The league retained the same franchises from 1881, but the competition from the new American Association was a concern. The two leagues shared no cities, so there were no direct conflicts, but taking a major market in Philadelphia that the NL had abandoned after 1876 must have raised some eyebrows. The NL teams themselves were little affected, as no players of note moved to the AA. Chicago won its third straight NL pennant, in a close race with Providence which finished three games back. Then followed Buffalo and Boston, Cleveland, and Detroit, with Troy under .500 and Worcester was the doormat. Worcester departed the league after this season.
Dan Brouthers topped batters with a .368 average, followed by Cap Anson at .362. Then came Roger Connor at .330, Joe Start at .329, Jim Whitney (a pitcher) at .323, and George Gore at .319. Gore scored 99 runs, falling just short of the century mark in spite of the 84-game schedule. Abner Dalrymple scored 96, Harry Stovey 90, and King Kelly 81. Kelly had 37 doubles, followed by Anson with 29.
Jim McCormick led the way in wins with 36, then came Charley Radbourn with 33, Pud Galvin and Fred Goldsmith at 28, Larry Corcoran 27, Stump Weidmann 25, and Jim Whitney rounding out the 20-game winners with 24. Corcoran led the way with a 1.95 ERA, Radbourn was at 2.11, McCormick 2.37, Goldsmith 2.42, and Tim Keefe 2.49. Radbourn edged McCormick with 201 strikeouts to 200, and George Derby was third with 182.
NL Win Shares, pitchers; Charley Radbourn (Providence) 50, Jim McCormick (Cleveland) 42, Jim Whitney (Boston) 40, Stump Wiedman (Detroit) 35, Pud Galvin (Buffalo) and Fred Goldsmith (Chicago) 29, Larry Corcoran (Chicago) 28, Tim Keefe (Troy) 24.
Position players; John M. Ward 31 (Providence--actually, Ward was 2/3 a RF and 1/3 a pitcher this year, and got most of his WS for pitching), Dan Brouthers (Buffalo) 20, Jack Glasscock (Cleveland), Charlie Bennett (Detroit), Roger Connor (Troy) all 19, Cap Anson(Chicago) and Paul Hines (Providence) 18 each, George Gore (Chicago) 17, Abner Dalrymple, King Kelly, and Ned Williamson, all of Chicago, 16 WS each.
WARP3 scores: Radbourn 6.6, McCormick 8.8, Whitney 7.2, Wiedman 8.7, Galvin 1.3, Goldsmith 3.5, Corcoran 5.5, Keefe 7.9. For the players, Ward 4.5, roughly half of that as a pitcher, Brouthers 9.2, Glasscock 8.2, Bennett 8.9, Connor 7.2, Anson 6.3, Hines 7.4, Gore 8.1, Dalrymple 6.1, Kelly 6.4, Williamson 7.2. Other top scores were Joe Hornung of Boston at 5.5 and Buck Ewing of Troy at 5.6.
WAR for pitchers: McCormick 9.3, Weidmann 7.6, Radbourn 7.1, Corcoran 6.3, Goldsmith 5.6, Whitney 4.6, Galvin 4.0.
WAR for position players: Brouthers 6.0, Glasscock 4.8, Connor 4.4, Williamson and Start 4.3, Anson and Bennett 4.2.
Top pitcher: Jim McCormick. With George Bradley fading quickly, McCormick was the only reliable pitcher Cleveland had, and he ended up pitching over 100 more innings than any other NL hurler.
#1 Jim McCormick, #2 Charley Radbourn, #3 Jim Whitney, #4 Stump Wiedman, #5 Larry Corcoran.
Top player: Dan Brouthers is an easy pick, leading in average, OBA, slugging, OPS, hits, and total bases.
#1 Dan Brouthers, #2 Charlie Bennett, #3 Jack Glasscock, #4 Roger Connor, #5 Paul Hines, #6 George Gore.
The "Heisman" for best two-way awarded to Jim Whitney, one of the best hitters in the league as well as a solid pitcher. Ward finishes second here, because Whitney hit better.
No rookie selection, as there was no standout NL rookie after a bunch of notables last year.
Top manager: Cap Anson. He did lead the pennant winners, after all.
31 March 2007
27 March 2007
1882 American Association
A new "major league" appeared on the scene in 1882, with six teams operating mostly in the midwest. The AA would have a 10-year life, and be only tangentially connected to the minor league of the same name that operated afterwards. The AA opened in the cities of Baltimore, Cincinnati, Louisville, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis. It is considered to have a brand of baseball inferior to the NL, and generally it did, being about 90-95% of the NL's quality roughly speaking. It was similar to the ratio between the Japanese majors and the American majors today. But it wasn't a very large difference, and a good AA team could hang a defeat on an NL team easily enough.
Cincinnati won the first AA pennant, with a team of some of the same people (notably pitcher Will White) who had been on the Cincinnati NL team in 1880, before the franchise dropped out of the league.
Pete Browning won the batting title at age 21 with a .378 mark. The league had just four .300 hitters: the others were Hick Carpenter (.342), Ed Swartwood (.329), and Jack O'Brien at .303. Swartwood led in runs scored with 86, followed by Joe Sommer with 82, Carpenter at 78 and Browning at 67. Swartwood and Mike Mansell led with 18 doubles, while Browning had 17. Carpenter led with 67 RBI in 80 games.
Will White led the league with 40 wins while Tony Mullane had 30. The twenty-game winners were Sam Weaver with 26, Jumbo McGinnis with 25, and Harry Salisbury with 20. Denny Driscoll led in ERA with a 1.21 mark. Guy Hecker followed at 1.30, Harry McCormick at 1.52, and White at 1.54. Mullane led in strikeouts with 170, Salisbury had 135 and McGinnis 134.
Win Shares leaders, beginning with the pitchers; Will White (Cincinnati) 54, Tony Mullane (Louisville) 36, Sam Weaver (Philadelphia) 33, Jumbo McGinnis (St. Louis) 26, Harry McCormick (Cincinnati) 20, Harry Salisbury (Pittsburgh) 19.
Position players; Pete Browning (Louisville) 20, Hick Carpenter (Cincinnati) 18, Guy Hecker (Louisville) 17, Joe Sommer (Cincinnati), Ed Swartwood (Pittsburgh) and Bill Gleason (St. Louis) 16 each, Jack O'Brien (Philadelphia) 14.
WARP3 scores: White 3.0 (his best year), Mullane 0.8 (his rookie year, five games the year before in the NL), Weaver 0.7, McGinnis -1.0 (apparently he was a horrible fielder), McCormick 0.1 (last major league year), Salisbury -2.6 (last major league year).
For the players, Browning 6.5 (rookie year), Carpenter 4.6, Hecker 0.9 (rookie year, also a pitcher, and in the future would pitch more), Sommer 2.6 (best year), Swartwood 2.6 (rookie), Gleason -1.2 (rookie), O'Brien 4.9 (rookie, best year). Also, Denny Driscoll of Pittsburgh posted a 4.1 mark, while Pop Snyder of Cincinnati was at 3.8.
WAR for pitchers, from Baseball-Reference dot com: White 12.2, Weaver 6.9, Mullane 6.4, Driscoll 5.1, McCormick 4.5, McGinnis 2.9, Salisbury 2.3.
WAR for position players from Fangraphs: Browning 4.1, Carpenter 3.0, Swartwood 2.6, Snyder 2.4, O'Brien and Sommer 2.3.
Best pitcher: Will White led the league in wins, complete games, shutouts, and innings, 4th in ERA, WHIP and strikeouts. I'll take him.
#1 Will White, #2 Sam Weaver, #3 Tony Mullane.
Best player: Pete Browning. Led in all the percentage categories and on the leaderboards for the counting stats, even though he got a late start.
#1 Pete Browning, #2 Hick Carpenter, #3 Ed Swartwood, $4 Pop Snyder, #5 Joe Sommer.
Best rookie: Tony Mullane, league strikeout leader.
A word about Pete Browning, the original Louisville Slugger, before I go. Pete played in the AA 1882-89, for most of its existence. He was the best hitter the league would ever see, but he was not a great player. He will rank low some years simply because his defense was generally so atrocious. The gag about him was that Louisville could replace him in the outfield with a cigar store Indian, and at least an occasional ball might ricochet off the Indian back to the infield. Browning's defense was even below replacement level as a general rule, but the man could definitely hit a baseball.
Cincinnati won the first AA pennant, with a team of some of the same people (notably pitcher Will White) who had been on the Cincinnati NL team in 1880, before the franchise dropped out of the league.
Pete Browning won the batting title at age 21 with a .378 mark. The league had just four .300 hitters: the others were Hick Carpenter (.342), Ed Swartwood (.329), and Jack O'Brien at .303. Swartwood led in runs scored with 86, followed by Joe Sommer with 82, Carpenter at 78 and Browning at 67. Swartwood and Mike Mansell led with 18 doubles, while Browning had 17. Carpenter led with 67 RBI in 80 games.
Will White led the league with 40 wins while Tony Mullane had 30. The twenty-game winners were Sam Weaver with 26, Jumbo McGinnis with 25, and Harry Salisbury with 20. Denny Driscoll led in ERA with a 1.21 mark. Guy Hecker followed at 1.30, Harry McCormick at 1.52, and White at 1.54. Mullane led in strikeouts with 170, Salisbury had 135 and McGinnis 134.
Win Shares leaders, beginning with the pitchers; Will White (Cincinnati) 54, Tony Mullane (Louisville) 36, Sam Weaver (Philadelphia) 33, Jumbo McGinnis (St. Louis) 26, Harry McCormick (Cincinnati) 20, Harry Salisbury (Pittsburgh) 19.
Position players; Pete Browning (Louisville) 20, Hick Carpenter (Cincinnati) 18, Guy Hecker (Louisville) 17, Joe Sommer (Cincinnati), Ed Swartwood (Pittsburgh) and Bill Gleason (St. Louis) 16 each, Jack O'Brien (Philadelphia) 14.
