1902 Cleveland: Napoleon & Joss Are Fine

[Dukie98]

I decided to take a stab at a historic dynasty. I'm starting with the 1902 Cleveland Bronchos (soon to become the Naps, and eventually, the Indians). Although the Bronchos had Nap Lajoie and Elmer Flick land in their lap due to contractual and legal issues with the Athletics, the team nonetheless chronically underachieved -- from 1902 through 1917, they only had a single finish above third place or within five games of first place, and they didn't win a pennant until 1920. They didn't win another pennant for 28 seasons, and only finished within 10 games of first place three times in that stretch. Can I bring them over the hump and turn them into a consistent winner?

An added bonus in selecting them: the "what might have been" factor with rookie pitcher Addie Joss. Joss died in early 1911 of tuberculous meningitis, and was eventually elected to the Hall of Fame despite pitching only eight and a half seasons. Hopefully he lasts longer in my world...

One quirk: although Lajoie and Flick played most of the 1902 season with Cleveland, they were not on the Opening Day roster and thus were not on the OOTP roster. Going into commissioner mode, I will force a trade at the approximate point of the season when they were actually acquired by Cleveland.

I decided to write this at the start of the 1903 season, so I'll do an abbreviated recap of 1902 (at this point, I can't access the day-by-day standings or monthly splits). Going forward, I'll try to do a month-by-month summary.

[Dukie98]

At the start of the 1902 season, the Bronchos were in rebuilding mode: other than third baseman Bill Bradley, most of the rest of team consisted of solid players who were past their prime (catcher/ first baseman Bob Wood, center fielder Ollie Pickering, and left fielder Jack McCarthy), or promising youngsters (pitchers Addie Joss, Otto Hess, and Gene Wright). My middle infield was particularly weak. Pitcher Dummy Taylor, who spent all but one month of his career with the Giants, was nonetheless on my roster at the start of the year. In real life, he jumped back to the Giants in early May 1902. Jumping doesn't seem to be a viable option in this league, however.

At the start of the year, the lineup looks like this:

CF Ollie Pickering
C Bob Wood
3B Bill Bradley
1B Harry Bemis
LF Jack McCarthy
RF Charlie Hemphill
2B Frank Bonner
SS Jack Thoney

RHP Dummy Taylor
RHP Addie Joss
RHP Earl Moore
RHP Gene Wright

Preseason favorites Boston and Philadelphia are not exactly quaking in their boots...

[Dukie98]

The 1902 Bronchos struggled out of the gate, and by the second week of the season, they were struggling to keep out of the basement. In the first two months of the season, the only offensive bright spots were center fielder/ leadoff man Ollie Pickering, who was hitting over .300 and flirted with the league lead in steals, and third baseman Bill Bradley, who despite a modest batting average, was nonetheless among the league WAR leaders due a league-leading doubles total and his rangy, if error-prone, defense. However, the offense was burdened by the meager offerings of second baseman Frank Bonner and shortstops Jack Thoney and Johnny Gochnaur. Bonner and Gochnaur struggled to bat over .200, and Gochnaur spent most of the season in the .160 range. On the mound, Dummy Taylor was solid, but Joss and Earl Moore both struggled.

As in real life, the Bronchos were sparked by the midseason acquisitions of right fielder Elmer Flick (approximately 30 games into the season) and second baseman Nap Lajoie (around the 45 game mark). Although Flick did not display the gap power which the Bronchos expected, the team promptly stabilized.

Lajoie, coming off a .426 / 10 WAR season with the Athletics, struggled unexpectedly with Philadelphia- in 38 games, he was hitting just .275, with a mere 104 OPS+. But upon being dealt to Philadelphia for Bonner plus the balance of their available cash, his bat woke up. He was named AL Player of the Week for each of his first two full weeks with the Bronchos, had a 25-game hitting streak and was hitting nearly .500 after his first month as a Broncho.

Alas, the Bronchos excitement was dimmed shortly after the Lajoie acquisition: on June 6, it was announced that rookie pitcher Addie Joss, who was a disappointing 3-7 with a 3.70 ERA, had torn his UCL and would require the yet-to-be-invented Tommy John surgery (perhaps it should be named after Joss, given that he went under the knife nearly 75 years before Tommy John did).

