (PBCC) – 33-9, 1.84 ERA, 103 K, 362.1 IP, 1 SHO, 2.9 K/BB, 6.4 WAR (Triple Crown)
• 1877: Robert Benson (PBCC) – 30-7, 2.02 ERA, 98 K, 356.1 IP, 1 SHO, 2.3 K/BB, 6.7 WAR (Triple Crown)
• 1878: Oliver Greene (FRA) – 25-12, 2.35 ERA, 155 K, 329.1 IP, 2 SHO, 4.2 K/BB, 7.3 WAR
• 1879: Thomas Bath (PENN) – 28-10, 2.43 ERA, 123 K, 348.1 IP, 8.2 K/BB, 1.08 WHIP, 8.0 WAR

Most Valuable Player

• 1873: Benjamin Warnock (1B, MERC) – .347, .802 OPS, 15 2B, 8 3B, 55 RBI, 4.8 WPA, 2.9 WAR
• 1874: Clifford Martin (RF, MER) – .320, .776 OPS, 22 XBH, 1 HR, 61 RBI, 3.2 WPA, 3.3 WAR
• 1875: William Norman (1B, MER) – .341, .849 OPS, 32 XBH, 2 HR, 79 RBI, 7.7 WPA, 3.0 WAR
• 1876: Joseph Evans (CF, FRA) – 1876 Batsman of the Year
• 1877: William Norman (1B, MER) – 1877 Batsman of the Year
• 1878: Robert Nygren (P, OVER) – 23-11, 2.54 ERA, 92 K, 333.2 IP, 1 SHO, 4.8 K/BB, 7.4 WAR
• 1879: Richard Norris (SS, SPA) – .313, 29 XBH, 2 HR, 83 RBI, +20.5 ZR, 3.4 WPA, 4.0 WAR

tm1681 · 04-04-2026, 10:32 PM

NEW COMPETITIONS AND LEAGUE CHANGES

AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE

• 1871: League begins play with twelve teams from the N.B.B.O.
• Colonial Conference: Alleghany, Flour City, Massachusetts Bay, Niagara, Shamrock, & St. John’s
• Metropolitan Conference: American, Excelsior, Gotham, Kings County, Knickerbocker, & Orange
• 1877: Newark Base Ball Club (Newark, N.J.) joins from the N.B.B.O.
• 1877: Port Jersey B.C.C. (Jersey City, N.J.) joins from the N.B.B.O.
• 1877: Quaker State B.C. (Philadelphia, Penn.) joins from the N.B.B.O.
• 1877: Tiger Social Club (Philadelphia, Penn.) joins from the N.B.B.O.

NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION

• 1870: Twelve clubs leave to form the A.P.B.L.
• Baltic Base Ball Club (New York City) joins
• Columbia Base Ball Club (Buffalo, N.Y.) joins
• Frontier Base Ball Club (Oswego, N.Y.) joins
• Lancastra Britannia B.C. (Lancaster, Penn.) joins
• Marathon B.B.C. (Brooklyn, N.Y.) joins
• Maryland Baseball Club (Baltimore, Mld.) joins
• Mercury Base Ball Club (New York City) joins
• National Baseball Club (Washington, D.C.) joins
• New York Athletic Club (New York City) joins
• Salem Baseball Club (Salem, Mass.) joins
• Star Base Ball Club (Brooklyn, N.Y.) joins
• Tiger Social Club (Philadelphia, Penn.) joins
• 1877: Newark, Pt. Jersey, Quaker St., & Tiger S.C. leave for the A.P.B.L.
• 1877: Olympic & Sportsman’s leave for the C.B.C.
• Brighton Baseball Club (Boston, Mass.) joins
• Bunker Hill B.C. (Boston, Mass.) joins
• Diamond State B.C. (Wilmington, Del.) joins
• Lord Baltimore B.C. (Baltimore, Mld.) joins
• Philadelphia Baseball & Cricket Club (Philadelphia, Penn.) joins from the P.C.B.L.
• Squirrel Hill B.C. (Pittsburgh, Penn.) joins

COASTAL BASEBALL CONFERENCE

• 1877: C.B.C. founded by Sportsman’s (N.B.B.O.), Olympic (N.B.B.O.) joins
• 1878: C.B.C. begins play with six additional teams new to league baseball:
• Bridgeport Baseball Club (Bridgeport, Conn.)
• Camden & Amboy B.C. (Camden, N.J.)
• Capitol City B.C. (Harrisburg, Penn.)
• Essex County B.C. (Lawrence, Mass.)
• Highlander Baseball Club (Worcester, Mass.)
• Lynn Baseball Club (Lynn, Mass.)

PHILADELPHIA CITY BASEBALL LEAGUE

• 1872: P.C.B.L. founded at Executive Committee Autumn Meetings in New York City
• 1873: P.C.B.L. begins play with sixteen teams, all new to league baseball
• EAST: Frankford Arsenal, Keystone, Minerva, Pt. Richmond, Queen Village, Sons of Ben, Spartan, & Yorktown
• WEST: Germantown, Independence, Mercantile, Merion, Overbrook, Penn, Philadelphia B.C.C., & Schuylkill
• 1877: Philadelphia B.C.C. leaves for N.B.B.O., Bartram Village joins

tm1681 · 04-04-2026, 10:34 PM

BEST OF THE DECADE

PROFESSIONAL TEAM OF THE DECADE

AMERICAN B.C. OF PHILADELPHIA

• 1871: 46-44 – 4th in A.P.B.L. Metropolitan Conference (15 GB)
• 1872: 51-39 – 1st in A.P.B.L. Metropolitan Conference, won Founders Cup
• 1873: 65-25 – 1st in A.P.B.L. Metropolitan Conference, won Founders Cup
• 1874: 48-42 – 4th in A.P.B.L. Metropolitan Conference (5 GB)
• 1875: 57-33 – 1st in A.P.B.L. Metropolitan Conference, won Founders Cup
• 1876: 57-33 – 1st in A.P.B.L. Metropolitan Conference, won Founders Cup
• 1877: 47-43 – 3rd in A.P.B.L. Metropolitan Conference (10 GB)
• 1878: 49-41 – 4th in A.P.B.L. Metropolitan Conference (10 GB)
• 1879: 41-49 – 6th in A.P.B.L. Metropolitan Conference (17 GB)
• TOTAL: 461-349 (.570), 4x Metropolitan Conference champions, 4x A.P.B.L. champions

American wasn’t the most consistently good team in the A.P.B.L. during its first nine years – of course that honor goes to St. John’s – but at its terrifying peak they were untouchable. Their 1873 team was the best that the sport has seen to date, and in the end they took the Founders Cup each of the four times they played for it. They had the best single-season team of the 1870s, the most titles of any team in the 1870s – pro or semi-pro – and the best Batsman of the 1870s.

SEMI-PROFESSIONAL TEAM OF THE DECADE

SUSQUEHANNA BASEBALL CLUB

• 1871: 46-24 – 1st in N.B.B.O. Inland Championship, 4th in Tucker-Wheaton Cup Round Robin (5-5, -2 RD)
• 1872: 42-28 – 1st in N.B.B.O. Inland Championship, lost N.E.L. Semifinal 3-0 to Portland
• 1873: 40-30 – 2nd in N.B.B.O. Inland Championship (6 GB)
• 1874: 53-17 – 1st in N.B.B.O. Inland Championship, won Tucker-Wheaton Cup Final
• 1875: 42-28 – 2nd in N.B.B.O. Inland Championship (2 GB)
• 1876: 52-18 – 1st in N.B.B.O. Inland Championship, lost Tucker-Wheaton Cup Final
• 1877: 54-16 – 1st in N.B.B.O. Inland Championship, won Tucker-Wheaton Cup Final
• 1878: 51-19 – 1st in N.B.B.O. Inland Championship, lost Tucker-Wheaton Cup Final
• 1879: 50-20 – 1st in N.B.B.O. Inland Championship, won Tucker-Wheaton Cup Final
• TOTAL: 415-215 (.659), 7x Inland champions, 5x N.E.L. champions, 3x N.B.B.O. champions

Susquehanna was the N.B.B.O.’s most successful team after the league split, and nobody came close. They ended the decade by winning the Northeastern League title five times in six years, and the Tucker-Wheaton Cup three times over the same span. Their 1876 team set the single season record for Run Differential, and their 1877 team set the single season record for Runs & Runs per Game. They did this by building a lineup made up almost entirely of players signed and developed within the club, a club in the bottom half of the N.B.B.O. when it came to resources and the bottom quarter when it came to venue size. To say their accomplishments during the 1870s were incredible might actually be understating what Susquehanna did.

BATSMAN OF THE DECADE

James Burke – CF: Shamrock (1871-72), American (1873-79)

• 3x A.P.B.L. Champion (1873, 75, 76)
• 2x Founders Cup M.V.P. (1873, 76)
• 5x A.P.B.L. Batsman of the Year (1873, 75-78)
• 1x A.P.B.L. Most Valuable Player (1876)
• 9x A.P.B.L. All-Star (1871-79)
• 7x A.P.B.L. Team of the Year (1871, 73-78)
• 3x A.P.B.L. Batting Champion (1875-77) & 2x .400 hitter (1875, 77)
• 4x A.P.B.L. leader in Hits (1875-78)
• 5x A.P.B.L. leader in Stolen Bases (1871, 73, 74, 76, 78)
• 4x A.P.B.L. leader in Batsman WAR (1875-78)
• FOUNDERS CUP: 18 G, .435 (40/92), .990 OPS, 26 R, 6 2B, 2 3B, 28 RBI, 16 SB, 50 TB, 2.2 WPA, 1.3 WAR

After James Burke missed seventeen games of the 1872 season due to leg injuries, it was assumed that he would come back to Shamrock for 1873 and return to his best. Instead, he shocked the rest of the A.P.B.L. by signing for newly crowned champions American, and the rest was history: three titles in four years, twice the Most Valuable Player of the Founders Cup, the first season with 100+ Runs, RBI, & Stolen Bases, five Batsman of the Year awards in seven seasons, six consecutive nominations to the Team of the Year, and what was unquestionably the most dominant peak of any batsman the sport had ever seen. He could hit for both contact and multi-base power, steal bases at will, produce runs, patrol the middle of the outfield better than almost anyone else, and seemingly save his best performances for the postseason. The “Trenton Terror” entered the inaugural season of the A.P.B.L. as one of the game’s most exciting players, and he exited the 1870s a living legend.

PITCHER OF THE DECADE

Jim Creighton – P: Excelsior (1871-78)

• 3x A.P.B.L. Pitcher of the Year (1874, 75, 78)
• 1x A.P.B.L. Most Valuable Player (1872)
• 8x A.P.B.L. All-Star (1871-78)
• 3x A.P.B.L. Team of the Year (1874, 75, 77)
• 3x A.P.B.L. leader in Wins (1874, 75, 77) & 2x 30-game winner (1874, 75)
• 1x A.P.B.L. Earned Run Average Champion (1876)
• 6x A.P.B.L. Strikeout Champion (1871-75, 78)
• 4x A.P.B.L. leader in Innings Pitched (1872-75)
• 4x A.P.B.L. leader in Complete Games (1873-76)
• 5x A.P.B.L. leader in K/BB Ratio (1871, 72, 74-76)
• 3x A.P.B.L. leader in WHIP (1874-76)
• 5x A.P.B.L. leader in Pitcher WAR (1871, 72, 74, 75, 78)

There isn’t much left that can be said about the utterly peerless career of Jim Creighton, but this can be added for perspective: he was the best Pitcher of both the 1860s & 1870s, his 461 Wins are the gold standard for all levels, and his 2,409 career Strikeouts are a record that will surely be impossible to break, barring major changes in the way the sport is played.