WARP3 scores: White 3.0 (his best year), Mullane 0.8 (his rookie year, five games the year before in the NL), Weaver 0.7, McGinnis -1.0 (apparently he was a horrible fielder), McCormick 0.1 (last major league year), Salisbury -2.6 (last major league year).
For the players, Browning 6.5 (rookie year), Carpenter 4.6, Hecker 0.9 (rookie year, also a pitcher, and in the future would pitch more), Sommer 2.6 (best year), Swartwood 2.6 (rookie), Gleason -1.2 (rookie), O'Brien 4.9 (rookie, best year). Also, Denny Driscoll of Pittsburgh posted a 4.1 mark, while Pop Snyder of Cincinnati was at 3.8.
WAR for pitchers, from Baseball-Reference dot com: White 12.2, Weaver 6.9, Mullane 6.4, Driscoll 5.1, McCormick 4.5, McGinnis 2.9, Salisbury 2.3.
WAR for position players from Fangraphs: Browning 4.1, Carpenter 3.0, Swartwood 2.6, Snyder 2.4, O'Brien and Sommer 2.3.
Best pitcher: Will White led the league in wins, complete games, shutouts, and innings, 4th in ERA, WHIP and strikeouts. I'll take him.
#1 Will White, #2 Sam Weaver, #3 Tony Mullane.
Best player: Pete Browning. Led in all the percentage categories and on the leaderboards for the counting stats, even though he got a late start.
#1 Pete Browning, #2 Hick Carpenter, #3 Ed Swartwood, $4 Pop Snyder, #5 Joe Sommer.
Best rookie: Tony Mullane, league strikeout leader.
A word about Pete Browning, the original Louisville Slugger, before I go. Pete played in the AA 1882-89, for most of its existence. He was the best hitter the league would ever see, but he was not a great player. He will rank low some years simply because his defense was generally so atrocious. The gag about him was that Louisville could replace him in the outfield with a cigar store Indian, and at least an occasional ball might ricochet off the Indian back to the infield. Browning's defense was even below replacement level as a general rule, but the man could definitely hit a baseball.
25 March 2007
1881 National League
Cincinnati, a non-factor in the pennant race the previous few years, dropped out of the league and was replaced by a Detroit franchise. Cincy would resurface the next year in the new American Association. Chicago once again ran away with the pennant, although they were not quite as dominating as the year before. They were nine games in front of Providence, with Buffalo third.
Cap Anson ran away with the batting title with a .399 average. Joe Start was second at .328, then Fred Dunlap at .325. Abner Dalrymple and King Kelly were next at .323. George Gore scored 86 runs (in 73 games), Kelly 84 (in 82 games). Kelly and Paul Hines led the league with 27 doubles.
Larry Corcoran and Jim (Grasshopper) Whitney were the only 30-game winners with 31 each. George Derby had 29 wins, Pud Galvin 28. Stump Weidman led with a 1.80 ERA but had only 13 starts. John M. Ward led regular pitchers with a 2.13 mark, then Derby was at 2.20. Derby led the loop with 212 strikeouts, followed by Jim McCormick at 178.
Win Shares leaders: pitchers; Jim Whitney (Boston) 42, Pud Galvin (Buffalo) 36, Jim McCormick (Cleveland) and George Derby (Detroit) 34, Larry Corcoran (Chicago) 30, John M. Ward (Providence P/OF/SS) 27, Lee Richmond (Worcester) 26, Fred Goldsmith (Chicago) and Mickey Welch (Troy) 25, Charlie Radbourn (Providence) 24, Tim Keefe (Troy) 23. It was becoming more common for teams to have two alternating pitchers.
Position players; Cap Anson (Chicago) 22, Tom York (Providence) 17, Paul Hines, Joe Start (both Providence) and King Kelly (Chicago) 16, Dan Brouthers and Hardy Richardson (Buffalo), Abner Dalrymple and George Gore (Chicago), Fred Dunlap (Cleveland), and Charlie Bennett (Detroit) with 15. Jim O'Rourke (Buffalo) and Ned Williamson (Chicago) had 14.
WARP3 scores: Whitney 7.7 (in his rookie year), Galvin 6.6, McCormick 6.5, Derby 3.1 (his rookie, and only good year), Corcoran 0.5, Ward 5.0, Richmond 1.4, Goldsmith 1.3, Welch 2.4, Radbourn 4.6 (rookie season), Keefe 0.4.
Among players, Anson 9.0, York 5.2, Hines 5.9, Start 3.3, Kelly 6.7, Brouthers 4.1, Richardson 5.1, Dalrymple 5.7, Gore 6.7, Dunlap 8.5, Bennett 8.8, O'Rourke 2.7, Williamson 6.3. Additionally, Pebbly Jack Glasscock (Cleveland) posted a 5.1 mark, John Rowe (Buffalo) was at 4.9, and Buck Ewing of Troy at 4.6.
WAR, pitchers: Derby 6.8, Galvin 6.1, Whitney 5.1, Welch 4.6, McCormick 4.2, Radbourn 3.5. WAR, position players: Anson 5.7, Bennett 4.3, Dunlap 3.9, Williamson 3.1, Kelly 2.6, Start, York, and Richardson 2.5.
Top pitcher: Pud Galvin. It's a tough choice, as there is no clear standout. Corcoran and Whitney tied for the wins lead, Stump Wiedman led in ERA for Detroit but pitched only 13 games. McCormick led in WHIP, Derby in strikeouts and shutouts. Galvin is something of a compromise choice, as he did well in about every category, without standing out in any.
#1 Pud Galvin, #2 George Derby, #3 Larry Corcoran, #4 Jim McCormick, #5 Jim Whitney.
Among players, this was truly Cap Anson's year. He led the league in batting average, on-base, OPS, RBI, hits, total bases, and OPS+. A dominating performance for Cap at age 29. Only Brouthers was close as a hitter.
#1 Cap Anson, #2 Charlie Bennett, #3 Fred Dunlap, #4 King Kelly, #5 Ed Williamson.
Rookie of the year was Charles (Old Hoss) Radbourn, who would make history in a couple of years with an iron-man performance.
Best manager: Anson, for the second straight year, as his White Stockings repeated.
Cap Anson ran away with the batting title with a .399 average. Joe Start was second at .328, then Fred Dunlap at .325. Abner Dalrymple and King Kelly were next at .323. George Gore scored 86 runs (in 73 games), Kelly 84 (in 82 games). Kelly and Paul Hines led the league with 27 doubles.
Larry Corcoran and Jim (Grasshopper) Whitney were the only 30-game winners with 31 each. George Derby had 29 wins, Pud Galvin 28. Stump Weidman led with a 1.80 ERA but had only 13 starts. John M. Ward led regular pitchers with a 2.13 mark, then Derby was at 2.20. Derby led the loop with 212 strikeouts, followed by Jim McCormick at 178.
Win Shares leaders: pitchers; Jim Whitney (Boston) 42, Pud Galvin (Buffalo) 36, Jim McCormick (Cleveland) and George Derby (Detroit) 34, Larry Corcoran (Chicago) 30, John M. Ward (Providence P/OF/SS) 27, Lee Richmond (Worcester) 26, Fred Goldsmith (Chicago) and Mickey Welch (Troy) 25, Charlie Radbourn (Providence) 24, Tim Keefe (Troy) 23. It was becoming more common for teams to have two alternating pitchers.
Position players; Cap Anson (Chicago) 22, Tom York (Providence) 17, Paul Hines, Joe Start (both Providence) and King Kelly (Chicago) 16, Dan Brouthers and Hardy Richardson (Buffalo), Abner Dalrymple and George Gore (Chicago), Fred Dunlap (Cleveland), and Charlie Bennett (Detroit) with 15. Jim O'Rourke (Buffalo) and Ned Williamson (Chicago) had 14.
WARP3 scores: Whitney 7.7 (in his rookie year), Galvin 6.6, McCormick 6.5, Derby 3.1 (his rookie, and only good year), Corcoran 0.5, Ward 5.0, Richmond 1.4, Goldsmith 1.3, Welch 2.4, Radbourn 4.6 (rookie season), Keefe 0.4.
Among players, Anson 9.0, York 5.2, Hines 5.9, Start 3.3, Kelly 6.7, Brouthers 4.1, Richardson 5.1, Dalrymple 5.7, Gore 6.7, Dunlap 8.5, Bennett 8.8, O'Rourke 2.7, Williamson 6.3. Additionally, Pebbly Jack Glasscock (Cleveland) posted a 5.1 mark, John Rowe (Buffalo) was at 4.9, and Buck Ewing of Troy at 4.6.
WAR, pitchers: Derby 6.8, Galvin 6.1, Whitney 5.1, Welch 4.6, McCormick 4.2, Radbourn 3.5. WAR, position players: Anson 5.7, Bennett 4.3, Dunlap 3.9, Williamson 3.1, Kelly 2.6, Start, York, and Richardson 2.5.
Top pitcher: Pud Galvin. It's a tough choice, as there is no clear standout. Corcoran and Whitney tied for the wins lead, Stump Wiedman led in ERA for Detroit but pitched only 13 games. McCormick led in WHIP, Derby in strikeouts and shutouts. Galvin is something of a compromise choice, as he did well in about every category, without standing out in any.
#1 Pud Galvin, #2 George Derby, #3 Larry Corcoran, #4 Jim McCormick, #5 Jim Whitney.
Among players, this was truly Cap Anson's year. He led the league in batting average, on-base, OPS, RBI, hits, total bases, and OPS+. A dominating performance for Cap at age 29. Only Brouthers was close as a hitter.
#1 Cap Anson, #2 Charlie Bennett, #3 Fred Dunlap, #4 King Kelly, #5 Ed Williamson.
Rookie of the year was Charles (Old Hoss) Radbourn, who would make history in a couple of years with an iron-man performance.
Best manager: Anson, for the second straight year, as his White Stockings repeated.
1880 National League
For the 1880 season, Syracuse dropped out, and Worcester joined. The trend to ever-smaller cities was becoming worrisome, and threatening the NL in its identity as a "major" league. Something would have to be done soon. Chicago, with Cap Anson now fully in charge, roared to the pennant with a powerhouse offense. Chicago would roll off three pennants in a row.
