"The Clean Slate" -- A Semi-Historical MLB Tale!

[jaysdailydose]

March 30, 1901

"The Clean Slate"

There were countless wrongs throughout MLB history. Obviously, the color barrier stands out, the steroid era making a mockery of a record book that, except for 19th century baseball, had held up fairly well, and the fact that players were treated essentially as indentured servants for the majority of MLB history are all mistakes of differing levels and impacts.

With this great game, we are able to replay history, and have the opportunity to see what would have happened were we able to fix things. Along the way, we'll see all sorts of interesting baseball goodness. Here's a look at what I'm doing, what I'm looking to accomplish with this report, and my own personal goals for the dynasty.

Settings

I'm locking the league totals and strategy from 2013 into a random debut historical league starting in 1901. 162 game seasons, with no DH in either league and modern rules and financials to provide the same playing environment for all players who will enter the league.

I also enabled the international scouting, international and established, and amateur free agents, to go along with a five-round draft of the historical players each season. Approximately 180 former MLB players and 170 fictional players will begin their careers each season. I am generating 6 rounds of players a season for 30 teams, that equals 18,000 players in 100 years, so I should be able to get pretty close to the entire World Series era before getting fictional drafts.

Goals

I want to provide an alternate history of MLB where all players of the past get a chance at a full career playing in the same type of environment to see who would have done the best. I can also, with the additional players, simulate a number of men who didn't get the chance to play for years to get full careers and change the face of the league.

Personally, I'll be starting as the manager of the Tigers and I manage 24 seasons before starting a new character, in which I try to eclipse the managerial records of Joe McCarthy.

How I Play This League

I will be playing this league in a new fashion for me, in that I'll make all of the decisions up until the game starts, and then be quick-simming through the games. That way I still maintain a level of control while being able to keep up a pace and get through history in a reasonable timeframe. This league and my World Baseball League that I am also reporting on are going to be the only leagues I am playing into the future, so I hope you will follow along.

I'll be making monthly reports and providing a Tigers News / League Highlights each month of history so we can maintain a pace with the story.

I have just completed the inaugural draft and am just about ready to begin play. The initial look at the Tigers franchise is soon to come!

Thanks for reading and I hope to have you follow along with this dynasty report!

[jaysdailydose]

World Champions

This post will be updated after the conclusion of each season.



World Championships -- By Club

We will track total championships by club after the conclusion of each season, as well.

[jaysdailydose]

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum


The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will open in the year 1936.

[jaysdailydose]

Most Valuable Player Award (AL/NL)

The Most Valuable Player Award will be updated following the 1901 season.


Silver Slugger Award (AL/NL)

The Silver Slugger Award will be updated following the 1901 season.


League Ace Award (AL/NL)

The League Ace Award will be updated following the 1901 season.

[jaysdailydose]

Major League Baseball - Career Leaders

The following lists will be updated at the end of each season, to show the greats of Major League Baseball.

Hits

Home Runs

Runs

Runs Batted In

Stolen Bases

Batter WAR
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Wins

Saves

Strikeouts

Earned Run Average

Fielding Independent Pitching

Pitcher WAR

[jaysdailydose]

I've edited this post, as I needed one more reserve for our long-term history posts, so I am adding in both our initial lineups and pitching staff for the Detroit Tigers right here at the top. Thanks!

Detroit Tigers - Initial Lineups!


Detroit Tigers - Pitching Staff!


Major League Baseball - Top 10 Prospects


American League - Preseason Projections


National League - Preseason Projections


The owner of the Detroit Tigers, Francisco Roman, has given us his expectations for the upcoming season, and expects us to have a winning record.

(I did not mention it above, but commissioner mode will only be turned on if something is flawed with the dynasty, or if I am fired and unable to accept a MLB job. So, obviously, I can be fired.)

[jaysdailydose]

The first game in MLB history. Enjoy!