As of late June, the Bronchos had moved up to fifth place, but were nearly 15 games behind the streaking Athletics and surprising Browns.

[Dukie98]

The Bronchos continued to tweak their roster into July. Frustrated with the lack of production from the shortstop position, the Bronchos traded productive backup catcher Ossie Schreckengost to Pittsburgh for shortstop Wid Conroy, who was blocked behind Honus Wagner, and a 1-star pitching prospect. Soon thereafter, however, the front office realized that the Bronchos could be vulnerable behind the plate in future seasons, as it was uncertain how long 37-year-old catcher Bob Wood could hold up, so they flipped their unproductive shortstop Jack Thoney to the White Sox for catcher Ed McFarland.

Meanwhile, Lajoie continued his torrid pace at the plate-- and he was matched by Bill Bradley, who started to run away with the AL RBI lead; Bradley was also named AL Player of the Month for July, and by that time, he had a comfortable lead in WAR among position players in both leagues. On the mound, unheralded #4 starter Gene Wright was undefeated in July, and was named AL Pitcher of the Month and Rookie of the Month.

By the end of July, the Bronchos were up to .500, although still out of contention. The Athletics, meanwhile, fell into a tailspin following the season-ending injury to Rube Waddell, who was leading the league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts by comfortable margins. By mid-August, the Bronchos caught the Athletics for fourth place, and they were hot on the heels of the Americans for third place (although Boston ultimately pulled away from them). Meanwhile, the overachieving Browns opened up a comfortable lead on the second-place White Sox.

Pittsburgh dominated the National League, peaking at a record of 68-14 in July. At that point, the second place team in the NL (the surprising Phillies) was further behind them than the eighth-place Tigers in the AL.

[Dukie98]

The Bronchos danced around the .500 mark in the closing weeks of the season, eventually taking four of six from Detroit in the final week to finish in fourth place with a 71-69 record, 13 games out of first place. Although Dummy Taylor continued to pitch well, leading the way with 21 wins and a 2.75 ERA, the rest of the staff (particularly Otto Hess and Gene Wright) faltered, and of the position players, Ollie Pickering and Wid Conroy struggled down the stretch.

Despite the middle of the pack finish, the Bronchos fared very well on the league leaderboard and in postseason awards: Nap Lajoie won the batting title at .384 -- including a remarkable .424 in 96 games with Cleveland. He also led the league in runs (125) and tied for the league lead in hits (218). Bill Bradley ran away with the MLB title in RBI's (122) and WAR (10.0).

Lajoie, who also won the Golden Glove at second base, was named MVP of the American League, and Bradley came in 3rd. Washington's Ed Delahanty came in 2nd for the MVP, but he topped Lajoie and Bradley for the inaugural voting for the Cap Anson Award, which goes to the best pure hitter in each league.

The Browns nearly blew a 10-game mid-September lead over the White Sox, but held on to take the division by 2 games. The Browns led the White Sox by 6, with 6 games to go -- but dropped the first four before winning the next-to-last game of the year to win the pennant. Meanwhile, the Pirates had effectively clinched the NL pennant by Bastille Day. In addition to leading the NL in runs with nearly 80 runs more than the second place team, they also had four 20-game winners, each of whom had an ERA below 1.80 and a WHIP under 1.0. Despite the brilliance of their staff, however, they were no match for the Phillies' Doc White, who won both the NL MVP and Cy Young Awards, after finishing 28-9 with a 1.74 ERA, 230 strikeouts and 11.7 WAR

The Pirates beat the Browns in six games to win the World Series, and Pirate first baseman Kitty Bransfield was named World Series MVP.