George Gore won the batting title with a .360 average. He was followed by Cap Anson at .337, Roger Connor at .332, and Abner Dalrymple at .330, as Chicago took three of the top four spots. Dalrymple was the leader in runs scored with 90, followed by Harry Stovey at 76. Anson led in RBI with 74 followed by King Kelly at 60. Gore's 183 OPS+ led the pack.
Jim McCormick posted 45 wins, Larry Corcoran 43, John M. Ward 39, Mickey Welch 34, and Lee Richmond 32. Tim Keefe, with just 12 starts, led the loop with a 0.86 ERA followed by George Bradley at 1.38, Ward at 1.74, Fred Goldsmith at 1.75, and McCormick at 1.85. Corcoran led with 268 strikeouts, McCormick 260, Richmond 243, Ward 230.
1880 Win Shares data: pitching; Jim McCormick (Cleveland) 54, Larry Corcoran (Chicago) 52, John M. Ward (Providence) 51, Mickey Welch (Troy) and Lee Richmond (Worcester) 42. Tommy Bond in Boston fell to 21 WS, behind Fred Goldsmith, who was Chicago's second pitcher and spare CF/1B. Goldsmith had 24 WS.
Position players; George Gore (Chicago) and George Bradley (Providence) 24, Abner Dalrymple (Chicago) 23, Adrian Anson (Chicago) 20, Paul Hines (Providence) 19, Jim O'Rourke (Boston), Fred Dunlap (Cleveland) and Roger Connor (Troy) at 17, King Kelly (Chicago) 16.
WARP3: McCormick 5.9, Corcoran 6.8 (his rookie year), Ward 7.8, Welch 5.8 (his rookie year as well), Richmond (rookie) 4.3, Bond -0.4 (his last full year, at age 24. Another pitching arm ruined by overwork, 19th century style), Goldsmith 1.2.
For the players, Gore 10.4, Bradley 6.4 (switching from P to 3B, and his last good year), Dalrymple 8.4, Anson 7.0, Hines 9.0, O'Rourke 6.2, Dunlap 8.4 (his rookie year), Connor 5.6 (also a rookie--good year for NL rookies), Kelly 4.1. In addition, John Clapp of Cincinnati posted a 7.9, and Orator Shaffer of Cleveland a 7.1.
WAR for position players: Anson 4.8, Gore 4.5, Hines 4.1, Dunlap 3.9, Arthur Irwin (Worcester) 3.4, Dalrymple 3.3, Connor 3.1, Clapp 3.0.
WAR for pitchers: McCormick 9.1, Corcoran 7.8, Richmond 7.2, Ward 6.7, Welch 3.8, Keefe 3.7, Goldsmith 3.6, Bradley 3.3.
Best pitcher: John M. Ward. He was about as valuable for his hitting and fielding as his pitching, but that counts too. Ward was third in wins and ERA, fourth in strikeouts, first in shutouts, second in innings. McCormick would be second on my ballot, followed by Larry Corcoran and Lee Richmond. Honorable mention to Tim Keefe, breaking in with Troy and terrific but in only 12 games.
Among players, George Gore was dominant in this season. He led the league in batting average, on base, slugging, and OPS+. He was surrounded by hitters of exceptional quality like Kelly, Anson and Dalrymple, who got some of the counting stats that way, but Gore was the best. My ballot would go #1 Gore, #2 Hines (the two-time defending MVP), #3 Dalrymple, #4 Anson, #5 Dunlap. No wonder Chicago won the pennant, with three of the four best players and the second-best pitcher. That was some outfield with Dalrymple, Gore and Kelly, all 22-23 years old.
For top rookie, Larry Corcoran. He pitched well in a pennant race. Connor second, followed by Dunlap, then Welch and Keefe. A great year for rookies.
Top manager: Cap Anson, a winner in his first full season.
George Gore won the batting title with a .360 average. He was followed by Cap Anson at .337, Roger Connor at .332, and Abner Dalrymple at .330, as Chicago took three of the top four spots. Dalrymple was the leader in runs scored with 90, followed by Harry Stovey at 76. Anson led in RBI with 74 followed by King Kelly at 60. Gore's 183 OPS+ led the pack.
Jim McCormick posted 45 wins, Larry Corcoran 43, John M. Ward 39, Mickey Welch 34, and Lee Richmond 32. Tim Keefe, with just 12 starts, led the loop with a 0.86 ERA followed by George Bradley at 1.38, Ward at 1.74, Fred Goldsmith at 1.75, and McCormick at 1.85. Corcoran led with 268 strikeouts, McCormick 260, Richmond 243, Ward 230.
1880 Win Shares data: pitching; Jim McCormick (Cleveland) 54, Larry Corcoran (Chicago) 52, John M. Ward (Providence) 51, Mickey Welch (Troy) and Lee Richmond (Worcester) 42. Tommy Bond in Boston fell to 21 WS, behind Fred Goldsmith, who was Chicago's second pitcher and spare CF/1B. Goldsmith had 24 WS.
Position players; George Gore (Chicago) and George Bradley (Providence) 24, Abner Dalrymple (Chicago) 23, Adrian Anson (Chicago) 20, Paul Hines (Providence) 19, Jim O'Rourke (Boston), Fred Dunlap (Cleveland) and Roger Connor (Troy) at 17, King Kelly (Chicago) 16.
WARP3: McCormick 5.9, Corcoran 6.8 (his rookie year), Ward 7.8, Welch 5.8 (his rookie year as well), Richmond (rookie) 4.3, Bond -0.4 (his last full year, at age 24. Another pitching arm ruined by overwork, 19th century style), Goldsmith 1.2.
For the players, Gore 10.4, Bradley 6.4 (switching from P to 3B, and his last good year), Dalrymple 8.4, Anson 7.0, Hines 9.0, O'Rourke 6.2, Dunlap 8.4 (his rookie year), Connor 5.6 (also a rookie--good year for NL rookies), Kelly 4.1. In addition, John Clapp of Cincinnati posted a 7.9, and Orator Shaffer of Cleveland a 7.1.
WAR for position players: Anson 4.8, Gore 4.5, Hines 4.1, Dunlap 3.9, Arthur Irwin (Worcester) 3.4, Dalrymple 3.3, Connor 3.1, Clapp 3.0.
WAR for pitchers: McCormick 9.1, Corcoran 7.8, Richmond 7.2, Ward 6.7, Welch 3.8, Keefe 3.7, Goldsmith 3.6, Bradley 3.3.
Best pitcher: John M. Ward. He was about as valuable for his hitting and fielding as his pitching, but that counts too. Ward was third in wins and ERA, fourth in strikeouts, first in shutouts, second in innings. McCormick would be second on my ballot, followed by Larry Corcoran and Lee Richmond. Honorable mention to Tim Keefe, breaking in with Troy and terrific but in only 12 games.
Among players, George Gore was dominant in this season. He led the league in batting average, on base, slugging, and OPS+. He was surrounded by hitters of exceptional quality like Kelly, Anson and Dalrymple, who got some of the counting stats that way, but Gore was the best. My ballot would go #1 Gore, #2 Hines (the two-time defending MVP), #3 Dalrymple, #4 Anson, #5 Dunlap. No wonder Chicago won the pennant, with three of the four best players and the second-best pitcher. That was some outfield with Dalrymple, Gore and Kelly, all 22-23 years old.
For top rookie, Larry Corcoran. He pitched well in a pennant race. Connor second, followed by Dunlap, then Welch and Keefe. A great year for rookies.
Top manager: Cap Anson, a winner in his first full season.
24 March 2007
1879 National League
The NL returned to an 8-team loop, keeping Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Providence in the fold, while adding Buffalo, Cleveland, Syracuse, and Troy, giving the league a strong New York state flavor, if not New York City. NYC would not return to the fold until 1883. Games played increased as a result. It thus became more common to have a second pitcher, who would spell the #1 guy every third or fourth league game. It wasn't exactly a rotation, but it was the first league usage of multiple pitchers.
Providence won the pennant, breaking the Boston Red Caps' streak. The Rhode Island team had gone all-in, bringing in several stars to complement the solid team they had in place. Boston was second, followed by Buffalo, Chicago, and Cincinnati. Syracuse, Cleveland, and Troy, three of the four new clubs, brought up the rear.
Providence had the top two hitters with Paul Hines at .357 and Jim O'Rourke at .348, with King Kelly at a slightly lower .348 for Cincinnati. John O'Rourke hit .341 and Deacon White .330. Charlie Eden hit 31 doubles and "Buttercup" Dickerson 14 triples. Charley Jones led with 85 runs scored, Hines scored 81 runs, George Wright 79, and Kelly 78.
John M. Ward had 47 wins, Will White and Tommy Bond 43 each, and Pud Galvin won 37. Bond led with a 1.96 ERA, White was at 1.99, Ward 2.15. Ward had 239 strikeouts, White 232.
Win Shares data: Among pitchers, Pud Galvin (Buffalo) had 61 WS, J.M. Ward (Providence) 51, Tommy Bond (Boston) 50. Terry Larkin (Chicago) had 39, Will White (Cincinnati) and Jim McCormick (Cleveland) 33.
Position players were led by Paul Hines (Providence) at 22, followed by Charley Jones of Boston with 21, King Kelly (Cincinnati) at 20, then at 17 were Orator Jim O'Rourke (Providence), Ned Williamson (Chicago), Deacon White (Cincinnati), and John O'Rourke (Boston). George Wright played as well as managed (only in this year) for Providence and collected 16 Win Shares.
WARP3 scores: Galvin 3.0; this was Galvin's first full year, after 8 games in the NA in 1875, so I guess he's an NL rookie: Ward 6.3, Bond 6.4 (last great year), Larkin 1.6 (last good year), White 1.6, McCormick 6.8. Position players, Hines 10.5, Jones 9.5 (best year), Kelly 9.2, Jim O'Rourke 7.0, Williamson 7.4, White 8.4 (last big year), John O'Rourke 8.9 (as a 29-year-old "rookie"), Wright 7.5 (last year as regular). Next highest was Silver Flint of Chicago at 6.6.