[jaysdailydose]

The first Detroit Tigers game in history! Unfortunately, its a loss -- but a great start for young Henry Aaron with his first MLB homerun.

[jaysdailydose]

April 1901

It was a great month, with the Tigers riding the hot hitting of 20-year-old rookie RF Hank Aaron to a blazing 16-10 start, which places them 1.5 games above both the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals to end the month of April.

Detroit Tigers News:

4/7: Larry Corcoran injured himself during his start, going only two innings. He'll miss one start.

4/12: Brett Butler sprained his elbow and will miss two weeks. We are placing him on the 15-day disabled list and will call Mike McCormick up from the reserve roster.

4/18: Hank Aaron had a five-hit performance and Larry Corcoran gave up only 2 hits over 7 innings as the Tigers beat the Mariners, 2-0.

4/19: Nomar Garciaparra had 5 hits, Hank Aaron had two homers, a double, and 6 RBI and Slick Castleman threw a 4-hit shutout, walking none and striking out nine as the Tigers beat the Angels, by a score of 16-0.

4/30: Hank Aaron was named the American League Rookie of the Month for April 1901.

Around The League:

4/1: The Only Nolan struck out 16, and Al Pratt struck out 15, both in dominant victories on Opening Day.

4/7: Los Angeles Dodgers 26-year-old reliever Dave Von Ohlen will miss the next 10 to 11 months with a torn labrum.

4/8: Milwaukee Brewers 22-year-old reliever Ed Hughes will miss ten months with a damaged elbow ligament, and 32-year-old Indians reliever Pete Daniels will also miss ten months with a stretched elbow ligament. Serious injuries, indeed. (We're on low.)

4/9: 1B Dale Long of the Colorado Rockies became the first MLB player to record five hits in a game and scored the winning run in the top of the 12th of a 5-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

4/17: 28-year-old SP Justin Verlander of the Milwaukee Brewers threw a three-hit shutout, walking none and striking out 14 in a 10-0 shutout of the San Francisco Giants.

4/20: 19-year-old Dan Collins of the Houston Astros had a hell of a game, striking out 16 Cleveland Indians and giving up only one hit in a 2-1 win.

April Awards:

AL Batter of the Month: 3B Harry Arndt, Cleveland Indians
AL Pitcher of the Month: SP The Only Nolan, Oakland Athletics
AL Rookie of the Month: RF Hank Aaron, Detroit Tigers

NL Batter of the Month: 2B Luis Quinones, St. Louis Cardinals
NL Pitcher of the Month: CL Bill Sampen, San Diego Padres
NL Rookie of the Month: 3B Brett Lawrie, Philadelphia Phillies

[rjl518]

well...here is ANOTHER league that i will be following with great interest...GO TIGERS!! GO METS!!! Sorry, Im a Mets fan by birth.

[jaysdailydose]

Originally Posted by rjl518

well...here is ANOTHER league that i will be following with great interest...GO TIGERS!! GO METS!!! Sorry, Im a Mets fan by birth.

Yeah, I've tried starting this league on four separate occasions, but either something I tested didn't wind up working right, or I just didn't get the whole project in the way I wanted. I have no such worries this time.

I appreciate your following, no matter who you follow. Feel free to comment anytime!

[jaysdailydose]

May 1901

The Detroit Tigers did a good job of fighting through injuries (see below) and much adversity to put up another quality month, with a May record of 17-11. The solid play throughout the month has the Tigers posted to a 3.5 game lead over the Minnesota Twins in the American League Central.

The Tigers were paced throughout the month by second baseman Lou Whitaker, who is now 4th in the league in OPS at .998 as we look at the leaders on June 1st. I hope you will follow us through what promises to be a challenging and fun June as we build our way towards a pennant race in the first season of Major League Baseball!

Detroit Tigers News:

5/3: Jesse Tannehill pitched a gem today, shutting out the Astros, 4-0. He gave up five hits, walked none, and struck out six in the sterling performance.