[Dukie98]

1902 key award winners:

AL MVP: Nap Lajoie, PHI/CLE: .384/ .423/ .537, 125 runs, 48 doubles, 7 HR, 93 RBI, +18.6 zone rating, 9.2 WAR
Second place: Ed Delahanty, WAS: .375/ .445/ .574, 107 runs, 59 doubles, 12 HR, 98 RBI, 8.4 WAR
Third place: Bill Bradley, CLE: .360/ .405/ .530, 94 runs, 46 doubles, 10 HR, 122 RBI, +18.9 zone rating, 10.0 WAR

AL Cy Young: Bill Reidy, SLB: 27-7, 2.44 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 3.7 WAR
Second place: Wiley Piatt, CWS: 24-10, 2.68 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 127 K, 4.4 WAR
Third place: Bill Dineen, BOS: 22-11, 2.53 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 129 K, 5.9 WAR

AL Rookie of the Year: Patsy Dougherty, LF, BOS: .341/ .398/ .405, 33 SB, 66 RBI, 4.3 WAR

NL MVP: Doc White, PHI: 28-9, 1.74 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 230 K, 11.7 WAR
Second place: Deacon Philippe, PIT: 26-9, 1.54 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 9.3 WAR
Third place: Tommy Leach, PIT: .304/ .347./ .422, 27 3B, 104 RBI, 27 SB, +15.0 zone rating, 7.6 WAR

NL Cy Young: Doc White, PHI: 28-9, 1.74 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 230 K, 11.7 WAR
Second place: Jesse Tannehill, PIT: 23-7, 1.38 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 8.8 WAR
Third place: Deacon Philippe, PIT, 26-9, 1.54 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 9.3 WAR

NL Rookie of the Year: Joe Tinker, SS, CHC: .257, .299, .327, 69 RBI, 25 SB, +36.4 zone rating, 6.5 WAR

[Dukie98]

MLB announced that its inaugural rookie draft would take place in December 1902. As a reward for a 45-95 finish, the New York Giants had the first overall pick, and they selected 18-year-old pitching prospect Chief Bender. The Orioles selected pitcher Red Ames with the #2 pick, and the Reds selected center fielder Doc Gessler #3 overall. The Bronchos went with the "best player available" philosophy and tabbed starting pitcher Barney Pelty with the #9 pick. They hoped that Three Finger Brown would have been available, but Detroit snatched him with the #6 pick.

Beginning in the second round, the Bronchos went for a need-based philosophy. With a management edict to upgrade in left field, they hoped to select LF Danny Hoffman, but the Athletics took him with the pick immediately beforehand. As a fallback, the Bronchos tabbed untested LF Hugh Hill, who presented an interesting power-speed combination but mediocre defense.

In the third round, they selected Frank Roth, who projects as a career backup catcher. In the draft's final three rounds, they selected reliever Charlie Moran, raw 17-year-old outfielder Harry Wood, and 26-year-old speedster Bill Hanlon.

[Dukie98]

The Bronchos also shuffled their roster, trading toolsy outfielder Zaza Harvey and third-string catcher George Starnagle to the Chicago Orphans for starting pitcher Carl Lundgren. Lundgren had a brilliant rookie season, going 22-10 with a 2.16 ERA and 4.9 WAR -- and he was merely 22 years old. The Bronchos were shocked that he was made available. Harvey, although highly rated as a prospect, struggled mightily, hitting just .136 in 133 plate appearances, with an improbable OPS+ of 8. Yes, a single-digit OPS+... Starnagle, however, would have loved to have that level of success, with a .103/ .103/ .103 stat line in 39 at bats.

The Bronchos weren't done wheeling and dealing, however. With the addition of Lundgren and draft pick Barney Pelty, #3 starter Earl Moore became expendable. In light of the second half swoon of 32-year-old center fielder Ollie Pickering, they chose to upgrade in center. They shipped Moore to Cincinnati for disgruntled center fielder Harry Bay, who would take Pickering's role atop the lineup

[Dukie98]

The Bronchos had high hopes heading into spring training, as they expected to combine a full season of their core of Nap Lajoie, Bill Bradley, and Elmer Flick with an upgraded pitching staff. The media picked Cleveland to finish in third place with a slight improvement to 73 wins -- but expected them to finish 16 games behind the White Sox. Surprisingly, Baltimore -- coming off a last-place finish -- was picked to finish a close second. The Browns, who won an under-the-radar pennant last season, were picked to fall below .500 and finish 6th.