WAR: Bond 13.4, Ward 9.2, Galvin 6.9, McCormick 5.3, Larkin 3.7 among pitchers, with Jones at 4.9, Hines 4.6, Wright 4.4, Williamson 4.3, Kelly 4.2, John O'Rourke 3.9, White 3.5, Jim O'Rourke 3.3 for position players.
For top player, I'll take Paul Hines for the second year in a row. No Triple Crown this year, but he was the top player on the pennant winners, and as good as anyone. O'Rourke was operating in a helpful hitting environment, and the OPS+ lead was:
Kelly-CIN 184, Jones-BSN 183, O'Rourke-BSN 182, Hines-PRO 180
that's almost a wash, so I'll go with Hines, an excellent defensive player as well. Jones could be the one, but I'll go with Hines since Providence beat out Boston in this season.
#1 Paul Hines, #2 Charley Jones, #3 King Kelly, #4 Deacon White, #5 George Wright.
Best pitcher: John M. Ward, by a slim margin over Tommy Bond. Ward led in wins and strikeouts, finished 2nd to Bond in ERA. Bond also led in WHIP. Again, it's close, so I'll give the edge to the player on the pennant winner. Special mention to Will White as most durable. Amazingly, Ward was also the youngest player in the league, at 19.
#1 John M. Ward, #2 Tommy Bond, #3 Pud Galvin, #4 Terry Larkin, #5 Jim McCormick.
Top rookie: John O'Rourke, with a super year in Boston.
Top manager: George Wright, moving to Providence to get his own team and emerging from his brother's leadership shadow. He played a darn fine shortstop, too. This was his only year in the NL as a manager, though.
Providence won the pennant, breaking the Boston Red Caps' streak. The Rhode Island team had gone all-in, bringing in several stars to complement the solid team they had in place. Boston was second, followed by Buffalo, Chicago, and Cincinnati. Syracuse, Cleveland, and Troy, three of the four new clubs, brought up the rear.
Providence had the top two hitters with Paul Hines at .357 and Jim O'Rourke at .348, with King Kelly at a slightly lower .348 for Cincinnati. John O'Rourke hit .341 and Deacon White .330. Charlie Eden hit 31 doubles and "Buttercup" Dickerson 14 triples. Charley Jones led with 85 runs scored, Hines scored 81 runs, George Wright 79, and Kelly 78.
John M. Ward had 47 wins, Will White and Tommy Bond 43 each, and Pud Galvin won 37. Bond led with a 1.96 ERA, White was at 1.99, Ward 2.15. Ward had 239 strikeouts, White 232.
Win Shares data: Among pitchers, Pud Galvin (Buffalo) had 61 WS, J.M. Ward (Providence) 51, Tommy Bond (Boston) 50. Terry Larkin (Chicago) had 39, Will White (Cincinnati) and Jim McCormick (Cleveland) 33.
Position players were led by Paul Hines (Providence) at 22, followed by Charley Jones of Boston with 21, King Kelly (Cincinnati) at 20, then at 17 were Orator Jim O'Rourke (Providence), Ned Williamson (Chicago), Deacon White (Cincinnati), and John O'Rourke (Boston). George Wright played as well as managed (only in this year) for Providence and collected 16 Win Shares.
WARP3 scores: Galvin 3.0; this was Galvin's first full year, after 8 games in the NA in 1875, so I guess he's an NL rookie: Ward 6.3, Bond 6.4 (last great year), Larkin 1.6 (last good year), White 1.6, McCormick 6.8. Position players, Hines 10.5, Jones 9.5 (best year), Kelly 9.2, Jim O'Rourke 7.0, Williamson 7.4, White 8.4 (last big year), John O'Rourke 8.9 (as a 29-year-old "rookie"), Wright 7.5 (last year as regular). Next highest was Silver Flint of Chicago at 6.6.
WAR: Bond 13.4, Ward 9.2, Galvin 6.9, McCormick 5.3, Larkin 3.7 among pitchers, with Jones at 4.9, Hines 4.6, Wright 4.4, Williamson 4.3, Kelly 4.2, John O'Rourke 3.9, White 3.5, Jim O'Rourke 3.3 for position players.
For top player, I'll take Paul Hines for the second year in a row. No Triple Crown this year, but he was the top player on the pennant winners, and as good as anyone. O'Rourke was operating in a helpful hitting environment, and the OPS+ lead was:
Kelly-CIN 184, Jones-BSN 183, O'Rourke-BSN 182, Hines-PRO 180
that's almost a wash, so I'll go with Hines, an excellent defensive player as well. Jones could be the one, but I'll go with Hines since Providence beat out Boston in this season.
#1 Paul Hines, #2 Charley Jones, #3 King Kelly, #4 Deacon White, #5 George Wright.
Best pitcher: John M. Ward, by a slim margin over Tommy Bond. Ward led in wins and strikeouts, finished 2nd to Bond in ERA. Bond also led in WHIP. Again, it's close, so I'll give the edge to the player on the pennant winner. Special mention to Will White as most durable. Amazingly, Ward was also the youngest player in the league, at 19.
#1 John M. Ward, #2 Tommy Bond, #3 Pud Galvin, #4 Terry Larkin, #5 Jim McCormick.
Top rookie: John O'Rourke, with a super year in Boston.
Top manager: George Wright, moving to Providence to get his own team and emerging from his brother's leadership shadow. He played a darn fine shortstop, too. This was his only year in the NL as a manager, though.
18 March 2007
1878 National League
A second year with a six-team circuit, but Hartford, Louisville and St. Louis were replaced by Indianapolis, Milwaukee, and Providence. Boston, Chicago, and Cincinnati remained. A 60-game league schedule again, with Boston winning the pennant at 41-19. The loss of St. Louis, coupled with the prior expulsion of New York and Philadelphia, was making for a "major" league of smaller and smaller cities. Boston and Chicago were major cities, to be sure, but there was a dangerous trend here. Players who lived in New York, say, and didn't want to play elsewhere, could certainly find regular employment at home. A number of teams operated outside of the NL.
Paul Hines led the league with a .358 average. Abner Dalrymple was next at .354, Bob Ferguson hit .351, Joe Start a slightly lower .351, Cap Anson .341, and Orator Shaffer .338. Dick Higham scored 60 runs, Start 58, Tom York 56, Anson 55. Higham had 22 doubles, Lew Brown 21, Shaffer and York 19 each. York had 10 triples, O'Rourke and Charley Jones 7 each.
Tommy Bond had 40 wins, Will White 30, Terry Larkin 29, John M. Ward 22. Ward had a 1.51 ERA, Jim McCormick 1.69, White 1.79, Sam Weaver 1.95.
Win Shares data: Pitchers; Tommy Bond (Boston) way ahead with 60. Terry Larkin (Chicago) 34, Will White (Cincinnati) 30, John M. Ward (Providence) 24, Sam Weaver (Milwaukee) 18, Ed "The Only" Nolan (Indianapolis) 15.
Position players: Paul Hines (Providence) 15, Orator Shaffer (Indianapolis) and Tom York (Providence) 13, Jim O'Rourke (Boston), Charley Jones (Cincinnati), Lew Brown and Dick Higham (Providence) at 12, Jack Burdock (Boston), Cal McVey and Deacon White (Cincinnati) 11 each.
WARP3 scores: Bond 3.6, Larkin 5.9, White -3.1 (his pitching was pretty good, but batting and fielding were awful, says WARP), Ward 8.2 (rookie), Weaver 11.5 (rookie, career year, and not back in the NL until 1882), Nolan 0.4 (rookie, not back in the league until 1881. The NL was very fluid in these days).
Position guys, Hines 5.5, Shaffer 7.8 (best year), York 3.7, O'Rourke 3.7, Jones 6.2, Brown 6.3, Higham 4.3 (last play in the NL, except for one 1880 game), Burdock 2.5, McVey 2.7, White 5.1. Other WARP3 leaders are Joe Start of Chicago at 3.8 and John Clapp of Indianapolis at 3.0. King Kelly of Cincinnati checks in at 2.9.
WAR for pitchers: Bond 10.7, Weaver 6.0, Larkin 5.3, Ward 4.6. Position players, Shaffer 3.5, Bob Ferguson 3.0, Hines and Dalrymple 2.8, Jones 2.7, Gerhardt and Start 2.3.
Top player: Paul Hines, the triple crown winner. You could make a good argument for Orator Shaffer, playing in a tougher hitter's park, but Hines was an excellent all-around talent.
#1 Paul Hines, #2 Orator Shaffer, #3 Charley Jones, #4 Joe Start, #5 Tom York.
Top pitcher: Tommy Bond, pitching Boston to the pennant. A case can be made for Ward or Weaver, but Bond was out there every day and led the league in wins and shutouts.
#1 Tommy Bond, #2 John M. Ward, #3 Sam Weaver, #4 Will White, #5 Terry Larkin.
Top rookie: John M. Ward, impressive in his debut at age 18.
Top manager: Cal McVey, leading an upstart Cincinnati team to second place against the powerful Red Caps of Boston.
Paul Hines led the league with a .358 average. Abner Dalrymple was next at .354, Bob Ferguson hit .351, Joe Start a slightly lower .351, Cap Anson .341, and Orator Shaffer .338. Dick Higham scored 60 runs, Start 58, Tom York 56, Anson 55. Higham had 22 doubles, Lew Brown 21, Shaffer and York 19 each. York had 10 triples, O'Rourke and Charley Jones 7 each.
Tommy Bond had 40 wins, Will White 30, Terry Larkin 29, John M. Ward 22. Ward had a 1.51 ERA, Jim McCormick 1.69, White 1.79, Sam Weaver 1.95.
Win Shares data: Pitchers; Tommy Bond (Boston) way ahead with 60. Terry Larkin (Chicago) 34, Will White (Cincinnati) 30, John M. Ward (Providence) 24, Sam Weaver (Milwaukee) 18, Ed "The Only" Nolan (Indianapolis) 15.
