Small Town Mansfields Spend Big
With 3 teams leaving the league, a number of players suddenly found themselves without a job heading into the 1872 season. Making matters more interesting is the fact that 5 teams joined the returning 6 teams in an effort to aquire them. With all those players available, no team made a bigger splash than the free spending Mansfields...
The Manfields went out and signed two of the best hitters from 1871 as well as one of the best pitchers. 1871 Batter of the Year winner Bob Polansky and teammate Harry Ream both will be playing for Middletown after seeing their stadium go up in flames last October. The former White Stockings will be supporing a former Kekionga. Fort Wayne's star pitcher Jake Lindsey also signed with Middletown. While he only managed a 5-1 record in Fort Wayne's short season, he did post a 1.68 ERA and the trio of stars immediately creates a formidable force in Connecticut.
The rest of the league has certainly sat up to take notice of Middletown, but there is a legitimate concern that the team has overspent on stars in a town that simply can't afford all that talent. Certainly, teams in large markets such as New York, Boston, and Philadelphia have mocked the signings, citing the example of Fort Wayne and Rockford as small town teams that were unable to pay even their more modest payrolls.