5/7: Mike Flanagan continued his great pitching and moved to 5-0 today with a 6-2 victory over the Washington Nationals. Flanagan is now 5-0 with a 1.10 ERA on the season.

5/10: Hank Aaron was injured late in the game against the Cleveland Indians while throwing the ball. Aaron is undergoing tests and his diagnosis is pending.

5/11: Fairly decent news on Aaron, he strained his biceps and is expected to miss 5-6 weeks. While a month and a half without our best player isn't ideal, this injury could have been far worse. Aaron is hitting .324 with 14 homers and 33 RBI, scoring 26 runs in 33 games. Aaron was placed on the 15-day disabled list and 22-year-old RF Marv Blaylock was called up from the reserve roster to take Aaron's place.

5/16: The Detroit Tigers have announced an extension with star second baseman Lou Whitaker. The deal is reported to be a five-year package worth a total of $135M. However, the final two seasons are team options (Whitaker's age-38 and age-39 seasons) at $29.8M and $32.6M, respectively. It is a good deal for both sides, with a reasonable out for the Tigers after three seasons if Whitaker is still not as his current level of production. Fan reaction to the deal was said to be amazing, and overall interest in the team is said to have increased. (I use custom financials to be closer to actual modern MLB, and a $27M annual is not bad at all for a Top 20 player, which Whitaker appears to be at present.)

5/18: Mike Stanley has been suspended three games by the Commissioner for his role in sparking a bench-clearing brawl between our Tigers and the Texas Rangers. Starting pitcher Dave Freisleben was also suspended three games for throwing at Stanley and getting the fight going.

5/21: Larry Corcoran pitched the best game a Detroit Tiger has pitched so far in a 5-0 win over the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Corcoran threw a complete-game one-hit shutout, walking two and striking out nine Indians on the day. Larry recorded a Game Score of 92 which is the second best pitching performance of the season, trailing only Justin Verlander's 95, in which he walked none and struck out 14 in a three-hit shutout. Larry Corcoran is now 5-3 with a 3.62 ERA on the 1901 campaign.

5/23: Brett Butler has a very sore elbow, and our medical staff has advised us to shut Butler down for two weeks. He will be placed on the 15-day disabled list, and Mike McCormick will be recalled from the reserve roster.

5/24: Outfield Ken Berry couldn't have picked a worse time, but he was ejected over a strike-three call, and then proceeded to throw a tirade both after his ejection, and to the media after the game – and the Office of the Commissioner has handed down a four-game suspension to Berry. We have discussed this with Ken, and he realizes that this conduct is unacceptable and detrimental to the organization.

5/29: Shortstop Jack Barry strained his back while legging out a double, and is not expected to be at 100% for two weeks. He'll be placed on the disabed list, and 27-year-old SS Ryan Theriot will be called up from the reserve roster.

5/31: The Detroit Tigers announced a two-year extension, totaling 11.7M, with catcher Earl S. Smith. Smith is currently slashing .248/.388/.504 with nine homers and 30 RBI, with 25 runs scored in 41 appearances, while providing quality defense behind home plate. The Tigers are glad to buy out two years of the 25-year-old Smith's arbitration, as his estimate was around a half a million more per season.

Around The League:

5/7: The Los Angeles Dodgers have finalized an extension for their 33-year-old catcher, Deacon McGuire. The deal is a four-year extension with a total value of $68,000,000, which is an annual average of $17M. At the time of this extension, McGuire is hitting .304, with 3 HR, 13 RBI, and 19 runs scored.

5/8: I don't usually cover suspensions, but these two four-gamers are from a fight I would have loved to see. The Mariners Kevin Mitchell and the Pirates Felix Hernandez squared off in a fight after King Felix came too far inside on Mitchell, and Kevin charged the mound, igniting a bases-clearing brawl. I just think this would have been one to see.

