1876 Preview
Boston Red Caps
NA Record: 149-143 (.510), 1873 Championship
Key Players:
SP Fred Ross, 24-27, 1.90 ERA
CF Fred Mannion, .290/.307/.339
1B Charlie Rossi, .294/.299/.380
2B Jim Gray, .265/.281/.284
Comings and Goings
Traded for LF Joe Holleran from the Philadelphia Athletics
Trade for RF Dave Hasse from the Hartford Dark Blues
Outlook:
Boston and Cincinnati both join the National League as the Red Stockings, so to make things simple, neither team will go by that moniker. Boston, now known as the Red Caps, was not a good team during the last season of the NA. The team added a couple of solid outfield veterans in Holleran (the 1872 NA Batter of the Year) and Hasse. The offense will likely be improved, which will help starter Fred Ross, who wasn’t bad last year. This is a team that could really surprise some people after a very disappointing year in 1875.
Projected Finish: 2nd
Chicago White Stockings
NA Record: 77-51 (.602), 1874 Championship
Key Players
SP Frank Smyth, 8-9, 1.33 ERA
RF Harry Pigg, rookie
LF Bill Shew, .300/.295/.338
Comings and Goings
Traded P Mart Lemelle to the New York Mutuals for OF Harry Pigg
Outlook:
President William Hulbert may have been instrumental in bringing about the end of the NA and creating the NL, but he didn’t do much over the offseason to improve the team. Smyth is a relatively untested pitcher who was good after the 37 year old Lemelle started to show his age last year. Pigg is the most likely player to contribute significantly on offense, and that is a sign of a long, miserable year in Chicago.
Projected Finish: 8th
Cincinnati Reds
Key Players
SP Joe Bormann, rookie
RF Joe Bonetti, .284/.299/.348 (w/ WSH)
1B Steve Tucker, .270/.280/.304, 1 HR (w/ PWS)
Outlook:
The Reds picked up a number of players out of the remains of the NA to supplement the players they bring with them out of the amateur ranks. Bormann’s a young starter with plenty of potential, but he never pitched in the NA and that leaves him as a rather unproven commodity. The offense has some decent hitters, but no one that is particularly frightening to an opposing pitcher.
Projected Finish: 6th
Hartford Dark Blues
NA Record: 61-78 (.439)
Key Players
SP Frank Kale, 9-11, 1.96 ERA
1B George Gower, .294/.291/.359
RF Jim Linhart, .280/.287/.369, 1 HR
Comings and Goings
Traded RF Dave Hasse to the Boston Red Caps.
Outlook:
Kale was acquired from Chicago last July and given the starting role for Hartford the rest of the way. He posted solid, if unspectacular numbers in 24 starts for the Dark Blues. Gower and Linhart are solid hitters who will give the team the bulk of the offense, which won’t be enough to finish anywhere near the money.
Projected Finish: 7th
Louisville Grays
Key Players
SP Jack Due, 1-1, 1.86 ERA (w/ ATL)
2B Tim Balke, .332/.330/.415, 1 HR (w/ NY)
LF Henry Rasnick, rookie
RF Joe Scheinblum, rookie
Outlook:
Louisville is the other team, in addition to Cincinnati, that was not a part of the NA last season but will be in the NL this year. The Grays signed a handful of players with NA experience, among them starter Jack Due. Due pitched for three different organizations in the NA, but was only a regular starter for the Baltimore Canaries in 1874, when he went 6-9 with a 2.65 ERA. One can’t expect too much out of him this year, and the Grays will likely replace him if they find another option. Balke was an excellent hitter last year, although the Grays may go with Steve Reger for most of the time at second base. Rasnick and Scheinblum are both new to the highest level of baseball, but also highly successful in the amateur circuits.
Projected Finish: 5th
New York Mutuals
NA Record: 144-134 (.518)
Key Players
SP George Ott, rookie
RF John Nero, .296/.313/.388, 13 3B’s, 18 SB’s
2B Tom Childers, .288/.300/.315
LF Sam Shokes, .272/.293/.333, 2 HR’s
CF Jim Michel, .326/.367/.383
Comings and Goings
Signed 1B Billy Horace
Outlook:
Have the Mutuals finally found a starting pitcher they can rely on? Their offense has always been good, and the addition of Horace to a lineup that already included Nero, Childers, and Michel means the Mutuals are likely to score plenty of runs. The real question is whether or not Ott is finally ready to make the step to face major league hitters.
Projected Finish: 4th
Philadelphia Athletics
NA Record: 171-88 (.660), 1871, 1872, 1875 Championship
Key Players
SP Joe Gotcher, 38-13, 1.73 ERA, NA POY
2B George Barkley, .289/.291/.333, 1 HR
RF Jim Shemo, .347/.354/.394, 1 HR, NA BOY
1B Will Melnick, .281/.278/.329, 2 HR
Comings and Goings
Traded OF Joe Holleran to the Boston Red Caps
Outlook:
The 3-time NA champions come into the first season of the National League with a bevy of stars that make them a formidable team to face. Gotcher was a deserving Pitcher of the Year winner last season, and the offense is very deep even with the trade of aging outfielder Holleran. Shemo, Barkley, and Melnick are supported by others such as C Charlie Harvard and 3B Oscar Williams.
Projected Finish: 1st
St. Louis Brown Stockings
NA Record: 27-43 (.386)
Key Players
SP Charlie Barta, 13-8, 1.43 ERA (w/ WSH)
C Mike Stanley, .335/.336/.406 (w/ ATL)
CF Bob Polansky, .283/.282/.325 (w/ ATL)
RF Bob Brose, .311/.333/.357 (w/ ATL)
Outlook:
The Brown Stockings were very eager to do away with the NA and get the NL started and taking a look at their roster, it’s easy to see why. Several teams had complained in the offseason that St. Louis’ management had been less than fair in their dealings with various stars around the league, and their roster now looks totally different than last season. They added a bona fide star pitcher in Barta. They also stocked their lineup with several of the best hitters from perennial contenders Brooklyn. Unlike last year’s team, this edition of the Brown Stockings is a team to be reckoned with.
Projected Finish: 2nd
1876 Projected Standings
1. Philadelphia Athletics
2. Boston Red Caps
3. St. Louis Brown Stockings
4. New York Mutuals
5. Louisville Grays
6. Cincinnati Reds
7. Hartford Dark Blues
8. Chicago White Stockings