1921 Western Carolina League — Season Recap
Durham, Asheville feeder teams lead the way
Indians win regular season again but Rebels sweep playoff series
The Lexington Indians claimed their second straight Western Carolina League championship, but just like 1920, they didn’t win the post-season crown. The Hickory Rebels swept the Indians in three straight to claim their first championship as a franchise. Lexington feeds the Durham Bulls. Hickory feeds Asheville, which won the 1919 and 1920 NCSL championships. Good times in the mountains for sure.
Six things to know about the 1921 Western Carolina League season, aside from who earned the championship hardware:
• Lexington swept the top two player awards.
Julius Martinez was the WCL’s Most Outstanding Hitter. The 25-year-old catcher batted .293 (127 hits) with 46 RBIs and 57 runs scored. He hit six homers.
Alberto Vazquez won Most Outstanding Pitcher honors. He was 18-8 in 29 starts with an ERA of 2.16. He struck out 159. Nice.
• So what happened to the Indians in the playoff series? Hickory absolutely dominated them, 1-0 in Game One (a two-hitter for pitcher
Willard Richards), 4-0 in Game Two and 4-0 in Game Three (a four-hitter with seven K’s for
Johnny Ward, a former No. 1 pick by Greensboro). Wow, Lexington didn’t even score a run in three games. The Rebels become the WCL establishment.
• Two hitters from bottom-feeder clubs --
Vicente Bonilla of Shelby and
Julio Jimenez of Mount Airy -- both had 5-for-5 games during the season. Each had six RBIs and scored two runs in their respective contests. Bonilla’s effort featured two home runs, including a grand slam.
• Help could be on the way for Raleigh’s beleaguered pitching staff. Recent draftee
Robin White won a league-leading 19 games for the WCL’s Statesville Owls this season. He lost just eight and finished with a 2.12 ERA. The Caps in fact called him up when the calendar rolled into September.
• One of the WCL’s top hitters was
Rick Smith, who has already been a journeyman since getting drafted in 1918. Smith was picked by Greensboro in the third round, and the Patriots (of course) traded him to Raleigh. The Capitals let Smith get away in the expansion draft to Wilmington but then traded to get him back. Well, Smith lasted less than six months in Raleigh Red and was sent to Charlotte during the off-season heading into 1921. Smith, 21, spent his entire season in Mooresville and stroked a league-best 135 hits and had a .308 average (second behind Cooleemee’s
Elmer Eaton, .315).
• The Shelby Farmers finished last again but the Farm boys weren’t quite as bad this season, posting a 14-game gain in the standings. They still have a long ways to go… Shelby pitcher
Travis Larkin, who was 1-18 a year ago, was moved to mop-up relief and posted a 7-13 record. His ERA dropped about 1.5 points to 3.76, which is a good sign …
Don Weeks, who lost 22 games a year ago in Shelby, was traded to Wilmington and did much better in the Pirates’ farm system. Weeks was 13-10 with 2.08 ERA.
WESTERN CAROLINA LEAGUE CHAMPIONS
1914 - Winston-Salem Junior Twins*
1915 - Greensboro Junior Patriots*
1916 - Greensboro Junior Patriots*
1917 - Greensboro Junior Patriots*
1918 - Cooleemee Weavers (Greensboro Patriots) -- defeated Mooresville Moors 2-0
1919 - Cooleemee Weavers (Greensboro Patriots) -- defeated Mooresville Moors 3-1
1920 - Mooresville Moors (Charlotte Hornets) -- defeated Lexington Indians 3-2
1921 - Hickory Rebels (Asheville Tourists) -- defeated Lexington Indians 3-0
*NOTE: WCL was known as NCSL Developmental League with no playoffs prior to 1918 season; Parent club is listed in parenthesis