5/9: J.D. Drew of the Philadelphia Phillies became the first man in MLB history to hit three homeruns in a game, leading the Phils to a 6-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. So far this year Drew is hitting .287 with 12 homers and 22 RBI.

5/19: Exactly ten days after the first occurrence, 29-year-old 2B Alfonso Soriano of the Los Angeles Dodgers smashed three dingers in a 17-1 win over the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. Soriano had 7 RBIs with the three jacks in a 4-5 overall day. On the season, Soriano is now hitting .265 with 11 homers and 36 RBI with 28 runs scored.

5/22: San Diego Padres 38-year-old starting pitcher Ramon Ortiz is the first major leaguer to bring up retirement, announcing that he will retire at the end of the 1901 campaign. Ortiz is 1-3 with a 3.38 ERA over five starts for the Pads this season.

5/30: The Baltimore Orioles 23-year-old catcher, Johnny Bench, became the first man in MLB history to hit for the cycle in a 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals. Bench is now hitting .302 with 12 homeruns and 35 RBI on the 1901 season.

Houston Astros 19-year-old starter Dan Collins had his second amazing performance of the young season, defeating the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field by a score of 8-0. Collins gave up only 3 hits, walking two and struck out 15 Rockies on the day for his second 15+ strikeout performance of the 1901 season.

May Awards:

AL Batter of the Month: 3B Toby Harrah, New York Yankees
AL Pitcher of the Month: SP Al Pratt, Chicago White Sox
AL Rookie of the Month: 1B Joe Adcock, Tampa Bay Rays

NL Batter of the Month: 3B Max Alvis, Miami Marlins
NL Pitcher of the Month: SP Pete Donohue, St. Louis Cardinals
NL Rookie of the Month: 2B Carlos Baerga, Philadelphia Phillies

[jaysdailydose]

June 1901

Lou Whitaker and Mike Flanagan continued to drive a Tiger team dealing with a few serious injuries to key players during the month of June. Detroit kept the strong play going, even if they finished the month by losing a few games to have a 16-11 month. At the end of the month, pretty much everyone has returned from their injuries, so it is taking time for the squad to adjust to having everyone back.

The Tigers will look to possibly add to one of the better teams in MLB (4th in the last power rankings) as today is July 1st, which is when the International Amateur Free Agency period begins. Two Venezuelans, RHP Manny Torres, and SS prospect Manny Morera, have caught GM Jason Scott's eye, and offers may be made to these youngsters.

We hope you will continue to follow MLB and your Detroit Tigers through July as we get into the thick of the pennant race in the American League Central! Thank you for following along with us so far, and we will see you for a short All-Star update mid-month, and then again on August 1st!

Detroit Tigers News:

6/2: Mike Flanagan increased his perfect record to 8-0 today, with another solid six innings at the Baltimore Orioles. Mike now has a 2.35 ERA to go with his eight wins, and has to be considered as a likely candidate to make the first All-Star team in league history, with the game to be played in July. Lou Whitaker had a double and his 14th homerun of the season to lead the Tigers and Flanagan to a 6-3 victory over the Orioles.

6/3: Second baseman Lou Whitaker won the American League Player of the Week Award, going 10-23 with four homers and seven RBI over his last six games. The Cardinals Jim Eisenreich won the National League award.

6/6: CF Brett Butler was activated from the disabled list, with Mike McCormick being sent back to the reserve roster.

6/13: SS Jack Barry was activated from the disabled list, with SS Ryan Theriot being sent back to the reserve roster.

6/17: Mike Flanagan extended his perfect record to 10-0 today with a complete-game victory over the Baltimore Orioles. The Tigers won 10-2, with the offense again being powered by Lou Whitaker and his three doubles and three RBI. The Tigers now lead the Central by eight full games.

6/20: Outfielder Hank Aaron was activated from the disabled list today, with RF Cliff Heathcote being sent to the reserve roster. The Tigers did nothing but extend their lead over the division in Hank's absence and this looks to add to what appears to already be a dominant squad.