Both the Bronchos and the media expected big things from their new starting pitchers, Barney Pelty and Carl Lundgren. The Bronchos moved last season's #4 starter, Gene Wright, to the bullpen as a long reliever/ setup man, and planned to use Otto Hess as a short-term solution in the rotation until Addie Joss returned from Tommy John surgery around June.

Unfortunately, the injury bug bit early and often. Starting left fielder Jack McCarthy, who slugged .437 in part-time play last year, tore his labrum midway through spring training, and was sidelined until August. A week later, Flick tore a ligament in his thumb, causing him to miss the first month of the season. Finally, after moving to the bullpen, Wright tore his UCL. Inspired by the anticipated recovery by Joss, he volunteered to undergo the highly experimental Tommy John surgery, and would miss the remainder of the season.

In a tactical move, the Bronchos also recognized that catcher Bob Wood was not getting any younger. They switched him to first base, and moved Harry Bemis, who struggled at first base as a rookie, back behind the plate. The Bronchos hoped this switch would keep Wood fresher and upgrade their defense at both positions.

[Dukie98]

After an Opening Day loss to the White Sox, Cleveland rattled off seven straight wins to close out the month. The 7-1 Indians enjoy the best record in the majors, and they lead the surprising Tigers and Orioles by 2 games.

The Bronchos battled the preseason favorite White Sox on Opening Day, as the game was tied 2-2 heading into the ninth inning. Shaky defense once again proved to be the Bronchos undoing, as the White Sox scored three runs off Dummy Taylor in the ninth inning to take the game. But the Bronchos rallied to take three straight from the White Sox, with rookie Hugh Hill enjoying a walk-off hit in extra innings, and they swept the Red Sox in four straight games to close out the month.

The Bronchos continued to suffer from nagging injuries. Although Elmer Flick returned from a thumb injury to hit .500 for the final five games with a team-leading 8 RBI, Bill Bradley went down with a nagging leg injury and missed four games. Nap Lajoie continued his hot hitting from last season, hitting .412 and stealing 4 bases.

Meanwhile, the offense was led by some unlikely sources. Newly-converted first baseman Bob Wood hit .400 and scored nine runs in eight games. Light-hitting shortstop Wid Conroy led the way with two homers and 7 RBI, including a grand slam that provided all the Bronchos' offense in a win over Boston.

On the mound, rookie Barney Pelty bolted out of the gate with a 3-hit complete game in his debut, and followed that up with a save the following day, and another complete game victory in his next start. For his efforts, he was named AL Pitcher of the Month, going 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA.

Despite the gaudy won-loss record, management remained concerned about the pitching. Neither Dummy Taylor nor Carl Lundgren were particularly sharp, and Otto Hess left his first start with a back injury. Emergency starter Gus Dorner filled in admirably in Hess's absence, but he's hardly a reliable long-term option.

[Dukie98]

Here's how the team looks at the end of April:

[Dukie98]

The Bronchos had an up-and-down May: after a blistering 7-1 start to the year at the end of April, they went 15-16 in May, and stood in 3rd place with a 22-17 record, 2 1/2 games behind the streaking Boston Americans.

The offense was led by Elmer Flick, who was named AL Player of the Month, after hitting .376 with 16 extra base hits and 18 RBI's for the month. Despite a quiet last week of the month, Flick leads MLB with a .393 batting average and and OPS of 1.037. After a disappointingly slow start to the year, third baseman Bill Bradley came on strong, hitting .306 with 21 RBI for the month. Nap Lajoie, while not hitting at the stratospheric level of 1902, chipped in with a .338 average for the month, a team-leading three homers, and 18 RBI.

The injury bug bit again, as first baseman Bob Wood and backup outfielder Ollie Pickering were sidelined, and Otto Hess missed a week with a back injury. On the bright side, future tubucluar meningitis patient Addie Joss completed his recovery from Tommy John surgery and was ready to regain the rotation.

