January 21, 1908
Until now, the six teams of the
Finger Lakes League had remained fairly quiet during the offseason. A few managers were fired, and a handful of reserves were traded, but that was all.
Not so during the winter of 1907-1908. The hot stove has been stoked with plenty of fuell, as two of the league’s most productive hitters were sent packing, in separate deals that involved the same two teams!
Nobody was surprised to see the
Penn Yan Brawlers making some changes, on the heels of two straight losing seasons. The news that broke on December 15, 1907 was shocking, nonetheless. The Brawlers traded two-time Outstanding Batter winner
Mike Young to the
Watkins Glen Bucks in exchange for infielder
Eddie Ferguson and promising 20-year-old 3B
Eugene Allen.
Young, the league’s all-time leader in on base percentage, slugging average, OPS, and RBI, has a lifetime average of .342. At age 36, he is probably in the twilight of his career, but his formidable talents appear to be intact. Ferguson, who can play any infield position and won two Gold Gloves at third base, is useful, but he’s the same age as Young. The real prize for the Brawlers is Allen, the #2 prospect at his position in the league.
The Bucks and Brawlers weren’t done yet. Today, the Bucks shipped RF
Neil Byers, who hit .331 and led the league with 73 RBI in ’07, and teenaged outfielder
Bryan Griggs to Penn Yan in exchange for 25-year-old righthander
Kevin Singleton. Byers hasn’t been quite as productive as Young, but he is in his prime at age 29. Singleton lacks the endurance to be a front-line starter, but the Bucks believe they can use him in relief.
Unless Young’s booming bat powers the Bucks back into the Series, it’s hard to see how they got much from this deal. Both youngsters Watkins Glen gave away, Allen and Griggs, have the potential to be regular players, at least. Byers could fill the cleanup spot for Penn Yan for nearly a decade to come. We’ll see how this all turns out.