6/22: Mike Flanagan is no longer perfect, taking a 5-2 loss at home to the Boston Red Sox. Flanagan's record now stands at 10-1 with a 2.37 ERA.

6/24: Tiger 3B Nomar Garciaparra won the American League Player of the Week Award. For the week Nomar hit .481 (13-27) with five homers and nine RBI. He has a .314 average with 13 homers and 49 RBI. Art Wilson of the Diamondbacks won the National League award.

Around The League:

6/2: 22-year-old first baseman Don Mattingly of the Atlanta Braves wrote his name in the MLB record books today, becoming the first man in league history to record six hits in a ballgame. Mattingly had two doubles and four singles to bring his average to .255 on the season, and also paced his Braves to a 12-3 victory over the Washington Nationals.

6/8: New York Mets LF Charlie Keller signed an extension today. The extension is for three more seasons for $48M, or an annual average of $16M. Keller is currently batting .266 with 7 HR and 28 RBI.

6/10: Wilie Bloomquist of the Cleveland Indians exploded for six hits today, but his Indians lost 13-12 to the Texas Rangers. Bloomquist is currently hitting .337 with zero homers and 18 RBI.

6/21: 40-year-old 2B Jimmy Dykes of the New York Yankees has announced that he will retire at season's end. Dykes is hitting only .097 in 31 at-bats.

6/22: Red Murray of the Los Angeles Dodgers had three homers in a 13-7 win over the San Diego Padres.

Felix Hernandez also threw a dominant 2-hit shutout, walking one and striking out 10.

6/25: Los Angeles Dodgers 35-year-old reliever Doug Linton will miss at least the next ten months with a stretched elbow ligament.

June Awards:

AL Hitter of the Month: LF Carl Yastrzemski, Cleveland Indians
AL Pitcher of the Month: SP Dan Collins, Houston Astros
AL Rookie of the Month: LF Beals Becker, Texas Rangers

NL Hitter of the Month: SS Rico Petrocelli, New York Mets
NL Pitcher of the Month: SP Candy Cummings, Atlanta Braves
NL Rookie of the Month: 1B Don Mattingly, Atlanta Braves

[jaysdailydose]

July 1-14 (All Star Break) -- 1901

I have decided to break up the July update here, and in the seasons to come, strictly because of the extra amount of good things to write about in the month of July. Teams start to make moves with the deadline approaching, and of course we have the inaugural “Midsummer Classic” to get going. I will suspend the update for the month at the end of the last series before the All-Star Break, and then cover the All-Star game, and then do another update for the end of July. This should keep update sizes smaller, but still provide the overall look at the entire league for all of you readers. I hope you enjoy the league so far!

The Tigers have kept up the quality play in the beginning of July, going 9-5 in the games before the All-Star Break, and have a 6.5 game lead over the second-place Chicago White Sox. No one else in the division is any closer than eight games back. Now, we'll cover the All-Star extravaganza, and also give an overview of the Tiger statistics and a look around the league at the halfway mark of the season.

Then we will resume our normal updates until the postseason, and we hope you will stick around to see how the pennant races shape up!

Detroit Tigers News:

7/1: The Detroit Tigers have entered into negotiations with two amateur free agents to start the period. We have made initial offers to 16-year-old catcher Sean Oliver of the United States, and 16-year-old pitcher Victor Ortes of Venezuela.

7/2: Mike Stanley had wanted an extension as he was in the last year of his contract. At 36, he wanted to keep playing and have the ability to retire on his terms. He took a two year extension at his current salary of $2.2M, with no raise, with the second year being a team option. He got the security he desired, and actually commented that the rumors had been getting to him. Hopefully this can settle him a bit and he can perform as our everyday first baseman.

