[AZTarHeel]

1916 North Carolina State League — Carolina Champions Cup Recap



Champions Cup coming to the N.C. mountains
Asheville sweeps Hornets in three for first title

Game 1: Asheville 3, Charlotte 0 -- WP: Merlin McNeill; LP: Rudy Young
Game 2: Asheville 4, Charlotte 2 (in 11 innings) -- WP: T. Thompson; LP: B. Price
Game 3: Asheville 5, Charlotte 3 -- WP: J. Andres; LP: N. Ross

Even though Charlotte won the regular season, looking at the match-ups seemed to suggest that Asheville had the edge in this series. Even with the playoffs expanding to a best-of-five format, the No. 2 seed won for the fourth consecutive time. In fact, the regular season champ has yet to win a playoff series.

Asheville got off to a huge start behind ace pitcher Merlin "The Wizard" McNeill. He gave up just three runs and out dueled Charlotte’s No. 1, Rudy Young in Game One (one of the two likely will be the league’s best pitcher for 1916). McNeill only struck out one, but got Charlotte to hit a lot of harmless grounders.

Asheville gave their star pitcher a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. The Tourists also scored once in the third and once more in the fourth, then left the rest to The Wizard, who did not allow a hit after Charlotte lead-off man Ivan Martinez singled to start the seventh inning.

Game Two remained scoreless until Asheville pushed a run across in the top of the eighth inning. The Tourists scored again in the ninth, but Charlotte answered with two runs in the bottom of the ninth to keep its chances alive. SS Arnie Montgomery, 3B Fred Belcher and 2B Bill Ross each singled for the Hornets in that frame. Catcher Marvin Young walked and ended up scoring the tying run, with many thinking that would propel the Hornets to the series tying victory.

But Asheville refused to go away. Jose Perez, the Tourists’ 1B, tripled with one out in the top of the 11th. Johnson scored him with a single, then came home himself on an Alan Graham fielder’s choice. Tom Thompson got the win for Asheville, shutting the Hornets down in the bottom of the 11th.

The series went back to Asheville, with the Tourists up 2-0 and needing just one win to claim the Cup. Enter probable Rookie of the Year award winner Jose Andres, who pitched a four-hit gem, striking out six. Charlotte’s Manual Randin homered off Andres in the eighth but Asheville, which jumped to an early 3-0 lead, never really felt threatened.

Tourist CF John Stewart, the team’s leadoff man, earned Championship MVP honors (pictured above). He batted .462 in the series, scored three runs and stole a couple of bases. In Game Three, he tripled twice and drew a walk. McNeill was runner-up in the Championship MVP balloting.

It should be noted that Asheville manager Ollie Spence won his second title, with his second team. He also directed Winston-Salem to a championship back in 1913.


NORTH CAROLINA STATE LEAGUE CHAMPIONS
1913 - Winston-Salem Twins (defeated Durham 2-1)
1914 - Durham Bulls (defeated Raleigh 2-1)
1915 - Winston-Salem Twins (defeated Durham 2-0)
1916 - Asheville Tourists (defeated Charlotte 3-0)

[PhillieFever]

Now that the league is pretty well established,I propose a move to a best of 5 championship series

[Big Six]

YES! Way to go, Tourists!

I wish Merlin were a little younger than he is, because I'd like to see him stick around a while longer. It sounds like the Tourists depend primarily on their pitching staff, with the exception of Stewart and Johnson.

Anyway, it's great to see Asheville on top. And, congratulations to Manager Spence.

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by PhillieFever

Now that the league is pretty well established,I propose a move to a best of 5 championship series

You got it -- this started with this past season... asheville just won in three straight...

AZ

[AZTarHeel]

1916 North Carolina State League — Player Awards & Leaderboards


Most Outstanding Hitter Award
Even though Winston-Salem failed to repeat as league champs, Angel Pellicer earned a repeat in the awards department. He also was the Most Outstanding Hitter in 1913. This season, Pellicer batted .300 with a .390 on-base percentage. He had 130 hits in 433 at-bats, including 16 doubles, 10 triples and 4 home runs. Pellicer drove in 51 runs and scored 61 times in his award-winning season.
Past Winners
1913 - Angel Pellicer (Winston-Salem)
1914 - Randy Downs (Greensboro)
1915 - Antonio Arevalo (Durham)
1916 - Angel Pellicer (Winston-Salem)



