Introducing the Footnote League

[luckymann]

LAST YEAR: 74-66 8 GB, 4th / .284 / 3.26
BNN PREDICTION: 82-72 6 GB, 4th / .239 / 2.47
FARM SYSTEM: 16th
BEST PROSPECT: P Don Schwall (40th)
PAYROLL: 7th, $25,868
HIGHEST PAID PLAYER: P Fred Glade, $2,880
CASH BALANCE: $133,301
GAINS: P Matt Herges (trade); P Ambrose Puttmann (trade)
LOSSES: 3B Mike Sharperson (trade); P Luis Garcia (released)

This could well be the last we hear out of the A’s for a while, and we may only hear the distant scream one makes when falling off a cliff.

The current Athletics squad has few redeeming qualities. Jack Boyle is a solid enough backstop. Glenn Wilson still plays the outfield well and, at just 24, should continue to do so for a while (but needs to turn around the alarming drop in production in each of the past two seasons after his stellar 1901). SP Fred Glade is a gun who should keep them in most of the games he starts. Steve Cooke and Dallas Braden have some life in them yet. But that’s about it; pretty slim pickings indeed.

And there’s no pretty view on the horizon. As their playing group has declined, the club’s management has done little that I can see to try and make the landing a soft one. Their farm system is rated the worst in the league. Their top “prospect” comes in at 40 on the list and is certainly not bandying around wearing a cape. They made no attempt to shore things up in the offseason market, either. Somebody needed to put a rocket up their posteriors. Too late now, I fear—that bird has flown.

So hang on tight A’s fans, you’re in for a long and bumpy ride these next few years.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: P Fred Glade; OF Glenn Wilson

[luckymann]

LAST YEAR: 70-70 7 ½ GB, 4th / .289 / 3.55
BNN PREDICTION: 85-69 6 GB, 2nd / .257 / 2.47
FARM SYSTEM: 9th
BEST PROSPECT: OF Norm Siebern (15th)
PAYROLL: 8th, $25,552
HIGHEST PAID PLAYER: 1B Pete Runnels, $1,938
CASH BALANCE: $209,415
GAINS: 2B Adam Kennedy (trade)
LOSSES: P Ham Iburg (trade); P Mark Gardner (trade)

Boy I hope there’s plenty of other stuff to do in the City of Brotherly Love between April and September, because I’m pretty sure the baseball side of things just ain’t gonna cut it this year.

That said, the Phillies are in nowhere near as dire a state as their crosstown counterparts. They have genuine superstars in catcher Bill Crowley, 3B Eddie Joost and staff leader Howie Camnitz. They have one of the more robust rotations in the game in Camnitz, Herman Pillette, Tommy Hanson and Johnny Broaca. They have Pete Runnels and his 5-odd annual WAR donation to the cause. So it’s not an entirely hopeless cause. But this is an old group and – outside of OF Norm Siebern, who is still a couple of seasons away – I’m not seeing much coming through their farm system, so if they are going to wrap themselves in any sort of glory they’ll need to bust a move and do so this year.

Can they?

BNN has them finishing runners-up in the NL, which surprises me. I just don’t see how this could be possible, even if absolutely everything goes their way. Once again I just feel this team is bound for mid-standing mediocrity. I find them about as inspiring as an Instagram poem, and with as little chance of being remembered.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: P Howie Camnitz; P Johnny Broaca; C Bill Crowley; 1B Pete Runnels

[luckymann]

LAST YEAR: 74-66 3 ½ GB, 3rd / .289 / 3.74
BNN PREDICTION: 76-78 15 GB, 6th / .252 / 2.89
FARM SYSTEM: 13th
BEST PROSPECT: P Dave Stewart (29th)
PAYROLL: 4th, $28,425
HIGHEST PAID PLAYER: C Verne Clemons, $1,892
CASH BALANCE: $206,165
GAINS: NONE
LOSSES: NONE

Well the Pirates very nearly made me look pretty damn smart last year, featuring in the dogfight for the NL pennant until the last week. The big question is, do they have what it takes to make that next step and get their shot at the big prize?