And so much for the healthy lineup. We just lost the man who has driven our offense most of the season, second sacker Lou Whitaker, to a strained groin he suffered while legging out a double in the fifth inning of a 6-4 win against the Blue Jays. Whitaker had also homered in the game, his 18th, but he won't be legging out anymore hits for the next month as he'll be placed on the disabled list today. Middle infielder Ryan Theriot will be recalled from the reserve roster to take Sweet Lou's spot.

7/3: Catcher Sean Oliver has signed with the Tigers organization, and will report to their newly formed International Complex for seasoning. Oliver signed for $100,000 with the “cap” being $2.8M per season. Oliver's potential is a 68 relative to Major League Baseball.

7/4: 33-year-old infielder Bill Madlock put pen to paper on a one-year extension with a small raise. His contract for next year will pay him $1.25M. HAPPY 4th of JULY, Mr. Madlock!

7/5: Brett Butler has again picked up an injury, just like Lou Whitaker, while he was running the bases. Unfortunately, Butler's diagnosis is pending, so we are holding our breath that it is not too serious. With Butler's health issues, it is imperative that we begin to figure out a long-term plan for center field.

7/6: Henry Cotto certainly made sure we knew we had options in the outfield, as he became the first man in MLB History with SEVEN hits in a ballgame. All told, Cotto was 7 for 7 with two doubles, a steal, and six RBI. Slick Castleman easily cruised to victory number six as the Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians by a final of 19-1. The Tigers also held Carl Yastrzemski hitless, snapping his league-high 24-game hitting streak.

7/7: Our worst fears were confirmed when we received Brett Butler's injury diagnosis. He has torn his hamstring and will miss at least six weeks. Butler will be placed on the disabled list, and outfielder Cliff Heathcote will be recalled from the reserve roster.

Also, the price has gone too high on our negotiations with international amateur Victor Ortes, with the negotiations now far above the cap. We will rest on our laurels and only sign one player this season.

7/9: We saw the final price tag on Ortes today. We had gone as high as 2.4M on him, but apparently we weren't even close. Our divisional rival Chicago White Sox paid over double that, inking Victor to a $4.84M signing bonus on his minor league deal. They will be penalized next year and will be unable to spend more than $233K on any international amateur next season.

7/14: The inaugural All-Star Game rosters have been announced today, and three Detroit Tigers have made the first American League squad in the history of MLB. Tiger 2B Lou Whitaker, SP Mike Flanagan, and closer Robb Nen, will all represent the Tigers in the All-Star extravaganza. Although Whitaker was elected to start the contest, he will of course miss the game due to injury, and a replacement will be named to the roster. (The full roster will be provided in the All-Star update!)

Around The League:

7/2: The Astros and Diamondbacks made a trade today, one of the first this season. The Astros sent 33-year-old third baseman Russ Wrightstone to Arizona in exchange for 28-year-old starter George H. Stone. Wrightstone is batting .268 with 7 homers, 25 RBI and 23 runs scored, while Stone was 5-8 with a 5.32 ERA striking out 73 and walking 38 in 16 starts spanning 86.1 innings. It looks like a change of scenery could benefit Stone, especially.

7/4: In a trade completed on Independence Day, the Seattle Mariners have sent 38-year-old second baseman Tony Taylor and $3M in cash to Cincinnati for 29-year-old starter Al Mattern. Taylor is having a poor season, batting just .181 in 72 AB's for the Mariners. Mattern could use a change of scenery as well, going 4-5 with a 6.59 ERA over 54.2 innings.

7/7: The Dodgers and Reds finalized a trade today. The Dodgers will acquire 26-year-old reliever Bill Stoneman for 33-year-old first baseman Rick Leach and $2.3M in cash. Leach is currently batting .304 with one homer and 22 RBI. Stoneman is currently 2-5 with one save, with a 6.13 ERA and 67 K's in 54.1 innings.