If the honor was for “Most Decorated Pitcher of the Decade”, then the discussion would have to move to the N.B.B.O., where the crown would be placed on the head of either Charles Rhodes or William Hawk. Rhodes ended the decade by winning the last four N.Y.L. Pitcher of the Year awards, bringing his total for the 1870s to five, and he’s led the N.Y.L. in Pitcher WAR eight times in nine years since the league split. Hawk didn’t become a #1 until 1874, but he’s earned 30+ Wins four times in six seasons, has a career record of 185-62, and has a trio of both N.B.B.O. titles and N.E.L. Pitcher of the Year awards to his name.

LINEUP OF THE DECADE

• P1: Jim Creighton (Excelsior 1871-78) – 3x P.o.t.Y., 8x All-Star, 3x T.o.t.Y.
• P2: James Goodman (Flour City 1871-79) – 1x P.o.t.Y., 7x All-Star, 4x G.H., 1x T.o.t.Y.
• C: Everett Schreiber (Orange 1871-79) – 1x champ, 8x All-Star, 4x T.o.t.Y.
• 1B: Garfield Koonce (Kings Co. 1871-79) – 6x All-Star, 2x T.o.t.Y.
• 2B: Babe Johnson (Gotham 1871-79) – 7x All-Star, 6x T.o.t.Y.
• 3B: Albert Stoffers (MB 1871-78, KNI 79) – 1x M.V.P., 6x All-Star, 3x T.o.t.Y.
• SS: Anthony Mascherino (ORA 1871-75, KNI 76-79) – 2x champ, 8x All-Star, 4x G.H., 5x T.o.t.Y.
• OF: James Burke (SHA 1871-72, AME 73-79) – 3x champ, 5x B.o.t.Y., 1x M.V.P. 9x All-Star, 7x T.o.t.Y.
• OF: Konrad Jensen (St. John’s 1871-79) – 2x champ, 2x B.o.t.Y., 3x M.V.P., 8x All-Star, 3x G.H., 8x T.o.t.Y.
• OF: Nelson Townsend (St. John’s 1871-79) – 2x champ, 1x B.o.t.Y., 1x M.V.P., 7x All-Star, 1x G.H., 4x T.o.t.Y.
• MGR: Ernest Wynans (American 1871-77) – 4x champ, 371-259 (.589)

Given they won four titles in five years during the middle of the decade, one might think there would be more than a single American player in the above list. However, there was plenty of individual brilliance to be found in the professional ranks during the 1870s. Perhaps the most overlooked player in the group is Johnson, who earned six Team of the Year nominations whilst toiling away for mostly middling Gotham. Those whose inclusion should come as no surprise are Burke, Creighton, Jensen, & Mascherino, the four most accomplished professionals of the 1870s. Wynans, who left American after the 1877 season, was the Field Manager for all four of American’s title-winning teams, and is thus most deserving of his place.

INDIVIDUAL ANOMALIES

• #3: Speedy Brown Has 94 Stolen Bases in a 70-Game Season

Speedy Brown signed with Continental in October of 1865, as an 18-year-old. His lone skill was speed, and Continental let him spend ten years mostly in their reserves trying to develop some semblance of batting skill since he was an unpaid amateur. That mutual patience paid off, and during the latter half of the 1875 season he became Continental’s CF. After two seasons of light hitting, good baserunning, and excellent field work due to his rapidity, his work on the basepaths during the 1878 season defied logic:

• 70 G, 94 SB, 10 CS, +14.0 SB Runs, +12.0 Baserunning Runs

Brown broke the N.B.B.O. record for Stolen Bases in a season, 76 by Konrad Jensen in 1866, with more than two weeks to spare. He then went on to shatter it, breaking Jensen’s record by eighteen. While James Burke has the record for Stolen Bases in a season across all leagues with 113 in 1873, that was in a 90-game season. If Continental had played 90 games in 1878, Speedy Brown’s 94 Stolen Bases would’ve turned into 121. Brown was so terrifying on the basepaths that he finished 1878 with 2.4 Batsman WAR on a .260 Average, .606 OPS, and a +4.7 Zone Rating at CF.

• #2: Elmer Seabold Pitches a No-Hitter in the Founders Cup

After nine seasons of play in the A.P.B.L. there has been exactly one No-Hitter, and it was completed by Elmer Seabold in Game Five of Founders Cup V, when Alleghany beat American 4-0.

It wasn’t just that Seabold pitched the first, and only, No-Hitter in postseason history. Alleghany was down 3-1 in the series, so they had to win for their season to continue. On top of that, he pitched the No-Hitter against that team, the mighty American locomotive that had demolished Alleghany by the score of 19-3 just days earlier. American would go on to win the series in seven games, but Seabold gave Founders Cup V its most memorable moment, producing a No-Hitter that seemed impossible given the stage and the opposition.

• #1: Peter Huff’s 67-Game Hitting Streak

On the opening day of the 1871 season, Union of Morrisania LF Peter Huff hit 0/4 during a 10-1 loss at Metropolitan. Little did Huff know it, but that was the last time he would go hitless in a game until the penultimate day of the season. The next day, May 3rd, Huff was 4/4 with four Singles at Metro, and that began the start of the most surreal streak anyone involved with the sport had ever seen: a 67-game Hitting Streak that wouldn’t end for more than three months.

Huff, who had been roughly a league-average Batsman the year before with a .299 Average, .708 OPS, and 1.5 WAR while starting all seventy games in the Outfield, had seemingly been transformed over the course of the winter, from a standard-issue Batsman over three years as a regular to a man who couldn’t stop hitting the ball. After 25 games his improvement was receiving notice from the rest of the New York League. After thirty games it looked obvious that he would make his first All-Star Game. After 35 games the whole N.B.B.O. started paying attention. After forty games he was just two shy of tying the record run shared by Cormack Alexander & William Gentilucci.

On July 1st, Huff set a new record by hitting safely in his 43rd consecutive game. Then, he just kept going. Four days later the streak hit 45 games. One week later it was at an even fifty, and now everybody in both the N.B.B.O. and A.P.B.L. was left wondering just when it would end. In a 9-6 win over Mutual he ran the streak to 55 games. On July 26th, Huff pushed his Hitting Streak to an absolutely absurd sixty games in a Shutout win over Mercury.

He still wasn’t done. On August 2nd, Huff went 3/5 and increased the streak to 65 games, a run that was now receiving national attention. The next day a Single in the third inning made it 66 games. Another 1/4 afternoon on August 4th gave him a 67-game Hitting Streak. Finally, on August 5th Huff was 0/4 with the bat in a 10-9 loss against New York A.C., putting an end to the most extraordinary run of hitting fortune ever experienced after 67 games. Players from both teams and the 2,300+ in attendance gave Huff an ovation after the end of the contest, and he was officially in the record books.

At the time, Huff’s 67-game run was a full 25 games longer than the second-longest Hitting Streak in baseball history. Eight years later, it remains the longest streak seen in any league by eighteen games, with Frontier’s Remi Scrovegni having completed a 49-game Hitting Streak during the 1874 campaign.

The craziest thing? Huff didn’t even hit .400 in 1871. After collecting base hits in 67 straight contests, Huff finished the 1871 season with a .396 Batting Average. If the streak itself wasn’t wild enough, adding that on top of it makes Peter Huff’s 1871 campaign easily the strangest, most anomalous event of the 1870s.

Huff has since become one of the best Corner Outfielders in the N.E.L. as a member of Sons of the Ocean, but no matter what he does Huff will always be remember for the Summer of '71.

tm1681 · 04-04-2026, 10:46 PM

FURTHER TWEAKS TO WALKS; AWARDS MODIFIED
BASES ON BALLS MODIFIED; BotY TO HAVE DIFFERENT CRITERIA; MVP AWARD CHANGED

NEW YORK CITY (Mar. 15, 1880) - Baseball’s Executive Committee gathered for its annual Spring Meetings this past week, and once again matters involving pitching were front and center, although they weren’t the only considerations.

During last year’s meetings, the Ex-Co decided to alter what constituted a Base on Balls, changing it from a free base given arbitrarily by the umpire, based on the perceived unfairness of the Pitcher repeatedly lobbing balls toward the plate that the Batsman couldn’t legally reach, to a uniform standard in which the Batsman would be automatically awarded First Base after nine called Balls.

During this year’s meetings, the subject of the Base on Balls was revisited. Many in the Ex-Co felt that too many Pitchers were still wasting valuable game time intentionally delivering balls toward the plate that the Batsman was left unable to legally hit, and thus another change was needed. Instead of doing anything drastic, it was agreed that a slight change to the Base on Balls would be made, with the amount of called Balls in a Walk being decreased from nine to eight (see: Walks-Number of Balls Needed). Some wanted to go down to seven or even six called Balls to a Walk, but for now the Ex-Co has agree to see how only a slight modification to the Base on Balls in the Batsman’s favor works out this season before doing any further tinkering.

The other notable matter of discussion at the Spring Meetings was the yearly awards. At the current time, the following are handed out each year on October 1st:

• Batsman of the Year
• Pitcher of the Year
• Most Valuable Player
• Greenhorn of the Year
• Golden Hands
• Team of the Year

The Batsman of the Year award has been handed out to the player most productive with the bat, without taking into account other factors like baserunning and fielding. Meanwhile, Most Valuable Player has been open to both Batsmen and Pitchers, typically from first-place teams, but it has almost always gone to Batsmen and occasionally the same player has won both.

The Ex-Co, spurred by the Founders Cup triumph of Alleghany last September, has decided to make a change to the yearly award curriculum to place more of an emphasis on all-around play and work in the field. It has been decreed that the Batsman of the Year award will now go to the Batsman who has proven himself to be the one most valuable across all facets of the game – batting, running, fielding, and play in close games – which could easily mean that a league-leading slugger who struggles in the field loses out on a trophy. (NOTE: I’ve decided on WPA + WAR to determine the winner)

With the above in mind, the Ex-Co has also decided to scrap the Most Valuable Player award since the Batsman of the Year award now functions very similarly to it, and in its place has created a brand-new award to give out: Fielder of the Year. The criterion for the “F.o.t.Y” is relatively simple: the player who displays the most outstanding abilities at his position on the field (NOTE: Very likely highest Zone Rating with Efficiency a slight factor) will receive the award at the end of the year. In seasons past, this would have been a boon for players like Anthony Mascherino and Peter Jones, whose work in the field has been legendary but who haven’t been rewarded in an individual sense. The Golden Hands awards do exist, but those are given out to nine players at a time, and no individual player is singled out as being better than the rest.

That was the end of the notable changes to come out of the Winter Meetings. Bases on Balls have been further tweaked, and the seasonal awards have been changed starting immediately, with a new decade bringing with it a new individual trophy. And now, it’s time for everyone to begin preparing to play the actual games.

tm1681 · 04-05-2026, 10:17 PM

NATIONAL SHOWS OFF LARGER VENUE AHEAD OF SEASON
ONLY LEAGUE CLUB IN NATION’S CAPITAL NOW HAS 1ST-CLASS VENUE; OTHERS EXPAND

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Apr. 21, 1880) - The 48 clubs of the National Base Ball Organization begin their slate of preseason training matches today, and the club representing the nation’s capital used the occasion to show off an expanded home venue with some new bells & whistles.

