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

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GAME ONE (Olneyville Field in Providence, R.I.)

AME 1-6 StJ – Nelson Townsend (RF, StJ) 3/4 (all 1B), 1 R, 2 RBI, SB, OF AST
St. John’s leads series 1-0

Game One was pretty simple: St. John’s scored four times in the bottom of the first and that was pretty much it.

After American opened the scoring almost immediately when 3B Werner Verstegen doubled in 1B William Busby, St. John’s responded by plating four runs in the bottom of the 1st on a Townsend Single, a Tarmo Kuopio (1B) Triple, and a two-run Single by 2B John Baddley to make the score 4-1 to the hosts.

That was all St. John’s needed as Howard Burns pitched a fantastic game, allowing six Hits and no Earned Runs while taming the APBL’s #1 offense.

GAME TWO (Olneyville Field in Providence, R.I.)

AME 5-8 StJ – Nelson Townsend (RF, StJ) 2/4, 2B, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SB
St. John’s leads series 2-0

Game Two was a case of “too little, too late” for American.

St. John’s scored five runs over the first three innings and had a 7-0 lead after the end of the 6th. American’s offense woke after that, but by then it was too late for them to claw their way back into the game.

The key inning was the 2nd. After American went down 1-2-3 St. John’s came to the plate and scored three times on three separate run-scoring Singles from C Peter Caliguri, CF Rudolph Decker, & Townsend, who displayed his fantastic range of talents for the second game in a row.

Single runs in five other innings (1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 8th) gave St. John’s the runs they needed to take a 2-0 lead in the series before it was American’s turn to play the host.

GAME THREE (Glenwood Field in Philadelphia)

StJ 7-15 AME – Franklin Petty (CF, AME) 5/5, 2B, 4 R, 2 RBI, SB
St. John’s leads series 2-1

One might take a look at the score and think that this was finally the game where the American offense woke up and put in a complete performance. For seven innings that was not the case.

A run in the 1st and four more in the 2nd gave St. John’s an early 5-1 lead, and while American took a couple of runs back St. John’s canceled those out and the score was 7-3 going into the bottom of the 8th. Then, the American attack uncorked a twelve-run rally to flip the game completely on its head:

• B1: PH Sidney Crowder – Double to LF
• B2: CF Franklin Petty – 1-run Single past SS (Error by CF, Petty to 2B)
• B3: LF Willie Davis – Single past SS off (Petty to 3B)
• B4: 1B William Busby – 2-run Single past 2B (Error by CF, Busby to 2B)
• B5: 3B Werner Verstegen – 1-run Single past SS (Error by CF, Verstegen to 2B)
• B6: 2B Peter Boyce – Bases on Balls by H. Burns
• B7: C Howard LeBouf – Fielder’s Choice at 2B (Verstegen to 3B)
• B8: PH Ralph Callahan – 1-run Error by 3B (LeBouf to 3B)
• B9: SS Louis Marcel – Wild Pitch; 2-run Single past 2B (Marcel to 2B)
• B10: PH Sidney Crowder – Error by 2B (Marcel to 3B)
• B11: CF Franklin Petty – 1-run Single to RF (Crowder to 2B)
• B12: LF Willie Davis – 2-run Triple to RCF
• B13: 1B William Busby – 1-run Ground Out to SS
• B14: 3B Werner Verstegen – Error by 3B
• B15: 2B Peter Boyce – Error by 1B (Verstegen to 3B)
• B16: C Howard LeBouf – 1-run Single to LF (Boyce to 2B)
• B17: PH Ralph Callahan – Fly Out to LF
• TOTAL: 12 Runs, 9 Hits (1 2B, 1 3B), 7 Errors, 1 Wild Pitch

Nobody knows what in the world happened to Rudolph Decker at the start of the inning, but the three Errors in quick succession from the fine-fielding CF got the rally rolling, and until it finally ended with Callahan’s lazy fly ball to LF nobody was sure when it would end. It was easily the strangest inning of the year for the APBL’s best defense.

This much was certain: American had taken a likely 3-0 deficit and turned it into a competitive series.

GAME FOUR (Glenwood Field in Philadelphia)

StJ 1-6 AME – Louis Marcel (SS, AME) 2/4, 2B, 1 R, 4 RBI
Series tied 2-2

There was no high strangeness in Game Four – just a defensive contest that American put away late to tie the series.

This was a Pitchers’ Duel for much of the game. Single runs by American in the 2nd & 3rd were responded to by St. John’s with one run in the 4th, and the score remained 2-1 until the bottom of the 8th. Then, with the bases loaded the light-hitting Marcel (.251, .556 OPS) hit a Double that brought home three, and after a Willie Davis (LF) Single the score was 6-1, the result was no longer in question, and the series was tied 2-2.

GAME FIVE (Glenwood Field in Philadelphia)

StJ 8-1 AME – Howard Burns (P, StJ) CG, 7 HA, 1 ER, 2/4 (both 1B), 1 R, 1 RBI
St. John’s leads series 3-2

The previous two games saw the series evened up, but it seemed as if American had the momentum going into Game Five. St. John’s proved that wasn’t the case.

There was no standout in the St. John’s attack, but five Stolen Bases over the early innings helped them run up a 7-1 lead by the end of the 5th, and from there they were held steady by Burns, who had a fine game both with the ball and with the bat.

The series would now go back to Providence, and the indomitable St. John’s was one game away from yet another title.

GAME SIX (Olneyville Field in Providence, R.I.)

AME 9-2 StJ – William Busby 3/4, 2B, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, 2 SB
Series tied 3-3

St. John’s won in a rout at American to take the series lead, so American returned the favor in Providence to take the Founders’ Cup all the way to Game Seven.

Both Busby and Willie Davis had three Hits for American, but Busby was the star of the show. Busby didn’t hit one of his trademark Home Runs, but a Double, Triple, and two Stolen Bases that doubled his season total of one was absolutely sufficient as his team took the lead in the top of the 1st and never looked back.

There would now be a Winner Take All game for the APBL Championship at Olneyville Field in 24 hours’ time.

GAME SEVEN (Olneyville Field in Providence, R.I.)

AME 10-2 StJ – John Brown (P, AME) CG, 4 HA, 1 ER, 2 K
American wins Founders’ Cup II 4-3

And just as there was a stunner in the NBBO playoffs, American pulled off a stunner of their own and avenged the city of Philadelphia’s baseball honor by clobbering St. John’s at the almost mythical Olneyville Field to take a Founders’ Cup that just about everyone figured would be lifted by Providence’s finest when they took the 3-2 series lead.

This was never a close game. American had a 6-2 lead after three innings and they gradually tacked on four more runs to make sure the most successful club in baseball history couldn’t get so much as a whiff of hope.

Four American batsmen had two Hits – 2B Peter Boyce, C Howard LeBouf, CF Franklin Petty, & 3B Werner Verstegen – and two had three Hits – LF Willie Davis & RF Johnnie Sands. However, Player of the Game honors went to pitcher John Brown, as the “Steel Driving Man” delivered a masterful performance in which he held St. John’s to four Hits and held Konrad Jensen & Nelson Townsend to a combined 1/6. This was the biggest performance of his life.

The cup would be going to American, a team which was only in the postseason for the second time in club history and one which was in the bottom half of the Metropolitan Conference standings halfway through the season. They would also be claiming the first top-level title for the city of Philadelphia, and no doubt that would do wonders for the sport of baseball in America’s second-largest city.

FOUNDERS’ CUP MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Werner Verstegen (3B, AME) – .364 (12/33), .758 OPS, 8 R, 1 2B, 8 RBI, 1 BB, 3 SB, 0.68 WPA, 0.2 WAR

Just as American was an unlikely cup winner, they had an unlikely cup MVP in Verstegen.

During the season, Verstegen hit .295 (.681 OPS) with 22 Extra-Base Hits and just 1.0 WAR, a far cry from the stellar 1871 campaign in which he hit .353 (.839 OPS) with 30 Extra-Base Hits and 3.5 WAR. However, he had a career high of 85 RBI during 1872 and in the cup final his timely hitting drove in eight more runs, which led to him having the highest WPA of any player. The Writers Pool thought that should win out over the trio of American players who hit .367 (Busby, Davis, Petty) with a higher OPS than Verstegen.

The best player for cup runners-up St. John’s was Nelson Townsend:

Nelson Townsend (RF, StJ) – .370 (10/27), 1.007 OPS, 8 R, 1 2B, 2 3B, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 7 SB, 0.31 WPA, 0.5 WAR

Truth be told Townsend was the best player in the series, but the MVP of a cup final is almost never going to be awarded to the star of a losing team unless he is orders of magnitude better than everyone else. Townsend was Player of the Game in both Game One and Game Two, but unfortunately the one time he slipped up was the all-important Game Seven.

[TC Dale]

Moved to requested location.

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1872 NATIONAL BASE BALL ORGANIZATION REVIEW

WRITERS POOL OBSERVATIONS

This was a strange season. The spring rule changes to pitching did indeed end up favoring the pitchers, but nobody could have predicted just how much of an impact they would have. Team scoring in the New York League was down around 9.5% (7.4 R/G to 6.7 R/G), and team scoring in the Northeastern League was way down. The NEL saw per team run production fall by 17.1% (7.6 R/G to 6.3 R/G).

Allowing pitchers finer control over the ball decreased Bases on Balls by around fifty percent as expected, but there was a knock-on effect in that, even though Batting Average went down around five percent, batsmen hard a harder time taking Extra-Base Hits, which went down by 20-25%. The result: OPS in both leagues decreased by 50-60 points.