*** 37-year-old Orel Hershiser of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim has thrown the first no-hitter in the history of Major League Baseball, defeating the Boston Red Sox, 3-0, at Angel Stadium. Hershiser struck out five and walked only two in the masterpiece. (*** will indicate that the box score for this game will appear in the next post in the thread!)

7/8: Cincinnati Reds 22-year-old ace starter Bill Stemmeyer threw a gem of his own today, leading the Reds to a shutout victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Stemmeyer gave up only two hits, walking none and striking out nine in the masterful performance.

7/11: The San Diego Padres, and all Reggie Smith fans may have reason to worry in this writer's opinion. Smith suffered a concussion on May 28th and was expected to miss around six weeks. He has had a setback with post-concussion syndrome and is now expected to miss two more months. Obviously, the Padres would like him back in September as they are only six games back in their division, but at 33 years of age, we need to hope that Smith returns to baseball at all.

7/12: Chicago White Sox rookie ace Al Pratt had a dominant performance today in a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. Pratt struck out 17 Phils, giving up only 4 hits, walking one. The gem puts Pratt at 10-2 in 21 starts, and he currently carries a 1.87 ERA which will definitely place him among the early leaders for the League Ace Award, and Rookie of the Year, as well. He is expected to possibly start the All-Star game by the AL pundits.

[jaysdailydose]

Here is the box score from the first no-hitter in league history, thrown by the great Orel Hershiser.

[jaysdailydose]

1901 MLB All-Star Selections!





I'm going to see if I can handle the bigger font throughout my gameplay, I just turned it up to make the All-Star post easier to read! If I can stomach how everything looks at the current font size, I'll keep it to hopefully make you readers happier, I know I have to shrink some of the screenshots to avoid screen-scroll, but I just want to let you know I'm doing everything I can to make this more readable for you readers!

I'm going to be doing a post breaking down both leagues, but there are some cool things we can see about the first half just from the All-Stars, so lets check out one of them!

1. Who is Dan Daub!?

Daniel William Daub (January 12, 1868 – March 25, 1951) was a 19th-century Major League Baseball pitcher born in Middletown, Ohio. After attending and playing baseball for Denison University, he played for the Cincinnati Reds in 1892 and with the Brooklyn Grooms/Bridegrooms from 1893 through 1897.

The New York Times reported on December 22, 1895, that Dan was among approximately 20 men who stoned and fired shotguns, also known as whitecapping, upon the home of Mrs. Wescoe of Hamilton, Ohio. Daub, who passed his winters in Mintonville, Ohio, was also among those that had warrants issued for his arrest. Here's the article from the New York Times in 1895:

After his playing career was over, Dan became the coach of the Ohio Wesleyan University baseball team, a post he held for the 1902 season, then he resigned before the following season. His replacement was a ballplayer named Branch Rickey, who was recently ruled ineligible to play college ball due to his prior professional baseball career. Daub died at the age of 83 in Bradenton, Florida, and is interred at Hickory Flats Cemetery in Overpeck, Ohio. (Info all courtesy of Wikipedia.)

Daub's career record was 45-52, with a 4.75 ERA, with his career high for wins being a 12-11 season. So, at the All-Star Break in the Clean Slate, he already has a more successful season than he ever had in his real life career! Dan was selected in the 3rd round, 85th overall, by the Cubs.

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We'll be doing our first-half breakdown in the next post, so stay tuned, and as always, thanks for following The Clean Slate!!

[jaysdailydose]

This Week in Baseball -- The All-Star Break!!

Welcome to "This Week in Baseball" coming to you live from The All-Star Game! First, we're going to give you the standings for Major League Baseball going into the All-Star festivities, along with the league leaders from both leagues statistically at the season's half-way point.

Finally, we'll give you the lineups and starting pitchers for tomorrow's All-Star Game!

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MLB Standings



American League Leaders

Batting


Pitching


National League Leaders

Batting


Pitching



I'll leave the analysis of the leaders for you fans to break down at your leisure, although we do have the possibility of pitching Triple Crowns in both leagues.