National B.C. entered the N.B.B.O. in 1871. The club brought with it excellent facilities and a fine home venue: George Washington Stadium, which sat roughly 10,900 people in the grandstand behind Home Plate. National has decided to enter the 1880s by giving Washington Stadium a new look, and in the process making it one of the largest ballparks in the sport.

Club President Nathan Eagleburger had set aside profits from the team’s appearance in the 1878 playoffs for future plans, and as result was able to secure funding for an expansion to George Washington Stadium that has added more than seven thousand seats, a food & drinks vendor, an overhang that shields the fans from the elements, and a new, more formal façade.

An obvious statement of intent, George Washington Stadium now holds more spectators – 17,762 – than all but one venue in baseball: Pittsburgh’s Recreation Park, which is home to Alleghany B.C. It is surely now a matter not if National moves up to the A.P.B.L., but when.

National is not the only semi-pro outfit that has worked to improve their home over the past couple of winters, as populations have increased and the demand for baseball has risen. Atlantic, Eckford, & Mutual have made additions to their venues that now allow them to host just over ten thousand fans for home games. New York Athletic Club was able to renovate the N.Y.A.C. Grounds after three straight trips to the playoffs. 1875 champions Minuteman now have a nine-thousand-seat venue, almost as big as fellow upstate club Flour City in the A.P.B.L. Philadelphia B.C.C. was able to use their immediate success in the N.B.B.O. to make additions to the Willow Grove Cricket Grounds. Oceania & Quinnipiac, both based in Connecticut, responded to rapid increases in their local populations with large improvements to the capacity of their venues.

Even tiny Eagle B.C., the smallest club in the N.B.B.O., has gotten in on the stadium action. Having spent their 23 years playing at the Fair Street Grounds in Elmira, New York, famously the only ground in league ball with a capacity of under 1,000 at 989, they added enough rows of timber seating to the park to bring it to a capacity of 2,054, making them just another small club going into 1880.

Back to National. With their venue now the second-biggest in baseball, here is a list of the ten largest venues in the sport:

• #1: Recreation Park (Pittsburgh, Penn.); Home of Alleghany (A.P.B.L.); Capacity of 17,839
• #2: George Washington Stadium (Washington, D.C.; Home of National (N.B.B.O.); Capacity of 17,762
• #3: Elysian Fields (Manhattan, N.Y.); home of Knickerbocker (A.P.B.L.); Capacity of 15,292
• #4: South End Grounds (Boston, Mass.); home of Shamrock (A.P.B.L.); Capacity of 14,513
• #5: Oceanside Park (Boston, Mass.); home of Massachusetts Bay (A.P.B.L.); Capacity of 14,485
• #6: Cecil Calvert Park (Baltimore, Mld.); home of Maryland (N.B.B.O.); Capacity of 13,735
• #7: Washington Park (Brooklyn, N.Y.); home of Kings County (A.P.B.L.); Capacity of 13,353
• #8: Hoboken & Oakland Park (Jersey City, N.J.); home of Port Jersey (A.P.B.L.); Capacity of 12,926
• #9: St. George Cricket Grounds (New York City); home of Gotham (A.P.B.L.); Capacity of 12,885
• #10: Glenwood Field (Philadelphia, Penn.); home of American (A.P.B.L.); Capacity of 12,422

With Baltimore & Washington, two cities unrepresented in professional baseball, now holding places in the top ten, it shouldn’t be long before the A.P.B.L. comes calling. It all comes down to a matter of making sure the on-field product looks as good as the off-field product.

03-27-2026, 11:55 PM	#1124
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,631	1879 NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION REVIEW NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION STANDINGS PER-TEAM STATISTICS 1879 N.Y.L.: 7.9 R/G, .285, .681 OPS, 793 H, 103 2B, 48 3B, 8 HR, 96 SB, 3.55 ERA, 107 BB, 123 K, 6.8 E/G, .850 FLD% 1879 N.E.L.: 8.1 R/G, .287, .689 OPS, 792 H, 107 2B, 45 3B, 9 HR, 87 SB, 3.62 ERA, 126 BB, 112 K, 6.8 E/G, .849 FLD% TUCKER-WHEATON CUP XXIII N.Y.L. SEMIFINAL: New York A.C. sweeps Frontier 3-0 N.E.L. SEMIFINAL: Philadelphia B.C.C. sweeps Green Mtn. 3-0 N.Y.L. CHAMPIONSHIP: Eckford defeats New York A.C. 3-2 N.E.L. CHAMPIONSHIP: Susquehanna defeats Philadelphia B.C.C. 3-1 T.W.C. FINAL: Susquehanna (3rd title) defeats Eckford 3-1 GAME 1: SUS 3-5 ECK – ECK P William Barnhill: CG W, 5 HA, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K – 1/3 (2B), 1 R, 1 RBI GAME 2: SUS 16-11 ECK – SUS C Scott Lyons: 4/6 (2B), 2 R, 6 RBI, 5 TB GAME 3: ECK 3-10 SUS – SUS C Scott Lyons: 2/4 (3B), 2 R, 3 RBI, 4 TB – 1/1 CS GAME 4: ECK 3-6 SUS – SUS SS Stephen Barley: 2/4 (2B), 1 R, 3 RBI, SB, 3 TB CUP M.V.P.: Scott Lyons – 8 G, .333 (11/33), 10 R, 1 2B, 2 3B, 12 RBI, 1 BB, 16 TB, 1.0 WPA, 8/12 CS The season finished with Susquehanna taking their third title in six years, but some new teams did break through to the N.B.B.O. elite, with three making it to the playoffs for the first time and one second-year team, Bunker Hill, coming within three games of first place in the Coastal Championship. The New York League saw Eckford return to prominence after three years of Atlantic supremacy in Brooklyn, while N.Y.A.C.’s dominance over New York City showed no signs of slowing down and plucky small club Frontier was .500 or better for the seventh consecutive season while making the playoffs for the first time. In the Northeastern League, Susquehanna reigned supreme for the fifth time in six years, with Lancastra Britannia finishing second in Inland again. There was upheaval in the Coastal & New England championships, with Green Mountain & Philadelphia B.C.C. making the playoffs for the first time and the majority of the regions’ teams in the pennant race until the final week. Perhaps Portland’s stranglehold on New England is finally over. Charles Rhodes & William Hawk continued their pitching dominance over the N.Y.L. & N.E.L., with Rhodes winning his fourth straight Pitcher of the Year award and Hawk earning 30+ Wins for the third season running. On the other hand, a pair of batsmen in their first full season as regulars, Minuteman RF Murdock Whitehurst & Susquehanna C Scott Lyons, were the dominant forces with the lumber in their leagues. The strangest story of the year was that of Marathon. The 2x defending Brooklyn doormats were 2-18 (-80 RD) through four weeks. It was one of the worst starts in N.B.B.O. history, and one that had everyone assuming they’d finish in last place once again. Not surprisingly, Marathon ended up finishing fifth in the Brooklyn Championship. Wait…*what?!?* After that catastrophic 2-18 start, Marathon was a relatively stunning 30-20 (+11 RD; 42-28 pace over 70 G) during the last fifty games of the season, and they wound up finishing above Bedford, Nassau Co., & Star thanks to some of the best baserunning in the New York League. It was certainly the biggest in-season turnaround in recent memory, and one that nobody saw coming. The 70’s began with baseball’s most famous team, St. John’s, winning the Tucker-Wheaton Cup for the fifth time, and it ended with another dominant team, Susquehanna, becoming a several-time champion. What will the 80’s bring? __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here

