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Eckstein 4 Prez · 12-01-2004, 03:24 AM

Well, I just finished the 1874 season, and it was a real dogfight. Three teams were almost tied with about a month to go - the Boston Red Stockings, the Philadelphia Athletics, and the surprising New York Mutuals. Boston seemed to have the upper hand, but then went on a sudden six-game losing streak, which allows New York to lead by 2 1/2 games at one point. Then Boston came alive at just the right moment, and with a strong October managed to win their third straight National Association crown:

Boston Red Stockings 46-25
New York Mutuals 41-24
Philadelphia Athletics 33-22
Baltimore Canaries 25-22
Philadelphia Whites 29-29
Brooklyn Atlantics 26-30
Chicago White Stockings 18-41
Hartford Dark Blues 14-39

Unsurprisingly, Win Shares pegged Ross Barnes of the Boston Red Stockings as the Most Valuable Hitter. In 69 games, Barnes batted .386, with 62 runs scored and an amazing 77 batted in. Barnes had 33 doubles, 10 triples and 2 home runs on the year, proving himself to be the league's first slugging threat.

The somewhat odd choice for the Cartwright Award was Phonney Martin of the Philadelphia Athletics. Although Phonney was only 13-14 for the Athletics, he still did an excellent job with a 2.97 ERA, narrowly earning him the award over George Zettlein and Asa Brainard.

Martin was also considered the overall Most Valuable Player, although I'd probably argue that Barnes deserved it more.

Somewhat by default, the Rookie of the Year was John Peters of the Chicago White Stockings, who batted .286 as the Chicagos' regular second baseman.

The top players by position:

1B - Joe "Old Reliable" Start, New York Mutuals (third overall appearance)
2B - Ross Barnes, Boston Red Stockings
SS - George Wright, Boston Red Stockings (second straight appearance)
3B - Adrian "Cap" Anson, New York Mutuals (second overall appearance)
LF - "Orator Jim" O'Rourke, Boston Red Stockings (second straight appearance)
CF - Candy Nelson, Brooklyn Atlantics
RF - Dick Higham, New York Mutuals
C - Cal McVey, Boston Red Stockings (second straight appearance)

For the 1875 season, several new teams decided to try their hands at the Association, including several from the west as base ball regained its national flavor. There would be two new teams from St. Louis, one from Keokuk, one from Philadelphia, one from Washington, and one from New Haven. Meanwhile, the three-year-old Baltimore franchise was disbanding, and its players were to be scattered to the winds.

Note: since I'm now up to date with my league as it stands, I'll probably post some career leader stats as of the end of 1874 to keep things going for a while.

12-01-2004, 03:24 AM	#19 (permalink)
Eckstein 4 Prez Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: The OC Posts: 5,184	Well, I just finished the 1874 season, and it was a real dogfight. Three teams were almost tied with about a month to go - the Boston Red Stockings, the Philadelphia Athletics, and the surprising New York Mutuals. Boston seemed to have the upper hand, but then went on a sudden six-game losing streak, which allows New York to lead by 2 1/2 games at one point. Then Boston came alive at just the right moment, and with a strong October managed to win their third straight National Association crown: Boston Red Stockings 46-25 New York Mutuals 41-24 Philadelphia Athletics 33-22 Baltimore Canaries 25-22 Philadelphia Whites 29-29 Brooklyn Atlantics 26-30 Chicago White Stockings 18-41 Hartford Dark Blues 14-39 Unsurprisingly, Win Shares pegged Ross Barnes of the Boston Red Stockings as the Most Valuable Hitter. In 69 games, Barnes batted .386, with 62 runs scored and an amazing 77 batted in. Barnes had 33 doubles, 10 triples and 2 home runs on the year, proving himself to be the league's first slugging threat. The somewhat odd choice for the Cartwright Award was Phonney Martin of the Philadelphia Athletics. Although Phonney was only 13-14 for the Athletics, he still did an excellent job with a 2.97 ERA, narrowly earning him the award over George Zettlein and Asa Brainard. Martin was also considered the overall Most Valuable Player, although I'd probably argue that Barnes deserved it more. Somewhat by default, the Rookie of the Year was John Peters of the Chicago White Stockings, who batted .286 as the Chicagos' regular second baseman. The top players by position: 1B - Joe "Old Reliable" Start, New York Mutuals (third overall appearance) 2B - Ross Barnes, Boston Red Stockings SS - George Wright, Boston Red Stockings (second straight appearance) 3B - Adrian "Cap" Anson, New York Mutuals (second overall appearance) LF - "Orator Jim" O'Rourke, Boston Red Stockings (second straight appearance) CF - Candy Nelson, Brooklyn Atlantics RF - Dick Higham, New York Mutuals C - Cal McVey, Boston Red Stockings (second straight appearance) For the 1875 season, several new teams decided to try their hands at the Association, including several from the west as base ball regained its national flavor. There would be two new teams from St. Louis, one from Keokuk, one from Philadelphia, one from Washington, and one from New Haven. Meanwhile, the three-year-old Baltimore franchise was disbanding, and its players were to be scattered to the winds. Note: since I'm now up to date with my league as it stands, I'll probably post some career leader stats as of the end of 1874 to keep things going for a while. __________________ A New League Begins - an exploration of 19th century base ball.