Well... yes, and no. At least IMHO.

They certainly have their fair share of absolute powerhouses. SP / 1B Doc Crandall is up there with the best players in the league, although I think the Bucs would be better served just using him as a position player. He went 10-12 / 4.03 on the mound last year and I really think either Gary Gentry or Wayne Twitchell would give them a similar return in the SP4 slot and let Crandall concentrate on his hitting. Their other “Doc”, outfielder Doc Gessler is another gun and 3B Buddy Lewis and shortstop J.T. Riddle are both borderline elite at their respective positions.

Their rotation, led by southpaw Harry Harper, is rock solid, and if Bob Wicker comes on further as he is expected to do, would become one of the league’s premier pitching staffs. As I mentioned earlier, there’s plenty of depth in the bullpen as well, making the Pittsburgh crew less vulnerable to injuries and drops in form than most of their counterparts. It is also young, and I retain my view that this squad has Dynasty written all over them.

So why my equivocation then?

Well they are somewhat weak in the positions not listed above. Catcher and 2B, in particular. Another potent outfielder would be nice as well. And, as no ready candidates jump out in their farm system, either in the short or long term, I’d advise the management to go looking for quality in those areas come draft time. If they can pick up a beauty to fill these holes then look out National League for the next few years.

To summarise, I think they’ll be in the mix this season, but may come up short again. This however, should it come to pass, would only be forestalling the inevitable.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: SP / 1B Doc Crandall; OF Doc Gessler; SS J.T. Riddle

[luckymann]

LAST YEAR: 61-79 21 GB, 7th / .280 / 3.98
BNN PREDICTION: 74-80 14 GB, 6th / .243 / 2.80
FARM SYSTEM: 7th
BEST PROSPECT: OF Ping Bodie (2nd)
PAYROLL: 15th, $21,325
HIGHEST PAID PLAYER: 2B Jeff Baker, $1,700
CASH BALANCE: $124,314
GAINS: NONE
LOSSES: NONE

The American League representatives of the proud city of St Louis started promisingly enough with a 78-62 / 3rd place 1901 FL campaign. But since then they have lived up to their nickname: dirty; ugly; dull. Sadly, I fear 1904 will see more along those lines for the Browns.

It is, as is almost always the case, purely a function of personnel (or lack thereof) as to why this is so. Apart from outfielder Ping Bodie, pitcher Frank Corridon and, at a long stretch, middle infielders Jeff Baker and Miguel Rojas, their group is decidedly middle of the pack. Such lack of depth gradually wears a club down over the course of a season, as we saw statistically last season when the Browns logged the equal lowest BA and next-to-worst ERA. Simple mathematics dictates that if you give up over half a run per game more than you score then you usually lose more games than you win.

Having said that, if some of these unheralded players can produce at their best then the Browns could easily improve to a certain degree. I’m talking about guys like their LF platoon team in Mike Lum and Jim Greengrass, along with CF Ruben Mateo (that is, if they are smart and play Bodie in right to give Mateo more game time than the 17 AB he saw last season), each of whom is more than serviceable.

Outside of Corridon, the Browns’ pitching is a major worry. The loss of Ralph Birkofer through forced retirement came in the shadows of the finish line last year, so it cannot be held responsible for their woes on the mound. Same with Frank Castillo, who was actually their most effective arm before he went down, finishing 9-9 / 2.94. Providing he comes back healthy and holds his form that should mean two of the four rotation slots are in good hands. If George Chalmers can deliver on his promise he’ll be a better than average SP3. But there is no hiding the utter lack of quality outside of that, which means they are more likely to lose every fourth game than win it—a hard handicap to overcome.

While the Browns have a couple of decent prospects in the wings, I don’t expect them to be of any help in the upcoming season. 2B John Lowenstein looks really promising but is still at least two years away. Same goes with SP Johnny Humphries. But at least they have a pipeline, which is more than can be said for some of the other clubs.