Position players: Paul Hines (Providence) 15, Orator Shaffer (Indianapolis) and Tom York (Providence) 13, Jim O'Rourke (Boston), Charley Jones (Cincinnati), Lew Brown and Dick Higham (Providence) at 12, Jack Burdock (Boston), Cal McVey and Deacon White (Cincinnati) 11 each.
WARP3 scores: Bond 3.6, Larkin 5.9, White -3.1 (his pitching was pretty good, but batting and fielding were awful, says WARP), Ward 8.2 (rookie), Weaver 11.5 (rookie, career year, and not back in the NL until 1882), Nolan 0.4 (rookie, not back in the league until 1881. The NL was very fluid in these days).
Position guys, Hines 5.5, Shaffer 7.8 (best year), York 3.7, O'Rourke 3.7, Jones 6.2, Brown 6.3, Higham 4.3 (last play in the NL, except for one 1880 game), Burdock 2.5, McVey 2.7, White 5.1. Other WARP3 leaders are Joe Start of Chicago at 3.8 and John Clapp of Indianapolis at 3.0. King Kelly of Cincinnati checks in at 2.9.
WAR for pitchers: Bond 10.7, Weaver 6.0, Larkin 5.3, Ward 4.6. Position players, Shaffer 3.5, Bob Ferguson 3.0, Hines and Dalrymple 2.8, Jones 2.7, Gerhardt and Start 2.3.
Top player: Paul Hines, the triple crown winner. You could make a good argument for Orator Shaffer, playing in a tougher hitter's park, but Hines was an excellent all-around talent.
#1 Paul Hines, #2 Orator Shaffer, #3 Charley Jones, #4 Joe Start, #5 Tom York.
Top pitcher: Tommy Bond, pitching Boston to the pennant. A case can be made for Ward or Weaver, but Bond was out there every day and led the league in wins and shutouts.
#1 Tommy Bond, #2 John M. Ward, #3 Sam Weaver, #4 Will White, #5 Terry Larkin.
Top rookie: John M. Ward, impressive in his debut at age 18.
Top manager: Cal McVey, leading an upstart Cincinnati team to second place against the powerful Red Caps of Boston.
17 March 2007
1877 National League
Down to six teams with the expulsions of New York and Philadelphia, the NL operated in Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Hartford, Louisville, and St. Louis. A decidedly midwestern bent was apparent. The teams scheduled 60 league games, 12 against each rival, and played more on the side against other challengers. Boston won its first NL pennant, and four members of the Louisville team were banned from NL play after the season for conspiring to throw games. With just six teams, it's probably fair to say the baseball talent on other teams outside the NL was as good or better than that in it.
Deacon White led the league with a .387 batting average. John Cassidy hit .378, Cal McVey .368, Jim O'Rourke .362. O'Rourke led the league with 68 runs, McVey and George Wright scored 58 runs each, Joe Start 55. Cap Anson led with 19 doubles, Jack Manning and Tom York 16 each.
Tommy Bond posted 40 wins, Jim Devlin 35, Terry Larkin 29, Tricky Nichols and George Bradley 18 each. Bond led with a 2.11 ERA, Larkin 2.14, Devlin 2.25, Nichols 2.60, Joe Blong 2.74.
Win Shares, pitching division: Jim Devlin (Louisville) 60, Tommy Bond (Boston) 47, Terry Larkin (Hartford) 31, Tricky Nichols (St. Louis) 24.
Position players: Deacon White (Boston) 16, Jim O'Rourke (Boston) 15, Cal McVey (Chicago) 14, John Cassidy (Hartford) 13, Cap Anson (Chicago) and Joe Start (Hartford) 11.
WARP3 scores: Devlin 5.2 in a season where he was banned (afterwards) for consorting with gamblers to throw games, Bond 4.8, Larkin 3.4 as a rookie, Nichols 1.5.
For hitters, White 7.2, O'Rourke 6.4, McVey -1.0 (bad fielding stats and a bad performance as a pitcher), Cassidy 4.8 (by far his best season), Anson 5.3, Start 4.4. Other top WARP3 scores were 5.5 for Lew Brown of Boston and 4.7 for George Wright of the same team. Tom York of Hartford matched Joe Start with a 4.4.
WAR scores, pitchers; Devlin 9.9, Bond 9.7, Nichols 2.1, Bradley 1.6, Laurie Reis 1.5. Position players, White 3.4, O'Rourke 2.8, Charley Jones 2.5, McVey 2.4, Start, Anson and Joe Gerhardt of Louisville 2.3.
Top player: Deacon White edges out teammate "Orator" Jim O'Rourke. Anson is coming up fast. Put those guys 1-2-3. Cal McVey #4 and Joe Start #5.
Top pitcher: Tommy Bond. Won the "Pitching Triple Crown" by leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts. I don't know what Win Shares was thinking this time. Devlin on top in WARP also, but I can't bring myself to name a guy who gets thrown out of the league for consorting with gamblers after the season. I will put Devlin #2, with Larkin #3, Nichols #4, and George Bradley #5.
Top rookie: Terry Larkin. His WARP was not impressive, but by Win Shares he was the 3rd best pitcher in the league, and that's something.
Top manager: Harry Wright, skipper of the Boston Red Caps, is the only choice here.
Deacon White led the league with a .387 batting average. John Cassidy hit .378, Cal McVey .368, Jim O'Rourke .362. O'Rourke led the league with 68 runs, McVey and George Wright scored 58 runs each, Joe Start 55. Cap Anson led with 19 doubles, Jack Manning and Tom York 16 each.
Tommy Bond posted 40 wins, Jim Devlin 35, Terry Larkin 29, Tricky Nichols and George Bradley 18 each. Bond led with a 2.11 ERA, Larkin 2.14, Devlin 2.25, Nichols 2.60, Joe Blong 2.74.
Win Shares, pitching division: Jim Devlin (Louisville) 60, Tommy Bond (Boston) 47, Terry Larkin (Hartford) 31, Tricky Nichols (St. Louis) 24.
Position players: Deacon White (Boston) 16, Jim O'Rourke (Boston) 15, Cal McVey (Chicago) 14, John Cassidy (Hartford) 13, Cap Anson (Chicago) and Joe Start (Hartford) 11.
WARP3 scores: Devlin 5.2 in a season where he was banned (afterwards) for consorting with gamblers to throw games, Bond 4.8, Larkin 3.4 as a rookie, Nichols 1.5.
For hitters, White 7.2, O'Rourke 6.4, McVey -1.0 (bad fielding stats and a bad performance as a pitcher), Cassidy 4.8 (by far his best season), Anson 5.3, Start 4.4. Other top WARP3 scores were 5.5 for Lew Brown of Boston and 4.7 for George Wright of the same team. Tom York of Hartford matched Joe Start with a 4.4.
WAR scores, pitchers; Devlin 9.9, Bond 9.7, Nichols 2.1, Bradley 1.6, Laurie Reis 1.5. Position players, White 3.4, O'Rourke 2.8, Charley Jones 2.5, McVey 2.4, Start, Anson and Joe Gerhardt of Louisville 2.3.
Top player: Deacon White edges out teammate "Orator" Jim O'Rourke. Anson is coming up fast. Put those guys 1-2-3. Cal McVey #4 and Joe Start #5.
Top pitcher: Tommy Bond. Won the "Pitching Triple Crown" by leading the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts. I don't know what Win Shares was thinking this time. Devlin on top in WARP also, but I can't bring myself to name a guy who gets thrown out of the league for consorting with gamblers after the season. I will put Devlin #2, with Larkin #3, Nichols #4, and George Bradley #5.
Top rookie: Terry Larkin. His WARP was not impressive, but by Win Shares he was the 3rd best pitcher in the league, and that's something.
Top manager: Harry Wright, skipper of the Boston Red Caps, is the only choice here.
15 March 2007
1876 National League
A new league, although with most of the same teams and the same players. Things were pretty much as they were before, except for the organization. Things were much more business- and profit-oriented, and the league much more stable...but not necessarily as much fun. Boston was without ace pitcher Albert Spalding and second baseman Ross Barnes, who moved to Chicago, and the pennant moved to Chicago as well. New York and Philadelphia, faced with monetary losses, did not make their last western trip of the year, and were suspended from the league for 1877.
Win Shares start with this season, so we will begin using those to help "light the path." WS are heavily weighted to pitchers of this era, since they tended to work nearly every day. We will also use WARP3 to help us achieve balance, and throw in the newer Wins Against Replacement as well. I will be using the Fangraphs version of WAR for position players, and the Baseball Reference dot com version for pitchers. The Fangraphs version of WAR does not yet have pitching WAR back this far.
Ross Barnes hit .429, leading the league by a good margin. George Hall hit .366, Cap Anson .356, and John Peters .351. Barnes scored 126 runs, far ahead of everyone, with George Wright second at 72. Al Spalding had 47 wins, George Bradley 45, Tommy Bond 31 and Jim Devlin 30. Bradley had a 1.23 ERA, Devlin 1.56, Candy Cummings 1.67.
Win Shares leaders, pitchers: Al Spalding of Chicago and George Bradley of St. Louis each recorded 57 WS. Jim Devlin of Louisville had 53, Tommy Bond of Hartford 47. In fifth was Candy Cummings, also of Hartford, with 22.
For position players: Ross Barnes of Chicago 20, Lip Pike (St. Louis), Orator Jim O'Rourke and George Wright (both Boston) 17 each. Cal McVey (Chicago) had 16, Joe Battin (St. Louis) 15, Cap Anson (Chicago) and John Clapp (St. Louis) 14 each. George Hall and Levi Meyerle of Philadelphia were among the OPS+ leaders, but had only 10 and 7 WS, respectively.
Pitchers' WARP3 scores: Spalding 5.6 in his last year as a regular pitcher, Bradley 6.7, Devlin 11.2, Bond 6.4, Cummings -0.6.
WARP3 for the hitters, Barnes 10.5 (best year), Pike 8.5, O'Rourke 5.1, Wright 4.5, McVey 4.3, Battin 7.8 (career year), Anson 8.7, Clapp 6.6. Hall had a 2.5 score and Meyerle 0.5.