Most Outstanding Pitcher Award
Charlotte rode the pitching arm of Rudy Young to its first regular season title and playoff appearance. The Hornets ace worked 234.1 innings this season, crafting a 18-7 record and a 2.50 ERA in 30 starts. Young collected 90 strikeouts while walking 59 and limiting opponents to a .219 batting average.
Past Winners
1913 - Kenny Davis (Durham)
1914 - Oliver “Skull” Jenkins (Raleigh)
1915 - Oliver “Skull” Jenkins (Raleigh)
1916 - Rudy Young (Charlotte)



Newcomer Of The Year Award
Asheville’s Jose Andres played a huge role in the Tourists’ championship season. He earned a starter’s role, got hot at the end of the season and led Asheville to the playoffs. In 16 starts, Andres went 10-5 with a 1.75 ERA as he struck out 59 in 128.2 innings. The Hickory, N.C. native made for a great compliment to No. 1 starter Merlin McNeill, who finished second in the MOP award voting this season.
Past Winners
1913 - Angel Pellicer (Winston-Salem)
1914 - Vincente Nieves (Raleigh)
1915 - Chris Wilson (Asheville)
1916 - Jose Andres (Asheville)


Glove Wizard Awards
Pitcher: Rudy Young (Charlotte Hornets) -- repeat winner, nice year for him (except for playoffs)
Catcher: Dave Meeks (Asheville Tourists)
First Baseman: Iván Martínez (Charlotte Hornets)
Second Baseman: Daniel Smith (Greensboro Patriots) -- repeat winner
Third Baseman: Ken Stephens (Winston-Salem Twins)
Shortstop: Arnie Montgomery (Charlotte Hornets)
Left Fielder: Alfredo Pérez (Asheville Tourists) -- third-time winner, second in a row
Center Fielder: John Stewart (Asheville Tourists)
Right Fielder: Garrett MacDonald (Durham Bulls)


Offensive Leaderboards



Pitching Leaderboards

[AZTarHeel]

1916 North Carolina State League — Developmental League Report

Patriots ride No. 1 pick to D-League title

NCSL-DL STANDINGS

Team                        	W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Greensboro Junior Patriots	55	35	.611	-	52-38	3	32-13	23-22	11-6	26-15	Clinched	W1	5-5
Raleigh Junior Capitals   	50	40	.556	5.0	54-36	-4	25-20	25-20	5-5	19-19		W2	7-3
Charlotte Junior Hornets	47	43	.522	8.0	51-39	-4	26-19	21-24	6-11	17-23		L1	5-5
Durham Junior Bulls       	45	45	.500	10.0	40-50	5	23-22	22-23	10-7	22-20		W1	4-6
Asheville Junior Mountaineers	39	51	.433	16.0	36-54	3	21-24	18-27	7-8	17-16		L1	4-6
Winston-Salem Junior Twins	34	56	.378	21.0	34-56	0	16-29	18-27	7-9	15-23		L2	5-5

While Greensboro finished off the pace again in the NCSL, the Patriots have a promising future. Greensboro ruled the Developmental League, finishing 20 games over .500. The G-Men will have the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft, too, so the Pats could add to their list of young talent.

Despite their propensity for being no-hit early in the season, Durham’s Junior Bulls finished with a respectable .500 record. Nice recovery.

Scotty Collier of the Charlotte Junior Hornets was named the D-League’s Most Outstanding Hitter for 1916. The 27-year-old catcher put up a .285 average and a .366 on-base percentage, piling up 78 hits, 9 doubles, 4 triples, no home runs, 27 RBIs and 27 runs scored.

Johnny Ward of Greensboro, the Pats’ No. 1 pick in the 1915 draft, was the D-League’s Most Outstanding Pitcher. He recorded an impressive 15-6 record in 23 starts. In 204 innings he yielded 134 hits and 20 walks, while striking out 113 and compiling a fine 1.10 ERA. Look out for the Pats in a few years. They should be pretty solid.

Charlotte pitcher Craig Clark, aka Mr. Perfect Game, did not return this season after suffering his shoulder injury in May. D-League teammate Tim Johnston, who threw a no-hitter in April against Durham, had a 16 strikeout game against Asheville on June 4. He is definitely a flame-thrower, recording strikeout games of 14, 13, 13 and 11 as well as his 16K effort. He led the D-League with 237 strikeouts. It could be Charlotte AND Greensboro leading the charge in the North Carolina State League for several years if these pitchers hold up…

Asheville youngster Lee Martin, a D-League pitcher, missed a few starts because of a broken finger -- sustained while getting in a fight during a poker match. He lost the hand and thought another guy at the table was cheating…

[AZTarHeel]

I'm famous! I'm on Google. Haha -- I just did a search of "Greensboro Patriots" and "history" on Google Images (trying to find some old photos of the team for future uniforms and logos), and the first four things that popped up were images from this dynasty that I created, including my Patriots logo. Funny...