So the odds are that the Browns will be merely making up the numbers again this season. A .500 season would, all things considered, be a good outcome and perhaps provide the platform for some better years to come. Until then, however, they may want to consider changing their moniker to the Beiges.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: P Frank Castillo; P Frank Corridon; OF Ping Bodie; OF Ruben Mateo

[luckymann]

LAST YEAR: 78-63 – GB (won in tiebreaker), 1st / .282 / 3.24
BNN PREDICTION: 78-76 13 GB, 4th / .244 / 2.60
FARM SYSTEM: 15th
BEST PROSPECT: 3B Kevin Young (15th)
PAYROLL: 16th, $20,923
HIGHEST PAID PLAYER: C Tucker Barnhart, $1,500
CASH BALANCE: $271,427
GAINS: RF Mark Teahan (trade); P Bill Parsons (trade)
LOSSES: P Dave Dravecky (trade)

You really have to doff your cap to the Cardinals organisation for what they achieved in the 1903 FL season. They looked gone for all money after their disastrous 1902 campaign, but somehow managed to turn it around and claim the ultimate prize for the second time. How did they do it? More importantly, can they do it again?

To be honest, I have absolutely no idea how the magic trick was performed. Statistical analysis gives few clues, either. They only had a run differential of +27 and were the worst-performed team on offence in the NL. Brooklyn, the team they vanquished in a tiebreak to decide who would advance to the playoffs, outscored them by 100 runs. They did, however, lead the league in ERA—and by some margin. Perhaps that old adage about good pitching really does have some merit.
As to whether they can pull it off again this year, my one-word answer is absolutely not.

I’m not sure what the club had against Dave Dravecky, perhaps it was a clubhouse matter. It certainly wasn’t his on-field performance that saw him sent down a number of times during the season and then traded when it was finished, with those two events sandwiched around him winning the Cy Young Award for his 14-5 / 2.33 ERA / 86 FIP- / 3.7 WAR effort. At just 27 you’d expect plenty of productive years to come. But off he was packed to the Cubs in exchange for a couple of guys who I guarantee will not blow your hair back. I mean I could understand it if they were packing plenty of rotation heat or had a farm system stacked with flamethrowers just itching to kill it in the bigs. But they have neither of these things.

They have a staff led by the great Harry Gumbert, who will turn 35 before the season is done. They have a pretty good number two in Ken Forsch, hero of the ’03 Series. And they have 1901 Cy Young winner and club captain Jimmy Jones and Flint Rhem, who sounds more like a Wild West sheriff than a major league pitcher. It’s not the worst rotation in the game, but if one of them goes down with injury or has an off year it will start looking like it. Forget about reinforcements as well, their farm system is in the toilet, especially with regard to pitching talent.

What makes their situation even more precarious is the abject dearth of quality position players. Wilson Ramos is a decent enough catcher, and guys like SS Deivi Cruz and 1B Ray Sanders have shown that can hold their own at this level, but I just don’t see where they are going to get enough runs to win enough games to make them contenders.

It’s hard to write the Redbirds off given the season just past. But I tell you right now, if they can do it again this year my admiration for the franchise will grow exponentially. And it’s already pretty darn high.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: P Ken Forsch; P Harry Gumbert; C Wilson Ramos

[luckymann]

LAST YEAR: 82-58 - GB, 1st / .293 / 3.36
BNN PREDICTION: 88-66 - GB, 1st / .240 / 2.19
FARM SYSTEM: 1st
BEST PROSPECT: 3B Hans Lobert (3rd); 2B Sam Bohne (6th)
PAYROLL: 2nd, $33,011
HIGHEST PAID PLAYER: 3B Danny Valencia, $1,895
CASH BALANCE: $245,275
GAINS: C Al Fitzmorris (trade)
LOSSES: P Steve Fireovid (trade); P Ray Francis (trade)

I could basically have cut my 1903 season preview for the Sens and pasted it here, so little has changed for and about them. Will third time be the charm for them?