WAR for position players: Barnes 6.7, Anson 4.1, Deacon White 3.7, John Peters of Chicago and Joe Battin 3.5, George Wright 3.1.
WAR for pitchers: Devlin 12.4, Spalding 12.2, Bradley 9.9, Bond 8.9.
Top player: Ross Barnes, for the final time. Before the 1877 season, they changed the fair-foul rule, so Barnes' greatest weapon was made useless. He couldn't adjust, and with injuries was never as successful again. Lip Pike at #2, Cap Anson at #3, with Deacon White #4 and George Wright #5.
Top pitcher: Tommy Bond. Strong ERA, and he was holding up his team. Spalding had more help, and Devlin had other motives. Bond, Bradley #2, Spalding #3, Devlin #4, Cummings #5.
Top manager: Spalding. He took some top-notch talent with him to Chicago to form his own team, and won the pennant.
Top rookie: John Morrill, in the sense of giving it to someone. In one sense, everyone was an NL rookie, as it was a new league, but Morrill was the best player making his debut in the "Bigs." And he wasn't that good, batting .263 in 66 games for Boston.
Win Shares start with this season, so we will begin using those to help "light the path." WS are heavily weighted to pitchers of this era, since they tended to work nearly every day. We will also use WARP3 to help us achieve balance, and throw in the newer Wins Against Replacement as well. I will be using the Fangraphs version of WAR for position players, and the Baseball Reference dot com version for pitchers. The Fangraphs version of WAR does not yet have pitching WAR back this far.
Ross Barnes hit .429, leading the league by a good margin. George Hall hit .366, Cap Anson .356, and John Peters .351. Barnes scored 126 runs, far ahead of everyone, with George Wright second at 72. Al Spalding had 47 wins, George Bradley 45, Tommy Bond 31 and Jim Devlin 30. Bradley had a 1.23 ERA, Devlin 1.56, Candy Cummings 1.67.
Win Shares leaders, pitchers: Al Spalding of Chicago and George Bradley of St. Louis each recorded 57 WS. Jim Devlin of Louisville had 53, Tommy Bond of Hartford 47. In fifth was Candy Cummings, also of Hartford, with 22.
For position players: Ross Barnes of Chicago 20, Lip Pike (St. Louis), Orator Jim O'Rourke and George Wright (both Boston) 17 each. Cal McVey (Chicago) had 16, Joe Battin (St. Louis) 15, Cap Anson (Chicago) and John Clapp (St. Louis) 14 each. George Hall and Levi Meyerle of Philadelphia were among the OPS+ leaders, but had only 10 and 7 WS, respectively.
Pitchers' WARP3 scores: Spalding 5.6 in his last year as a regular pitcher, Bradley 6.7, Devlin 11.2, Bond 6.4, Cummings -0.6.
WARP3 for the hitters, Barnes 10.5 (best year), Pike 8.5, O'Rourke 5.1, Wright 4.5, McVey 4.3, Battin 7.8 (career year), Anson 8.7, Clapp 6.6. Hall had a 2.5 score and Meyerle 0.5.
WAR for position players: Barnes 6.7, Anson 4.1, Deacon White 3.7, John Peters of Chicago and Joe Battin 3.5, George Wright 3.1.
WAR for pitchers: Devlin 12.4, Spalding 12.2, Bradley 9.9, Bond 8.9.
Top player: Ross Barnes, for the final time. Before the 1877 season, they changed the fair-foul rule, so Barnes' greatest weapon was made useless. He couldn't adjust, and with injuries was never as successful again. Lip Pike at #2, Cap Anson at #3, with Deacon White #4 and George Wright #5.
Top pitcher: Tommy Bond. Strong ERA, and he was holding up his team. Spalding had more help, and Devlin had other motives. Bond, Bradley #2, Spalding #3, Devlin #4, Cummings #5.
Top manager: Spalding. He took some top-notch talent with him to Chicago to form his own team, and won the pennant.
Top rookie: John Morrill, in the sense of giving it to someone. In one sense, everyone was an NL rookie, as it was a new league, but Morrill was the best player making his debut in the "Bigs." And he wasn't that good, batting .263 in 66 games for Boston.
14 March 2007
1875 National Association
...and then it all came tumbling down.
1875 was the last year for the NA, crashing to Earth after the promise of stability in 1874. Seven teams played at least 60 games each, but the tail-end of the league was coming and going like through a revolving door. New Haven managed 47 games, but went just 7-40. Brooklyn was 2-42. A second team in St. Louis, plus Washington and Keokuk, as well as a third Philadelphia team, all lasted for a few weeks. Boston trashed the league with a 71-8 season. After this fiasco, the financial backers banded together and created a National League of Base Ball Clubs, rather than an Association of Players.
Deacon White edged Ross Barnes in batting average .367 to .364, with Cal McVey making it a Boston threesome at the top by batting .355. Lipman "Lip" Pike was next at .346, then another Bostonian in George Wright at .333, with Paul Hines at .328, Cap Anson at .325, and Ezra Sutton .324. The top five in runs scored were all from Boston. Al Spalding won 54 games, Dick McBride 44, Candy Cummings 35, George Bradley 33. Pud Galvin had a 1.16 ERA and Tommy Bond was at 1.41.
Ross Barnes was healthy again, but did not dominate the league in 1875. Here are the WARP3 scores of top players: Ross Barnes (Boston) 10.3, Deacon White (Boston) 10.0, Lip Pike (St. Louis) 9.8, Cal McVey (Boston) 8.9, George Wright (Boston) 7.3, Davy Force (Philadelphia Athletics) 6.0, "Orator" Jim O'Rourke (Boston) and Cap Anson (Philadelphia Athletics) 5.4, John Clapp (Philadelphia Athletics) 5.2, Andy Leonard (Boston) and John Burdock (Hartford) 5.0.
Pitchers, in WARP3: Al Spalding (Boston) 8.4, Tommy Bond (Hartford) 7.1, Cherokee Fisher (Philadelphia Whites) 7.0, George Zettlein (Chicago/Philadelphia Whites) 5.9.
WAR leaders for non-pitchers: Barnes 5.5, McVey 4.7, Wright 4.4, White 4.2, Pike 4.1.
Top player: Lip Pike. It's Lipman and the three Boston guys, all about even. I came down to Pike or McVey, and chose Pike based on a defensive advantage. McVey's defensive numbers were not impressive. #2 Ross Barnes, #3 Cal McVey, #4 Deacon White, #5 George Wright.
Top pitcher: Albert Spalding, based on his quantity over Tommy Bond's superior quality but in only 60% of the innings. #2 Tommy Bond, #3 Candy Cummings, #4 George Zettlein, #5 Cherokee Fisher.
Top rookie: George Bradley, looking good while breaking in for St. Louis. That's a lot of long train rides to play ball.
Top manager: Harry Wright, still building that Boston juggernaut. He played only one game himself in this year (in league play), going 1-for-4.
1875 was the last year for the NA, crashing to Earth after the promise of stability in 1874. Seven teams played at least 60 games each, but the tail-end of the league was coming and going like through a revolving door. New Haven managed 47 games, but went just 7-40. Brooklyn was 2-42. A second team in St. Louis, plus Washington and Keokuk, as well as a third Philadelphia team, all lasted for a few weeks. Boston trashed the league with a 71-8 season. After this fiasco, the financial backers banded together and created a National League of Base Ball Clubs, rather than an Association of Players.
Deacon White edged Ross Barnes in batting average .367 to .364, with Cal McVey making it a Boston threesome at the top by batting .355. Lipman "Lip" Pike was next at .346, then another Bostonian in George Wright at .333, with Paul Hines at .328, Cap Anson at .325, and Ezra Sutton .324. The top five in runs scored were all from Boston. Al Spalding won 54 games, Dick McBride 44, Candy Cummings 35, George Bradley 33. Pud Galvin had a 1.16 ERA and Tommy Bond was at 1.41.
Ross Barnes was healthy again, but did not dominate the league in 1875. Here are the WARP3 scores of top players: Ross Barnes (Boston) 10.3, Deacon White (Boston) 10.0, Lip Pike (St. Louis) 9.8, Cal McVey (Boston) 8.9, George Wright (Boston) 7.3, Davy Force (Philadelphia Athletics) 6.0, "Orator" Jim O'Rourke (Boston) and Cap Anson (Philadelphia Athletics) 5.4, John Clapp (Philadelphia Athletics) 5.2, Andy Leonard (Boston) and John Burdock (Hartford) 5.0.
Pitchers, in WARP3: Al Spalding (Boston) 8.4, Tommy Bond (Hartford) 7.1, Cherokee Fisher (Philadelphia Whites) 7.0, George Zettlein (Chicago/Philadelphia Whites) 5.9.
WAR leaders for non-pitchers: Barnes 5.5, McVey 4.7, Wright 4.4, White 4.2, Pike 4.1.
Top player: Lip Pike. It's Lipman and the three Boston guys, all about even. I came down to Pike or McVey, and chose Pike based on a defensive advantage. McVey's defensive numbers were not impressive. #2 Ross Barnes, #3 Cal McVey, #4 Deacon White, #5 George Wright.
Top pitcher: Albert Spalding, based on his quantity over Tommy Bond's superior quality but in only 60% of the innings. #2 Tommy Bond, #3 Candy Cummings, #4 George Zettlein, #5 Cherokee Fisher.
Top rookie: George Bradley, looking good while breaking in for St. Louis. That's a lot of long train rides to play ball.
Top manager: Harry Wright, still building that Boston juggernaut. He played only one game himself in this year (in league play), going 1-for-4.
13 March 2007
1874 National Association
News flash: Ross Barnes was not the dominant player in 1874 NA play. After two years as unquestionably the MVP of the league, Barnes was merely one of the best in this year, finishing 9th in OPS+. Barnes played in only 51 of the team's 71 games, so he was likely hurting during the season.
A more solid league this year, with Boston playing the most games at 71, but the least was a still-solid 47 by last-place Baltimore, which finished at 9-38. Boston checked in at 52-18, with one tie.