Portland’s NEL Championship Series win over Quaker St. was the most stunning upset in NBBO history. The defending NBBO champs and 1872 #1 had won ten straight to end the season, while Portland played two one-run games in sweeping Susquehanna in the semifinals. That they then went down 0-2 and won three in a row to beat Quaker St. made the upset that much more improbable.

There has never been a pair of Greenhorns to dominate a league like what happened in the NEL in 1872. For much of the season Elijah Hill of Green Mtn. looked like might break the NBBO Batting Average record, but in the end he had to settle for “only” hitting .433. Earl Henry of Susquehanna won thirty games, nearly broke James Goodman’s ERA record, and came within a few votes of winning Pitcher of the Year, Most Valuable Player, & Greenhorn of the Year at the same time.

Pity poor Robert Dressen. Because of the above, he had 22 Wins with a 2.95 ERA, led all NBBO pitchers in WAR at 7.4, and still had to settle for 3rd place in NEL Greenhorn of the Year voting.

Raise a glass to James Heilman. At the ripe young age of 42 years & 276 days, the Utica outfielder received a Team of the Year nomination for the first time in his sixteen NBBO seasons. He finished in the NYL top ten in Average, On-Base, OPS, Runs, Stolen Bases, & Batsman WAR, and of course he led the league in Bases on Balls. At this point, it looks like he’ll play as long as he feels like playing.

The new teams continue to impress. Marathon in Brooklyn, Mercury in NYC, and Maryland in Coastal all finished in 2nd place. Salem was 3rd in New England, and Star finished 4th in Brooklyn. The only new team that really had a dud of a season was Baltic, who finished last in New York City with the NBBO’s worst record & Run Differential.

Unluckiest team of the year: undoubtedly previous NYC champs Metropolitan. Going 8-15 in one-run games meant that even though they had the NYL’s best Run Differential at +110 they finished the season 38-32, which was good for 4th place in the New York City Championship.

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1872 NBBO STANDINGS





PER-TEAM STATISTICS

NYL: 6.7 R/G, .286, .656 OPS, 783 H, 107 2B, 25 3B, 6 HR, 66 SB, 3.32 ERA, 58 BB, 59 K, 5.8 E/G, .863 FLD%
NEL: 6.3 R/G, .283, .645 OPS, 764 H, 106 2B, 24 3B, 3 HR, 69 SB, 3.12 ERA, 60 BB, 61 K, 5.7 E/G, .864 FLD%

1871 NYL: 7.4 R/G, .293, .696 OPS, 793 H, 128 2B, 35 3B, 7 HR, 79 SB, 3.76 ERA, 107 BB, 52 K, 5.4 E/G, .876 FLD%
1871 NEL: 7.6 R/G, .299, .709 OPS, 810 H, 129 2B, 33 3B, 7 HR, 74 SB, 3.97 ERA, 115 BB, 59 K, 5.3 E/G, .877 FLD%


TUCKER-WHEATON CUP XIV

NYL SEMIFINALS: #3 Union beats #2 Syracuse 3-2
NEL SEMIFINALS: #2 Portland beats #3 Susquehanna 3-0

NYL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: #1 Eckford beats #3 Union 3-1
NEL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: #2 Portland beats #1 Quaker State 3-2

TUCKER-WHEATON CUP FINAL GAME 1: PORT 2-4 ECK – Peter Charles (P, ECK) PotG
TUCKER-WHEATON CUP FINAL GAME 2: PORT 6-0 ECK – Grover Wright (P, PORT) PotG
TUCKER-WHEATON CUP FINAL GAME 3: ECK 5-6 PORT – Louis Beane (SS, PORT) PotG
TUCKER-WHEATON CUP FINAL GAME 4: ECK 9-2 PORT – Thomas Johnson (1B, ECK) PotG
TUCKER-WHEATON CUP FINAL GAME 5: PORT 2-12 ECK – Hanrahan Casey (CF, ECK) PotG

ECKFORD OF GREENPOINT (1st title) wins series 3-2

TWC FINAL MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Hanrahan Casey (CF, ECK)

ECKFORD: Hanrahan Casey (CF) – 8/19, 5 R, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 3 SB
PORTLAND: Dallas Campanelli (3B) – 11/20, 2 R, 2 2B, 3 RBI

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NEW YORK LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Chester Alexander – 30 y/o 2B, New York Athletic Club (1st career BotY)
• .427/.441/.543, .984 OPS, 72 R, 129 H, 24 2B, 4 3B, 1 HR, 71 RBI, 8 BB, 1 SB, 164 TB, 6.60 WPA, 3.9 WAR
• Led NYL in AVG, SLG, & OPS; 2nd in Hits & TB; 3rd in OBP & RBI
• Troy Oberst (LF, MET) 2nd – .409, .943 OPS, 77 R, 137 H, 26 2B, 5 3B, 61 RBI, 9 BB, 173 TB, 4.71 WPA, 3.9 WAR
• Wilbur Graff (1B, MUT) 3rd – .382, .446 OBP, .897 OPS, 54 R, 112 H, 16 XBH, 1 HR, 68 RBI, 33 BB, 4.68 WPA, 3.2 WAR

PITCHER OF THE YEAR: George Layman – 33 y/o, Mercury (1st career PotY)
• 29-15, 2.63 ERA, 33 K, 379.2 IP, 37 CG, 1 SHO, 27 BB, 1.21 WHIP, 1.2 K/BB, 6.3 WAR, 8.7 rWAR
• Set NBBO records for IP & CG; Had five more Wins than any other Pitcher in NYL
• Peter Charles (ECK) 2nd – 24-11, 2.97 ERA, 21 K, 314.2 IP, 22 CG, 2 SHO, 1.23 WHIP, 0.8 K/BB, 3.9 WAR, 6.9 rWAR
• Frank Bell (MAR) 3rd – 23-13, 2.54 ERA, 37 K, 336.1 IP, 30 CG, 3 SHO, 1.12 WHIP, 9.1 H/9, 4.4 WAR, 10.0 rWAR

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Alfred Span – 33 y/o CF, Mutual (1st career MVP)
• .363, .887 OPS, 98 R, 114 H, 16 2B, 12 3B, 45 RBI, 17 BB, 28 SB, 154 TB, +10.6 ZR, 4.44 WPA, 4.1 WAR
• Top five in seven offensive categories; 1st Mutual player to win MVP since Lee Wood (1857)
• George Layman (P, MER) 2nd – New York League Pitcher of the Year
• N. Hardingham (CF, UNI) 3rd – .355, .809 OPS, 68 R, 124 H, 23 XBH, 1 HR, 77 RBI, 10 BB, 14 SB, 3.81 WPA, 2.4 WAR

GREENHORN OF THE YEAR: Sherman Friday – 25 y/o P, Continental
• 19-14, 3.07 ERA, 20 K, 269.2 IP, 21 CG, 1 SHO, 17 BB, 1.21 WHIP, 1.2 K/BB, 4.1 WAR, 4.9 rWAR
• NYL Pitcher of the Month for June (11-0, 1.83 ERA); Top ten in five pitching categories
• Moriarty Murray (2B, BED) 2nd – .338, .823 OPS, 62 R, 104 H, 29 XBH, 2 HR, 52 RBI, 4 BB, 3 SB, 2.70 WPA, 2.1 WAR
• Earl Ludgate (3B, UNI) 3rd – .320, .727 OPS, 66 R, 106 H, 15 XBH, 3 HR, 68 RBI, 10 BB, 2 SB, 1.44 WPA, 1.6 WAR

GOLDEN GLOVES

P: John Kimmerle (MUT/1st) – 24 PO, 48 AST, 1 DP, 20 E, 1.88 RNG, +4.1 ZR, 1.026 EFF
C: James White (HILL/1st) – 33.3 RTO%, 3.69 C-ERA, +5.0 ZR, 1.071 EFF
1B: Sam Gillespie (NC/1st) – 528 PO, 38 AST, 21 DP, 18 E, 11.02 RNG, +8.8 ZR, 1.142 EFF
2B: Huibrecht v. d. Laan (ECK/1st) – 262 PO, 214 AST, 17 DP, 33 E, 7.01 RNG, +14.2 ZR, 1.120 EFF
3B: James Lindsey (SYR/2nd) – 109 PO, 123 AST, 5 DP, 25 E, 3.58 RNG, +13.0 ZR, 1.192 EFF
SS: Earl Seals (MAR/2nd) – 214 PO, 239 AST, 19 DP, 62 E, 6.52 RNG, +20.3 ZR, 1.124 EFF
LF: Frank Riley (ATL/1st) – 118 PO, 1 AST, 27 E, 1.78 RNG, +0.5 ARM, +5.0 ZR, 1.106 EFF
CF: William Buschmann (UTI/2nd) – 186 PO, 13 AST, 26 E, 2.93 RNG, +1.1 ARM, +10.1 ZR, 1.099 EFF
RF: Charles Wood (VIC/2nd) – 146 PO, 5 AST, 49 E, 2.31 RNG, +2.5 ARM, +12.3 ZR, 1.146 EFF


