Overview: Others may not view the acquisition of the Baltimore Orioles by owner John T. Brush as a move worthy of truth, justice, and freedom. Those are wrong. We did it, therefore it is good. Why do so many question this? The American League is a pack of fools if they think they can really compete against the venerable National League, and the ease of our little takeover just proved things. Sorry to sound so mean about this, but it's truth. Again, the first of the Three True Virtues. And with this buttressed lineup and our new manager John McGraw, we plan on vaulting to the front of the league with pure greatness.
Pitching
Nathan "Pretty Bird" Woombill
Code:
Year Team Age G W L IP H R ER HR BB SO CG Sh ERA
1900 New York - NL 31 48 19 21 368.1 396 184 112 6 75 96 11 2 2.74
1901 New York - NL 32 29 14 15 249.2 263 122 82 6 47 93 26 1 2.96
1902 New York - NL 33 40 23 17 354.0 353 142 97 7 62 109 36 1 2.47
Woombill was the unsung hero of this team. Well, one of the unsung heroes. Being that this team is 100% heroes, any team members who do not have songs composed for them are by definition unsung. Woombill trimmed half a run off his ERA and won 20 for the first time this decade. He is now tied for the 2nd highest win total of all time with 274.
John "Big Six" Pearson
Code:
Year Team Age G W L IP H R ER HR BB SO CG Sh ERA
1900 New York - NL 22 16 2 2 30.2 42 20 18 3 7 11 0 0 5.28
1901 New York - NL 23 15 11 3 130.0 106 33 26 4 18 66 14 2 1.80
1902 New York - NL 24 39 24 13 344.2 301 123 96 11 43 140 36 2 2.51
When we say that manager John J. McGraw is a heavy drinker with the tongue of the devil himself, we say so only because we acknowledge that super powers come in all sorts of forms. Also, we say this to contrast him with clean-living, milk-drinking golden boy John "Big Six" Pearson. This man has every quality a young boy should fashion to become a smart, classy young man. That he's also a budding superstar is almost besides the point.
Bill "Snoopy" Haddon
Code:
Year Team Age G W L IP H R ER HR BB SO CG Sh ERA
1900 Baltimore - AA 29 53 29 20 461.0 477 194 151 13 72 203 44 3 2.95
1901 Baltimore - AL 30 40 27 12 347.2 314 111 73 4 39 219 37 6 1.89
1902 Baltimore - AL 31 23 18 5 202.2 148 53 40 5 17 87 22 4 1.78
1902 New York - NL 31 23 16 6 194.1 185 56 38 4 24 100 19 2 1.76
1902 Total - ABA 31 46 34 11 397.0 333 109 78 9 41 187 41 6 1.77
It was a season for the ages for Snoopy Haddon. It seems rather unfair that he did not make Pitcher of the Year in either league, considering he was probably the best hurler for both. For what it's worth, we looked up the 3 people who finished with better single-season ERAs than Haddon. The record-holder is Blake Biddulph, a relief pitcher from the inaugural season who was retired by the end of 1895. Can anyone say "fluke"? Numbers 2 and 3 were by American Leaguers.
Cullen Crewe
Code:
Year Team Age G W L IP H R ER HR BB SO CG Sh ERA
1900 New York - NL 30 33 9 9 178.2 204 92 70 6 78 30 5 2 3.53
1901 New York - NL 31 30 10 14 212.2 218 120 82 3 61 76 21 2 3.47
1902 New York - NL 32 23 8 12 190.0 195 103 67 3 57 18 20 2 3.17
Talk about your eerie coincidences: Crewe was a teammate of Haddon's on the Orioles from 1894 through 1896, although by that time he was no longer a regular member of the team's roster. Crewe's resurrection with the Giants was the stuff of legends, actually; he'd been almost completely out of the game since the Orioles cut him in 1897 but has returned to be, if not the greatest pitcher in the world, a man who can win nearly as many games as he loses. This is a valuable level for a 4th starter to be at.
Everyone Else
Code:
Name Age G W L IP H R ER HR BB SO CG Sh ERA
Pat Nihil 38 17 7 10 151.1 154 51 2 39 31 3.03
John O'Cloonan 31 7 1 1 17.1 17 1 0 5 12 0.52
Bob Shank 33 3 1 1 13.2 10 1 0 4 8 0.66
Catcher and First Base
Garrett Olson C(91)
Code:
Year Team/League Age G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB AVG
1900 New York - NL 31 65 101 28 2 0 0 12 10 2 5 0 .277
1901 New York - NL 32 74 258 67 8 4 0 37 32 18 28 0 .260
1902 New York - NL 33 92 339 83 11 3 0 45 38 12 22 1 .245
Olsen, a career vagabond who finally found a home in the Big Apple three short years ago, starts because of the way he handles pitchers as well as a rocket for an arm that has allowed him to catch 40% and 38% of opposing steal attempters the past two seasons. We would give him a flashy superheroic nickname but frankly we don't know how much longer he's going to be around.