[AZTarHeel]

1916 North Carolina State League — News & Notes

Some final tidbits before we move on to 1917!

• Will Simpson’s 76 stolen bases for Charlotte was a new single-season best in the NCSL…

• Charlotte’s Ivan Martinez was feared at the plate, but he also set a new league record for striking out with 87 K's in 1916.

• Asheville pitcher Karl Graves, usually a middle reliever, set a new single-season league best with a sterling 1.41 ERA. Asheville starter Chris Wilson set a new season best in strikeouts, with 171. He beat out Skull Jenkins, who had held the record with his 160 K effort in 1913. Jenkins still leads all NCSL pitchers with 547 career strikeouts.

• What can Brown do for you? Greensboro and Winston-Salem traded a couple of Browns between themselves on July 12, with 26-year-old minor league MR Marvin Brown heading to Winston in return for 19-year-old minor league LF Steve Brown.

• Speaking of Greensboro, 2B Daniel Smith enjoyed a pair of 5-for-5 games in 1915, once in April and once in August. In both games, Smith scored four times. But of those 10 hits, Smith only managed to record one RBI.

• Starting pitcher Gary “Brick” Lee was traded from Durham to Winston-Salem during the middle of the season. He returned the favor by throwing a four-hit shutout against his old team on July 16. Take that, Bulls!

• Manager swap: Durham and Raleigh franchise owners are pretty tough on their managers. Both fired their respective leaders after the 1916 season. Then each went out and signed the other’s former manager. Good grief. (Note - the game seems too quick to pull the trigger on firing managers IMO. Durham had won two regular season titles, as well as a playoff championship in three years. This was the only “off” year and the manager gets canned?. Too quick for that. Just my .02 cents worth).

• The Charlotte Hornets were deemed to have the best Minor League system, with four of the league's top-15 prospects on its D-League roster.

• Winston-Salem’s Santiago Alonso got bit by a rabid dog during the season, missing about two weeks. No player missed time because of punching his locker or getting into fights with the press this season, however…

OK, now on to 1916! Can Asheville successfully defend it's championship? Can Greensboro turn its young gun pitching staff into a playoff contender? Can Durham's Anthony Watson make it back onto the field after a devastating injury?

[AZTarHeel]

1917 North Carolina State League — Preseason



Tourists ready to defend crown; Patriots keep loading up on youngsters


In real life, the North Carolina State League played a shortened season in 1917 due to the onset of World War I, ceasing operations on May 30 with less than 40 games completed. The Raleigh and Asheville clubs actually folded up before then, playing 28 games each before disbanding on May 18. There were no playoffs.

But in this world, baseball will go on! Though the war could impact things as we go along ... Good Lord willing, the North Carolina State League plans on another complete season, 120 games strong, with all six of the original clubs ready to go the distance. For the first time the Asheville Tourists will wear the mantle of defending champions. The Tourists unveiled a new jersey look in early spring that had fans buzzing, putting their nickname boldly across the players’ chests. Though there were some fans and even a few players who preferred the plain pinstripes look. “We won with them, why change them?”

The Greensboro Patriots had the first pick again in the draft and once again went after young pitching arms. This year’s No. 1 pick was 22-year-old right-hander Joe Gallagher from North Bethesda, Md. Winston-Salem went second and nabbed a second baseman, Colton McQueen from Pasadena, Texas. He’s quick as lightning, Twins coaches boasted, and he’s got great instincts at the plate. Plus, he’s a great fielder at just about every infield position.

The champion Tourists, feeling pretty good about their pitching situation, went for 3B Chris Hartle with their first pick. He’s a pretty solid left-handed bat, able to make good contact.

Time will tell, of course, who made the best picks… (Side Note: is a five-round draft for a six-team league a good number? Just curious)

For the record, it doesn’t look like veteran Durham 2B Anthony Watson will be able to return in time for Opening Day. He should be cleared sometime in late April, or sometime in May. His back keeps nagging him. Fingers crossed!


Top 10 Prospects
Recent draftee Colton McQueen, the No. 2 pick, has turned the heads of the Baseball Carolina folks. He’s our top prospect going into 1917. The next two players were 1-2 at the beginning of last season. For players not 1917 draftees, their 1916 stats are listed in parenthesis.

Not sure what criteria they are using. How Tim Johnston or Johnny Ward aren’t the top prospects, I don’t know. And just how does a pitcher lose nine games with an ERA of 1.03? Must be lots of errors behind him. Or just really bad luck.