TEAM OF THE YEAR

P: George Layman (MER/1st) - 29-15, 2.63 ERA, 33 K, 379.2 IP, 37 CG, 1 SHO, 27 BB, 1.21 WHIP, 1.2 K/BB, 6.3 WAR, 8.7 rWAR
C: Harold Rowsey (MET/1st) - .348, .788 OPS, 53 R, 97 H, 14 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 46 RBI, 9 BB, 0 SB, 117 TB, 3.49 WPA, 2.3 WAR
1B: Wilbur Graff (MUT/2nd) - .382, .446 OBP, .897 OPS, 54 R, 112 H, 13 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 68 RBI, 33 BB, 5 SB, 4.68 WPA, 3.2 WAR
2B: Chester Alexander (NYAC/1st) - .427, .543 SLG, .984 OPS, 72 R, 129 H, 24 2B, 4 3B, 1 HR, 71 RBI, 8 BB, 164 TB, 6.60 WPA, 3.9 WAR
3B: Ellis Terrien (STAR/1st) - .349, .835 OPS, 50 R, 109 H, 28 2B, 4 3B, 0 HR, 74 RBI, 10 BB, 6 SB, 145 TB, 4.02 WPA, 2.4 WAR
SS: Henry Nabors (VIC/3rd) - .387, .864 OPS, 70 R, 125 H, 19 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 43 RBI, 14 BB, 12 SB, 146 TB, 3.88 WPA, 3.4 WAR
OF: Troy Oberst (MET/2nd) - .409, .943 OPS, 77 R, 137 H, 26 2B, 5 3B, 0 HR, 61 RBI, 9 BB, 3 SB, 173 TB, 4.71 WPA, 3.9 WAR
OF: Alfred Span (MUT/1st) - .363, .887 OPS, 98 R, 114 H, 16 2B, 12 3B, 0 HR, 45 RBI, 17 BB, 28 SB, 154 TB, 4.44 WPA, 4.1 WAR
OF: James Heilman (UTI/1st) - .354, .857 OPS, 81 R, 102 H, 12 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 57 RBI, 42 BB, 35 SB, 119 TB, 4.97 WPA, 3.5 WAR

NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Eijah Hill – 25 y/o 1B, Green Mountain (1st career BotY)
• .433/.456/.518, .974 OPS, 72 R, 123 H, 20 2B, 2 3B, 45 RBI, 10 BB, 3 SB, 147 TB, 4.83 WPA, 3.5 WAR
• NEL top ten in ten offensive categories; 1st Greenhorn to win NEL BotY since Walter Dudley in 1864
• Ned Morganti (CF, QS) 2nd – NEL Most Valuable Player
• Herb Verrett (CF, MLD) 3rd – .375, .556 SLG, .940 OPS, 68 R, 120 H, 44 XBH, 1 HR, 57 RBI, 178 TB, 5.33 WPA, 3.5 WAR

PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Earl Henry – 27 y/o, Susquehanna (1st career PotY)
• 30-11, 2.01 ERA, 37 K, 359.0 IP, 32 CG, 1 SHO, 23 BB, 1.17 WHIP, 1.6 K/BB, 6.4 WAR, 11.3 rWAR
• 6th NEL P with 30+ Wins in a season; Set NEL ERA record; 1st Greenhorn to win PotY in either league
• Ross Gill (QS) 2nd – 28-11, 2.34 ERA, 44 K, 353.1 IP, 30 CG, 3 SHO, 1.14 WHIP, 1.8 K/BB, 6.8 WAR, 11.4 rWAR
• Robert Daniels (MLD) 3rd – 19-9, 2.07 ERA, 29 K, 1235.1 IP, 22 CG, 1 SHO,.18 WHIP, 1.4 K/BB, 3.8 WAR, 7.7 rWAR

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Ned Morganti – 28 y/o CF, Quaker St. (1st career MVP)
• .391/.414/.544, .958 OPS, 73 R, 125 H, 23 2B, 10 3B, 2 HR, 87 RBI, 8 BB, 28 SB, 174 TB, 3.82 WPA, 3.7 WAR
• NEL top five in twelve offensive categories; 1st Quaker St. player to win MVP
• Earl Henry (P, SUS) 2nd – Northeastern League Pitcher of the Year
• Dallas Campanelli (3B, PORT) 3rd – .359, .812 OPS, 70 R, 113 H, 22 XBH, 0 HR, 80 RBI, 4 BB, 4.41 WPA, 2.8 WAR

GREENHORN OF THE YEAR: Earl Henry – 27 y/o P, Susquehanna
• Also named Northeastern League Pitcher of the Year
• Won all three NEL Pitcher of the Month awards; Credited with 30 of Susquehanna’s 42 wins
• Elijah Hill (1B, GM) 2nd – Northeastern League Batsman of the Year
• Robert Dressen (P, SAL) 3rd – 22-20, 2.95 ERA, 37 K, 357.1 IP, 26 CG, 2 SHO, 1.30 WHIP, 2.2 K/BB, 7.4 WAR, 7.6 rWAR


GOLDEN GLOVES

P: Isaac Sterling (REA/1st) – 10 PO, 45 AST, 1 DP, 7 E, 2.26 RNG, +5.1 ZR, 1.258 EFF
C: Leonard Gellner (LE/1st) – 54.0 RTO%, 2.96 C-ERA, +6.1 ZR, 1.104 EFF
1B: Gerhardt Berg (SotO/1st) – 670 PO, 54 AST, 23 DP, 25 E, 10.75 RNG, +4.8 ZR, 1.072 EFF
2B: Stanford Tiller (MLD/1st) – 302 PO, 212 AST, 20 DP, 42 E, 7.57 RNG, +16.2 ZR, 1.100 EFF
3B: Marten de Vos (TIG/1st) – 103 PO, 135 AST, 6 DP, 37 E, 3.51 RNG, +11.1 ZR, 1.142 EFF
SS: Peter Jones (SAL/2nd) – 212 PO, 228 AST, 19 DP, 49 E, 6.57 RNG, +23.3 ZR, 1.170 EFF
LF: William White (LB/1st) – 130 PO, 5 AST, 25 E, 1.91 RNG, +3.6 ARM, +6.8 ZR, 1.125 EFF
CF: Fred Lydon (TU/2nd) – 200 PO, 7 AST, 30 E, 3.00 RNG, +2.5 ARM, +12.8 ZR, 1.148 EFF
OF: Otto Humphries (SotO/1st) – 119 PO, 10 AST, 43 E, 1.94 RNG, +4.0 ARM, +6.9 ZR, 1.101 EFF


TEAM OF THE YEAR

P: Earl Henry (SUS/1st) - 30-11, 2.01 ERA, 37 K, 359.0 IP, 32 CG, 1 SHO, 23 BB, 1.17 WHIP, 1.6 K/BB, 6.4 WAR, 11.3 rWAR
C: Bertrand Bosley (GM/1st) - .313, .722 OPS, 57 R, 101 H, 16 2B, 4 3B, 1 HR, 68 RBI, 5 BB, 128 TB, 44.0 RTO%, 3.58 WPA, 1.8 WAR
1B: Elijah Hill (GM/1st) - .433, .456 OPS, .974 OPS, 72 R, 123 H, 20 2B, 2 3B, 45 RBI, 10 BB, 147 TB, 4.83 WPA, 3.5 WAR
2B: Harold Groves (NAT/1st) - .324, .764 OPS, 59 R, 102 H, 20 2B, 7 3B, 52 RBI, 5 BB, 12 SB, 136 TB, +11.0 ZR, 2.76 WPA, 2.9 WAR
3B: Dallas Campanelli (PORT/1st) - .359, .812 OPS, 70 R, 113 H, 19 2B, 3 3B, 0 HR, 80 RBI, 4 BB, 1 SB, 138 TB, 4.41 WPA, 2.8 WAR
SS: Jonathan Richards (QS/1st) - .343, .784 OPS, 73 R, 109 H, 18 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 55 RBI, 7 BB, 22 SB, 136 TB, 3.41 WPA, 2.5 WAR
OF: Peter Huff (SotO/1st) - .357, .845 OPS, 57 R, 99 H, 24 2B, 3 3B, 0 HR, 51 RBI, 9 BB, 6 SB, 129 TB, 2.38 WPA, 2.3 WAR
OF: Ned Morganti (QS/2nd) - .391, .958 OPS, 73 R, 125 H, 23 2B, 10 3B, 2 HR, 87 RBI, 8 BB, 28 SB, 174 TB, 3.82 WPA, 3.7 WAR
OF: Herb Verrett (MLD/1st) - .375, .556 SLG, .940 OPS, 68 R, 120 H, 31 2B, 12 3B, 1 HR, 57 RBI, 7 SB, 178 TB, 5.33 WPA, 3.5 WAR

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MISCELLANEOUS

SEASON RECORDS

• Salem pitchers set a new record for fewest Bases on Balls in a season with 31.
• George Layman (Frontier) set a new record for Complete Games in a season with 37.
• George Layman set a new record for Innings Pitched in a season with 379.0


NEW YORK LEAGUE LEADERS

• Average: .427 by Chester Alexander (2B, N.Y.A.C.)
• On-Base: .446 by Wilbur Graff (1B, Mutual)
• Slugging: .543 by Chester Alexander
• OPS: .984 by Chester Alexander
• Hits: 137 by Troy Oberst (LF, Metropolitan)
• Extra-Base Hits: 34 by Earl Crosby (LF, Bedford)
• Doubles: 28 by Ellis Terrien (3B, Star)
• Triples: 14 by Lucuis Roberts (LF, Syracuse)
• Home Runs: 4 by Felix Brand (LF, Utica) & Earl Seals (SS, Marathon)
• Runs Batted In: 77 by Nicholas Hardingham (CF, Union)
• Runs: 98 by Alfred Span (CF, Mutual)
• Stolen Bases: 52 by Manuel Romeiras (CF, Harlem)
• Total Bases: 173 by Troy Oberst
• Bases on Balls: 42 by James Heilman (RF, Utica)
• Win Prob. Added: 6.60 by Chester Alexander
• Batsman WAR: 4.1 by Alfred Span