Dylan Nelson C(57)
Code:
Year Team/League Age G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB AVG
1900 Brooklyn - NL 30 91 187 43 8 0 1 23 14 20 18 1 .230
1901 Brooklyn - NL 31 38 122 34 5 3 1 18 18 12 8 0 .279
1902 Brooklyn - NL 32 32 95 30 6 1 1 13 11 9 4 0 .316
1902 New York - NL 32 30 92 19 3 0 0 10 11 12 5 0 .207
1902 Total - ABA 32 62 187 49 9 1 1 23 22 21 9 0 .262
Nelson's career path has been almost exactly the opposite: he was with the Brooklyn Superbas since the league's inception. We say "almost" because after all he is on another ballclub now. The Giants picked him up to add some flashy stickwork (flashier stickwork, at least), but he appeared to have left his bat back in the other borough. He'll face a severe challenge this spring training for the backup backstop position; the Giants own the rights to one Alexander Fleming, a chemist by trade who whupped opposing pitchers like the polio virus in the minors last year (.306 average).
John "The Black" Knight 1B(68)
Code:
Year Team/League Age G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB AVG
1900 New York - NL 30 71 268 90 11 6 5 41 36 23 15 2 .336
1901 New York - NL 31 140 561 155 26 7 7 72 95 55 60 9 .276
1902 New York - NL 32 71 258 67 8 1 0 27 27 30 15 3 .260
Knight's New York career came to an abrupt halt on the 16th of July when he was unceremoniously cut by new manager John McGraw. McGraw had to make a statement as to the kind of play he would accept and not accept, and in addition the writing was really on the wall when he announced he'd brought over former Cincinnati Reds phenom Cody Plummer. We'll miss you, Black Knight, but we're sure you'll find a job somewhere.
Cody Plummer 1B(132)
Code:
Year Team/League Age G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB AVG
1900 Cincinnati - AA 22 140 427 140 20 7 9 79 76 61 18 1 .328
1901 Cincinnati - NL 23 125 512 159 32 11 10 70 96 65 34 1 .311
1902 Baltimore - AL 24 66 262 76 10 3 4 44 38 38 7 1 .290
1902 New York - NL 24 66 253 77 19 4 0 39 35 31 12 1 .304
1902 Total - ABA 24 132 515 153 29 7 4 83 73 69 19 2 .297
Some pundits have claimed that the Giants made a mistake in signing a notorious kangaroo like Plummer and letting their long-time first sacker go in the process, but those people do not, we think, pay enough attention to what this man can do. He makes pitchers' knees wobble: last season they gave him an automatic ticket to first base 30 times. That is why we started calling him "The Punisher".
Everybody Else
Code:
Player Age G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB AVG
Keith Bissell 34 28 90 18 4 0 0 8 9 0 0 10 .200 C(27)
Jerry Turner 26 32 50 12 2 0 0 7 4 0 0 1 .240 1B(6)
Infield
Duarte Gonzalez 2B(66), SS(66)
Code:
Year Team/League Age G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB AVG
1900 New York - NL 22 95 377 109 15 8 4 40 60 24 24 10 .289
1901 New York - NL 23 81 310 96 11 6 0 55 44 23 23 13 .310
1902 New York - NL 24 132 516 139 22 3 1 60 69 30 33 29 .269
Gonzalez finally enjoyed his first full season as a regular. One looks at the averages and figures that perhaps he started off hot and then cooled down as he found himself unaccustomed to the regularity of play, but such was not the case. He pretty much hit in the .270 range all year long. Alas, that seems to be pretty good for a short-stop.
Norm "The Big Napoleon" Aston 3B(71), 2B(64)
Code:
Year Team/League Age G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB AVG
1900 New York - NL 29 145 520 146 14 7 6 65 71 83 11 11 .281
1901 New York - ABA 30 137 504 179 30 17 5 93 98 92 10 12 .355
1902 New York - ABA 31 135 491 139 20 7 7 74 93 106 6 17 .283
Okay, the '02 model wasn't quite as solid as the '01 one was, but take a gander at that strikeout to walk ratio. Admittedly, we haven't looked that hard, but that's the best rate we can find in the history of the league, exclusing people who had 5 walks and no strikeouts in 19 at-bats, of course. And he did it all while learning a new position.