1. SS Colton McQueen, 18, Winston-Salem Twins
2. SP Jack Fry, 20, Winston-Salem Twins (8-13, 2.04 ERA in D-League)
3. SP Dan Sutton, 20, Raleigh Capitals (4-3, 1.28 ERA in D-League)
4. C Anthony Stephenson, 18, Raleigh Capitals
5. SP Tim Johnston, 21, Charlotte Hornets (9-9, 1.03 ERA, no-hitter in D-League)
6. SP Joe Gallagher, 22, Greensboro Patriots
7. 3B Chris Hartle, 20, Asheville Tourists
8. SP Johnny Ward, 23, Greensboro Patriots (15-6, 1.10 ERA, Most Outstanding D-League Pitcher)
9. SP Jimbo Martin, 18, Charlotte Hornets
10. SP Eric Mason, 19, Greensboro Patriots (5-12, 3.19 ERA in D-League)



Top 10 Position Players
The 1916 Most Outstanding Batter leads the list. A couple youngsters earn top-10 status for the first time, while a pair of 38-year-olds still have respect of the talent scouts. Does this forebode a playoff appearance for Greensboro?

1. RF Angel Pellicer, 28, Winston-Salem Twins
2. RF Bill Robbins, 32, Raleigh Capitals
3. 2B Anthony Watson, 38, Durham Bulls -- despite injury, still getting love!
4. RF Garrett McDonald, 24, Durham Bulls -- the future in Durham
5. SS Carlos Rodriguez, 38, Winston-Salem Twins
6. LF Eugene Conner, 31 Greensboro Patriots
7. CF Dave Carter, 31, Greensboro Patriots
8. CF Ryan Travis, 28, Winston-Salem Twins
9. RF Lester Kennedy, RF, Greensboro Patriots
10. C Marvin Young, 27, Charlotte Hornets


Top 10 Pitchers
If pitching indeed wins championships, Asheville will be tough to dethrone in 1917. Three Tourists hurlers make the top 10. But Raleigh has three as well, including our good friend Oliver “Skull” Jenkins. And Raleigh had three last year and didn’t make the playoffs at all.

1. SP Merlin McNeill, 34, Asheville Tourists -- he started No. 1 last year
2. SP Jerry Parker, 30, Raleigh Capitals
3. SP Oliver Jenkins, 37, Raleigh Capitals -- Skull still getting love, too
4. SP Rudy Young, 32, Charlotte Hornets -- last year’s Most Outstanding Pitcher
5. SP Jose Andres, 28, Asheville Tourists -- late-season hero in Tourist country in 1916
6. SP Gary Lee, 32, Winston-Salem Twins -- former Bull wasn’t on this list last year
7. SP Chris Wilson, 27, Asheville Tourists
8. SP Bill Bergeron, 30, Durham Bulls
9. SP Andy Owens, 30, Raleigh Capitals
10. SP Kenny Davis, 36, Durham Bulls


AzTarHeel’s Prediction for 1916
Man, this is a tough one this year, with the talent spread pretty well across the six teams. Since this is a pitcher’s league at this point, I’ll side with the two teams who appear to have the strongest pitching staffs, Asheville and Raleigh. The Tourists take the regular season crown, and following tradition, lose to the Caps in the playoff series. In a dramatic final game, Oliver “Skull” Jenkins outduels Merlin “Wizard” McNeill 1-0 to give Raleigh the championship. (Don’t forget I was dead wrong last year, picking a Durham repeat. The Bulls fired their managed after finishing fourth).

OK, let's play some 1917 Tar Heel baseball!

[AZTarHeel]

1917 North Carolina State League — April 10 Update



The Wizard pitches NCSL's first no-hitter!
Merlin McNeill fans eight in win over Greensboro


Though defending champion Asheville has struggled a bit to open the 1917 season, ace pitcher Merlin McNeill certainly hasn't. The Wizard, coming off a three-hit shutout win against Charlotte, put his name into the record books on April 10 as the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the North Carolina State League.

McNeill blanked the Greensboro Patriots in an 8-0 victory at the Ballpark of Greensboro. He struck out eight and walked just two. Asheville committed one error behind him.

There have been a handful of one-hitters in the NCSL and lots of two- and three-hitters. But McNeill becomes the first to go the distance without allowing any hits. The no-hitter feat has been done three times in the Developmental League, including one perfect game.

Asheville is 3-0 when McNeill has pitched so far this season, though the Tourists have won only once when he hasn't started, owning a 4-5 overall record -- already four games behind the red-hot Charlotte Hornets. McNeill is the only pitcher to beat Charlotte thus far.

McNeill's season record: 2-0 with a sterling 0.59 ERA.