• Wins: 29 by George Layman (Mercury)
• Losses: 26 by Columbus German (Binghamton)
• ERA (150+ IP): 2.37 by Augustus Cook (Eckford)
• Innings: 379.2 by George Layman
• Complete Games: 37 by George Layman
• Shutouts: 3 by three different pitchers
• BB/9 (150+ IP): 0.3 by Augustus Cook
• Strikeouts: 53 by Richard Frazee (Syracuse)
• K/9 (150+ IP): 1.6 by Richard Frazee
• K/BB (150+ IP): 3.1 by Charles Rhodes (Frontier)
• WHIP (150+ IP): 1.12 by Frank Bell (Marathon)
• Pitcher WAR: 7.2 by Charles Rhodes
• Pitcher rWAR: 10.0 by Frank Bell


NORTHEASTERN LEAGUE LEADERS

• Average: .433 by Elijah Hill (1B, Green Mtn.)
• On-Base: .456 by Elijah Hill
• Slugging: .556 by Herb Verrett (CF, Maryland)
• OPS: .974 by Elijah Hill
• Hits: 125 by Ned Morganti (CF, Quaker St.)
• Extra-Base Hits: 44 by Herb Verrett
• Doubles: 31 by Herb Verrett
• Triples: 13 by William White (LF, Lancastra B.)
• Home Runs: 3 by William Harmon (2B, Sportsman’s)
• Runs Batted In: 87 by Ned Morganti
• Runs: 84 by Luc Billon (LF, Quaker St.)
• Stolen Bases: 53 by Steffen Strandlund (RF, Lake Erie)
• Total Bases: 178 by Herb Verrett
• Bases on Balls: 28 by Gregersen Rohrmann (RF, Pioneer)
• Win Prob. Added: 5.33 by Herb Verrett
• Batsman WAR: 3.7 by Ned Morganti

• Wins: 30 by Earl Henry (Susquehanna)
• Losses: 24 by Marshall Yarber (Olympic)
• ERA (150+ IP): 2.01 by Earl Henry
• Innings: 372.2 by Tynan Steward (Reading A.C.)
• Complete Games: 34 by William Jones (Cantabrigians)
• Shutouts: 3 by three different pitchers
• BB/9 (150+ IP): 0.4 by three different pitchers
• Strikeouts: 53 by Washington Kihlstedt (Sportsman’s)
• K/9 (150+ IP): 1.5 by Washington Kihlstedt
• K/BB (150+ IP): 2.4 by Washington Kihlstedt
• WHIP (150+ IP): 1.14 by Ross Gill (Quaker St.)
• Pitcher WAR: 7.4 by Robert Dressen (Salem)
• Pitcher rWAR: 11.4 by Ross Gill


ACHIEVEMENTS & NOTABLE EVENTS

• May 1: James Claus (Lancastra B.) opens the season with five hits & six RBI at Susquehanna.
• May 25: Union sets a NYL record & ties the NBBO record for Runs in their 30-3 home win against Baltic.
• June 6: Jonathan Batts (Reading) has five Hits & seven RBI against Sportsman’s.
• June 14: Ned Morganti (Quaker St.) hits two HR and finishes 4/6 with five runs & six RBI against Tiger S.C.
• July 11: Joseph Gant (Susquehanna) pitches the fifth No-Hitter in NBBO history; the first in five years.
• July 14: Herb Verrett (MLD) hits the NBBO’s 2nd Cycle in two days in the same venue.
• July 17: NEL wins the All-Star Game 12-7 at the Philadelphia Cricket Grounds (QS). Elijah Hill (1B, GM) is MVP.

• Three players hit .400 or better, down from a record six in each of the previous two seasons.
• There were five six-hit games in 1871.
• The longest Hitting Streak this season was 37 games by Dave Dawson (QUI), which ended on July 20th.
• Nobody hit 5+ Home Runs in 1872. Four players hit that many the previous season.
• Three players had 75+ RBI in 1872, the same amount as in 1871.
• After three straight seasons in which two pitchers had 30+ wins, only Earl Henry (SUS) had won 30+ games in 1872.
• Three pitchers finished the season with 25+ Wins.

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1872 AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE REVIEW

WRITERS POOL OBSERVATIONS

As in the NBBO, the major change to the pitching regulations had a noticeable impact on offensive output. Scoring was down 12.9% (7.0 R/G to 6.1), Extra-Base Hits decreased by 25.1% even though Batting Average only dropped from .286 to .284, and Bases on Balls were cut by 28.6%. The increased control and spin on the ball that was granted to pitchers when they were allowed to snap their wrists while delivering to the batsman made it more difficult to draw Bases on Balls and more difficult to make solid contact.

ALLEGHANY: They need a bat. John Sampson wasn’t close to an equal replacement for Royal Altman, and while Samuel Kessler hit .345 (.814 OPS) he turns 37 at the start of next season. Kessler’s replacement at 3B, Frank Doherty, was a worthy All-Star due to his amazing defense, but he had a light bat that delivered a sub-600 OPS (.592).

AMERICAN: An incredible season. They matched St. John’s with a 29-16 record over the 2nd half and snatched the Metropolitan pennant from Gotham in the last week of the season before stunning St. John’s in the cup by winning games 6 & 7 on their turf. William Busby keeps hitting Home Runs, Willie Davis looks ageless, Franklin Petty was as good as expected, and Charles Sturch – a #1 prospect for about four years – finally put together an All-Star campaign.

EXCELSIOR: Anything to decrease their reliance on Jim Creighton. They had a better Win% than the champions when he pitched and had the worst Win% in the league when he didn’t. Their defense, ranked 10th, remains a major issue, and attempts to fortify the lineup didn’t work out. However, #2 P Nicholas Banfield had an outstanding 2nd half.

FLOUR CITY: After finishing in 2nd by eight games in the inaugural season they cut the deficit in half this season. F.C. will probably continue on their current path, as they have a top-three offense and extremely talented pitching. The lingering issue is defense, which didn’t perform as well as their regulars are capable of.

GOTHAM: Heartbreak. From a nearly wire-to-wire lead and six All-Stars to a late-season crash and a runner-up finish. Maybe the best thing they can do this winter is simply try to put that 1-5 final week behind them.

KINGS CO: Everyone except Theodore Kohlberg & Garfield Koonce is expendable. They finished 38-52, but their -152 Run Differential suggests a 35-55 finish was more appropriate. This team needs numerous upgrades in order to compete.

KNICKERBOCKER: Their defense fell to #6 and their bats couldn’t make up for it, as Edward Huntley had what was easily the worst offensive season of his career. It also might be time to let rotating #2 P’s Bancroft & Cato go, as #1 prospect Brett Landreth is now rated 3.5 stars, which suggests he’s good enough to start at P for nearly every APBL team. Shamrock did the same with Henry Tallman this year and was rewarded with an All-Star season.

MASS. BAY: Their offense fell to #9, having difficulty adjusting to 37 y/o Thomas Maloney becoming a backup. Albert Stoffers was outstanding, but aside from that they likely need to look at upgrading a few positions.

NIAGARA: They had an awful start, then played outstanding baseball for about a month, and then had an awful finish. They gave former #1 overall prospect Jack Smith a chance at P – a major mistake as he went 6-14 with a 5.57 ERA. They also had the worst offense in the league, with only one player batting over .300. Niagara needs an overhaul.

ORANGE: The loss of Petty didn’t really hurt them, as the production of former Niagara CF Taliesin Buckley nearly made up for it. A couple of their batsmen didn’t hit as well as last year and they were a bit unlucky, given they finished five games out of first place with a Run Differential almost as good as American's.

SHAMROCK: The three-week injury absence of James Burke certainly didn’t help, but All-Stars Frank Bulger & Henry Gaul along with William McCrory all hit notably worse in 1872. Henry Tallman (25-21, 2.65 ERA, 4.7 WAR) was great in his first season as a full-time starter, and it looks like they may be moving on from Tom Ricks.

ST. JOHN’S: They played like two teams within a team, and that killed them in the Founders’ Cup. They have the best-hitting outfielders in the APBL and a .340 hitter at First Base, but their other infielders sacrifice offense – all three had an OPS under .600 – for Golden Glove level defense. They could fix this issue a bit by upgrading the bat at C, where Peter Caliguri is neither a solid hitter nor a great defender.

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1871 APBL STANDINGS

COLONIAL CONFERENCE

		 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA	  RD
St. John’s	56	34	.622	--	593	466	+127
Flour City	52	38	.578	 4	595	532	 +63
Mass. Bay	43	47	.478	13	516	554	 -38
Shamrock	42	48	.467	14	480	497	 -17
Alleghany	39	51	.433	17	482	515	 -33
Niagara		38	52	.422	18	450	552	-102

METROPOLITAN CONFERENCE

		 W	 L	 PCT	GB	 R	 RA	  RD
American	51	39	.567	--	638	558	 +80
Gotham		48	42	.533	 3	601	587	 +14
Orange*		46	44	.511	 5	579	508	 +71
Knick		46	44	.511	 5	584	572	 +12
Excelsior	41	49	.456	10	527	552	 -25
Kings Co.	38	52	.422	13	551	703	-152

*ORA 9-9 v KNI w/ higher RD

PER-TEAM STATISTICS

1872: 6.1 R/G, .286, .655 OPS, 977 H, 129 2B, 35 3B, 3 HR, 138 SB, 3.37 ERA, 85 BB, 70 K, 5.1 E/G, .878 FLD%
1871: 7.0 R/G, .284, .686 OPS, 972 H, 142 2B, 75 3B, 6 HR, 150 SB, 3.87 ERA, 119 BB, 71 K, 4.9 E/G, .886 FLD%


FOUNDERS' CUP II: St. John's v American

American (1st title in APBL or NBBO) wins series four games to three.