Common sense says it is highly likely they’ll at least get a third bite at the World Series cherry. All of the pieces of last season’s run are still in place. They still have a fantastic rotation, led by reigning strikeout champ Jake Weimer. BNN predicts this staff will have an outstanding year, forecasting a team ERA of just 2.19 that is miles ahead of the nearest competitor. They still have a positional squad sprinkled liberally with quality players such as star 2B Sam Bohne, catcher Heinie Peitz and outfielder Solly Hofman, and gun 3B Hans Lobert is odds-on to make his debut in the bigs this season, which will add another arrow to their quiver. They still have moustachioed superheroes Wally Backman and Rudy Law, two absolute gamers who know how to get the most out of their talents. They also have one of the more robust farm systems in the game and, should their prospects take longer than expected to reach the bigs, a sturdy enough balance sheet to buy suitable replacements.

This is a well-run organisation staffed by an excellent young playing group, and they’ll almost certainly give it a great shake again this year.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: 3B Hans Lobert, 2B Sam Bohne, SP Jake Weimer

[luckymann]

OK Footnoters, thanks for your patience, we are back up and running.

As you will see from my signature and various other posts, I have been a busy boy.

From here on out my new website Out of My League (OOML) will act as the hub for my various OOTP (ad)ventures, including the Footnote League. Henceforth, posts will take the form of a quick intro with a link to OOML where you'll find the full post plus all sorts of additional stuff and links to the associated Stats+ pages so you can really feel immersed inside the league to your heart's content.

For those late to the party, here are some quick links to help you catch up.

ABOUT THE FL

FL AND PSL TEAMS

FL COMPLETED SEASON RECAPS & LEADERBOARDS

FL SPOTLIGHT PLAYERS

Apart from that, nothing will change with regard to the FL. The content will remain as it has been (with the occasional modification along the way), there will still be the Spotlight Player features and other elements designed to maximise your enjoyment and bring to prominence some of MLB history's lesser lights.

So here we go - Season 1904. Tempus effulgeo! Time to shine!

[luckymann]

Well my friends, the time has come to raise the roof and have some fun. It is finally upon us – Opening Day, 1904 for the Footnote League!

READ MORE

[ALB123]

Okay...Let's all join hands and say a prayer for the Highlanders. This is going to be their year. I can feel it.

[luckymann]

A recap of all the action in the Footnote League during the month of April, 1904.

PITCHING DOMINATES THE EARLY GOING

HIGHLY FAVOURED TIGERS AND SENATORS START POORLY IN THE AL

BEANEATERS, CUBS AND BUCS GET OUT OF THE GATES QUICKLY IN THE NL

READ MORE

[luckymann]

Harry Lumley’s star shone fiercely for a short while then was snuffed out quickly and prematurely. Such is baseball.

READ MORE

[luckymann]

A recap of all the action in the Footnote League during the month of May, 1904.

WHITE SOX AND HIGHLANDERS LOOKING GOOD IN THE AL, WITH THE TIGERS CREEPING BACK INTO CONTENTION AFTER A SLOW START

A TIGHT TUSSLE DEVELOPING IN THE NL AS THE BEANEATERS TRY TO PINCH A BREAK ON THEIR RIVALS

PITCHING STILL DOMINATING BUT BATS SLOWLY COMING ALIVE.

READ MORE

[ALB123]

Geesh! I turn my back for a minute and my Highlanders kick it up a notch... This is good news. I'll tell ya, the Highlanders 21-year-old SP Jeremy Bonderman (9-2, 2.00) sure is looking strong, but I've got my eye on 24-year-old SP Mike F McCormick (6-4, 2.05) too. They're very similar in the stats department, however, McCormick just doesn't walk batters (14 Walks) - he puts their butts right back on the bench (66 Ks - Leading the Footnote League).

