1912 Season Highlights
Code:
TEAM W L PCT GB RS RA OPS ERA
Geneva 93 57 .620 -- 713 577 .723 2.95
Waterloo 79 71 .527 14 742 711 .710 3.56
Canandaigua 71 79 .473 22 756 846 .734 4.17
Seneca Falls 71 79 .473 22 706 676 .693 3.26
Penn Yan 69 81 .460 24 714 786 .724 3.75
Watkins Glen 67 83 .447 26 733 768 .724 3.55
The reign of the
Geneva Green Sox over the
Finger Lakes League was a short one, as the
Waterloo Finches came back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the powerful Genevans in the Seneca Cup Series.
The key to the Finches' resurgence might have been the blockbuster trade in which they sent LF
Fernando Molina to Canandaigua for RHP
Joe Norris. Finally, Norris got a chance to pitch for a contender. Norris won nine games for the Finches down the stretch and earned a long-awaited championship ring. Combined with
Ernesto Santos (18-13, 2.91) and
Billy Edgar (12-15, 3.09, 151 K), Norris gave the Waterloo club the tight three-man rotation that usually leads to playoff success.
The emergence of exciting 21-year-old OF
Marlon Powell (.313-2-44 in 368 AB) enabled the Finches to trade away Molina, who hit .341 for Waterloo before the deal. RF
Duane Blackburn (.324-3-82, 74 BB, 51 XBH) and C
Al Williams (.276-2-60) were productive as usual, and so was CF
Paul O'Connor, who hit .286 before tearing a triceps muscle in July.
Geneva's pitching staff was once again the best in the league by a wide margin, and it powered the Green Sox to another regular season title. RHP
Casey Ladner (25-11, 2.36, 219 K) won an unprecedented third straight
Outstanding Pitcher Award. LHP
Ben Jones (23-10, 2.44) was superb, as was RHP
Raul Alonso (19-14, 2.94, 186 K). When a Green Sox starter faltered,
Kent Allen (7-3, 1.05, 17 saves) was there to pick up the pieces.
Geneva has successfully integrated several new players into its everyday lineup over the past two years. Dealing from strength, they swapped veteran RHP
Dennis Williams to Watkins Glen for young RF
Enrique Ramos, and promptly inserted him into the lineup. Ramos hit .297-7-74 with 45 doubles and 16 triples, stole 64 bases, and won the
Rookie of the Year Award. Had the Riverboat not steamed away with that honor, 1B
Jimmy Martin (.274-1-59, 39 doubles, 19 triples) could have. Another youngster, LF
Jack Berger (.278-6-80) grabbed an everyday job. Old reliable 3B
Tony Powell hit .267 with 75 RBI.
The
Canandaigua Ice Cats took a big step forward in 1912, finishing in the first division for the first time in the FLL's nine-year history. The key to the 'Cats' progress was their hard-hitting lineup.
LF
Fernando Molina (.344) hit as well for the Ice Cats as he did for Waterloo. 1B
Mal Chase (.318-12-84, 56 doubles) won the home run crown. CF
Anthony Madison (.344-4-78) and RF
Brenton Kelly (.332-4-81) enjoyed productive sophomore seasons. 2B
Doyle Scurlock (.301-6-90), obtained from the Sheepdogs, emerged as a star.
Will Kirk (12-19), who arrived in a trade that sent 1B
Dave Humphrey to Waterloo, has now pitched for five of the six FLL teams. However, the most important new addition to the Ice Cats pitching staff was 19-year-old
Garland "Redeye" Taylor (8-15, 3.66 ERA).
Seneca Falls got good seasons from veterans like LF
Ryan Hill (.286-3-77, 70 BB, 47 SB) and 1B
Jack Robinson (.288-1-81, 42 2B, 16 3B), as well as young RF
Marlon Tucker (.320-6-73) and SS
Geoffrey Veeck (.299, 111 R, 75 SB). Robinson moved to first base to make room for 2B
Randy Lowry (.288-2-76, age 22). LHP
Eric Groves (14-13, 2.84, 160 K) was the best of a mediocre lot of Sheepdogs pitchers.
Penn Yan fans could cheer the exploits of LF
Ronald Brady (.352-4-87, 48 2B, 19 3B, .914 OPS), which earned him an
Outstanding Hitter Award. 2B
Nick Wells (.301-0-58, 111 BB, .434 OBP) continued to mature into a star, while CF
Francisco Rivera (.327-0-70, 61 SB) turned in another solid season. The Brawlers' pitching staff was thin behind portsiders
Lawrence Inman (17-17) and
Patrick Davis (14-13, 3.05).
Once-proud Watkins Glen continued to flounder, as aging legends like RF
Mike Young (.298-1-41) and C "
Duck" West (.264-2-60) tried to recapture their former glory. 3B
Robby Ward (.324-5-81, 92 BB) and CF
Gunnar Doyle (.336-1-68) still had something left at age 36.
Two young players, 2B
John Brown (.308-2-91, 51 2B, 14 3B) and OF
Elliott Anderson (.307, 23 SB in 194 AB) provided glimpses of hope for the future, but as long as the Bucks insist on trading away young studs like
Enrique Ramos, their rebuilding will move slowly. The player they acquired for Ramos, RHP
Dennis Williams, won 18 games for the Bucks--10 fewer than he did for Geneva in 1912.