03-27-2026, 11:59 PM	#1125
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,631	NEW YORK LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Murdock Whitehurst (RF; age 25) – Minuteman B.B.C.; 1st career B.o.t.Y. • .374/.396/.524, .920 OPS, 83 R, 117 H, 16 2B, 14 3B, 1 HR, 89 RBI, 9 BB, 13 SB, 164 TB, 5.5 WPA, 2.9 WAR • Led N.Y.L. SLG, OPS, & RBI; Top five in AVG, OBP, H, XBH, 3B, & RC; Hit for the Cycle on June 19th • Louis Murray (LF, ECK) 2nd – N.Y.L. Most Valuable Player • Jackson Wright (1B, ATL) 3rd – .334, .865 OPS, 79 R, 106 H, 24 2B, 6 3B, 2 HR, 60 RBI, 25 BB, 4.8 WPA, 3.1 WAR In his first full season as a regular Whitehurst took the N.Y.L. by storm, batting .418 in May before hitting even better during June and winning Batsman of the Month. Simply put, he had a fantastic campaign. Murray would have to settle for a different major award. Wright didn’t over .400 like he did three years ago, but he was still a force in the Atlantic attack. PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Charles Rhodes (age 30); New York Athletic Club; 5th career P.o.t.Y. • 24-14, 2.20 ERA, 359.2 IP, 28 CG, 0 SHO, 3 SV, 134 K, 6.7 K/BB, 1.06 WHIP, 10.3 WAR, 11.6 rWAR • Led N.Y.L. in ERA, K, IP, CG, QS, K/BB, WHIP, WAR, rWAR; 4th consecutive N.Y.L. P.o.t.Y. award • Arthur Rice (UNI) 2nd – 20-19, 2.63 ERA, 339.1 IP, 25 CG, 1 SHO, 91 K, 3.5 K/BB, 1.21 WHIP, 8.0 WAR, 10.5 rWAR • William Barnhill (ECK) 3rd – 27-9, 2.76 ERA, 349.1 IP, 26 CG, 2 SHO, 51 K, 1.1 K/BB, 1.23 WHIP, 4.4 WAR, 4.3 rWAR Who else would it be? Not only did Rhodes lead league P’s in nine statistical categories, but he finished 2nd in BB/9, K/9, & HA/9. When it comes to pure talent, not even William Hawk compares among N.B.B.O. Pitchers. Rice was rewarded for his 20-19 season for a Union team that finished 21st in the N.Y.L. in offense. Barnhill was excellent, but still a distant third. MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Louis Murray (LF; age 35) – Eckford of Greenpoint; 1st career M.V.P. • .356/.380/.487, .866 OPS, 101 R, 120 H, 19 2B, 11 3B, 1 HR, 62 RBI, 12 BB, 77 SB, 164 TB, 6.8 WPA, 3.7 WAR • Led league in R, H, TB, RC, WPA, & B-WAR; Top five in AVG, SLG, OPS, XBH, & SB • Charles Rhodes (P, NYAC) 2nd – N.Y.L. Pitcher of the Year • George Whaley (CF, FRO) 3rd – .343, .839 OPS, 89 R, 108 H, 19 2B, 9 3B, 2 HR, 73 RBI, 25 SB, 4.0 WPA, 2.4 WAR Murray has had an outstanding ten-year career, but this was by no means a lifetime achievement award. He had career highs in AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, R, H, SB, & WPA for the N.Y.L. #1 and cup runners-up. Murray was absolutely brilliant in ‘79. Many made an argument for Rhodes, but the excellent fielding behind him aids somewhat in his dominance. Whaley had a fine season for Upstate champions Frontier. GREENHORN OF THE YEAR: Michael Akhverdov (RF; age 28) – Continental B.B.C. • .333/.373/.497, .870 OPS, 86 R, 106 H, 13 2B, 12 3B, 5 HR, 59 RBI, 21 BB, 17 SB, 158 TB, 3.5 WPA, 3.4 WAR • Made All-Star Game; First batsman since 1875 with 5+ HR; Top five in SLG, OPS, RC, & B-WAR • James Cramer (CF, COL) 2nd – .352, .794 OPS, 60 R, 96 H, 8 2B, 4 3B, 52 RBI, 11 BB, 20 SB, 3.2 WPA, 1.7 WAR • Henry Smith (SS, UTI) 3rd – .344, .816 OPS, 73 R, 110 H, 11 2B, 6 3B, 1 HR, 59 RBI, 26 BB, 3.9 WPA, 1.2 WAR No contest here. Akhverdov doubled the B-WAR of the next best Greenhorn in the N.Y.L., and for a while it looked like he might be part of the B.o.t.Y. conversation. Cramer had a fine debut season for struggling Columbia as a slap-hitting CF. Smith was very good with the bat for Utica, but a Zone Rating of -20.1 at SS really hurt his overall production. GOLDEN HANDS • P: Jacob Wesolowski (SYR; 1st) – 5 E, 7.9 ZR, 1.264 EFF • C: Robert Borut (ECK; 1st) – 17 PB, 2.80 C-ERA, 33.0 CS%, 3.5 ZR, 1.074 EFF • 1B: John Kelly (STAR; 1st) – 26 E, 10.9 ZR, 1.131 EFF • 2B: Melvin Greenawalt (UN; 3rd) – 51 E, 224 AST, 29 DP, 15.3 ZR, 1.155 EFF • 3B: Herman Filer (EAG; 1st) – 54 E, 152 AST, 12.8 ZR, 1.158 EFF • SS: William Cruise (UNI; 5th) – 74 E, 249 AST, 27 DP, 28.3 ZR, 1.241 EFF • LF: Howard Newton (SYR; 1st) – 44 E, 2 AST, 3.2 ZR+ARM, 1.050 EFF • CF: Speedy Brown (CON; 1st) – 50 E, 9 AST, 8.3 ZR+ARM, 1.115 EFF • RF: John White (FRO; 1st) – 70 E, 12 AST, 6.9 ZR+ARM, 1.038 EFF TEAM OF THE YEAR NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Scott Lyons (C; age 26) – Susquehanna B.C.; 1st career B.o.t.Y. • .399/.450/.555, 1.005 OPS, 86 R, 105 H, 22 2B, 5 3B, 3 HR, 78 RBI, 23 BB, 0 SB, 146 TB, 4.4 WPA, 3.8 WAR • Led N.E.L. in AVG, OBP, SLG, & OPS; Top five in HR, RBI, RC, & WAR; .333 (11/33) w/ 12 RBI in playoffs • William White (CF, LBR) 2nd – .361, .904 OPS, 88 R, 115 H, 19 2B, 12 3B, 1 HR, 77 RBI, 31 SB, 4.7 WPA, 3.9 WAR • Chris Becker (CF, GRA) 3rd – .364, .916 OPS, 78 R, 121 H, 16 2B, 14 3B, 3 HR, 66 RBI, 33 SB, 4.3 WPA, 3.2 WAR Like Murdock Whitehurst in the N.Y.L., Lyons had an extraordinary first season as a regular and was rewarded with B.o.t.Y. While he agonizingly fell short of .400, Lyons was one of the major factors in Susquehanna’s third title run. White was brilliant for another scrappy Lancastra. Becker emerged as a star in his third season as a regular for Granite. PITCHER OF THE YEAR: William Hawk (age 29) – Susquehanna B.C.; 3rd career P.o.t.Y. • 30-11, 2.68 ERA, 346.0 IP, 26 CG, 1 SV, 87 K, 0.5 BB/9, 4.6 K/BB, 1.23 WHIP, 7.7 WAR, 7.5 rWAR • Led N.E.L. in W, IP, BB/9, K/BB, WAR, & rWAR; 30+ Wins for 3rd straight season & 4th time overall. • Francis Molinari (PORT) 2nd – 24-13, 3.18 ERA, 330.2 IP, 20 CG, 115 K, 3.1 K/9, 2.9 K/BB, 1.30 WHIP, 6.0 WAR, 5.2 rWAR • William Burrow (PBCC) 3rd – 25-14, 3.18 ERA, 345.0 IP, 26 CG, 47 K, 1.5 K/BB, 10.6 HA/9, 1.27 WHIP, 5.9 WAR, 4.8 rWAR As in the N.Y.L. P.o.t.Y. debate, who else could it be? Hawk led the N.B.B.O. in Wins while being superior to every other N.E.L. pitcher in secondary statistics. Hawk’s career record after his third straight 30-win campaign? 185-62. Molinari had his 4th All-Star campaign, and Burrow was easily the best Greenhorn P in the N.B.B.O. MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Stephen Barley (SS, age 28) – Susquehanna B.C.; 1st career M.V.P. • .318/.350/.451, .801 OPS, 85 R, 98 H, 17 2B, 12 3B, 70 RBI, 15 BB, 16 SB, 139 TB, +26.1 ZR, 4.6 WPA, 3.9 WAR • Top five in N.E.L. in ZR, WPA, & B-WAR; .316 (13/28) with 3 2B, 11 RBI, 2 SB in playoffs • Wilbur Graff (1B, PBCC) 2nd – .339, .847 OPS, 77 R, 104 H, 17 XBH, 1 HR, 49 RBI, 54 BB, 11 SB, 3.8 WPA, 3.1 WAR • Bertrand Bosley (C, GM) 3rd – .336, .857 OPS, 69 R, 94 H, 17 2B, 12 3B, 51 RBI, 18 BB, 43.1 CS%, 3.7 WPA, 3.2 WAR Some wanted to give Lyons a “Double” after his M.V.P. work in the Tucker-Wheaton Cup, but it stood to reason that without having an elite-fielding SS like Barley who can also produce with the bat Susquehanna wouldn’t be 3x cup winners. Graff was a beautifully patient offensive table setter for P.B.C.C. at age 40. 7x All-Star Bosley finally got his postseason chance. GREENHORN OF THE YEAR: Oliver Johnson (3B; age 25) – Bunker Hill • .335/.383/.448, .831 OPS, 88 R, 104 H, 19 2B, 8 3B, 0 HR, 69 RBI, 21 BB, 56 SB, 139 TB, 3.9 WPA, 2.9 WAR • Made All-Star Game; Led N.E.L. in Stolen Bases; 3B in N.E.L. Team of the Year • William Burrow (P, PBCC) 2nd – N.E.L. Pitcher of the Year 3rd Place • Joseph Sullivan (C, BRI) 3rd – .335, .826 OPS, 51 R, 78 H, 18 XBH, 3 HR, 54 RBI, 18 BB, 44.7 CS%, 3.5 WPA, 2.1 WAR Johnson, a batsman with an interesting mix of skills who led the N.E.L. in steals as a 3B, excelled enough as a Greenhorn that he was nominated for the Team of the Year. That moved him ahead of Burrow, who was a finalist for Pitcher of the Year. Sullivan was also extremely good – a hard-hitting C who showed himself to have a cannon for an arm. GOLDEN HANDS • P: Frank Davis (MLD; 1st) – 6 E, 7.2 ZR, 1.186 EFF • C: Bertrand Bosley (GM; 1st) – 27 PB, 2.77 C-ERA, 43.1 CS%, 3.8 ZR, 1.074 EFF • 1B: Jesse Craig (SotO; 1st) – 31 E, 5.9 ZR, 1.114 EFF • 2B: Lennon Haley (LBR; 1st) – 43 E, 231 AST, 29 DP, 18.2 ZR, 1.122 EFF • 3B: Jerald Kinney (SH; 1st) – 64 E, 167 AST, 11.3 ZR, 1.120 EFF • SS: Moody Steiger (QUI; 1st) – 72 E, 292 AST, 31 DP, 30.3 ZR, 1.249 EFF • LF: Herman Kramer (DS; 1st) – 18 E, 10 AST, 12.1 ZR+ARM, 1.061 EFF • CF: John Schultz (SUS; 1st) – 44 E, 12 AST, 9.7 ZR+ARM, 1.084 EFF • RF: Livingston Hollingsworth (OCE; 1st) – 37 E, 13 AST, 8.7 ZR+ARM, 1.022 EFF 1st time in N.B.B.O. history that all nine Golden Hands winners in a league had won the award for the first time. TEAM OF THE YEAR __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here