GAME 1: AME 1-6 StJ – Nelson Townsend (RF, StJ) 3/4 (all 1B), 1 R, 2 RBI, SB, OF AST
GAME 2: AME 5-8 StJ – Nelson Townsend (RF, StJ) 2/4, 2B, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SB
GAME 3: StJ 7-15 AME – Franklin Petty (CF, AME) 5/5, 2B, 4 R, 2 RBI, SB
GAME 4: StJ 1-6 AME – Louis Marcel (SS, AME) 2/4, 2B, 1 R, 4 RBI
GAME 5: StJ 8-1 AME – Howard Burns (P, StJ) CG, 7 HA, 1 ER, 2/4 (both 1B), 1 R, 1 RBI
GAME 6: AME 9-2 StJ – William Busby 3/4, 2B, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, 2 SB
GAME 7: AME 10-2 StJ – John Brown (P, AME) CG, 4 HA, 1 ER, 2 K

MVP: Werner Verstegen (3B, AME) – .364 (12/33), .758 OPS, 8 R, 1 2B, 8 RBI, 1 BB, 3 SB, 0.68 WPA, 0.2 WAR

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AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE AWARD WINNERS
Career award totals are carried over from the NBBO

BATSMAN OF THE YEAR: Konrad Jensen – 33 y/o LF, St. John’s (3rd career BotY)
• .402/.454/.512, .966 OPS, 96 R, 154 H, 16 2B, 10 3B, 2 HR, 95 RBI, 40 BB, 62 SB, 196 TB, 6.97 WPA, 6.2 WAR
• Led APBL in nine major offensive categories; Hit .447 (80/179) with 1.071 OPS after July 1st (39 G).
• Babe Johnson (2B, GOT) 2nd – .361, .867 OPS, 96 R, 137 H, 18 2B, 8 3B, 71 RBI, 38 BB, 33 SB, 5.40 WPA, 3.8 WAR
• Nelson Townsend (RF, StJ) 3rd – 371, .882 OPS, 102 R, 150 H, 26 2B, 7 3B, 50 RBI, 23 BB, 43 SB, 3.83 WPA, 4.4 WAR

Jensen’s 1872 was nearly as good as teammate Townsend’s 1871. He had career highs in Hits, RBI, & WAR, and he hit over .400 for the third time in five seasons between both major competitions. This was his sixth major individual award between the NBBO & APBL – three BotY’s & MVP’s each. Johnson & Townsend were excellent, but nobody came close to Jensen.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR: James Goodman – 33 y/o, Flour City (2nd career PotY)
• 26-15, 2.74 ERA, 102 K, 380.1 IP, 32 CG, 3 SHO, 26 BB, 1.20 WHIP, 3.9 K/BB, 9.2 WAR, 9.6 rWAR
• Top five in nine major pitching categories; 22-8 with 2.87 ERA after June 1st.
• Thomas Smith (StJ) 2nd – 29-13, 2.41 ERA, 24 K, 381.2 IP, 35 CG, 2 SHO, 1.22 WHIP, 0.6 K/BB, 5.7 WAR, 10.1 rWAR
• Jim Creighton (EXC) 3rd – American Professional Baseball League Most Valuable Player

So, why didn’t Smith, who led the league in Wins & ERA, take PotY? It was widely believed that much of his success was due to the fact that behind him was a St. John’s defense that led the APBL in all four factors: Errors, Fielding %, Efficiency, & Zone Rating. On the other hand, Goodman pitched for a team whose defense was in the bottom half of the league, and after the calendar flipped to June he was fantastic, even if he didn’t end up leading the APBL in any major pitching categories. Creighton may have finished third, but he was given a familiar award to compensate.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Jim Creighton – 31 y/o P, Excelsior (5th career MVP)
• 24-19, 2.93 ERA, 170 K, 383.1 IP, 28 CG, 1 SHO, 34 BB, 1.19 WHIP, 4.0 K/9, 5.0 K/BB, 9.8 WAR, 7.3 rWAR
• 45 G: .366, .860 OPS, 28 R, 53 H, 6 2B, 3 3B, 15 RBI, 11 BB, 8 SB, 65 TB, 1.08 WPA, 1.5 WAR
• 11.3 total WAR between pitching & batting; led league in K’s for 12th straight year & in pitching WAR for 8th time
• Konrad Jensen (LF, StJ) 2nd – American Professional Baseball League Batsman of the Year
• Willie Davis (LF, AME) 3rd – .358, .843 OPS, 102 R, 144 H, 26 2B, 7 3B, 68 RBI, 15 BB, 39 SB, 5.36 WPA, 4.2 WAR

So, why didn’t Jensen double up and take MVP to go with BotY? When Creighton pitched in a game Excelsior was 26-19, which would be 52-38 over 90 games – one better than champions American. When Creighton didn’t pitch Excelsior was 15-30. That’s why Creighton was the APBL MVP: when he had the ball Excelsior played like Founders’ Cup contenders, and when he didn’t have the ball Excelsior played like bottom-dwelling embarrassments.

Jensen had an extraordinary season, but he also plays with another extraordinary corner outfielder in Nelson Townsend. On the other hand, there is nobody like Jim Creighton.

GREENHORN OF THE YEAR: Rudolph Decker – 27 y/o CF, St. John’s
• .337/.361/.413, .774 OPS, 106 R, 138 H, 19 2B, 6 3B, 0 HR, 36 RBI, 7 BB, 64 SB, 169 TB, 4.02 WPA, 3.8 WAR
• Top ten in five major offensive categories; Hit .432 (41/95) in May with .929 OPS.
• C. Whitehead (2B, ORA) 2nd – .343, .769 OPS, 69 R, 136 H, 21 2B, 5 3B, 72 RBI, 3 BB, 4 SB, 4.08 WPA, 2.2 WAR
• Frank Doherty (3B, ALL) 3rd – .258, .592 OPS, 39 R, 95 H, 19 2B, 1 3B, 57 RBI, 6 BB, +17.2 ZR, 0.36 WPA, 1.5 WAR

After St. John’s missed out on Franklin Petty the front office was left wondering how to replace the center of “The Hydra”, William Johnson, after ten seasons playing with Jensen & Townsend. They signed Decker figuring he’d take a year to develop, and instead he reformed The Hydra almost immediately, with the only thing Decker missing being Johnson’s patience at the plate. Whitehead was the more touted Greenhorn, but a slow start and suspect defense (-9.2 ZR), hurt him.


GOLDEN GLOVES

P: Monroe Munson (NIA/1st) – 21 PO, 55 AST, 2 DP, 13 E, 1.92 RNG, +10.5 ZR, 1.273 EFF
C: Albert Goddard (EXC/1st) – 33 PB, 34.3 RTO%, 3.48 C-ERA, +6.7 ZR, 1.062 EFF
1B: Frank Bulger (SHA/2nd) – 945 PO, 48 AST, 30 DP, 26 E, 11.40 RNG, +10.0 ZR, 1.101 EFF
2B: Ralph Knight (FC/2nd) – 326 PO, 275 AST, 19 DP, 60 E, 7.05 RNG, +14.6 ZR, 1.110 EFF
3B: Frank Doherty (ALL/GH) – 159 PO, 158 AST, 2 DP, 30 E, 3.63 RNG, +17.2 ZR, 1.156 EFF
SS: Anthony Mascherino (ORA/13th) – 292 PO, 312 AST, 24 DP, 81 E, 6.79 RNG, +22.2 ZR, 1.117 EFF
LF: Willie Davis (AME/5th) – 163 PO, 1 AST, 28 E, 1.95 RNG, +1.5 ARM, +5.9 ZR, 1.068 EFF
CF: Declan Brice (MB/5th) – 250 PO, 8 AST, 45 E, 3.00 RNG, -1.2 ARM, +8.7 ZR, 1.059 EFF
RF: Reginald Roper (NIA/1st) – 181 PO, 1 AST, 61 E, 2.11 RNG, -3.1 ARM, +7.8 ZR, 1.081 EFF


TEAM OF THE YEAR

P: Thomas Smith (STJ/1st) - 29-13, 2.41 ERA, 24 K, 381.2 IP, 35 CG, 2 SHO, 22 BB, 1.22 WHIP, 0.6 K/BB, 5.7 WAR, 10.1 rWAR
C: Harvey O'Donnell (FC/2nd) - .354, .759 OPS, 50 R, 112 H, 7 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 61 RBI, 2 BB, 0 SB, 122 TB, 4.61 WPA, 2.3 WAR
1B: William Busby (AME/4th) - .340, .838 OPS, 63 R, 120 H, 12 2B, 4 3B, 5 HR, 79 RBI, 29 BB, 1 SB, 155 TB, 4.69 WPA, 2.5 WAR
2B: Babe Johnson (GOT/3rd) - .361, .867 OPS, 96 R, 137 H, 18 2B, 8 3B, 0 HR, 71 RBI, 38 BB, 33 SB, 171 TB, 5.40 WPA, 3.8 WAR
3B: Werner Verstegen (AME/3rd) - .295, .681 OPS, 74 R, 119 H, 19 2B, 3 3B, 0 HR, 85 RBI, 17 BB, 33 SB, 144 TB, 4.67 WPA, 1.4 WAR
SS: A. Mascherino (ORA, 13th) - .302, .690 OPS, 85 R, 127 H, 18 2B, 4 3B, 1 HR, 56 RBI, 31 SB, 156 TB, +22.2 ZR, 2.81 WPA, 4.1 WAR
OF: Konrad Jensen (StJ/12th) - .402/.454/.512, .966 OPS, 96 R, 154 H, 28 XBH, 2 HR, 95 RBI, 40 BB, 62 SB, 196 TB, 6.97 WPA, 5.2 WAR
CF: Franklin Petty (AME/4th) - .343, .810 OPS, 107 R, 132 H, 22 2B, 8 3B, 0 HR, 51 RBI, 21 BB, 49 SB, 175 TB, 4.74 WPA, 4.1 WAR
OF: Nelson Townsend (StJ/7th) - .371, .882 OPS, 102 R, 150 H, 26 2B, 7 3B, 0 HR, 50 RBI, 23 BB, 43 SB, 190 TB, 3.83 WPA, 4.4 WAR

