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AZTarHeel · 03-21-2009, 11:51 PM

1916 North Carolina State League — Regular Season Recap

Upstart Hornets, Tourists rule Tar Heel baseball in ’16

STANDINGS

Code:

Team                	W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Charlotte Hornets	68	52	.567	-	69-51	-1	33-27	35-25	11-3	21-20	Clinched	W2	8-2
Asheville Tourists	63	57	.525	5.0	65-55	-2	35-25	28-32	11-7	22-17		L2	4-6
Raleigh Capitals	61	59	.508	7.0	61-59	0	28-32	33-27	5-5	16-25		L2	5-5
Durham Bulls        	60	60	.500	8.0	54-66	6	27-33	33-27	6-7	26-23		W2	5-5
Winston-Salem Twins	57	63	.475	11.0	58-62	-1	32-28	25-35	4-15	23-22		W2	4-6
Greensboro Patriots	51	69	.425	17.0	52-68	-1	25-35	26-34	5-5	22-23		L2	4-6

There is going to be a new champion in the North Carolina State League this season! The Charlotte Hornets and Asheville Tourists, who led the league wire-to-wire, earned the right to play one another in the 1916 Carolina Champions Cup playoff series. Neither team has been in the playoff series before.

Charlotte closed strong, winning eight of its last 10 games, while Asheville managed to hold off Raleigh and Durham over the last few weeks.

Charlotte pitcher Rudy Young, who was 7-17 in his inaugural season in 1913, turned the tables and posted an 18-7 record to lead the Hornets this year. Interesting to note, that he was only 2-4 against Asheville during the season.

LF Will Simpson was a do-everything player for Charlotte, posting some MVP numbers. He batted .284 (second best on the team) and swiped a league-best 76 bases (wow!). He scored 83 runs (the most by far in the league). First baseman Ivan Martinez led the league with 63 RBIs and paced the Hornets with a .287 average. An exciting combo for sure.

It will be interesting to see how these two and the rest of Charlotte’s lineup fares against Asheville pitching, which leads the league overall in every pitching category except a couple. Three Tourist hurlers -- MR Karl Graves (1.41, 7-3 with 2 saves), SP Jose Andres (1.75, 10-5) and SP Merlin McNeill (2.26, 16-7) -- have the best three ERAs in all the NCSL. Andres, who grew up in Hickory, N.C. -- which isn’t too far from Asheville -- really burst on the scene late in the season. The first-year Asheville player was Pitcher of the Month for July as well as Rookie of the Month. Maybe he’ll be Rookie of the Year as well? And maybe a champion to boot.

For the record, Asheville went 14-10 against Charlotte during the regular season.

Raleigh Capitals fans felt better about their team this season, despite missing out on the playoffs again. The Caps were led by pitchers Oliver “Skull” Jenkins and Andy Owens, who were both 15-12. They both had ERAs in the 2.75 range. The Caps had the second-best batting average in the league, led by 1B Sean Silver (.285). Raleigh just struggled to score and keep others from pushing runs across overall.

Durham did well to get back into contention but the Bulls lacked firepower at the plate. Durham was dead last in most offensive categories. Starters’ ERA also was fifth in the league. Not a championship combination. Beloved IF Anthony Watson, a two-time MVP, suffered a torn back muscle in June and missed the rest of the season. You have to wonder if this will be it for the 37-year-old. Watson had a .306 average when he went down, so that pretty much killed the Bulls’ chances at getting back into the playoffs. Doctors say he’ll be fortunate to be ready to go at the start of the 1917 season.

The Winston-Salem Twins could hit the heck out of the ball in 1916, leading the NCSL in many categories. Ryan Travis, a centerfielder (pictured above), was the league’s Batting Champ with a .308 average in 112 games. The 27-year-old had 152 hits, including 12 doubles, 18 triples and 4 home runs. He also tallied 66 runs and drove in 49 runs. The Twins just struggled from the mound and had more errors than anyone else, hence the losing record.

You have to wonder when Greensboro will pull the trigger on some of its young guys. Three of the Pats’ starting pitchers are aging vets -- Joe Holder (age 38), Alejandro Rodriguez (36) and Juan Olivares (34). Holder did win 15 games this past season. Greensboro is pretty, um, experienced overall, with nearly all of its position players 30 or older. Daniel Smith, a 1B, was the best hitter for the G-men this season with a .271 average. Eugene Connor hit 6 homers, best in the non-power packed NCSL.

Overall, a pretty good year in the North Carolina State League, maybe the most competitive and balanced so far ...