03-28-2026, 12:08 AM	#1127
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,631	1879 AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE REVIEW 1879 A.P.B.L. STANDINGS PER-TEAM STATISTICS 1879: 7.1 R/G, .292, .703 OPS, 1024 H, 185 2B, 70 3B, 7 HR, 134 SB, 3.78 ERA, 81 BB, 146 K, 5.4 E/G, .879 FLD% FOUNDERS CUP IX Alleghany (2nd title; 1st in A.P.B.L.) defeats Knickerbocker 4-2. GAME 1: ALL 8-5 KNI – ALL CF Charles Foster: 3/5 (2B), 1 R, 1 RBI, SB, 4 TB GAME 2: ALL 6-4 KNI (10) – ALL LF John Meier: 3/5 (3B), 2 R, 1 RBI, 5 TB GAME 3: KNI 10-4 ALL – KNI 3B Albert Stoffers: 3/5 (2 2B), 3 R, 1 RBI, 5 TB GAME 4: KNI 11-3 ALL – KNI RF Callum Murray: 3/6 (all 1B), 2 R, 2 RBI GAME 5: KNI 1-12 – ALL C Harvey O’Donnell: 3/3 (HR), 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB GAME 6: ALL 10-5 KNI – ALL LF John Meier: 3/5 (2B), 2 R, 1 RBI, 3 SB, 4 TB SERIES M.V.P.: C Harvey O’Donnell (ALL) – .391 (9/23), 6 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 8/15 CS WRITERS POOL OBSERVATIONS ALLEGHANY: An even .500 the previous two years, but not this year! Projected 4th in the Colonial by the Writers Pool after they lost 2B Burton Ellerby, everything just worked. Former Mass. Bay 2B Warren Perkins put up 1.5 WAR after *not even being on a team last year. Tom Ricks became a regular at P for the first time in three years and had his best A.P.B.L. season at age 40. Frank Doherty hit better than he had since 1875. Jonathan Nabors hit .334 after three years as a backup. We could go on and on, but the bottom line is this: they absolutely earned their championship triumph. M.V.P:* SS Gerald Strong – .306, .732 OPS, 96 R, 128 H, 30 XBH, 1 HR, 49 RBI, 43 SB, +25.9 ZR, 3.3 WPA, 4.5 WAR AMERICAN: All great things must come to an end, and for American any semblance of what was once the most feared team in baseball is no more. They fell all the way to 13th/16 in Runs, and they were in the bottom half of the league in Average & OPS. Even James Burke saw a serious fall-off in his production. The time has come for changes. M.V.P: CF James Burke – .319, .810 OPS, 71 R, 110 H, 30 2B, 7 3B, 54 RBI, 25 BB, 66 SB, 2.8 WPA, 3.0 WAR EXCELSIOR: A down, up, then down again, then up again season that finished with them at 3rd in the Metro, although that’s not much to brag about since they were 44-46. The excellent duo of Elijah Hill & Troy Oberst carried the team, and they are who Excelsior likely needs to build around going forward. M.V.P: LF Troy Oberst – .368, .915 OPS, 88 R, 154 H, 33 2B, 14 3B, 2 HR, 82 RBI, 10 BB, 4.1 WPA, 4.4 WAR FLOUR CITY: Utterly lifeless by the end of the season. They lost their last nine games, and finished last in Runs, AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, & Batsman WAR. Their top batsman hit .305, and rumor is that James Goodman is retiring. [B]M.V.P: P James Goodman – 22-23, 3.48 ERA, 64 K, 362.1 IP, 25 CG, 1 SHO, 4.3 K/BB, 1.40 WHIP, 6.9 WAR, 5.0 rWAR GOTHAM: Should’ve been a .500 team but they were 6-18 in one-run games, which was even worse than Pt. Jersey by the end of the season. Still, they have a top-five offense, some good young batsmen, and the league’s top young pitching prospect in Everett Huggard (22 y/o), so they do have next year to look forward to. M.V.P: 1B Royal Altman – .380, .929 OPS, 83 R, 146 H, 35 2B, 9 3B, 97 RBI, 15 BB, 9 SB, 5.5 WPA, 4.0 WAR KINGS CO: A 12-4 August saw them finish 2nd in the Metro. Great offense – top four in every team metric – but sloppy pitching (11th) and bad defense (13th) prevented them from achieving better things. K.C.’s top seven batsmen all hit over .300, and four of them are under 30. Now those men just need to work on their fielding over the winter. M.V.P: 1B Garfield Koonce – .344, .821 OPS, 83 R, 135 H, 26 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 86 RBI, 19 BB, 5.9 WPA, 2.7 WAR KNICKERBOCKER: Another highly successful season, but this one came up just short. Their main question going into the winter is whether they bring Cormack Alexander back or replace him with Gerald Burns, who is a dozen years younger. Otherwise, everything else is in place for a possible three-peat in the Metro. M.V.P: 3B Albert Stoffers – .398, .940 OPS, 98 R, 158 H, 35 2B, 8 3B, 77 RBI, 7 BB, 4 SB, 6.7 WPA, 4.2 WAR MASS. BAY: A nice 10-5 August gave them an over-500 season. Former Gotham SS Jonathan Quarles was just what they needed at SS, and LF Harold Durand had his best season. However, the loss of Stoffers to Knick really hurt, so they could do with bringing in another big bat this winter. M.V.P: LF Harold Durand – .362, .862 OPS, 79 R, 144 H, 27 2B, 9 3B, 71 RBI, 9 BB, 2 SB, 5.2 WPA, 2.5 WAR NEWARK: From 27-63 to 38-52…not bad. They did the needful by upgrading the middle infield and John Ratican had a better season as a result, but former All-Star Washington Kihlstedt was a dud as their new #2 and C & LF remain issues. M.V.P: RF Will Valentine – .323, .795 OPS, 83 R, 130 H, 31 2B, 9 3B, 1 HR, 83 RBI, 8 SB, 3.9 WPA, 2.4 WAR NIAGARA: Would have been 2nd in the Metro, but playing in the stronger conference meant they finished 4th. They received an incredible season from William Norman, an outstanding one from Boss Barrett, quality leadoff batsmanship from Reginald Roper, and a high level of performance from their pitching duo of Edward Jenkins & Tomoharu Mukai. M.V.P: 1B William Norman – .405, .949 OPS, 91 R, 168 H, 17 2B, 18 3B, 112 RBI, 7 BB, 4 SB, 7.8 WPA, 4.1 WAR ORANGE: Worst record in the league and last place for the 3rd straight year, but THERE IS HOPE. Their Average & OPS climbed from last on May 31st to 8th by season’s end. At age 23, Jonathan Cobb was the best RF in the league other than Nelson Townsend and he took All-Star Game M.V.P. Their other two under-25 batsmen hit comfortably over .300. They’re also in a position to let three underperforming & expensive veterans go, which should allow Orange to make upgrades. M.V.P: RF Jonathan Cobb – .357, .870 OPS, 81 R, 142 H, 25 2B, 14 3B, 77 RBI, 7 BB, 22 SB, 4.5 WPA, 4.1 WAR PT. JERSEY: Their Run Differential suggests they should’ve finished 42-48, but an 8-22 record in one-run games and 2-7 in Extra Innings killed their season. On the plus side, Pt. Jersey’s young core of batsmen continues to improve, especially Samuel Eastman, who hit .350+ during every month. They just need a reliable #2. M.V.P: 1B Samuel Eastman – .385, .424 OBP, .963 OPS, 77 R, 147 H, 24 2B, 16 3B, 1 HR, 68 RBI, 4.7 WPA, 3.5 WAR QUAKER ST: Started with a 16-7 May, but finished with a 4-11 August – a shame, because a lot went right for them this year. Ned Morganti made the All-Star Game, Ross Gill was one of the best P’s in the league for the first half of the season, LF William Wimple played MUCH better until August, and Charles Aplin’s 2nd season was a carbon copy of his 1st. M.V.P: P Ross Gill – 21-19, 3.18 ERA, 64 K, 373.1 IP, 27 CG, 3 SHO, 3.8 K/BB, 1.14 WHIP, 6.8 WAR, 8.3 rWAR SHAMROCK: Same problem as last year: 1st-place team on paper, but a weak offense undid excellent fielding and outstanding work by their pitching duo of George Burroughs & Donal Hagan. Heny Jost proved to be exactly what they needed at CF, but they suffered from dips in offensive production at other positions. M.V.P: P George Burroughs – 26-19, 3.00 ERA, 104 K, 381.1 IP, 35 CG, 1 SHO, 2.5 K/BB, 1.18 WHIP, 5.7 WAR, 5.1 rWAR ST. JOHN’S: Brilliant offense yet again – 1st-2nd in every major team metric – but they couldn’t match the magical season of Alleghany. Howard Burns led the league in Wins for the 2nd time in three years, they had three batsmen hit .350+, and both of their Greenhorns made the All-Star Game. Nothing to really complain about, other than that they didn’t finish 1st. M.V.P: RF Nelson Townsend – .384, .561 SLG, .972 OPS, 115 R, 160 H, 56 XBH, 3 HR, 86 RBI, 46 SB, 5.8 WPA, 3.9 WAR TIGER S.C.: They actually had a pretty good 2nd season when considering that Martin Prince hit under .300 for the 1st time in five years. Their trio of second-year batsmen either improved or held steady, old hand Mario Fusilli provided decent run production, and Henry Tallman was a workhorse in the #1 spot. M.V.P: P Henry Tallman – 25-20, 3.34 ERA, 56 K, 374.1 IP, 25 CG, 1 SV, 1.5 K/BB, 1.26 WHIP, 4.5 WAR, 8.5 rWAR __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here

03-29-2026, 12:42 AM	#1130
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,631	THE MIGHTY SUSQUEHANNA: HOW DO THEY DO IT? A LOOK AT HOW ONE OF THE NBBO’S SMALLEST CLUBS HAS BECOME ITS MOST RUTHLESS WINNERS WILKES-BARRE, PENN. (Oct. 2, 1879) - Even though its twelve biggest clubs left the competition shortly after the start of the decade and four other big clubs left two years ago, there are still plenty of outfits in the National Base Ball Organization that can boast of some combination of big markets, deep pockets, first-class facilities, and large venues. With that in mind, how is it, then, that a club which has exactly *none* of those things became the N.B.B.O.’s most dominant team of the 1870s? Susquehanna Baseball Club wasn’t a major contender in the opening seasons of the N.B.B.O. They finished twenty games behind first place in both of the first two seasons, and in the six years after that they typically finished 5-10 games out of first, with the exception being the 1862 season, when they finished two games behind Inland champions Alleghany at 39-31. At the time, the team was known for having superstar CF Willie Davis, who earned two Batsman of the Year awards and a Most Valuable Player honor, all by the age of 24, but not much else. They were a club based in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, that had a nice little venue near the Susquehanna River that held about 1,750 people – a fraction of the venues of the big clubs, like Knickerbocker’s Elysian Fields – and a reputation for keeping the books balanced and the on-field product competitive. Soon after, Susquehanna became a factor in the Inland Championship. Ironically, after Davis left for American they were consecutive Inland runners-up in 1865 & ’66. Then, they were part of the famous three-way tie for first place in 1867, in which the multi-game playoff went to Alleghany. Learning from that experience, in 1868 they stunned Alleghany and their stable of stars by winning the Inland title outright with a 48-22 record, establishing themselves as a team and organization capable of punching well above their weight. After Susquehanna fell to sixth place the next season, they realized they had a problem: since they lacked the resources of most of the other clubs, including those within their own region, staying competitive meant constantly trying to find quality players on the cheap now that clubs could openly hand out payments. For the 1870 season, club President Fritz Dawson hired a new Field Manager, Callum McKay, a new Bench Coach, a new Hitting Coach, and a new First Base Coach who could help the players work on their baserunning skills. He then told club scout Jeremy Sprouse, who’d been with Susquehanna since the foundation of the N.B.B.O., to focus on finding young players, and told the new coaching staff to focus on developing them. The result? Susquehanna was back up to .500 (35-35) in 1870, but it was the season after the League Split when their work really started to pay off. Susquehanna went 46-24 in 1871, finishing atop Inland by three games while four of their five best batsmen were 24 or 25 years of age. Their #1 was then 27-year-old Elmer Seabold, who went 29-13. That season kicked off what has been an almost unbelievable run during the rest of the decade. Susquehanna exits the 1870s having won seven Inland pennants in nine years, having won 50+ five times in the past six seasons, having won the Northeastern League championship in each of those five 50+ win seasons, and having won the Tucker-Wheaton Cup three times: SUSQUEHANNA B.C. 1870s RECORD: • 1870: 35-35 – Inland: 3rd (15 GB) • 1871: 46-24 – Inland: 1st; Tucker-Wheaton Cup: 4th in Round Robin • 1872: 42-28 – Inland: 1st; Tucker-Wheaton Cup: lost N.E.L. Semifinal 3-0 • 1873: 40-30 – Inland: 2nd (6 GB) • 1874: 53-17 – Inland: 1st; Tucker-Wheaton Cup: won Final 3-0 • 1875: 42-28 – Inland: 2nd (2 GB) • 1876: 52-18 – Inland: 1st; Tucker-Wheaton Cup: lost Final 3-2; set record for Run Differential (+309) • 1877: 54-16 – Inland: 1st; Tucker-Wheaton Cup: won Final 3-2; set record for Runs (771; 11.0 R/G) • 1878: 51-19 – Inland: 1st; Tucker-Wheaton Cup: lost Final 3-2 • 1879: 50-20 – Inland: 1st; Tucker-Wheaton Cup: won Final 3-1 • TOTAL: 465-235 (.664) – 7x Inland Champs, 5x N.E.L. Champs, 3x Tucker-Wheaton Cup champs • 1874-79: 302-118 (.719) – 5x Inland Champs, 5x N.E.L. Champs, 3x Tucker-Wheaton Cup champs It was the 1871 pennant-winning campaign that got the youth movement started, but it was their 1874 season that saw it really take off. 27-year-old John Schultz, who signed for Susquehanna when he was eighteen, won his first M.V.P., 24-year-old William Hawk hit 30 Wins for the first time, and six of their nine regulars were under the age of 30, a rarity in a competition where experienced players and known quantities are preferred. The final result: a sweep in the Tucker-Wheaton Cup final, and the first championship for a truly small club. After that, their 1876 team that set the record for Run Differential in a season was led by 24-year-old SS Stephen Barley. Their 1877 team that set the record for Runs in a season had only two regulars over the age of 30. Their most recent title-winning team was led by a 26-year-old in his first season as a regular after years of development in the reserves. Why does Susquehanna rely so much on signing and developing young players? It’s a simple matter of economics. Ranking clubs by venue capacity places Susquehanna 6th out of eight in the Inland Championship, and that’s a region known for not having any “big” clubs. They have a very small venue, their facilities are similarly basic, and their club coffers aren’t very deep, as their 1879 budget ranks 26th out of the 48 N.B.B.O. clubs, with the biggest spenders, like Eckford and New York A.C., putting nearly twice as much money down for their operations. There are two smaller clubs in the Inland, but they’d easily be the smallest club in Brooklyn, New York City, and the Coastal Championship if Trenton United was excluded. How much does Susquehanna rely on signing and developing young players? Here’s a look at the group of regulars that won the Tucker-Wheaton Cup for them this year, and how they came to be in their places in the Susquehanna lineup: • C: Scott Lyons – signed in 1874 (age 21), Reserves from ‘75-78, Lineup in ‘79 • 1B: Joseph Jurski – signed in 1870 (age 23), Reserves in ‘70, Lineup from ‘71-79 • 2B: Lucas Maxwell – signed in 1868 (age 18), Reserves from ‘69-72, Backup from ‘73-75, Lineup from ’76-79 • 3B: Frank Carter – signed in 1872 (age 21), Reserves from ’73-74, Backup in ’75, Lineup from ’76-79 • SS: Stephen Barley – signed in 1872 (age 21), Reserves in ’73, Backup in ’74, Lineup from ’75-79 • LF: Walter Braden – signed in 1867 (age 19), Reserves from ’68-72, Lineup from ’73-79 • CF: John Schultz – signed in 1865 (age 18), Reserves from ’66-70, Lineup from ’71-79 • RF: Karl Valentine – in from Oceanic in 1872 (age 29); had been a regular in the N.B.B.O. for six years • P1: William Hawk – signed in 1871 (age 21), Reserves in ‘72, Lineup from ’73-79 • P2: Frank Cyphert – signed in 1876 (age 26), Lineup from ’76-79 Out of Susquehanna’s ten regulars, exactly one has come from outside the organization, and of the nine homegrown lineup members only Frank Cyphert wasn’t signed as a young player and developed in the reserves before moving to regular duty. Instead, he was an indy ball scouting discovery made by Sprouse, who retired after the club’s cup-winning 1877 season. In a competition where players are allowed to sign their own contracts and move around freely, the above is incredibly rare. Even a number of the team’s backups have been developed by the organization. Substitute Pitcher Oscar Reed signed for them out of indy ball in 1871. Backup C James McIntosh also signed for the club out of local indy ball in early 1871. Backup 1B Jacob Falk was another indy ball discovery made in 1873. They have a 21-year-old LF prospect named John Holtz who appears ready to move up from the reserves and play a backup role next year. In contrast, in the New York League champions Eckford had a lineup with 7/10 regulars signed and developed with the team for their whole careers, Upstate champs Frontier had 5/10 homegrown regulars, and N.Y.C. champs and previous cup winners New York A.C. had just four such regulars. Philadelphia B.C.C. is a bit unique since they’re only two years removed from the P.C.B.L., but the other regional champion in the N.E.L., Green Mountain, had 6/10 lineup members developed by the club. The General Manager who built the team and the Head Scout who found the players that won the titles have retired and are enjoying life in their mid-60s, but the Manager and coaching staff that were put in place to start the ‘70s are still there, meaning the development focus continues for Susquehanna. That Susquehanna can win three titles in a 48-team league in six years while having less resources available to them than at least half of the competition is, on the face of it, astounding. Add in the fact that they’ve won more than seventy percent of their games over that span, and it becomes clear that Susquehanna B.C. is a giant slayer, a development factory, and the most well-run club that anybody involved in the sport of baseball has ever seen. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 03-29-2026 at 12:46 AM.