MISCELLANEOUS

APBL STATISTICAL LEADERS

• Average: .402 by Konrad Jensen (LF, St. John’s)
• On-Base: .454 by Konrad Jensen
• Slugging: .512 by Konrad Jensen
• OPS: .966 by Konrad Jensen
• Hits: 154 by Konrad Jensen
• Extra-Base Hits: 35 by Walter Dudley (1B, Orange)
• Doubles: 33 by Walter Dudley
• Triples: 15 by Clive Strachan (RF, Gotham)
• Home Runs: 5 by William Busby (1B, American)
• Runs Batted In: 95 by Konrad Jensen
• Runs: 107 by Franklin Petty (CF, American)
• Stolen Bases: 64 by Rudolph Decker (CF, St. John’s)
• Total Bases: 196 by Konrad Jensen
• Bases on Balls: 40 by Konrad Jensen
• Win Prob. Added: 6.97 by Konrad Jensen
• Batsman WAR: 5.2 by Konrad Jensen

• Wins: 29 by Thomas Smith (St. John’s)
• Losses: 31 by Daniel Flynn (Kings Co.)
• ERA (200+ IP): 2.41 by Thomas Smith
• Strikeouts: 170 by Jim Creighton (Excelsior)
• Innings: 383.1 by Jim Creighton
• Complete Games: 36 by Henry Tallman (Shamrock)
• Shutouts: 4 by Monroe Munson (Niagara)
• BB/9 (200+ IP): 0.4 by Tom Hauser (Mass. Bay)
• K/9 (200+ IP): 4.0 by Jim Creighton
• K/BB (200+ IP): 5.0 by Jim Creighton
• WHIP (200+ IP): 1.13 by Thomas Paddock (Orange)
• Pitcher WAR: 9.8 by Jim Creighton
• Pitcher rWAR: 10.5 by Henry Tallman


ACHIEVEMENTS & NOTABLE EVENTS

• May 18: Royal Altman (Gotham) bats 6/6 with three Doubles, five Runs, & three RBI against Knickerbocker
• July 17: James Goodman (Flour City) pitches a four-hit Shutout and bats 2/3 with a Double against Niagara.
• July 20: Jim Creighton (Excelsior) finishes with nine Strikeouts in a win against Kings Co.
• Aug. 5: The Metro Conf. wins the 2nd All-Star Game 9-8 (10 Inn.). William Busby (American) is named MVP.
• Aug. 24: Shamrock 16-17 Flour City is the 1st APBL game in which both teams score 15+ runs.

• One player hit .400: Konrad Jensen (St. John’s) at .402. Albert Stoffers (Mass. Bay) was 2nd at .383.
• No players had an OPS over 1.000. Only two had an OPS over .900: Jensen (.966) & Stoffers (.905)
• The only batsman to have a WAR of higher than 5.0 was Jensen (5.2).
• The only batsman to have 90+ Runs Batted In was Jensen (95).
• Four players scored 100+ Runs in 1872.
• There was one six-hit game: the 6/6 by Royal Altman on May 18th.
• William Busby (American) was the only player to hit 5+ Home Runs.
• William Busby has won six consecutive Home Run titles between the NBBO & APBL.
• After three players stole 70+ bases last year, none stole 70+ this year.
• Four pitchers earned 25+ Wins in 1872.

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DICKERSON TO SHAMROCK; KESSLER TO ORANGE
PAIR OF STAR CORNER INFIELDERS RELOCATE OVER THE WEEKEND

NORTHEAST USA (Nov. 2-3, 1872) – Two of the most talented infielders in the sport found new homes over the weekend, one an NBBO star and one a veteran legend. Their names: William Dickerson & Samuel Kessler.

On Saturday, Dickerson signed an eight-year services contract to join Shamrock BC. The 1870 NEL Batsman of the Year told Quaker State he wanted to ply his trade at the highest level after five years with their senior team in the NBBO (seven years total), and given Quaker St. knew how lucky they were to have the most talented 3B in the sport playing for them in 1872 they weren’t going to stand in his way.

The signing is bad news for Franklin Spaur, the 26-year old that Shamrock took in from the NBBO this past season with the hopes that he’d be a quality replacement for just-retired veteran 3B Ralph Weber. Unfortunately, Spaur’s play was slightly above replacement level (0.4 WAR) and he lost his place in the lineup after 60-65 games.

Even though Shamrock’s South End Grounds is the toughest park for right-handed hitters in existence, Dickerson still projects as a .330 hitter in the APBL, with the speed to steal 40+ bases and the arm to play above average defense. Given the offensive issues all over the league at the position in 1872, Dickerson could immediately step in and earn a Team of the Year nomination in 1873.

A look at the scouting report on him makes it obvious why he’s seen as such a likely bet to take the APBL by storm:

On Sunday, Orange BBC surprised everybody by announcing they’d signed Samuel Kessler after eight years with Alleghany.

Kessler spent his first seven seasons in Pittsburgh as their 3B before moving to 1B last year, and therein lies the confusion: Orange has a Golden Glove winner and 3x All-Star at 3B in Will Chaffin who recently turned 28, and 1B Walter Dudley was an All-Star for Orange in his first season in the APBL. Is Kessler going to be a backup? Is he going to learn a new position? Is Chaffin or Dudley going to the bench?

Nobody really knows what Orange’s plans are for the trio of Chaffin, Dudley, & Kessler. Surely the 14x All-Star didn’t move to New York City so he could start occasionally when he would have been guaranteed a place in the lineup had he stayed in Pittsburgh with Alleghany next year.

It’s conceivable Kessler could learn to play in the outfield. He would be slow afoot compared to their regular corner outfielders from this past season, but his bat would more than make up for the weak production of Bernard Lambert & Bill Lewis (combined -0.2 WAR).

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VERSTEGEN SIGNS WITH KNICKERBOCKER
FOUNDERS’ CUP MVP GOES TO MANHATTAN AFTER SEVEN YEARS WITH AMERICAN

NEW YORK CITY (Nov. 11, 1872) – Baseball’s annual Autumn Meetings are, and the opening afternoon there was already one major piece of news: longtime American 3B Werner Verstegen had signed a five-year contract to play for Knickerbocker.

Verstegen joins Knickerbocker after seven seasons playing for American in Philadelphia, and it’s a bit of a peculiar signing by the Knick front office. Edward Huntley had moved to 3B – his original position when he started playing in the NBBO in 1857 – because of slightly decreasing range at SS, and he was the second-best defender at the position in the APBL with a +12.6 Zone Rating. Presumably, Huntley is going back to SS as a 37-year-old because 4x Golden Glove & 10x All-Star 2B Leslie Arnett is confirmed to be returning for 1873.

Verstegen showed himself to be one of the most talented 3B’s in the sport during his first four seasons with American, but his last three were up and down. After batting just .309 (.707 OPS) and failing to make the All-Star in American’s last season before moving to the APBL there was talk that they would leave Verstegen behind. However, Verstegen held on to his lineup spot and responded with a .353 Average (.839 OPS), 3.5 WAR, and a Team of the Year nod in the APBL’s inaugural season.

This past season Verstegen earned another Team of the Year spot, but that was due to the overall offensive weakness of the position. Verstegen’s did have a career-high 85 RBI and took home Founders’ Cup MVP, but his Average was down 58 points (.353 to .295), his OPS down 158 (.839 to .681), and his WAR fell from 3.5 to 1.1 as he was also a negative on defense (-7.0 ZR) instead of a positive (+2.5 ZR) in 1871. Obviously, the Knick front office is betting on his form going back up next year, or else they wouldn’t have signed him.

The APBL champions don’t seem to be too pressed at his departure. General Manager Adam Howard has made a habit of signing big-name players since take his place in the team’s front office, and there’s little doubt that there’s another star or two he’ll bring over during the winter.

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FUSILLI & KUPIO GRADUALLY SWAP TEAMS
FORMER JOINS ST. JOHN’S & LATTER JOINS EXCELSIOR; KOHLBERG ALSO JOINS ST. JOHN’S

BROOKLYN & PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Dec. 5-7, 1872) – The announcement of a signing on Thursday completed a roundabout swap of First Basemen, as St. John’s sent out word that they’d signed Excelsior 1B Mario Fusilli a month after letting 1B Tarmo Kuopio leave for Excelsior.

Kuopio left after five seasons in Providence with a reputation as someone who could move runners around the basepaths. In his three NBBO seasons Kuopio had two of the three RBI totals in competition history, and in the inaugural APBL season Kuopio had 83 RBI in 87 games. However, even though he hit .341 this past season Kuopio’s power output was cut nearly in half and he finished 1872 with only 56 RBI, nearly thirty less than in any of his four previous seasons. After losing the Founders’ Cup St. John’s decided to make a changes at a few positions, and First Base was one of them.