Levi Meyerle batted .394, Cal McVey .359, Lip Pike .351. The top six in runs scored all played for Boston, led by McVey at 91. Al Spalding had 52 wins, Bobby Mathews 42, Dick McBride 33, Candy Cummings 28, George Zettlein 27, Tommy Bond 22. McBride had a 1.64 ERA, Mathews 1.90.
WARP3 numbers of the top guys: Cal McVey (Boston) 7.7, George Wright (Boston) and Mike McGeary (Philadelphia Athletics) 4.9, Deacon White (Boston) 4.7, Ross Barnes (Boston) 4.6, Jim O'Rourke (Boston) 4.5, Bill Craver (Philadelphia Whites) 4.4, John McMullin (Philadelphia Athletics) 4.3, Lip Pike (Hartford) and Joe Start (New York) 4.2.
WARP3 of top pitchers: Jack Manning (Baltimore/Hartford) 8.9, Cherokee Fisher (Hartford) 5.7, Al Spalding (Boston) 5.4, Bobby Mathews (New York) 4.8, Candy Cummings (Phil. Whites) 3.9, Dick McBride (Phil. Athletics) 3.6, George Zettlein (Chicago) 2.2.
Non-pitching WAR: McVey 3.1, Wright 2.9, Barnes 2.7, O'Rourke 2.4, Pike 2.3.
Top player: Cal McVey, stepping up with Barnes hurting. One of the deep stable of stars collected by Boston mastermind Harry Wright. #2 George Wright, #3 Lip Pike, #4 Levi Meyerle, #5 Jim O'Rourke.
Top pitcher: Al Spalding again, with an honorable mention to Mathews. #3 Dick McBride, #4 Candy Cummings, #5 Tommy Bond.
Top rookie: Tommy Bond, although he didn't have a real good season. He would have several good ones soon, though.
Top manager: Harry Wright, holding his team together in spite of the star's injury. Of course, you could argue that brother George was the biggest star....
A more solid league this year, with Boston playing the most games at 71, but the least was a still-solid 47 by last-place Baltimore, which finished at 9-38. Boston checked in at 52-18, with one tie.
Levi Meyerle batted .394, Cal McVey .359, Lip Pike .351. The top six in runs scored all played for Boston, led by McVey at 91. Al Spalding had 52 wins, Bobby Mathews 42, Dick McBride 33, Candy Cummings 28, George Zettlein 27, Tommy Bond 22. McBride had a 1.64 ERA, Mathews 1.90.
WARP3 numbers of the top guys: Cal McVey (Boston) 7.7, George Wright (Boston) and Mike McGeary (Philadelphia Athletics) 4.9, Deacon White (Boston) 4.7, Ross Barnes (Boston) 4.6, Jim O'Rourke (Boston) 4.5, Bill Craver (Philadelphia Whites) 4.4, John McMullin (Philadelphia Athletics) 4.3, Lip Pike (Hartford) and Joe Start (New York) 4.2.
WARP3 of top pitchers: Jack Manning (Baltimore/Hartford) 8.9, Cherokee Fisher (Hartford) 5.7, Al Spalding (Boston) 5.4, Bobby Mathews (New York) 4.8, Candy Cummings (Phil. Whites) 3.9, Dick McBride (Phil. Athletics) 3.6, George Zettlein (Chicago) 2.2.
Non-pitching WAR: McVey 3.1, Wright 2.9, Barnes 2.7, O'Rourke 2.4, Pike 2.3.
Top player: Cal McVey, stepping up with Barnes hurting. One of the deep stable of stars collected by Boston mastermind Harry Wright. #2 George Wright, #3 Lip Pike, #4 Levi Meyerle, #5 Jim O'Rourke.
Top pitcher: Al Spalding again, with an honorable mention to Mathews. #3 Dick McBride, #4 Candy Cummings, #5 Tommy Bond.
Top rookie: Tommy Bond, although he didn't have a real good season. He would have several good ones soon, though.
Top manager: Harry Wright, holding his team together in spite of the star's injury. Of course, you could argue that brother George was the biggest star....
11 March 2007
1873 National Association
The third year of the professional league was a little steadier, with Boston winning again. Called the Red Stockings, they went 43-16 and the 59 league games was the high figure. One Baltimore team finished third, but another went 0-6 and dropped out.
WARP3 numbers for top players: Ross Barnes (Boston) 8.9, George Wright (Boston) 7.3, Deacon White (Boston) 6.3, Davy Force (Baltimore) 4.9, Dave Eggler (New York) 4.6, Cherokee Fisher (Philadelphia) 4.0, Jim O'Rourke (Boston) and Tom York (Baltimore) 3.9, Count Gedney and Jim Holdsworth (New York) and Cap Anson (Philadelphia Athletics) 3.7, Ezra Sutton (Philadelphia) 3.6.
WARP3 for pitchers: Bobby Mathews (New York) 8.2, Albert Spalding (Boston) 8.0, Candy Cummings (Baltimore) 5.7, George Zettlein (Philadelphia Whites) 5.0, Dick McBride (Philadelphia) 4.2.
WAR for players only: Barnes 4.7 and Wright 4.0, Force and White 2.3, O'Rourke 2.0.
Barnes hit .431, with Cap Anson at .398, Deacon White .392, George Wright .387, Cal McVey .380. Barnes scored 125 runs, Wright 99.
Spalding had 41 wins, Zettlein 36, Mathews 29, Cummings 28. Cherokee Fisher led in ERA with a 1.81 figure in a small sample, with Mathews at 2.58 and Cummings 2.80.
Best player: Ross Barnes again, the league leader in batting, on-base, slugging, runs, doubles, hits, total bases, times on base. The complete package. #2 George Wright, #3 Deacon White, #4 Davy Force, #5 Cap Anson.
Best pitcher: Albert Spalding, leading in wins and 2nd in ERA. #2 Bobby Mathews, #3 Candy Cummings, #4 George Zettlein, #5 Dick McBride.
Best manager: Harry Wright again.
No good candidates for top rookie.
WARP3 numbers for top players: Ross Barnes (Boston) 8.9, George Wright (Boston) 7.3, Deacon White (Boston) 6.3, Davy Force (Baltimore) 4.9, Dave Eggler (New York) 4.6, Cherokee Fisher (Philadelphia) 4.0, Jim O'Rourke (Boston) and Tom York (Baltimore) 3.9, Count Gedney and Jim Holdsworth (New York) and Cap Anson (Philadelphia Athletics) 3.7, Ezra Sutton (Philadelphia) 3.6.
WARP3 for pitchers: Bobby Mathews (New York) 8.2, Albert Spalding (Boston) 8.0, Candy Cummings (Baltimore) 5.7, George Zettlein (Philadelphia Whites) 5.0, Dick McBride (Philadelphia) 4.2.
WAR for players only: Barnes 4.7 and Wright 4.0, Force and White 2.3, O'Rourke 2.0.
Barnes hit .431, with Cap Anson at .398, Deacon White .392, George Wright .387, Cal McVey .380. Barnes scored 125 runs, Wright 99.
Spalding had 41 wins, Zettlein 36, Mathews 29, Cummings 28. Cherokee Fisher led in ERA with a 1.81 figure in a small sample, with Mathews at 2.58 and Cummings 2.80.
Best player: Ross Barnes again, the league leader in batting, on-base, slugging, runs, doubles, hits, total bases, times on base. The complete package. #2 George Wright, #3 Deacon White, #4 Davy Force, #5 Cap Anson.
Best pitcher: Albert Spalding, leading in wins and 2nd in ERA. #2 Bobby Mathews, #3 Candy Cummings, #4 George Zettlein, #5 Dick McBride.
Best manager: Harry Wright again.
No good candidates for top rookie.
10 March 2007
1872 National Association
The 1872 NA was a real mish-mash, with teams coming and going all season. Baltimore and New York played 54 league games each, Washington only 9, while a different (we think) Washington team played 11 and lost them all. But that winless Washington Nationals team included a young Paul Hines, who would become one of the great 19th century players. Boston won the league title with a 39-8 record. There were five good teams in the league, and several poor ones, who mostly lasted just a few weeks each.
The WARP3 scores: Ross Barnes (Boston) 9.2, Davy Force (Troy/Baltimore) 7.2, Dave Eggler (New York) and George Wright (Boston) 7.0, Wes Fisler (Philadelphia) 4.9, John Hatfield (New York) 4.8, Cap Anson (Philadelphia) 4.5, Nat Hicks (New York) 4.1, Mike McGeary (Philadelphia) and Tom York (Baltimore) 3.7, George Hall and John Radcliff (Baltimore) and Andy Leonard (Boston) 3.6, Cal McVey (Boston) 3.3.
Pitchers WARP3: George Zettlein (Troy/Brooklyn) 18.7, Albert Spalding (Boston) 12.8, Cherokee Fisher (Baltimore) 5.6, Candy Cummings (New York) 4.8, Dick McBride (Philadelphia) 4.4.
WAR for position players, from Fangraphs: Barnes 5.0, Wright 3.5, Force 2.8, Eggler 2.7, Fisler 2.4, Hatfield 1.9, Anson and Bob Ferguson (Brooklyn) 1.8.
Barnes won the batting title at .430, Force followed at .418, and Cap Anson hit .415. Meanwhile, Spalding won 38 games, Cummings 33, and McBride 30, while Fisher posted a 1.80 ERA, Spalding 1.85, Zettlein 2.55 and McBride 2.87.
Top player: Ross Barnes, the master of the fair/foul bunt. Barnes would bunt the ball into fair territory with spin so that it would roll foul, and under the rules of the time it was a fair ball. It was a few years before they got around to calling that a foul ball and shortening Barnes' career, but he led the NA in OPS and OPS+ that way, even in slugging. #2 Force, #3 Wright, #4 Eggler, #5 Fisler.
Top pitcher: Albert Spalding, the Boston ace. Between Spalding, Barnes, and Wright, Boston was almost impossible to beat. Spalding led the league in wins and ERA and posted a 38-8 record as Boston's sole pitcher. #2 Zettlein, #3 McBride, #4 Cummings, #5 Mathews.