Through the Highlanders first 51 games played, McCormick is leading the Footnote League in FIP (2.463), and out of his 10 starts he has been credited with 8 Quality Starts. Clearly, the Highlanders are not giving him acceptable run support and his 6-4 record is proof. I pulled up his ratings a few minutes ago. His fastball is rather pedestrian, but he's got a curveball that'll buckle your knees and leave you cursing...but he's got a weapon you don't often see from LHP. A screwball. A devastating screwball at that...That killer pitch has a rating of 89! Wow. He's a side-arm pitcher too. Lefty hitters must jump out of the box as that pitch rides in on them.

On the other side of the coin, it's nice to see 2B Danny O'Connell doing his thing - quietly batting .320...

They've got a road trip starting up in Detroit, which doesn't appear to be a team of pushovers. Then it's off to Cleveland who's got a firm grip on last place. I'll take a split with Detroit and a sweep in Cleveland, thank you very much!

[luckymann]

They sure have started well, and I reiterate my comment in the season preview for them:

You almost get a sense of inevitability about this Highlanders club at the moment. This may not be their year, they may need just one more; but I reckon they’ll give it an almighty shake all the same. A few of their AL counterparts would be feeling pretty nervous I’d say.

I still think the White Sox have their measure this year, but with the Tigers losing 3/4 of their rotation and both the Sens and A's playing terribly to this point, it looks a two-horse race. That said, watch out for the Browns - I reckon they're a bit of a smoky who can't be ruled out just yet.

[ALB123]

It's just over one-third of the season right now, correct? So, there is obviously a ton of baseball left. I'm sure there is something surprising planned by the baseball Gods before the end of the season.

I can't say that I remember Detroit had such damage to their starting rotation. I follow so many leagues... LOL

I know I've said this before, but one of my favorite things about your Stats+ Leaderboards is how you can click inside the click inside the box of any player listed in one of the categories (don't click on their name - click next to it) and it will highlight that player's name in every category in which that name appears. I just love that. It saves so much time when you're trying to figure out if Player X is on more than one leaderboard or not. It is also fantastic how your leaderboard pages show the Top 10 in every category...something that drives me insane about OOTP's league leaderboard pages.

[luckymann]

Originally Posted by ALB123

I can't say that I remember Detroit had such damage to their starting rotation. I follow so many leagues... LOL

https://atl-02.statsplus.net/footnote/team/19?page=dl

Plus Weldon Henley had a career-ending injury which doesn't appear there.

The replacements have held it together so far (2nd best Starter ERA in the AL, 3rd best FIP), but I just don't see that holding over the remainder of the season.

[ALB123]

Originally Posted by luckymann

https://atl-02.statsplus.net/footnote/team/19?page=dl

Plus Weldon Henley had a career-ending injury which doesn't appear there.

The replacements have held it together so far (2nd best Starter ERA in the AL, 3rd best FIP), but I just don't see that holding over the remainder of the season.

Yeah, I agree.

[luckymann]

A few bits of miscellanea to report on. The original blog post with links to player pages can be found HERE.

1904 Rookie Draft

The annual Rookie Draft was conducted tonight, and once again position players were all the rage, with just the single pitcher taken in the first round. After due consideration, the format from this point on with be Serpentine to help more evenly distribute the new talent.

Here are the Round 1 picks:

1 Boston Americans: CF Johnny Bates, 21
2 St Louis Browns: C Babe Phelps, 21
3 Cleveland Naps: SS Billy Shindle, 23
4 New York Giants: 1B Ed Cartwright, 28
5 Cincinnati Reds: LF Ray Blades, 23
6 Chicago Cubs: SS Tom Tresh, 20
7 Boston Beaneaters: SP Jim O’Toole, 19
8 Philadelphia Phillies: LF Mike Easler, 20
9 New York Highlanders: 2B Johnny Ray, 22
10 Philadelphia Athletics: C Stan Lopata, 20
11 Pittsburgh Pirates: 2B Jim Lefebvre, 21
12 Brooklyn Superbas: 2B Jeff Frye, 23
13 St Louis Cardinals: 3B Bobby Estalella, 22
14 Chicago White Sox: C Mike Ivie, 21
15 Detroit Tigers: CF Don Demeter, 18
16 Washington Senators, CF Terry Moore, 21

The full Draft Log can be accessed HERE

I’ll report back with how the clubs are progressing with signing these rookies a bit down the track.