Greensboro's Lester "Blitz" Kennedy was so disgusted at being McNeill's last strikeout victim -- he was the second out in the ninth inning -- that he got tossed when the umps rung him up...

Standings so far:
Charlotte 8-1
Raleigh 5-4
Durham 4-5
Asheville 4-5
Greensboro 3-6
Winston-Salem 3-6

[AZTarHeel]

1917 North Carolina State League — Mid-June Update

Charlotte eyes redemption after last year’s fade

STANDINGS ON JUNE 18, 1917

Team                	W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Charlotte Hornets	46	26	.639	-	41-31	5	23-13	23-13	7-1	13-7	41	W1	5-5
Asheville Tourists	38	34	.528	8.0	41-31	-3	20-19	18-15	3-3	15-16		L2	6-4
Raleigh Capitals	36	36	.500	10.0	36-36	0	19-17	17-19	3-5	12-13		W1	5-5
Winston-Salem Twins	36	36	.500	10.0	35-37	1	18-15	18-21	1-4	10-14		W2	7-3
Durham Bulls        	33	39	.458	13.0	35-37	-2	18-18	15-21	5-4	14-14		L1	4-6
Greensboro Patriots	27	45	.375	19.0	29-43	-2	15-21	12-24	2-4	14-14		L1	3-7

Somebody forgot to tell the Charlotte Hornets that they were supposed to fade into the background in favor of pitching-rich clubs like Asheville and Raleigh.

The Hornets have been on top of the standings pretty much since opening day, and they are starting to create some distance between themselves and the other contenders. Charlotte began 9-1, then “struggled” a little by falling to 17-10. The Hornets led their closest challengers by six games at the beginning of June.

Folks were a little worried about Asheville because the Tourists were below .500 and in danger of falling off the back of the pack through April and early May. But Asheville has rallied and currently holds a slim lead over Raleigh and Winston-Salem in the race for second place. Greensboro just can’t seem to get things together. You have to wonder when the Patriots will scrap its lineup full of veterans who aren’t getting it done in favor of some of the youngsters who have shown promise in the D-League.

Charlotte pitcher Javier Guerra is writing a season for the ages. The 32-year-old was a throw-away kind of player his first four years in the league -- unimpressive 8-7, 4-13, 4-12 and 7-11 records. But after picking him up in 1914 from Raleigh -- part of the trade that sent Rookie of the Year catcher Vincente Nieves to the Capitals -- Charlotte has opted to stick with Guerra. They are being rewarded this season, with Guerra posting a league-best 13-2 record! He’s walked more than he’s struck out, but hey he finds a way to win.

First baseman Ivan Martinez is leading the Hornets’ offense. He’s batting .326 with 18 doubles and three triples, with 27 RBIs.

A few other story lines from the first half of the season:

* Raleigh 1B Sean Silver had a 21-game hitting streak going until the Tourists cooled him off. He’s batting a career best .296... The longest streak in the league thus far is 23 games...

* Durham 2B Anthony Watson returned on May 28 from a nine-month layoff due to a serious back injury. A lot of folks wondered what the now 38-year-old had left in him. Watson’s answer? Plenty. Watson earned eight hits in his first 16 at-bats. He’s now 24-for-76, for a .316 average. If you look at his talent ratings, Watson may still have a little room to keep getting better. A nice story indeed. He’s batting third for the Bulls this season, and maybe his return will spark Durham to get back in the race…

* Remember Robert Blevins, the Raleigh three-sacker who got in a fight with his locker and lost, frustrated at not getting any playing time back in 1913? Well, Blevins finally had his day in the sun. On April 16 against Charlotte, Blevins went 5-for-5 for the Caps, hitting a home run and recording a couple of RBIs.

Unfortunately, Blevins then went through a 1-for-20 streak and found himself traded to Durham. To our knowledge, no lockers were damaged over that move … Blevins is starting for the Bulls and batting .270 in the No. 8 hole. Good for him…

* I can’t wait to see Charlotte call-up Tim “T-Rex” Johnston, a pitcher still toiling in the D-League. He’s only 22 but he’s a strikeout machine. He’s 12-4 for the Junior Hornets with a 1.01 ERA, six shutouts and 165 strikeouts in 17 starts. I guess the Hornets feel good enough about their rotation to leave him down for awhile longer…

* Asheville ace Merlin "The Wizard" McNeill has simmered a bit since his no-hitter. He's 9-7 right now...

[glenn]

Wow, I don't check in for a bit, and all of a sudden Charlotte has a real team! The Hornets are going to win it all this year!