Enter Fusilli. After eight NBBO seasons and a .413 Average for Syracuse that saw him earn Batsman of the Year honors in 1868, he joined Excelsior ahead of the inaugural APBL season. However, his Average was only .315-325 over two seasons in Brooklyn with a WAR of 0.0-1.0 in 1871 & ‘72, so he was let go after another season at the bottom of the standings. Excelsior signed Kuopio on November 8th, and St. John’s signed Fusilli on Thursday with the belief that batting in their lineup behind the reformed Outfield Hydra of Decker, Jensen, & Townsend will get him back on track.


Second Base is another position at which St. John’s decided to make a change.

Their regular 2B for both seasons of APBL play has been John Baddley, known for a light bat but excellent defense at the position. Indeed, that was how he played in 1872, batting .244 (.596 OPS; 72 OPS+) with 44 RBI but a +10.0 Zone Rating at Second Base that made up for his lack of batting prowess and earned him 1.5 total WAR on the season.

Having three of the best defensive infielders in the APBL – Baddley along with SS George Pugatch & 3B Ben Gagliardi – was a blessing for St. John’s in the regular season but doomed them in the Founders’ Cup. They let Baddley leave for Utica in the NBBO, and they signed thirteen-year veteran 2B Theodore Kohlberg, who has been an All-Star in both APBL seasons, on Saturday.

Kohlberg is an offensive upgrade at 2B who also fits with what St. John’s likes in their batsmen: he’s patient at the plate (EYE: 80/80) and excellent on the basepaths (Stealing Agg. 75/80, Stealing Abl. 80/80, Baserunning 80/80) while also being at least a decent defender at his position.


Will these changes work out for St. John’s? If nothing else, don’t bet against them.

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PHILLY STUNNER: JAMES BURKE TO AMERICAN
6X ALL-STAR IN SIX SEASONS WITH SHAMROCK JOINS APBL CHAMPS ON SEVEN-YEAR CONTRACT

BOSTON & PHILADELPHIA (Dec. 12, 1872) – When the postmortem was made on Shamrock BC season in the 1872 APBL Review, it was done so under the assumption that they would be bringing superstar CF James Burke back for 1873. Incredibly, that will not be the case.

On Wednesday afternoon, telegrams went out announcing that Founders’ Cup champions American had signed Burke to a seven-year contract to play for them. In joining American, Burke becomes part of an outfield that already has 12x All-Star, 2x Batsman of the Year, & 2x MVP Willie Davis along with Franklin Petty, a 7x All-Star, 1x Batsman of the Year, & 1x MVP.

Burke was an All-Star in each of his six seasons playing in Boston playing for Shamrock, a Team of the Year member three times, and his production has been something to behold:

What will be fascinating to see in the upcoming season is how Burke fares playing his home games in a much more batsman-friendly ballpark. With Shamrock, the left-handed Burke was playing in one of the toughest places to hit anywhere in the sport (AVG LHB: .935; AVG RHB: .856). With American, Burke will be playing in one of the three most friendly parks in the APBL for left-handers (AVG LHB: 1.078). If Burke was able to hit .325 to .330 in the APBL for Shamrock playing half of his games in the South End grounds, .365 to .370 wouldn’t be out of the question playing for American.

Speculation from the Writers Pool is that Petty will move over to Right Field to accommodate the signing of Burke due to the latter’s superior arm in Center Field, and an outfield trio of Burke, Davis, & Petty could mean that for the first time in roughly a decade St. John’s won’t be able to boast of having the most talented outfield trio in the sport.

Over in Boston the Shamrock front office moved quickly to replace Burke, announcing the recruitment of former Gotham & Flour City CF Hiram Majors just 24 hours later on Thursday at lunch time. Majors is a 3x Golden Glove winner who still has award-winning defensive range & skill at the position even though he turns 37 in January. However, Majors is a career .305 hitter (.737 OPS) between the NBBO & APBL and there is little doubt that he will be a very noticeable offensive downgrade from the man who has spent the past six years living up to his Greenhorn nickname “The Trenton Terror”. Shamrock has made good signings elsewhere so far in the offseason, but this is one position where they were not expecting a downgrade.

With regard to the champions, the rich are getting much richer. Not only are they getting one of the most dynamic players in the sport, but the outfielder Burke is replacing, Johnnie Sands, was basically a Replacement Level player in 1872 (0.1 WAR). American are the new kings of baseball, and it will most definitely be tough to take the crown from them.

[20_range]

Excited that a Philadelphia team has finally won something in this league! Curious if you play as St John's or if the game engine has created their dominance. Always following this league as I scope out ideas for mine more logos please

[tm1681]

Originally Posted by 20_range

Excited that a Philadelphia team has finally won something in this league! Curious if you play as St John's or if the game engine has created their dominance. Always following this league as I scope out ideas for mine more logos please

I play in Commissioner Mode, so St. Johns' dominance is 100% due to the game engine. The funny thing is that in the previous version of this universe I did St. John's started out struggling in the NBBO, was eventually invited to the APBL, and won something like seven straight APBL titles in the late 1890s. Apparently the AI in this game likes Rhode Island...who knew?

I have more logos coming. I haven't posted anything for most of the week because I got the idea that due to Philadelphia teams' dominance in both competitions baseball finally gained enough popularity in the city alongside cricket that a formal competition in the city was set up.


These are ones I haven't done before - sixteen new Philadelphia-based teams, so new logos, caps, fonts, jerseys, pants, & socks.

[20_range]

Wow yes. I've been trying to think of identiies for Philly from your era myself. Is there a cricket themed team? I might play this new league on its own

[tm1681]

PHILADELPHIA CITYWIDE LEAGUE GAINS RECOGNITION
CITY’S BASEBALL SCENE HAS RAPIDLY EXPANDED THANKS TO CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS

PHILADELPHIA (Mar. 12-16, 1873) – Since the development of the sport of baseball began in earnest at the start of the second half of the 19th Century, the city of Philadelphia has been known as the “Epicenter of American Cricket”. By the time Doc Adams wrote “The Laws of Base Ball” in December of 1856 and the National Base Ball Organization began play the next spring, the United States’ second-largest city (Population: 674,022 at the 1870 Census; 2/3 of New York City) had roughly two dozen formal cricket clubs and scores of enthusiastic players. Ironically, it was the United States’ first capitol city that had taken the biggest liking the #1 sporting pastime of its former colonial master.

Cricket was popular enough with Pennsylvania’s coastal elite that one player gave this glowing review to a New York newspaper reporter in 1859:

“Look at the cricketers in their loose fitting, comfortable uniforms, their faces beaming with good humour and ruddy health, engendered by exercise. Note the eager anxiety of the fielders, their mortification at an overthrow, or a chance for a catch not taken advantage of; see the high ascending ball, and hear the joyous shout of the triumph, as some unfortunate batsman gets permission to retire to the tent, and if you do not leave the ground impressed with the beauty and the utility of the game, why then you were not cut out for a cricketer.”

For supporters, cricket was a gentlemanly sport that required concentration and technique in order to last long enough to play out a test on an expertly manicured field that could run for days on end. Conversely, baseball was seen as a simplistic game for children and young adults that could be played over the course of an afternoon across any open space with grass.

The above would explain why, even though it had half the population of New York City & Brooklyn combined, originally Philadelphia only had two teams in the NBBO compared to NYC & Brooklyn’s sixteen. It was metropolitan New York where baseball developed, and Philadelphia where cricket remained the ball sport of choice.

For much of the first decade of the NBBO, the two Philadelphian entries were markedly mediocre. American BC won 40+ out of seventy games for the first time in 1866, the competition’s tenth season, while putting up the worst record in NBBO history at 16-54 in 1858. Philadelphian brethren Quaker State BC fared slightly better, winning 40+ games twice and finishing second in the Coastal Championship in 1862. However, by the end of the decade they’d been an under-500 team five times in seven seasons.

Starting in the second half of the 1860’s the baseball in Philadelphia finally began to move on an upward trajectory. In 1868, American finished off five consecutive seasons of increasing Win Totals and Run Differentials:

• 1864: 31-39 (-58 RD)
• 1865: 39-31 (+14 RD)
• 1866: 40-30 (+96 RD)
• 1867: 43-27 (+104 RD)
• 1868: 48-22 (+139 RD)

In the process they won the Coastal Championship for the first time, beating three-time defending champions Shamrock by three games and becoming Philadelphia’s first entry into the Tucker-Wheaton Cup. American hovered around .500 for the next two seasons but still earned an invitation to be one of the inaugural twelve members of the APBL. After a fourth-place finish in the Metropolitan Conference in the APBL’s inaugural season, American went all the way to a Founders’ Cup title victory over St. John’s in Season Two, finishing a slow but steady rise to the top of the sport.

It took a couple of extra years, but Quaker State’s fortunes finally took a resounding turn toward the positive. In 1870 they were passed over for a spot in the APBL but went 41-29, finishing third in the Coastal with a five-win improvement over the previous season. They then responded to the professional snub by having the best season in NBBO history in 1871: an all-time best 58-12 record, an all-time best +290 Run Differential, and they capped it off by winning the final Round Robin version of the Tucker-Wheaton Cup with one game to spare. Quaker St. was again the best team in the NBBO in 1872 – a 54-16 record with a +227 RD – but were stunned in the NEL Championship Series when Portland came from 2-0 behind to beat them in Philadelphia in Game Five.

The Philadelphian teams’ rapidly improving fortunes in baseball’s two major competitions led to rapidly increasing interest in the sport within the city. Clubs that were informal quickly began to become more organized in the latter half of the 1860’s, and some of the city’s older cricket clubs added baseball teams to their ranks.