03-31-2026, 09:25 PM	#1133
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,631	That was definitely the most “Out of Left Field” signing I’ve seen in either version of this game universe I’ve run. Burke actually took a pay cut to go to the lower-level competition and play for Philadelphia B.C.C. He was making $1,940 per year with American from 1875-79 and signed with P.B.C.C. for $1,560 per year. I double-checked the A.P.B.L. front offices, and 11/16 teams still had more than enough budget money left over to sign him. Champions Alleghany had the most, with roughly $15,500 thanks to the gate receipt money they took in from hosting three games of the Founders Cup. __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 03-31-2026 at 09:31 PM.

04-04-2026, 10:30 PM	#1135
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,631	THE CHAMPIONS AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE • 1871: St. John’s wins Founders Cup I 3-1 over Orange. MVP: Konrad Jensen (LF, StJ) • 1872: American wins Founders Cup II 4-3 over St. John’s. MVP: Werner Verstegen (3B, AME) • 1873: American wins Founders Cup III 4-3 over St. John’s. MVP: James Burke (CF, AME) • Game 7: StJ 15-16 AME; American scores 3 Runs in B8 • 1874: Orange wins Founders Cup IV 4-2 over Alleghany. MVP: Charles Whitehead (2B, ORA) • 1875: American wins Founders Cup V 4-3 over Alleghany. MVP: Franklin Petty (RF, AME) • Game 7: ALL 7-13 AME • 1876: American wins Founders Cup VI 4-0 over Niagara. MVP: James Burke (CF, AME) • 1877: St. John’s wins Founders Cup VII 4-1 over Excelsior. MVP: Rudolph Decker (CF, StJ) • 1878: Knickerbocker wins Founders Cup VII 4-2 over St. John’s. MVP: Cale Jones (C, KNI) • 1879: Alleghany wins Founders Cup IX 4-2 over Knickerbocker. MVP: Harvey O’Donnell (C, ALL) NATIONAL BASEBALL ORGANIZATION • 1871: Quaker St. wins Tucker-Wheaton Cup XV Round Robin with a 7-3 record (+47 RD) • 1872: Eckford wins Tucker-Wheaton Cup XVI final 3-2 over Portland – GAME 5: PORT 2-12 ECK • 1873: Utica wins Tucker-Wheaton Cup XVII final 3-1 over Portland • 1874: Susquehanna wins Tucker-Wheaton Cup XVIII final 3-0 over Metropolitan • 1875: Trenton Utd. wins Tucker-Wheaton Cup XIX final 3-1 over Eckford • 1876: Minuteman wins Tucker-Wheaton Cup XX final 3-2 over Susquehanna – GAME 5: MIN 10-3 SUS • 1877: Susquehanna wins Tucker-Wheaton Cup XXI final 3-2 over N.Y.A.C. – GAME 5: SUS 10-2 NYAC • 1878: N.Y.A.C. wins Tucker-Wheaton Cup XXII final 3-2 over Susquehanna – GAME 5: NYAC 9-8 SUS • 1879: Susquehanna wins Tucker-Wheaton Cup XXIII final 3-1 over Eckford PHILADELPHIA CITY BASEBALL LEAGUE • 1873: Mercantile wins 1st Liberty Bell Classic 3-2 over Frankford Arsenal – GAME 5: FRA 10-12 MERC • 1874: Merion B.C.C. wins 2nd Liberty Bell Classic 3-0 over Frankford Arsenal • 1875: Philadelphia B.C.C. wins 3rd Liberty Bell Classic 3-2 over Frankford Arsenal – GAME 5: FRA 6-9 PBCC • 1876: Frankford Arsenal wins 4th Liberty Bell Classic 3-1 over Philadelphia B.C.C. • 1877: Philadelphia B.C.C. wins 5th Liberty Bell Classic 3-2 over Queen Village – GAME 5: QV 9-10 PBCC • 1878: Overbrook wins 6th Liberty Bell Classic 3-2 over Queen Village; GAME 5 – OVER 8-2 QV • 1879: Penn wins 7th Liberty Bell Classic 3-1 over Spartan COASTAL BASEBALL CONFERENCE • 1878: Olympic wins C.B.C. championship with a 47-23 record • 1879: Bridgeport wins C.B.C. championship with a 43-27 record __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here Last edited by tm1681; 04-04-2026 at 10:41 PM.