03-21-2009, 11:51 PM	#40 (permalink)
AZTarHeel All Star Starter Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 1,488 Thanks: 9 Thanked 9x in 8 posts	1916 North Carolina State League — Regular Season Recap Upstart Hornets, Tourists rule Tar Heel baseball in ’16 STANDINGS Code: Team W L PCT GB Pyt.Rec Diff Home Away XInn 1Run M# Streak Last10 Charlotte Hornets 68 52 .567 - 69-51 -1 33-27 35-25 11-3 21-20 Clinched W2 8-2 Asheville Tourists 63 57 .525 5.0 65-55 -2 35-25 28-32 11-7 22-17 L2 4-6 Raleigh Capitals 61 59 .508 7.0 61-59 0 28-32 33-27 5-5 16-25 L2 5-5 Durham Bulls 60 60 .500 8.0 54-66 6 27-33 33-27 6-7 26-23 W2 5-5 Winston-Salem Twins 57 63 .475 11.0 58-62 -1 32-28 25-35 4-15 23-22 W2 4-6 Greensboro Patriots 51 69 .425 17.0 52-68 -1 25-35 26-34 5-5 22-23 L2 4-6 There is going to be a new champion in the North Carolina State League this season! The Charlotte Hornets and Asheville Tourists, who led the league wire-to-wire, earned the right to play one another in the 1916 Carolina Champions Cup playoff series. Neither team has been in the playoff series before. Charlotte closed strong, winning eight of its last 10 games, while Asheville managed to hold off Raleigh and Durham over the last few weeks. Charlotte pitcher Rudy Young, who was 7-17 in his inaugural season in 1913, turned the tables and posted an 18-7 record to lead the Hornets this year. Interesting to note, that he was only 2-4 against Asheville during the season. LF Will Simpson was a do-everything player for Charlotte, posting some MVP numbers. He batted .284 (second best on the team) and swiped a league-best 76 bases (wow!). He scored 83 runs (the most by far in the league). First baseman Ivan Martinez led the league with 63 RBIs and paced the Hornets with a .287 average. An exciting combo for sure. It will be interesting to see how these two and the rest of Charlotte’s lineup fares against Asheville pitching, which leads the league overall in every pitching category except a couple. Three Tourist hurlers -- MR Karl Graves (1.41, 7-3 with 2 saves), SP Jose Andres (1.75, 10-5) and SP Merlin McNeill (2.26, 16-7) -- have the best three ERAs in all the NCSL. Andres, who grew up in Hickory, N.C. -- which isn’t too far from Asheville -- really burst on the scene late in the season. The first-year Asheville player was Pitcher of the Month for July as well as Rookie of the Month. Maybe he’ll be Rookie of the Year as well? And maybe a champion to boot. For the record, Asheville went 14-10 against Charlotte during the regular season. Raleigh Capitals fans felt better about their team this season, despite missing out on the playoffs again. The Caps were led by pitchers Oliver “Skull” Jenkins and Andy Owens, who were both 15-12. They both had ERAs in the 2.75 range. The Caps had the second-best batting average in the league, led by 1B Sean Silver (.285). Raleigh just struggled to score and keep others from pushing runs across overall. Durham did well to get back into contention but the Bulls lacked firepower at the plate. Durham was dead last in most offensive categories. Starters’ ERA also was fifth in the league. Not a championship combination. Beloved IF Anthony Watson, a two-time MVP, suffered a torn back muscle in June and missed the rest of the season. You have to wonder if this will be it for the 37-year-old. Watson had a .306 average when he went down, so that pretty much killed the Bulls’ chances at getting back into the playoffs. Doctors say he’ll be fortunate to be ready to go at the start of the 1917 season. The Winston-Salem Twins could hit the heck out of the ball in 1916, leading the NCSL in many categories. Ryan Travis, a centerfielder (pictured above), was the league’s Batting Champ with a .308 average in 112 games. The 27-year-old had 152 hits, including 12 doubles, 18 triples and 4 home runs. He also tallied 66 runs and drove in 49 runs. The Twins just struggled from the mound and had more errors than anyone else, hence the losing record. You have to wonder when Greensboro will pull the trigger on some of its young guys. Three of the Pats’ starting pitchers are aging vets -- Joe Holder (age 38), Alejandro Rodriguez (36) and Juan Olivares (34). Holder did win 15 games this past season. Greensboro is pretty, um, experienced overall, with nearly all of its position players 30 or older. Daniel Smith, a 1B, was the best hitter for the G-men this season with a .271 average. Eugene Connor hit 6 homers, best in the non-power packed NCSL. Overall, a pretty good year in the North Carolina State League, maybe the most competitive and balanced so far ... __________________ AzTarHeel's dynasty works: The Arizona League 3.0: Historical players in the Grand Canyon state Tall Tales: The Andrew Zarzour Story Baseball In The Tar Heel State: A Fictional Experience Win At All Costs: The 2004 Boston Red Sox The Arizona League: Real Players. Fictional Teams Last edited by AZTarHeel; 03-22-2009 at 12:46 AM.