Top rookie: Candy Cummings, the league's busiest pitcher, and reputedly the inventor of the curve ball.
Top manager: Harry Wright, architect of that Boston powerhouse.
The WARP3 scores: Ross Barnes (Boston) 9.2, Davy Force (Troy/Baltimore) 7.2, Dave Eggler (New York) and George Wright (Boston) 7.0, Wes Fisler (Philadelphia) 4.9, John Hatfield (New York) 4.8, Cap Anson (Philadelphia) 4.5, Nat Hicks (New York) 4.1, Mike McGeary (Philadelphia) and Tom York (Baltimore) 3.7, George Hall and John Radcliff (Baltimore) and Andy Leonard (Boston) 3.6, Cal McVey (Boston) 3.3.
Pitchers WARP3: George Zettlein (Troy/Brooklyn) 18.7, Albert Spalding (Boston) 12.8, Cherokee Fisher (Baltimore) 5.6, Candy Cummings (New York) 4.8, Dick McBride (Philadelphia) 4.4.
WAR for position players, from Fangraphs: Barnes 5.0, Wright 3.5, Force 2.8, Eggler 2.7, Fisler 2.4, Hatfield 1.9, Anson and Bob Ferguson (Brooklyn) 1.8.
Barnes won the batting title at .430, Force followed at .418, and Cap Anson hit .415. Meanwhile, Spalding won 38 games, Cummings 33, and McBride 30, while Fisher posted a 1.80 ERA, Spalding 1.85, Zettlein 2.55 and McBride 2.87.
Top player: Ross Barnes, the master of the fair/foul bunt. Barnes would bunt the ball into fair territory with spin so that it would roll foul, and under the rules of the time it was a fair ball. It was a few years before they got around to calling that a foul ball and shortening Barnes' career, but he led the NA in OPS and OPS+ that way, even in slugging. #2 Force, #3 Wright, #4 Eggler, #5 Fisler.
Top pitcher: Albert Spalding, the Boston ace. Between Spalding, Barnes, and Wright, Boston was almost impossible to beat. Spalding led the league in wins and ERA and posted a 38-8 record as Boston's sole pitcher. #2 Zettlein, #3 McBride, #4 Cummings, #5 Mathews.
Top rookie: Candy Cummings, the league's busiest pitcher, and reputedly the inventor of the curve ball.
Top manager: Harry Wright, architect of that Boston powerhouse.
1871 National Association
We will begin our historical look with the first organized professional league. For those of you who have not studied 19th century baseball, conditions were rather different at the time. This was sort of primeval baseball, with a lot of rule differences. There had been a number of clubs playing, especially since the end of the Civil War, and the practice developed of paying the best players to help your club win. This was not usually admitted publicly, in the same way that Olympic athletes were considered "amateurs" until a few years ago. The 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings were the first team to admit to paying their players, and they went 69-0-1 before being beaten. So, just a couple of years later, a league was organized.
Now, this was not a league the way we think of it today. It was more like a contemporary semipro league, where teams would drop out or join the league at various times, depending on finances, and not all teams played the same number of league games. Teams in the 1871 NA played from 19 (Fort Wayne) to 33 (New York) league games, and the Philadelphia team won the league with a record of 21-7.
At this time, pitchers were typically the most valuable men on a team, as they usually pitched every game, and were often as good at hitting as anyone else. Since there are no Win Shares available, we will go straight to WARP3, or normalized Wins Against Replacement Player, calculated by Clay Davenport and available at baseballprospectus.com. These stats are somewhat unreliable for such primitive conditions, but we will do our best. We can also look at WAR, or Wins Above Replacement, from the invaluable website at Baseball-Reference.
WARP3 leaders, pitchers: Rynie Wolters (New York) 7.6, George Zettlein (Chicago) 4.6, Albert Spalding (Boston) 4.5, Dick McBride (Philadelphia) 2.4, Cherokee Fisher (Rockford) 1.1.
WARP3 leaders, position players: Ross Barnes (Boston) 4.3, Fergy Malone (Philadelphia) 4.1, Ed Pinkham (Chicago) 3.9, Jimmy Wood (Chicago) and Davy Force (Washington) 3.5, Fred Treacy (Chicago) and George Hall (Washington) 3.4, Dave Eggler (New York) 3.0, Ezra Sutton (Cleveland) 2.7, George Wright (Boston) 2.4, Deacon White (Cleveland) 1.7.
WAR, players: Ross Barnes 2.9, Jimmy Wood 2.2, Davy Force and Cal McVey 2.0, Levi Meyerle 1.7. WAR for pitchers is not available.
Al Spalding led the loop with 19 wins, George Zettlein and Dick McBride 18 each, Rynie Wolters 16. Zettlein had a 2.73 ERA, Spalding 3.36, Wolters 3.43, Al Pratt 3.77. Meyerle batted .492, McVey .431, Barnes .401.
Best player: Levi Meyerle, the slugger of the 1871 National Association. Meyerle was a big guy for the time, at 6'1" and 177 reported pounds, and led the league in batting average, on-base, slugging, OPS, total bases, and Runs Created. He didn't play a very good third base, which is why he had a 0.9 WARP3 and didn't make the leaderboard, but I am unsure of the validity of the WARP numbers at this distance and want to pick the best guy on the best team. That looks like Meyerle.
#1 Levi Meyerle, #2 Ross Barnes, #3 Fergy Malone, #4 Jimmy Wood, #5 Lip Pike.
Best pitcher: George Zettlein, Chicago White Stockings ace. Pitchers were just supposed to start the action in this prehistoric version of baseball, but Zettlein did it better than anyone at the time, with the lowest ERA in the league.
Best all-around: Rynie Wolters wins this "Heisman trophy"-like award, since many pitchers were two-way players in this day and age. Wolters was both one of the top pitchers and among the top hitters in the league, finishing 3rd in ERA and 5th in OPS+.
Best rookie: Well, technically, all of them were rookies, so I'll wait on this. Cap Anson, playing well at age 19, could be a choice.
Best manager: Dick McBride, I suppose, captain and pitcher for the pennant-winning Athletics of Philadelphia.
Now, this was not a league the way we think of it today. It was more like a contemporary semipro league, where teams would drop out or join the league at various times, depending on finances, and not all teams played the same number of league games. Teams in the 1871 NA played from 19 (Fort Wayne) to 33 (New York) league games, and the Philadelphia team won the league with a record of 21-7.
At this time, pitchers were typically the most valuable men on a team, as they usually pitched every game, and were often as good at hitting as anyone else. Since there are no Win Shares available, we will go straight to WARP3, or normalized Wins Against Replacement Player, calculated by Clay Davenport and available at baseballprospectus.com. These stats are somewhat unreliable for such primitive conditions, but we will do our best. We can also look at WAR, or Wins Above Replacement, from the invaluable website at Baseball-Reference.
WARP3 leaders, pitchers: Rynie Wolters (New York) 7.6, George Zettlein (Chicago) 4.6, Albert Spalding (Boston) 4.5, Dick McBride (Philadelphia) 2.4, Cherokee Fisher (Rockford) 1.1.
WARP3 leaders, position players: Ross Barnes (Boston) 4.3, Fergy Malone (Philadelphia) 4.1, Ed Pinkham (Chicago) 3.9, Jimmy Wood (Chicago) and Davy Force (Washington) 3.5, Fred Treacy (Chicago) and George Hall (Washington) 3.4, Dave Eggler (New York) 3.0, Ezra Sutton (Cleveland) 2.7, George Wright (Boston) 2.4, Deacon White (Cleveland) 1.7.
WAR, players: Ross Barnes 2.9, Jimmy Wood 2.2, Davy Force and Cal McVey 2.0, Levi Meyerle 1.7. WAR for pitchers is not available.
Al Spalding led the loop with 19 wins, George Zettlein and Dick McBride 18 each, Rynie Wolters 16. Zettlein had a 2.73 ERA, Spalding 3.36, Wolters 3.43, Al Pratt 3.77. Meyerle batted .492, McVey .431, Barnes .401.
Best player: Levi Meyerle, the slugger of the 1871 National Association. Meyerle was a big guy for the time, at 6'1" and 177 reported pounds, and led the league in batting average, on-base, slugging, OPS, total bases, and Runs Created. He didn't play a very good third base, which is why he had a 0.9 WARP3 and didn't make the leaderboard, but I am unsure of the validity of the WARP numbers at this distance and want to pick the best guy on the best team. That looks like Meyerle.
#1 Levi Meyerle, #2 Ross Barnes, #3 Fergy Malone, #4 Jimmy Wood, #5 Lip Pike.
Best pitcher: George Zettlein, Chicago White Stockings ace. Pitchers were just supposed to start the action in this prehistoric version of baseball, but Zettlein did it better than anyone at the time, with the lowest ERA in the league.
Best all-around: Rynie Wolters wins this "Heisman trophy"-like award, since many pitchers were two-way players in this day and age. Wolters was both one of the top pitchers and among the top hitters in the league, finishing 3rd in ERA and 5th in OPS+.
Best rookie: Well, technically, all of them were rookies, so I'll wait on this. Cap Anson, playing well at age 19, could be a choice.
Best manager: Dick McBride, I suppose, captain and pitcher for the pennant-winning Athletics of Philadelphia.
Start-Up
Hi! My name is Shawn Weaver, and I already have blogs on Blogger about the Cincinnati Reds and the greatest players in baseball history, so this blog is sort of a companion to both of them. In it, I will look at baseball's major leagues year by year, and use Win Shares, WAR (by Fangraphs when possible, by Baseball Reference dot com when necessary), WARP (by Baseball Prospectus), and a more standard look at the season's outcomes to determine who should have been voted the MVP, Cy Young winner, Rookie of the Year, and Manager of the Year for each season. In years when there actually was voting for these awards, I will comment on that.
We will begin with the first professional league, the 1871 National Association.
We will begin with the first professional league, the 1871 National Association.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)