After American’s Founders’ Cup triumph over St. John’s brought the city its second championship in two years and it’s first top-tier triumph, serious talk began of putting together an organized competition involving most of the formal baseball clubs in the city, similar to New York City & Brooklyn.

As baseball’s 1873 Spring Executive Committee Meetings began, Philadelphia had sent representatives from sixteen clubs to continue a process that began the previous autumn with a series of telegrams and continued over the winter with sporadic in-person talks. The city and its clubs wanted some kind of formal recognition by the larger baseball landscape, and the Executive Committee was very receptive.

The only problem: sixteen clubs couldn’t be added to the NBBO without throwing off the balance of the competition, as there would be 24 teams across three regions in the New York League and 40 across five in the Northeastern League. So, what could a standalone Philadelphia competition be considered as with regard to the two others in existence?

The American Professional Baseball League was classified as a “Professional Baseball Competition (PRO)” and the National Base Ball Organization was classified as a “Regional Baseball Competition (REG)”, so the logic went that Philadelphia could have an intra-city league classified as a “City Baseball Competition (CITY)”, which could conceivably open up other major metropolitan areas to be recognized with competitions of their own.

And thus, on the final day of the Spring Meetings the leaders of the sport of baseball welcomed into existence the Philadelphia City Baseball League (PCBL), the first citywide competition recognized by committee that oversaw the sport.

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The competition, and its member organizations:

P.C.B.L. EASTERN CONFERENCE

The clubs of the Eastern half of Philadelphia were notably more Working Class in both makeup and reputation than those from the other side of the city, with Minerva the exception. Most notable in that regard were the clubs named after the ammunition plant and the major port in Eastern Philadelphia, while others were named after local neighborhoods.

Frankford Arsenal (Name inspired by the former U.S. Army ammunition plant in Philadelphia that made firearms & ammunition for the military from 1816 to 1977.) – Founded in 1855, the club was originally a loose collection of men who worked at the club’s namesake ammunition plant and enjoyed playing a game of baseball on their day off. As one of the older clubs in Philadelphia, Frankford was also one of the first to become more formally organized.

Keystone Baseball Club (name taken from protoball.org) – Founded in 1859, Keystone was originally a non-distinct group of men who played the sport for leisure but became more serious and involved as the city’s baseballing fortunes turned upward. This was a civic-minded club that used elements of the Pennsylvania state flag to identify themselves.

Minerva Baseball Club (name taken from protoball.org) – Minerva, founded in 1860, was at first a small club made up of doctors, lawyers, and other “white-collar” workers who enjoyed ball sports and found inspiration from Minerva’s status as the Roman goddess of justice, law, and wisdom, among other things. Thus, it had more resources behind it than the others.

Port Richmond (named after nearby port district in Philadelphia) – Port Richmond was founded only six years ago, but had plenty of able-bodied men to choose from as it was founded by workers at its namesake port who were looking for baseball games to play on Sundays and men to fill out the teams.

Queen Village (named after local neighborhood in Philadelphia) – Founded in 1860, the neighborhood of Queen Village saw a ball club come into existence when various people in the neighborhood came together with a shared interest in baseball and cricket – mostly cricket at first, but with baseball winning out more recently.

The Sons of Ben (name inspired by MLS club Philadelphia Union’s supporters group) – Sons of Ben had been created a decade earlier by a ragtag assortment of young men deemed not gentlemanly enough for the sport of cricket. Perhaps the cricket elitists were right, because the club’s name allowed the members to refer to themselves as the “S.o.B.’s”. Still, they were heavily influenced by Ben Franklin, even using his famous “Join or Die” political cartoon as the club insignia.

Spartan Baseball Club (name taken from protoball.org) – Spartan was a little over a decade old, its members seeing themselves as sporting fighters more interested in victory than good manners & mid-game tea breaks. To wit, the club’s emblem was straight from the Spartan military standard that warriors of old wore on their shields or held high in battle.

Yorktown Baseball Club (name inspired by local neighborhood; colors inspired by the Yorktown Community Organization) – Yorktown, like Queen Village, was a neighborhood club that was a little over a decade old and drew people of different backgrounds to the sport while aiming to recruit new members from within the neighborhood.

P.C.B.L. WESTERN CONFERENCE

The clubs of Western Philadelphia were much more intertwined with the sport of cricket. Three of the eight to join the Philadelphia League were officially noted as “Baseball & Cricket” clubs, while at least two others had enough men playing both sports to field separate baseball and cricket teams. And as the previous fact may suggest, the clubs of Western Philadelphia were seen as more high class, gentlemanly, and scholarly than their East Philadelphia brethren.

Germantown Baseball & Cricket Club (name & colors inspired by Germantown Cricket Club) – Founded in 1854, Germantown was originally one of the numerous cricket clubs in Philadelphia. Since then, not only had it formed a separate baseball team but it had become more of a general sporting club, as Germantown also offered swimming, fitness activities, lawn tennis, and other racket sports to its members. (As it does in real life)

Independence Baseball Club (name taken from protoball.org; many pre-1871 clubs share the moniker) – Independence was a relatively new club, having been established in 1865. Still, it was well-organized, well-run, and well-followed, with plenty of young men taking part in informal games put on by the club.

Mercantile Baseball Club (name taken from protoball.org) – Mercantile, like Independence, was established in 1865. As their name implies, the club’s members came from the local Merchant Class – bankers, shop owners, salesmen, and others who worked in the trading of goods & services. Above all else, they were well-funded.

Merion Baseball & Cricket Club (name & colors inspired by Merion Cricket Club) – Another western club founded in 1865, Merion had rich backers who quickly expanded the club from just a cricket venture. A baseball team came in 1870, but in eight short years the club had also built a golf course and become a premier formal event destination. (As in real life, in which Merion currently has a golf course, a ballroom, a space for weddings, and a vintage wine cellar)

Overbrook Baseball Club (name inspired by local neighborhood & Overbrook High School, which Wilt Chamberlain went to) – Overbrook, a little over a decade old, was the lone neighborhood club in the western half of the competition. This meant they didn’t necessarily have the resources of the other clubs, but they had a quality talent pool to draw from.

Penn Baseball Club (name inspired by Pennsylvania founder William Penn; colors inspired by the University of Pennsylvania) – Penn was yet another eight-year-old club, founded by graduates of the University of Pennsylvania. The Ivy League backing meant the club had resources behind it, as well as varied interests that included a “brother” club: the Penn Cricket Club.

Philadelphia Baseball & Cricket Club (name & colors inspired by the Philadelphia Cricket Club) – The biggest club in the competition, “P.B.C.C.” was experienced, rich, and could boast of many things. Aside from its fledgling baseball team, it had the oldest active cricket team in the United States, beating Germantown by about a month. It had an 18-hole golf course. It had facilities for racket sports. It had places to swim. It had places to go trapshooting. It had an active Bridge club for those who enjoy card games. It had a wedding & special event center. It had a Sommelier. It had a cigar lounge. It was everything the East Philadelphia clubs weren’t, and it was everything the other West Philadelphia clubs aspired to be. (In real life, the Philadelphia Cricket Club has all of those things except the cigar lounge, which I made up. That, and it actually has TWO 18-hole golf courses.)

Schuylkill Baseball Club (name inspired by nearby river; colors inspired by Penn State University Schuylkill) – Following P.B.C.C. might make it seem like both least & last, but Schuylkill had been around for a decade and was a club able to attract talented players for informal games at their beautiful garden grounds near the banks of the club’s namesake river.


With the clubs in place, now it was up to the Executive Committee to hash out the rules & regulations of the new “P.C.B.L.” with league executives.

In that respect, the process was easy. There were sixteen teams that could be split into a pair of eight-team groups, so the outline of the competition would mirror that of the NBBO:

• The inaugural season will begin on the second Monday in May.
• The teams in each conference play every other team ten times per season for a total of 70 games.
• The ten games will be split up into a pair of five-game series that take place Wednesday-Sunday.
• There will be no games on Monday or Tuesday.
• The above points mean the season will be fourteen weeks in length.
• The first-place team in each conference will play for the Philadelphia championship.

Similarly, basic roster rules also mirrored those of the NBBO:

• Each team may have eighteen players on its Senior Roster.
• Each team may have up to fifteen players on its Reserve Roster.
• There are no limits on player age or nationality.
• No players may be traded directly for one another.
• No players may switch teams during the season unless their registration has been released by their current team.
• The P.C.B.L. will be considered semi-professional.
• Players may be paid, but backups & reserve players should be amateurs.

The main sticking point was what to call the final series. There were already nods to Ben Franklin and William Penn among the clubs in the league, so those were out. It was decided that a local foundry would be contracted to cast a replica of the Liberty Bell in the size of a trophy and the series to decide the champions of Philadelphia would be called the Liberty Bell Cup, with the trophy itself passed around from winner to winner.

Given the presence of clubs that worked in both baseball and cricket, there was also a question of which style of uniform the teams should wear. In the end, it was decided the teams could wear what they wished so long as the uniform was coherent and adhered to the rules. That meant most of the teams would wear standard baseball fare but teams like Germantown, Merion, & P.B.C.C. might show up in something closer to a cricket uniform, with its white sweater and long pants.

And with that, Philadelphia had announced its presence as a major baseball hub. Competition would begin in just under two months, and no doubt the New Yorkers would be curious as to what the standard of play would be in the new competition.

[tm1681]

I still have a fair amount of work to do in order to get the Philadelphia League up and running, but the basics of it have been fleshed out and put into place.

[20_range]

I love it!