[Jeff49]

I have to pick one of the prospects to follow to get a personal interest in this league, so I'm going to follow the exploits of this youngster in the coming years:

7. 3B Chris Hartle, 20, Asheville Tourists

I'm picking an everyday player at a power-hitting position, so let's hope Chris is the real McCoy. Hope you're able to update his yearly results, AZTarHeel. I imagine he'll be in the Developmental League to begin with, then it's on to Asheville, hopefully, unless he's involved in a blockbuster trade. Which reminds me, is there free agency yet in the North Carolina State League? Thanks.

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by glenn

Wow, I don't check in for a bit, and all of a sudden Charlotte has a real team! The Hornets are going to win it all this year!

Yeah, they got good quick ... and they've got a couple of young pitchers in the Developmental League that could keep them good for awhile... and to think, i used to make fun of them...

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by Jeff49

I have to pick one of the prospects to follow to get a personal interest in this league, so I'm going to follow the exploits of this youngster in the coming years:

7. 3B Chris Hartle, 20, Asheville Tourists

I'm picking an everyday player at a power-hitting position, so let's hope Chris is the real McCoy. Hope you're able to update his yearly results, AZTarHeel. I imagine he'll be in the Developmental League to begin with, then it's on to Asheville, hopefully, unless he's involved in a blockbuster trade. Which reminds me, is there free agency yet in the North Carolina State League? Thanks.

Hey Jeff, thanks for your interest ... Asheville seems to be a popular team on here ... As for Chris Hartle, he's had a pretty unremarkable first year in the Developmental League but he is only 20 years old and appears to have a lot of potential.

Here are some details on him, with the D-League season completed for 1917. Not sure yet if Asheville will call him up for the rest of the Big Club season. Probably not this year.



CHRIS HARTLE

Player History:

11-15-1916      Drafted in the 1916 first-year player draft (Round 1, Pick 5, 5th overall Pick) by the Asheville Tourists.
01-01-1917      OSA scouting updated ratings (potential): Contact: 2 (14); Power: 1 (3); Eye: 3 (13). --> it's a 1-20 scale
04-02-1917      Named the #7 prospect in the NCSL

Player Info

Birthday: 01-30-1897
Age: 20      
Born in: Centreville (Virginia)  
Nationality: American                
Height: 6' 1" 
Weight: 190 lbs
Position: 3B   
Bats: Left            
Throws: Right     
Status: Completely Rested
Morale: Good    
Local Popularity (National): Well Known (Well Known)

1917 D-League Stats

Games: 87 (out of 90)
Avg.: .230
Hits: 67
2B: 7
RBI: 13
R: 14
BB: 10
K: 36
OBP.: .257
SLG.: .254
OPS: .512
VORP: 1.1

I'll provide updates as we go along! Thanks again for stopping by... As you can tell, I haven't worked on uniforms/logos for the D-League teams, yet... but that will change soon ;-)

[Jeff49]

Thanks for the update on Chris Hartle.

He has some strengths, I see, a good batting eye, should hit for a good average, and best of all, he's Well Known and Completely Rested!

He gets a good night's sleep, the importance of which cannot be overstated, and he weighs 190 pounds, so we can presume he eats well. Good sleeping habits and a steady diet and regular exercise can go a long way in the North Carolina State League. I see a bright future for Chris.

(Hopefully, Chris's OPS is greater than his SLG, at least, or is .254 his OBP?)

[AZTarHeel]

Originally Posted by Jeff49

Thanks for the update on Chris Hartle.

He has some strengths, I see, a good batting eye, should hit for a good average, and best of all, he's Well Known and Completely Rested!

He gets a good night's sleep, which is quite important, and he weighs 190 pounds, so we can presume he eats well. Good sleeping habits and a steady diet and regular exercise can go a long way in the North Carolina State League. I see a bright future for Chris.

Hopefully, Chris's OPS is greater than his SLG, at least?

It's hard not to sleep well when you're living in the beautiful NC mountains, right? It's nice and cool in the summer time ... I forgot to answer your other question, about free agency ... that doesn't exist in the NCSL ... it may at some point, but I like the old way, which provides the opportunity for players to stay with a franchise for a long, long time ... of course, I found a guy in my league who just retired who had been with four different teams in five years... good grief... the journeyman...

(EDIT: I fixed his slugging, on-base stats... I left out a couple of lines -- oops)

[AZTarHeel]

Changes planned for NCSL Developmental League

The News & Observer
Raleigh, N.C. • June 30, 1917

Leaders from the North Carolina State League announced today that big changes could be in the works for its Developmental League.

Beginning with the 1918 season, D-League teams no longer will be housed in the same town as their parent club. Each franchise will contract out with a "farm" team in another community, one club official explained.