Dolan Packard 3B(140)
Code:
Year Team/League Age G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB AVG
1900 Baltimore - AA 28 115 443 157 13 7 1 47 69 38 26 19 .354
1901 Baltimore - AL 29 140 594 203 25 3 1 64 98 55 41 9 .342
1902 Baltimore - AL 30 77 339 116 8 3 1 31 54 25 22 14 .342
1902 New York - NL 30 64 275 98 11 2 1 29 48 16 15 14 .356
1902 Total - ABA 30 141 614 214 19 5 2 60 102 41 37 28 .349
How often can you bring a superstar in his prime onto a ballclub? Normally you have to pick out a "rooky" who looks like he's going to be great one day and then nurture him into stardom. With Packard, the Giants don't have to do that. They did have to move the infield around a bit but complaining about that is a lot like looking a prize horse that you were just given in the mouth for cavities.
Chris Fortescue SS(43), 2B(4)
Code:
Year Team/League Age G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB AVG
1900 Pittsburgh - AA 31 57 110 12 3 2 0 8 8 9 13 6 .109
1901 Pittsburgh - NL 32 35 107 19 4 4 0 13 12 8 13 10 .178
1902 New York - NL 33 49 141 32 8 6 0 13 20 6 11 22 .227
What were they thinking? The fact that the pre-McGraw Giants gave this guy 149 at-bats is a very good part of why they were not in contention until the Little General took over. Yes, he was filling in a hole. That's no excuse.
Doonan Sidebotham SS(36)
Code:
Year Team/League Age G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB AVG
1900 New York - NL 25 35 74 17 2 1 0 7 6 0 5 0 .230
1901 New York - NL 26 36 129 37 5 2 0 21 14 5 11 0 .287
1902 New York - NL 27 36 134 23 2 2 0 9 11 4 14 0 .172
Sidebotham, at least, showed some signs of being a major-league quality hitter. Not many signs, mind you. But he was quite a bit younger than Fortescue and hadn't just hit .109 and .178 the previous two seasons. He's still in the organization just in case somebody gets an owie.
Everybody Else
Code:
Player Age G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB AVG
Luciano Chevere 22 48 81 28 3 1 1 14 11 5 1 4 .346 SS(10), 2B(7), 3B(6)
Sexton Blake 22 11 13 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .462 SS(7), 2B(1)
Outfield
Tracy "The Hit Doctor" Welsman LF(83), CF(38)
Code:
Year Team/League Age G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB AVG
1900 New York - NL 28 122 438 133 13 9 2 36 55 50 21 21 .304
1901 New York - NL 29 111 430 128 17 8 4 55 70 42 20 28 .298
1902 New York - ABA 30 121 469 136 23 6 1 65 74 54 14 28 .290
Welsman managed to avoid getting hurt until the very end of the season and as a result appeared at the plate in '02 more times than he had so far this century. We're using the plebian definition of "century" here that includes the year 1900. Yes, we know that it really started in 1901. Now that he is in his prime, it's clear that the Hit Doctor is never going to be a star but nevertheless he is what he is: a corner OF who will hit somewhere around .300 for you and who will cover enough ground to play center field if needed. There are certainly worse men out there to give a baseball-related job to.
Paul Blenkiron LF(29)
Code:
Year Team/League Age G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB AVG
1901 New York - NL 27 23 42 9 2 0 1 10 7 3 3 1 .214
1902 New York - NL 28 29 118 30 9 1 2 17 12 5 9 3 .254
Blenkiron will always be one of the great "what if" tales in baseball lore. What would have become of him had he not torn up his ankle that dark day in June? Would he have forever been a poor man's King Royal, or would he have swung the stick like a man who truly belonged in an outfield full of Giants? The world, sadly, will never know.
Ray Pearl CF(87), LF(10)
Code:
Year Team/League Age G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB AVG
1902 New York - NL 20 102 384 112 6 4 2 69 53 14 19 27 .292
Ray Pearl didn't just take advantage of the Blenkiron injury, he leapt upon his opportunity with the ferociousness of a singles-hitting tiger. In addition to the hitting, he fielded the position very, very well and probably would have won the Gold Glove had he played all season in center.
Rick Douglas RF(137)
Code:
Year Team/League Age G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB AVG
1900 New York - NL 24 78 304 93 9 4 1 25 38 3 36 18 .306
1901 New York - NL 25 135 530 172 16 14 8 85 86 50 51 36 .325
1902 New York - ABA 26 139 577 155 20 14 3 37 107 65 52 49 .269
Douglas still swings at too many bad pitches, but despite seeing his average drop nearly 60 points he still managed to finish 2nd in the National League in runs scored. That's precisely what you ask a leadoff hitter to do, score runs. When he did get on base, he made sure he got into scoring position. He finished in the top 10 in both triples and stolen bases.
Everybody Else
Code:
Player Age G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB AVG
Dante Bommarito 34 23 71 16 5 1 0 11 10 3 3 9 .225 LF(10), CF(8), RF(4)
Liam Gascoine 19 11 42 8 1 0 0 0 4 4 0 0 .190 LF(11)