04-04-2026, 10:31 PM	#1136
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,631	THE AWARD WINNERS AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE Batsman of the Year • 1871: Nelson Townsend (RF, StJ) – .404, 1.076 OPS, 118 R, 162 H, 24 3B, 4 HR, 88 RBI, 52 SB, 6.1 WPA, 7.0 WAR • 1872: Konrad Jensen (LF, StJ) – .402, .966 OPS, 96 R, 154 H, 2 HR, 95 RBI, 40 BB, 62 SB, 7.0 WPA, 6.6 WAR • 1873: James Burke (CF, AME) – .368, .884 OPS, 130 R, 155 H, 16 3B, 1 HR, 109 RBI, 113 SB, 6.7 WPA, 5.1 WAR • 1874: Konrad Jensen (1B, StJ) – .368, .413 OBP, .899 OPS, 96 R, 3 HR, 79 RBI, 32 BB, 56 SB, 6.3 WPA, 4.3 WAR • 1875: James Burke (CF, AME) – .401, .950 OPS, 111 R, 173 H, 27 2B, 1 HR, 93 RBI, 77 SB, 5.7 WPA, 5.8 WAR • 1876: James Burke (CF, AME) – .387, .936 OPS, 120 R, 165 H, 16 3B, 1 HR, 80 RBI, 90 SB, 5.3 WPA, 6.0 WAR • 1877: James Burke (CF, AME) – .403, .943 OPS, 112 R, 165 H, 22 2B, 10 3B, 87 RBI, 88 SB, 6.3 WPA, 5.9 WAR • 1878: James Burke (CF, AME) – .382, .888 OPS, 116 R, 164 H, 34 XBH, 1 HR, 96 RBI, 95 SB, 7.5 WPA, 5.2 WAR • 1879: William Norman (1B, NIA) – .405, .949 OPS, 91 R, 168 H, 17 2B, 18 3B, 112 RBI, 221 TB, 7.8 WPA, 4.0 WAR Pitcher of the Year • 1871: Raynard Cordell (ORA) – 26-10, 3.12 ERA, 372.2 IP, 26 CG, 1 SHO, 21 K, 0.6 K/BB, 1.05 WHIP, 5.1 WAR • 1872: James Goodman (FC) – 26-15, 2.74 ERA, 380.1 IP, 32 CG, 3 SHO, 102 K, 3.9 K/BB, 1.20 WHIP, 9.2 WAR • 1873: John Henry (AME) – 30-5, 3.14 ERA, 341.1 IP, 21 CG, 18 K, 0.7 K/BB, 1.22 WHIP, 3.5 WAR, 10.0 rWAR • 1874: Jim Creighton (EXC) – 30-21, 2.56 ERA, 396.2 IP, 28 CG, 1 SHO, 136 K, 4.1 K/BB, 1.20 WHIP, 8.4 WAR • 1875: Jim Creighton (EXC) – 31-14, 2.96 ERA, 383.2 IP, 29 CG, 1 SHO, 116 K, 4.1 K/BB, 1.27 WHIP, 8.8 WAR • 1876: Simeon DiStefano (AME) – 29-17, 2.54 ERA, 392.2 IP, 30 CG, 28 K, 0.7 K/BB, 1.23 WHIP, 3.9 WAR, 11.3 rWAR • 1877: Jim Creighton (EXC) – 27-14, 3.38 ERA, 359.0 IP, 23 CG, 2 SHO, 133 K, 4.4 K/BB, 1.33 WHIP, 6.5 WAR • 1878: Bertram Landreth (KNI) – 31-11, 2.41 ERA, 374.0 IP, 32 CG, 1 SHO, 134 K, 6.7 K/BB, 1.16 WHIP, 7.0 WAR • 1879: Howard Burns (StJ) – 29-7, 3.55 ERA, 377.1 IP, 33 CG, 1 SV, 94 K, 4.3 K/BB, 1.28 WHIP, 7.4 WAR Most Valuable Player • 1871: Konrad Jensen (LF, StJ) – .351, .932 OPS, 106 R, 128 H, 1 HR, 75 RBI, 72 BB, 74 SB, 6.0 WPA, 5.6 WAR • 1872: Jim Creighton (P, EXC) – 24-18, 2.93 ERA, 383.1 IP, 28 CG, 1 SHO, 170 K, 5.0 K/BB, 1.19 WHIP, 9.7 WAR • 1873: Konrad Jensen (LF, StJ) – .380, .904 OPS, 113 R, 156 H, 2 HR, 87 RBI, 27 BB, 88 SB, 7.7 WPA, 5.1 WAR • 1874: Gerald Strong (SS, ALL) – .341, .770 OPS, 92 R, 147 H, 1 HR, 55 RBI, 29 SB, +21.5 ZR, 5.1 WPA, 4.8 WAR • 1875: Franklin Petty (RF, AME) – .365, .837 OPS, 130 R, 160 H, 26 XBH, 2 HR, 70 RBI, 79 SB, 6.3 WPA, 4.0 WAR • 1876: James Burke (CF, AME) – 1876 A.P.B.L. Batsman of the Year • 1877: Konrad Jensen (1B, StJ) – .362, .871 OPS, 122 R, 145 H, 1 HR, 77 RBI, 31 BB, 102 SB, 5.8 WPA, 4.9 WAR • 1878: Nelson Townsend (RF, StJ) – .363, .896 OPS, 136 R, 145 Hr, 1 HR, 50 RBI, 46 BB, 72 SB, 8.2 WPA, 4.3 WAR • 1879: Albert Stoffers (3B, KNI) – .398, .940 OPS, 98 R, 158 H, 35 2B, 8 3B, 77 RBI, 209 TB, 6.7 WPA, 4.1 WAR Greenhorn of the Year • 1871: Henry Gaul (RF, SHA) – .367, .918 OPS, 71 R, 136 H, 44 XBH, 1 HR, 94 RBI, 8 SB, 4.1 WPA, 4.3 WAR • 1872: Rudolph Decker (CF, StJ) – .337, .774 OPS, 106 R, 138 H, 19 2B, 6 3B, 36 RBI, 64 SB, 4.0 WPA, 4.6 WAR • 1873: Martin Prince (SS, AME) – .332, .765 OPS, 88 R, 127 H, 2 HR, 67 RBI, 32 SB, +27.0 ZR, 4.3 WPA, 4.2 WAR • 1874: Lane Garvin (C, MB) – .324, .710 OPS, 65 R, 110 H, 14 2B, 1 HR, 50 RBI, 127 TB, 3.0 WPA, 1.6 WAR • 1875: John Meier (LF, ALL) – .330, .771 OPS, 103 R, 144 H, 27 XBH, 2 HR, 82 RBI, 49 SB, 4.5 WPA, 3.3 WAR • 1876: Alfred Williams (3B, KC) – .292, .720 OPS, 86 R, 125 H, 18 2B, 14 3B, 55 RBI, 14 SB, 3.5 WPA, 2.2 WAR • 1877: Joseph Evans (LF, StJ) – .393, .947 OPS, 104 R, 160 H, 30 2B, 11 3B, 88 RBI, 25 SB, 5.3 WPA, 4.2 WAR • 1878: Charles King (P, PtJ) – 25-16, 3.02 ERA, 363.0 IP, 29 CG, 1 SHO, 99 K, 4.0 K/BB, 1.21 WHIP, 7.0 WAR • 1879: Eamonn Higgins (3B, StJ) – .301, .787 OPS, 87 R, 117 H, 36 XBH, 1 HR, 82 RBI, 14 SB, 2.9 WPA, 2.4 WAR NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION New York League Batsman of the Year • 1871: Troy Oberst (LF, MET) – .439, 1.054 OPS, 41 XBH, 1 HR, 81 RBI, 6.0 WPA, 5.1 WAR • 1872: Chester Alexander (2B, NYAC) – .427, .984 OPS, 29 XBH, 1 HR, 71 RBI, 6.6 WPA, 4.2 WAR • 1873: Henry Nabors (SS, VIC) – .397, .898 OPS, 26 XBH, 0 HR, 98 RBI, 6.3 WPA, 4.0 WAR • 1874: James Heilman (RF, UTI) – .357, .884 OPS, 22 XBH, 1 HR, 79 RBI, 4.1 WPA, 3.4 WAR • 1875: Jonathan Fraker (1B, UTI) – .385, .877 OPS, 19 XBH, 2 HR, 68 RBI, 3.2 WPA, 3.2 WAR • 1876: Jackson Wright (1B, ATL) – .413, .972 OPS, 27 XBH, 1 HR, 74 RBI, 3.7 WPA, 3.6 WAR • 1877: Julius Tierney (LF, STAR) – .403, .957 OPS, 27 XBH, 0 HR, 57 RBI, 2.7 WPA, 2.8 WAR • 1878: Francis Smith (CF, MET) – .365, .893 OPS, 34 XBH, 2 HR, 69 RBI, 37 SB, 3.9 WAR • 1879: Murdock Whitehurst (RF, MIN) – .374, .920 OPS, 31 XBH, 1 HR, 89 RBI, 5.5 WPA, 2.9 WAR Northeastern League Batsman of the Year • 1871: Cormack Alexander (1B, QS) – .434, 1.034 OPS, 34 XBH, 1 HR, 83 RBI, 4.6 WPA, 4.6 WAR • 1872: Elijah Hill (3B, GM) – .433, .974 OPS, 20 2B, 2 3B, 45 RBI, 4.8 WPA, 4.3 WAR • 1873: Deacon George (2B, GM) – .381, .919 OPS, 31 XBH, 3 HR, 74 RBI, 5.9 WPA, 3.0 WAR • 1874: Ned Morganti (CF, QS) – .389, .917 OPS, 28 XBH, 1 HR, 79 RBI, 3.1 WPA, 4.0 WAR • 1875: Gerhardt Berg (1B, QS) – .402, .949 OPS, 28 XBH, 1 HR, 66 RBI, 5.1 WPA, 4.0 WAR • 1876: Jesse Craig (1B, SotO) – .387, .888 OPS, 19 XBH, 1 HR, 68 RBI, 5.3 WPA, 3.9 WAR • 1877: Joe Mitchell (1B, LE) – .375, .879 OPS, 21 XBH, 1 HR, 61 RBI, 4.3 WPA, 3.5 WAR • 1878: Leroy Moore (RF, PBCC) – .381, .964 OPS, 13 2B, 23 3B, 91 RBI, 6.4 WPA, 3.5 WAR • 1879: Scott Lyons (C, SUS) – .399, 1.005 OPS, 30 XBH, 3 HR, 78 RBI, 4.4 WPA, 3.8 WAR New York League Pitcher of the Year • 1871: Ashley Atkins (SYR) – 31-11, 3.16 ERA, 32 K, 348.0 IP, 1 SHO, 0.9 K/BB, 6.8 WAR • 1872: George Layman (MER) – 29-15, 2.63 ERA, 33 K, 379.2 IP, 1 SHO, 1.2 K/BB, 6.1 WAR • 1873: Charles Rhodes (NYEC) – 22-15, 2.14 ERA, 26 K, 336.1 IP, 2 SHO, 1.1 K/BB, 6.4 WAR • 1874: Olaf Sorenson (ATL) – 26-15, 2.47 ERA, 28 K, 350.0 IP, 1.4 K/BB, 1.15 WHIP, 6.1 WAR • 1875: William Tighe (MIN) – 27-16, 2.74 ERA, 35 K, 358.2 IP, 1 SHO, 1.2 K/BB, 6.8 WAR • 1876: Charles Rhodes (NYAC) – 22-15, 1.84 ERA, 130 K, 342.1 IP, 2 SHO, 6.2 K/BB, 9.5 WAR • 1877: Charles Rhodes (NYAC) – 26-13, 2.30 ERA, 132 K, 332.1 IP, 1 SHO, 6.0 K/BB, 9.6 WAR • 1878: Charles Rhodes (NYAC) – 24-14, 2.29 ERA, 147 K, 342.0 IP, 2 SHO, 5.4 K/BB, 10.7 WAR • 1879: Charles Rhodes (NYAC) – 24-14, 2.20 ERA, 134 K, 359.2 IP, 6.7 K/BB, 1.06 WHIP, 9.6 WAR Northeastern League Pitcher of the Year • 1871: Ross Gill (QS) – 33-6, 3.18 ERA, 24 K, 359.1 IP, 0.5 K/BB, 1.27 WHIP, 6.4 WAR • 1872: Earl Henry (SUS) – 30-11, 2.01 ERA, 37 K, 359.0 IP, 1 SHO, 1.6 K/BB, 6.2 WAR • 1873: Ross Gill (QS) – 27-11, 2.50 ERA, 31 K, 356.2 IP, 1 SHO, 2.4 K/BB, 7.1 WAR • 1874: William Hawk (SUS) – 32-6, 2.00 ERA, 39 K, 355.0 IP, 2.8 K/BB, 1.11 WHIP, 6.0 WAR • 1875: George Burroughs (SHA) – 29-12, 1.99 ERA, 43 K, 341.1 IP, 2 SHO, 2.0 K/BB, 7.1 WAR • 1876: Earl Quinn (MLD) – 24-18, 2.40 ERA, 148 K, 356.1 IP, 3.2 K/BB, 1.13 WHIP, 7.9 WAR • 1877: John Ratican (NEW) – 29-9, 1.84 ERA, 133 K, 351.1 IP, 5.5 K/BB, 1.02 WHIP, 10.1 WAR • 1878: William Hawk (SUS) – 32-9, 2.22 ERA, 101 K, 345.0 IP, 5.6 K/BB, 1.21 WHIP, 8.7 WAR • 1879: William Hawk (SUS) – 30-11, 2.68 ERA, 87 K, 346.0 IP, 1 SV, 4.6 K/BB, 7.9 WAR New York League Most Valuable Player • 1871: Troy Oberst (LF, MET) – 1871 New York League Batsman of the Year • 1872: Alfred Span (CF, MUT) – .363, .887 OPS, 28 XBH, 45 RBI, +10.2 ZR, 4.4 WPA, 4.2 WAR • 1873: Isaac Kelly (3B, ECK) – .381, .873 OPS, 29 XBH, 60 RBI, +12.1 ZR, 3.0 WPA, 4.6 WAR • 1874: Huibrecht v. d. Laan (2B, ECK) – 339, .839 OPS, 2 HR, 57 RBI, +19.1 ZR, 3.8 WPA, 4.0 WAR • 1875: Isaac Kelly (3B, ECK) – .372, .870 OPS, 4 HR, 68 RBI, +12.1 ZR, 3.6 WPA, 4.3 WAR • 1876: William Tighe (P, MIN) – 28-11, 2.44 ERA, 98 K, 358.2 IP, 2 SHO, 2.4 K/BB, 7.3 WAR • 1877: Francis Smith (CF, MET) – .349, .853 OPS, 30 XBH, 56 RBI, 35 SB, 5.5 WPA, 4.0 WAR • 1878: Jules Thomas (SS, MIN) – .339, .812 OPS, 74 RBI, 33 SB, +10.7 ZR, 4.2 WPA, 3.1 WAR • 1879: Louis Murray (LF, ECK) – .356, .866 OPS, 31 XBH, 62 RBI, 77 SB, 6.8 WPA, 3.7 WAR Northeastern League Most Valuable Player • 1871: James Dressman (P, PORT) – 29-10, 2.81 ERA, 35 K, 355.2 IP, 0.7 K/BB, 1.23 WHIP, 6.6 WAR • 1872: Ned Morganti (CF, QS) – .391, .958 OPS, 33 XBH, 2 HR, 87 RBI, 3.8 WPA, 4.4 WAR • 1873: Enda Reed (1B, PORT) – .362, .889 OPS, 30 XBH, 1 HR, 75 RBI, 4.6 WPA, 2.9 WAR • 1874: John Schultz (CF, SUS) – .352, .821 OPS, 2 HR, 52 RBI, 34 SB, 4.7 WPA, 3.6 WAR • 1875: Manuel Romeiras (CF, TU) – .360, .899 OPS, 3 HR, 81 RBI, 49 SB, 4.6 WPA, 4.7 WAR • 1876: John Schultz (CF, SUS) – .343, .803 OPS, 22 XBH, 58 RBI, 44 SB, 3.6 WPA, 3.4 WAR • 1877: John Schultz (CF, SUS) – .320, 106 R, 27 XBH, 66 RBI, 42 SB, 4.7 WPA, 3.1 WAR • 1878: Lennon Haley (2B, LBR) – .369, .888 OPS, 71 RBI, 34 SB, +14.1 ZR, 4.4 WPA, 4.2 WAR • 1879: Stephen Barley (SS, SUS) – .318, .801 OPS, 29 XBH, 71 RBI, +26.1 ZR, 3.6 WPA, 3.8 WAR New York League & Northeastern League Greenhorns of the Year • 1871: Oscar Dickey (C, MUT) & William Latham (P, NEW) • 1872: Sherman Friday (P, CON) & Earl Henry (P, SUS; also P.o.t.Y.) • 1873: Edward Davis (SS, UTI) & Gus Carlson (CF, NEW) • 1874: Remi Scrovegni (3B, FRO) & Alfred Williams (3B, PORT) • 1875: Jonathan Fraker (1B, UTI; also B.o.t.Y.) & Jesse Craig (1B, SotO) • 1876: Jack Anastasio (RF, NYAC) & Fred Cowan (P, PIO) • 1877: John Watson (P, MER) & Albert Franklin (P, SAL) • 1878: George Spatz (LF, EMP) & Francis Beckham (CF, LBA) • 1879: Michael Akhverdov (RF, CON) & Oliver Johnson (3B, BH) COASTAL BASEBALL CONFERENCE Batsman of the Year • 1878: Euan Graham (1B, BRI) – .353, .894 OPS, 33 XBH, 1 HR, 58 RBI, 3.9 WPA, 3.0 WAR • 1879: Johnny Holcombe (2B, SPO) – .341, .891 OPS, 47 XBH, 1 HR, 66 RBI, 7.3 WPA, 3.2 WAR Pitcher of the Year • 1878: Carl Bancroft (P, OLY) – 22-13, 2.35 ERA, 131 K, 314.0 IP, 1 SHO, 4.0 K/BB, 9.2 WAR • 1879: Walt Harper (P, SPO) – 25-13, 3.18 ERA, 63 K, 337.0 IP, 1 SV, 2.4 K/BB, 6.6 WAR Most Valuable Player • 1878: Noah Skiles (2B, OLY) – .321, .766 OPS, 17 2B, 6 3B, 74 RBI, 4.7 WPA, 2.2 WAR • 1879: Louis Beane (SS, BRI) – .323, 17 2B, 3 3B, 77 RBI, +17.3 ZR, 3.6 WPA, 3.2 WAR PHILADELPHIA CITY BASEBALL LEAGUE Batsman of the Year • 1873: Joseph Evans (LF, FRA) – .372, .915 OPS, 19 2B, 13 3B, 83 RBI, 4.4 WPA, 4.7 WAR • 1874: Joseph Evans (LF, FRA) – .336, .857 OPS, 22 2B, 13 3B, 67 RBI, 4.0 WPA, 3.4 WAR • 1875: Joseph Evans (LF, FRA) – .380, 1.011 OPS, 45 XBH, 5 HR, 75 RBI, 5.4 WPA, 4.8 WAR • 1876: Joseph Evans (CF, FRA) – .404, 1.028 OPS, 23 2B, 18 3B, 79 RBI, 8.1 WPA, 6.0 WAR • 1877: William Norman (1B, MER) – .356, .932 OPS, 44 XBH, 1 HR, 75 RBI, 6.4 WPA, 4.3 WAR • 1878: James Harris (CF, FRA) – .350, .876 OPS, 35 XBH, 3 HR, 71 RBI, 5.6 WPA, 3.9 WAR • 1879: Henry Yoder (CF, SoB) – .369, .924 OPS, 41 XBH, 83 RBI, 35 SB, 6.6 WPA, 3.9 WAR Pitcher of the Year • 1873: Arthur Lipscomb (PBCC) – 19-15, 2.21 ERA, 25 K, 301.1 IP, 2 SHO, 2.3 K/BB, 5.3 WAR • 1874: Casper Shultis (MERC) – 24-17, 2.02 ERA, 35 K, 355.2 IP, 3.2 K/BB, 1.22 WHIP, 6.7 WAR • 1875: Arthur Lipscomb (PBCC) – 25-14, 2.52 ERA, 26 K, 338.2 IP, 1 SHO, 1.2 K/BB, 5.7 WAR • 1876: Robert Benson (PBCC) – 33-9, 1.84 ERA, 103 K, 362.1 IP, 1 SHO, 2.9 K/BB, 6.4 WAR (Triple Crown) • 1877: Robert Benson (PBCC) – 30-7, 2.02 ERA, 98 K, 356.1 IP, 1 SHO, 2.3 K/BB, 6.7 WAR (Triple Crown) • 1878: Oliver Greene (FRA) – 25-12, 2.35 ERA, 155 K, 329.1 IP, 2 SHO, 4.2 K/BB, 7.3 WAR • 1879: Thomas Bath (PENN) – 28-10, 2.43 ERA, 123 K, 348.1 IP, 8.2 K/BB, 1.08 WHIP, 8.0 WAR Most Valuable Player • 1873: Benjamin Warnock (1B, MERC) – .347, .802 OPS, 15 2B, 8 3B, 55 RBI, 4.8 WPA, 2.9 WAR • 1874: Clifford Martin (RF, MER) – .320, .776 OPS, 22 XBH, 1 HR, 61 RBI, 3.2 WPA, 3.3 WAR • 1875: William Norman (1B, MER) – .341, .849 OPS, 32 XBH, 2 HR, 79 RBI, 7.7 WPA, 3.0 WAR • 1876: Joseph Evans (CF, FRA) – 1876 Batsman of the Year • 1877: William Norman (1B, MER) – 1877 Batsman of the Year • 1878: Robert Nygren (P, OVER) – 23-11, 2.54 ERA, 92 K, 333.2 IP, 1 SHO, 4.8 K/BB, 7.4 WAR • 1879: Richard Norris (SS, SPA) – .313, 29 XBH, 2 HR, 83 RBI, +20.5 ZR, 3.4 WPA, 4.0 WAR __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here