NCSL leaders are excited about the fan support of their baseball league, now playing its fifth season with the same six teams it started with, and want to expand its reach into other communities around the state, especially in more rural areas. Often the D-League teams get lost in their own cities because of the parent club being there as well.

It still remains to be determined where the farm teams will be located. Some have suggested that each franchise will pick a community in close geographic proximity to their home site. Others have said that all six of the farm teams will be located close to one another to build further interest in the Developmental League and to create local rivalries.

One club leader suggested a second layer of minor leagues be added to the NCSL, one that would showcase first- and second-year rookies. But that leader, who asked to remain anonymous, said his idea didn't get much support in meetings with owners, who want to build and grow the league more slowly.

[AZTarHeel]

1917 North Carolina State League — Regular Season Recap



Pennant fever strikes NCSL as four teams battle for title
Charlotte holds off challengers for regular season repeat

FINAL REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS

Team                	W	L	PCT	GB	Pyt.Rec	Diff	Home	Away	XInn	1Run	M#	Streak	Last10
Charlotte Hornets	68	52	.567	-	62-58	6	37-23	31-29	7-2	20-14	Clinched	W1	3-7
Winston-Salem Twins	67	53	.558	1.0	66-54	1	35-25	32-28	5-6	19-19		L1	7-3
Raleigh Capitals	65	55	.542	3.0	65-55	0	37-23	28-32	3-7	20-17		L1	5-5
Asheville Tourists	63	57	.525	5.0	68-52	-5	35-25	28-32	5-6	21-30		L2	5-5
Durham Bulls        	51	69	.425	17.0	49-71	2	27-33	24-36	6-5	21-20		W2	5-5
Greensboro Patriots	46	74	.383	22.0	51-69	-5	26-34	20-40	6-6	20-21		W1	5-5

Wow, what a finish.

For awhile it looked like the Charlotte Hornets would run away with the 1917 NCSL title, with Raleigh, Winston-Salem and Asheville duking it out for second place. But then the Hornets -- who had built a lead of 10+ games in the standings -- started slipping, and the other three teams picked up the pace.

It resulted in the most exciting pennant race in the five-year history of the North Carolina State League. With a week to play, any of the top four teams could have snared the regular season title. With three games to play, Charlotte led Winston-Salem by two, but the Hornets lost twice to Raleigh and Winston beat Greensboro twice.

With one to play, the Hornets and Twins were tied! But Charlotte drilled Raleigh and Winston lost to the lowly Patriots to give the Hornets their second straight regular season crown. Hats off to boys from the Queen City. They swooned a bit but they never let another team get ahead of them in the standings after taking command of the lead during the first week of the season.


Charlotte and Winston were the top two hitting teams in the league in 1917. Angel Pellicer(pictured), Winston’s star outfielder, was the batting champ again this season. He had a .330 average, 146 hits and 70 RBIs -- all league bests. Pellicer in fact was the league leader in 10 different offensive categories. Luis Ramirez (3B) and Ivan Martinez (1B) paced the Hornets with .317 and .308 averages.

The playoff series could be an offensive slugfest!

But the pitchers aren’t too shabby either. Rudy Young and Javier Guerra each won 15 games for Charlotte. Winston got a huge season from Gary “Brick” Lee, who was 19-7. Lee, remember, was traded to Winston-Salem back in 1916 from Durham. Bad move by the Bulls.

Jack Fry, considered the No. 1 prospect a couple of years ago and the No. 2 prospect coming into this season, is living up to his billing. Fry went 14-8 in his first Big Club season with the Twins, posting a 3.07 ERA.

Going around the league, Raleigh finished third -- just out the playoff series -- for the third time in five years. RF Bill Robbins (.317 average) and 1B Sean Silver (.307, 20 doubles, 55 RBIs) kept the Capitals in contention to the end. Oliver “Skull” Jenkins kept his ERA under 3.00 this season (barely) but he posted a losing record, 11-12, for the first time. Andy Owens led the Caps staff this year, with a 15-13 record. Interestingly, Raleigh traded the very first pick of the 1913 NCSL draft, pitcher Jerry Parker, to Charlotte mid-season. Parker was 9-11 at the time, with an ERA of 4.01. He went 4-4 as Charlotte’s No. 3 the rest of the season…

Asheville fans were pretty disappointed that the Tourists didn’t make it back to the playoffs. But the Tourists actually posted the same record as last season. 63-57. The league was just that much tougher this go around. Chris Wilson had a pretty good season at 14-9, but Merlin "The Wizard" McNeill struggled to a 13-14 record after blazing to a great start that included the first no-hitter in league history. His ERA jumped to 3.68 -- about a 1.40 jump from the championship season of a year ago. Third-sacker Jose Perez led Asheville’s hitting with a .316 average, 16 triples, 27 doubles and 60 RBIs.