Another cool thing I have noticed is that the current MLB leader in saves, Reggie Richter of the Toronto Blue Jays, only played one season of professional ball in his true life. Richter pitched only 54.2 innings in his entire career, in one season in 1911 for the Chicago Cubs. He was 1-3 with 2 saves, with a 3.13 ERA in true life.

From "justonebadcentury.com" (a Cubbie fan site) here's the following on Mr. Richter:

Originally Posted by justonebadcentury.com

Reggie (real first name–Emil) was born in Dusseldorf, Germany and came over to America around the turn of the century. Reggie was a pitcher who worked mostly out of the bullpen for one big league season. He pitched a few more years in the minors before hanging up his spikes at the age of 27. Richter passed away in Winfield, Illinois at the age of 45.

I haven't been able to dig up any more information as to why the Cubs wouldn't have wanted to keep what was a very effective young pitcher -- but I thought he was a player worth sharing. I cannot attach his photo as I've already attached five images, but he is available in the photo pack available on site if you are curious about this obscure athlete!

All-Star Starting Pitchers:

The starting pitchers for the inaugural All-Star Game will be:

AL: The Only Nolan (9-4, 1.93)

vs.

NL: Noodles Hahn (10-3, 3.12)

American League

Jimmy Walsh, CF
Harry Arndt, 3B
Joey Votto, 1B
Ben Paschal, RF
Carl Yastrzemski, LF
Toby Harrah, 2B
Johnny Bench, C
Jack Glasscock, SS
The Only Nolan, P

National League

Felix Jose, RF
Robin Yount, SS
Miguel Cabrera, 3B
Kent Hrbek, 1B
George R. Stone, LF
John E. Briggs, CF
Bill Salkeld, C
Rock Raines, 2B
Noodles Hahn, P

NOTABLE:

I planned to mention it sooner, but even though he only appeared there in 52 games in his long MLB career, Tim "Rock" Raines, Sr. will be the first second baseman in All-Star history, at least for the National League! He isn't horrible at second base, and is having a very nice season.

One other thing of note is that the All-Star Game does NOT decide home field for the World Series -- I felt, and have always felt, that this should be decided in the regular season, especially with the advent of interleague play!

Anyway, I hope you will check back in about 15 minutes and we'll have the All-Star box score up for your viewing pleasure. Thank you as always for following The Clean Slate!

[jaysdailydose]

Here are your 1901 Detroit Tiger All Star representatives!

Lou Whitaker - 2B



Mike Flanagan - SP



Robb Nen - CL

We will provide the box score for the All-Star Game next post, sorry for the delay, I got caught up in the Patriots victory last night and didn't return to the forum once I got into the game. Thanks as always for following The Clean Slate!

[jaysdailydose]

1901 MLB All-Star Game



Detroit Tigers closer Robb Nen got the first All-Star victory, pitching a perfect third inning with two strikeouts, and then the AL got the offense going with 6 runs in the bottom of the third to seal the victory for Nen.

Tiger starter Mike Flanagan pitched the fourth inning, giving up just one hit and striking out one.

Lou Whitaker was unable to play due to injury and was replaced by SS Jack Glasscock in the starting lineup, as voted-in starter Toby Harrah moved to second base for this contest.

Oakland Athletics and All-Star starter The Only Nolan was awarded the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award, pitching two perfect innings with five strikeouts. Only one batter made any contact at all against Nolan.

Major League Baseball would like to thank the city of Seattle and Safeco Field for hosting a great All-Star Extravaganza!! We'll provide a quick look at the Detroit Tigers statistics up to the All-Star break, and then we'll get back to your pennant races!

Thanks as always for following "The Clean Slate!"

[jaysdailydose]

Here are your Detroit Tigers statistics for the first half of the 1901 season!

Team Statistics:


Batting Statistics (sorted by OPS):


Pitching Statistics (sorted by ERA):