04-04-2026, 10:32 PM	#1137
tm1681 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 1,631	NEW COMPETITIONS AND LEAGUE CHANGES AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE • 1871: League begins play with twelve teams from the N.B.B.O. • Colonial Conference: Alleghany, Flour City, Massachusetts Bay, Niagara, Shamrock, & St. John’s • Metropolitan Conference: American, Excelsior, Gotham, Kings County, Knickerbocker, & Orange • 1877: Newark Base Ball Club (Newark, N.J.) joins from the N.B.B.O. • 1877: Port Jersey B.C.C. (Jersey City, N.J.) joins from the N.B.B.O. • 1877: Quaker State B.C. (Philadelphia, Penn.) joins from the N.B.B.O. • 1877: Tiger Social Club (Philadelphia, Penn.) joins from the N.B.B.O. NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION • 1870: Twelve clubs leave to form the A.P.B.L. • Baltic Base Ball Club (New York City) joins • Columbia Base Ball Club (Buffalo, N.Y.) joins • Frontier Base Ball Club (Oswego, N.Y.) joins • Lancastra Britannia B.C. (Lancaster, Penn.) joins • Marathon B.B.C. (Brooklyn, N.Y.) joins • Maryland Baseball Club (Baltimore, Mld.) joins • Mercury Base Ball Club (New York City) joins • National Baseball Club (Washington, D.C.) joins • New York Athletic Club (New York City) joins • Salem Baseball Club (Salem, Mass.) joins • Star Base Ball Club (Brooklyn, N.Y.) joins • Tiger Social Club (Philadelphia, Penn.) joins • 1877: Newark, Pt. Jersey, Quaker St., & Tiger S.C. leave for the A.P.B.L. • 1877: Olympic & Sportsman’s leave for the C.B.C. • Brighton Baseball Club (Boston, Mass.) joins • Bunker Hill B.C. (Boston, Mass.) joins • Diamond State B.C. (Wilmington, Del.) joins • Lord Baltimore B.C. (Baltimore, Mld.) joins • Philadelphia Baseball & Cricket Club (Philadelphia, Penn.) joins from the P.C.B.L. • Squirrel Hill B.C. (Pittsburgh, Penn.) joins COASTAL BASEBALL CONFERENCE • 1877: C.B.C. founded by Sportsman’s (N.B.B.O.), Olympic (N.B.B.O.) joins • 1878: C.B.C. begins play with six additional teams new to league baseball: • Bridgeport Baseball Club (Bridgeport, Conn.) • Camden & Amboy B.C. (Camden, N.J.) • Capitol City B.C. (Harrisburg, Penn.) • Essex County B.C. (Lawrence, Mass.) • Highlander Baseball Club (Worcester, Mass.) • Lynn Baseball Club (Lynn, Mass.) PHILADELPHIA CITY BASEBALL LEAGUE • 1872: P.C.B.L. founded at Executive Committee Autumn Meetings in New York City • 1873: P.C.B.L. begins play with sixteen teams, all new to league baseball • EAST: Frankford Arsenal, Keystone, Minerva, Pt. Richmond, Queen Village, Sons of Ben, Spartan, & Yorktown • WEST: Germantown, Independence, Mercantile, Merion, Overbrook, Penn, Philadelphia B.C.C., & Schuylkill • 1877: Philadelphia B.C.C. leaves for N.B.B.O., Bartram Village joins __________________ Logo & uniform work here Thread about my fictional universe that begins in 1857 here