Durham suffered its first losing season since joining the league five years ago. The Bulls were .500 last season, so their track continues going the wrong direction. Every starting pitcher had a losing record. Lefties Garrett McDonald (RF) and Jorge Ledesma (1B) both hit in the .300 range. Anthony Watson finished with a .283 average after returning from his injury. But not many highlights apart from that. The manager and GM both got canned at season’s end.

Greensboro, well, what can you say about the Patriots? We made fun of the Hornets the first few seasons but they have improved. The G-men finished last for the third year in a row. The Pats were fifth in 1913 and fourth in 1914. This year at 46-74 marked the worst season in the history of the struggling franchise. Right fielder Lester Kennedy had a solid season, batting .303 but offense obviously wasn’t Greensboro’s forte this season. On the plus side, the Pats’ junior team won the Developmental League…

OK, on to the playoffs, where Winston-Salem will go for its league-best third NCSL title. Hey, the Twins’ other championship seasons were in odd years, so it might be safe to put your money on Winston.

[AZTarHeel]

1917 North Carolina State League — Carolina Champions Cup Recap



No doubt about it
Charlotte sweeps Twins to earn first Champions Cup

GAME SCORES
Game 1: Charlotte 4, Winston-Salem 3 -- WP: Norm Ross; LP: Gary “Brick” Lee; S: Dean Dimond
Game 2: Charlotte 6, Winston-Salem 5 -- WP: Rudy Young; LP: Chris Lloyd; S: Dean Dimond (2)
Game 3: Charlotte 7, Winston-Salem 4 -- WP: Jerry Parker; LP: Jack Fry; S: Miguel Ruiz

Winston-Salem nearly stole the regular season championship from the Charlotte Hornets in the final week. But the Hornets refused to let the Twins take away the franchise’s first Carolina Champions Cup celebration. Charlotte, like Asheville did to them last season, swept the Cup series 3-0.

The Hornets got offensive production up and down its lineup. 1B Ivan Martinez batted .500 for the series, with a triple and a double. RF Jeffrey Hanna batted .400, with three RBIs and four runs scored. LF Will Simpson hit .308, etc.

Charlotte pitchers, meanwhile, handcuffed Winston’s top hitters. Angel Pellicer, the league’s batting champ, went a combined 1-for-11 in the three games. He did have three RBIs but was pretty ineffective in most at-bats. In Game Three, Winston-Salem’s top three hitters were 0-for-11, while the top six in the order were 2-for-23 -- not exactly championship material.

The championship series was a little poetic justice for Charlotte pitcher Jerry Parker. He was the first-ever pick in the first-ever NCSL draft but never really established himself in Raleigh. This season, Raleigh looked to deal him, and the Hornets brought him aboard. Parker got to be the winning pitcher in the decisive Game Three, throwing a strong seven innings (allowing five hits). Parker, who hails from little ol’ Dunn. N.C., cried as he wrapped his arms around the trophy. He missed out on the chance to win it with the Caps in 1914. Raleigh was beaten by Durham in the playoffs. Parker started one of the games that year but got a no decision.

It’s interesting that Winston-Salem chose to pitch rookie Jack Fry in Game Three against Parker. The spotlight likely proved too much for the 21-year-old, though the experience was surely valuable for the future.

It was tough to pick a series MVP, but we’ll give it to Charlotte 1B Ivan Martinez. Not only did the popular 39-year-old (wow, I hadn’t realized how old he was until looking at his card just now) lead the Hornets in hits, he had clutch hits. His RBI triple in the sixth inning of Game One gave the Hornets a lead they would never relinquish the rest of the series. Hats off to the big fella from Gresham, Oregon! And hats off to the Hornets. Word has it that fan Glenn is partying in the streets…

A few notes: this was the first time that the No. 1 seed actually won the playoff series … also, this is the first time Winston-Salem has lost the playoff series after winning its first two trips … this was the third year in a row that the winning team swept the losers… Charlotte becomes the fourth team to win a playoff title. Only Raleigh and Greensboro have yet to taste the thrill of victory in the Champions Cup series…

NORTH CAROLINA STATE LEAGUE CHAMPIONS
1913 - Winston-Salem Twins (defeated Durham 2-1)
1914 - Durham Bulls (defeated Raleigh 2-1)
1915 - Winston-Salem Twins (defeated Durham 2-0)
1916 - Asheville Tourists (defeated Charlotte 3-0)
1917 - Charlotte Hornets (defeated Winston-Salem 3-0)