(And, just to complicate matters for you Footnoters, third baseman Mike J “Dude” McCormick was drafted by Brooklyn with their 5th round pick, joining Highlanders pitcher Mike F McCormick and St Louis CF Mike W McCormick, not to mention Moose, Jerry and Barry McCormick. Reminds me a bit of that scene from Spaceballs – “how many A**holes we got on this ship anyhow? Yo!”)

Stat of the Month: K/BB

Strikeouts per base on balls (1904 season to date).

Spotlight players – an update

Just a quick run through of where our Spotlight players are at this early stage of season 1904:

• Despite posting his best season so far in 1903 (19-13 / 3.11 / 5.8 WAR), Ed Head finds himself at the A’s PSL Shreveport Gassers.
• Curt Roberts is still withering on the vine at Wichita Falls, where he has had just 2 PA so far this season.
• Otto Hess has so far this season split time between the Cards and their PSL Houston farm team, where he has gone a solid 6-0 with an ERA of just 1.47.
• Arnold Hauser is still playing with Curt Roberts at Wichita Falls, although he is seeing a lot more game time than his teammate. So far in 1904 he has hit .247 with 1 HR and 17 RBI in 194 AB.
• After waiting in vain the entire 1903 season for a call that never came, Ray Starr took the hint and hung up his cleats.
• Even though he hit .444 for the Cubs last season in limited opportunities, Rawmeat Bill Rodgers is biding his time at PSL Reading. Sadly, life there doesn’t seem to be agreeing with him as he has hit just .150 to this point. Perhaps the town’s butchers aren’t up to snuff...
• Dave Rozema is another who can perhaps feel he has been harshly treated. After a 1903 campaign that saw him go a respectable 15-7 / 3.86 for Detroit, he has spent 1904 at Fort Worth. Perhaps with the Tigers losing so many members of their pitching staff to long-term injuries, we may see Dave back up in the FL before too long.
• Dickey Kerr is having another solid year for the hapless Naps, going 4-6 / 3.59 so far.
• Cy Seymour has, of course, retired.
• And the newest member of the Spotlight Club, Harry Lumley, has made a huge impact since getting called up by the White Sox, winning last month’s AL Rookie Award for his excellent start to his FL career.

More updates throughout the course of the year.

[bwhansen]

Hi,

I've really enjoyed reading thru the history of your league, wonderful concept that I wish I would have thought of sometime.

Any way I noticed in the thread that you ended up having two Steve Lombardozzi's and didnt see it mentioned later. There have actually been two that played. Senior is the one that played for the Twins 87 World Series team, his son Junior also played in the majors last appearing in 2017.

Thought you would like to know based on your affinity for players you havent heard of.

[luckymann]

Originally Posted by bwhansen

Hi,

I've really enjoyed reading thru the history of your league, wonderful concept that I wish I would have thought of sometime.

Any way I noticed in the thread that you ended up having two Steve Lombardozzi's and didnt see it mentioned later. There have actually been two that played. Senior is the one that played for the Twins 87 World Series team, his son Junior also played in the majors last appearing in 2017.

Thought you would like to know based on your affinity for players you havent heard of.

Thanks bw, glad you're enjoying it, this league certainly holds a place dear in my heart. A lot of love goes into it. I'll have to check I haven't retired him unnecessarily and get back to you, but I'm fairly sure it was a duplicate caused by a glitch in the early days of the league.

Appreciate you noticing and commenting, will edit this when I get a chance to check. If it is two different players I'll unretire him and restore him to his rightful team.

EDIT I should have known this off the top of my head: it couldn't be junior because the max year for rookies into this league is currently set to 2000. Moreover, I'm pretty sure if it was jr it would have said that in his name. But I checked anyway just to be sure and it was a duplicate. Thanks again for letting me know all the same.

G