Overview: When the Colonels started the season 12-25 with flagging attendance, the front office made the command decision to sell off some of their higher priced wares and look to the future. Truth be told, the future does not look particularly bright for major league baseball in Kentucky; even in their good years, the Colonels struggled to make a profit, and now that they're solidly in the second division their ballfield often has more empty than filled seats. Whatever happens to this town, though, hardcore fans will always remember the magical 1892 season and the pennant in 1894.
Code:
Name Age W L SV ERA G GS IP HAGG ER HR BB K VORP
Jim Badgett 32 9 24 1 4.25 51 32 288.1 349 136 5 131 49 3.9
Harry Herapath 24 15 8 0 3.14 36 36 234.2 220 82 6 77 62 33.1
Kelan Quarton 23 4 16 4 3.97 52 21 217.2 217 96 3 91 45 10.5
Jeremy McKinney 30 13 9 0 3.08 25 25 189.2 193 65 2 60 27 27.9
Andy O'Kenny 30 7 11 2 4.64 39 16 151.1 174 78 3 63 36 -5.3
Glenn Spiller 28 7 6 0 1.71 15 14 115.2 120 22 1 24 41 33.4
Matt Vice 31 5 10 5 3.76 52 0 83.2 102 35 1 19 25 6.0
Berto Sarrie 26 0 2 1 4.31 10 10 79.1 87 38 0 42 24 0.7
Bob Earles 26 0 2 1 6.75 4 0 2.2 6 2 0 0 1 -0.7
After trading Glenn Spiller, free agent acquisition Harry Herapeth became their most effective and most eccentric pitcher. He was good for barely 6 innings a start, a league low for any qualifying pitcher, but got the job done in the time he did pitch well enough to merit an All-Star appearance. While the Colonlels have to be happy with what they got out of him, one can't help but think that the best place for someone with Herapeth's unique talents is in the "bull pen". Of all their other pitchers, only Jeremy McKinney managed a winning record. Jim Badgett, the crafty vet who is 2nd all-time in Louisville victories, suffered an especially excruciating season. Overall, only the Pirates gave up more runs in the Association.
Catcher and First Base
Code:
Pos Player Age G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB AVG VORP
C Jay Hoskinson 29 127 514 7 149 25 9 3 65 2 .272 19.3
C Joey Tadlock 24 42 120 17 30 7 2 0 24 0 .250 0.8
1B Caomhin Wellsteed 23 84 329 54 107 12 6 2 40 0 .325 16.3
1B Loman Trane 39 104 353 45 88 8 6 3 40 1 .249 -2.6
1B Jeremy Llewellyn 22 11 18 1 4 1 0 0 3 0 .222 -0.9
1B Brendon Harrison 25 7 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- -0.0
Jay Hoskinson put together a solid, workmanlike season for the Colonels. He's been the team's starting catcher since the creation of the Big League and is showing no signs of slowing down. At first base, Louisville was without the services of reigning AA MVP Matt Barlow for the first half of the season and ended up trading him to the Washington Nationals for youngster Caominh Wellsteed, who proceeded to hit in a manner that suggests the city may forget about their old superstar very quickly. Over the first half of the season, stalwart Loman Trane tried his hardest to man the first sack with less than stellar results. If he returns for 1899, it will be because the Colonels desire hsi veteran presence in the clubhouse, not out of any expectation he'll return to the form that saw him make the All-Star Game 4 of his first 6 years in the bigs.
Infield
Code:
Pos Player Age G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB AVG VORP
2B Wyatt Marshall 26 101 377 55 101 14 12 2 55 22 .268 18.1
2B Pearce Fullbrook 30 45 182 29 64 14 7 0 25 2 .352 17.1
3B Jerry Oliver 28 145 512 72 146 26 6 3 84 3 .284 22.5
SS Fergus McKnight 23 142 491 77 154 22 6 2 63 3 .314 24.0
SS Norman Dobbins 21 52 121 14 37 3 1 0 16 5 .306 2.4
SS Mitch Beasley 33 55 68 6 17 2 1 0 3 2 .250 -1.9
SS Tom Scott 27 21 33 3 9 1 0 0 3 1 .273 0.0
It's not so easy to replace a talent like Pearce Fullbrook, who was dished to the New York Giants as part of the team's payroll purge. Wyatt Marshall did the best he could, but expect a battle for the position to rage between him and ace fielder Norman Dobbins throughout spring training. Jerry Oliver and Fergus McKnight both put in very solid seasons in 1898, the former pacing the team in RBIs and the latter winning the American Association Rookie of the Year award. Unlike a lot of youngsters unused to the rigors of daily baseball, Fergus seemed to get better as the year went on. It's a good sign for Louisville, or whoever ends up taking over his contract when he becomes too expensive for the Colonels to keep.
Outfield
Code:
Pos Player Age G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB AVG VORP
LF Carl Hendron 28 105 449 79 120 14 8 0 35 50 .267 8.6
CF Dooley Nobles 27 110 305 46 78 5 4 0 26 26 .256 -2.9
CF Dante Bommarito 30 72 299 47 74 16 7 1 28 20 .247 -1.3
CF Ron Mure 27 82 203 29 51 4 7 0 24 14 .251 -3.3
CF Brian Campbell 25 55 93 18 31 1 3 0 8 1 .333 6.2
CF Kemen Adams 26 76 77 9 14 3 0 0 12 2 .182 -4.1
RF Garrick MacPhedron 31 131 505 86 135 16 5 3 68 2 .267 13.1
Carl Hendron was acquired from the Cubs to try and bolster a struggling outfield but both he and right fielder Garrick MacPhedron were huge disappointments. Hendron in particular had filled the Colonels with hope, given that he'd hit .373 back in 1896 before missing most of 1897 with an injury. He was hitting .321 with very solid gap power at the time of his trade but hit just .267 the rest of the way. His speed seemed to be the only thing he remembered to bring with him. MacPhedron was even less removed from a .350 season, and although he still managed to lead the team in runs scored, that total led a poor offense. Center field was just a mess and will likely not be completely sorted out by Opening Day.