Joss's return created quite a quandary for management: Otto Hess, who began the season with the most tenuous spot in the rotation, had a brilliant month, going 5-0 with a 2.30 ERA, and throwing two shutouts in his final three starts of the month. Rookie Barney Pelty, after a strong debut in April, fell back down to earth, going 4-4 for the month with an ERA of 4.37. Off-season acquisition Carl Lundgren and last year's ace, Dummy Taylor, had middling performances, with Lundgren going 3-3, and Taylor going 3-5. although Taylor's peripheral numbers were somewhat worse. Ultimately, management decided to send Taylor to the bullpen, while warning the rookie Pelty that he needed to shape up, or face a similar demotion.

[Dukie98]

Here's how the Bronchos look at the end of May:

[Dukie98]

The Bronchos had a solid June of 1903, going 15-11, but still lost ground in the standings, ending the month in fourth place, but just three games out of first. The Bronchos took care of business against the weak sisters of the league -- the Browns, Senators, and Athletics, who were in sixth, seventh, and eighth place respectively, going 11-3 against them, but struggling mightily against first place Baltimore and the surprising Tigers.

The big story for the Bronchos was the return of Addie Joss from Tommy John surgery -- and what a return it was. Joss won his first four starts (surrendering just 3 earned runs in those 36 innings), and ended the month 6-1 with a 1.65 ERA, and being named the AL Pitcher of the Month. Joss took the rotation spot of Dummy Taylor, but Taylor soon returned to the rotation following the struggles of Otto Hess, who crashed back to earth with a 5.33 ERA for the month. Rookie Barney Pelty, after a shaky May, stabilized with a 4-3 record and 2.83 ERA for the month.

At bat, Bill Bradley returned to his near-MVP form of the prior year. Bradley narrowly missed winning Player of the Month, hitting .397 with 25 RBIs, and retaking the league lead in RBIs. Nap Lajoie hit .343 for the month with an improbable 16 doubles in just 22 games. Of the regulars, only Wid Conroy (.215) and Harry Bay (.243, with 9 times caught stealing) struggled.

The Bronchos are cautiously optimistic that if their pitching stabilizes, they can catch the Americans and Orioles for the league title. Meanwhile, in the NL, the Pirates once again have opened up a double-digit game lead by midseason, and have flirted with an .800 winning percentage.

[Dukie98]

And here are how things look at the end of June 1903:

[Dukie98]

The Bronchos rounded into form, going 18-9 in July to end the month in second place, just half a game behind Baltimore. For most of the month, the Bronchos, Tigers, and Americans jockeyed for position behind the surprising Orioles. Winning eight of their final ten games of the month, the Bronchos opened up a hint of separation ahead of Boston and Detroit.

Alas, the injury bug bit once again. Carl Lundgren broke his elbow on July 1 and is expected to miss the rest of the season. Otto Hess, who had been banished to the bullpen in a surprise move, was once again needed to stabilize the rotation. Meanwhile, Dummy Taylor rounded back into form after briefly losing his role in the rotation last month-- Taylor was named AL Pitcher of the Month, going 6-1 with a 2.34 ERA. Addie Joss continued to pitch well, winning ten of his first eleven decisions of the year, although his ERA finally crept above 2.00 in the final week of the month.

Veteran first baseman Bob Wood led the charge offensively, hitting .405 for the month with fifteen extra base hits. Elmer Flick and Bill Bradley drove in 24 and 23 runs, respectively -- with perhaps none more important than a 13th-inning inside-the-park home run by Bradley to defeat the Browns and pull the Bronchos within a half game of first place. Left fielder Charlie Hemphill struggled, ultimately losing his starting role to Jack McCarthy, who returned from a labrum injury.

In other news from around MLB, the Phillies' Doc White, the defending MVP/ Cy Young Award winner, had a remarkable streak of 54 consecutive innings without surrendering an earned run. Meanwhile, Baltimore was led by rookie hurler Red Ames, who ended the month winning nine straight starts, 16 of his last 18 decisions, and led the league by nearly 70 strikeouts.

[Dukie98]

Here's how things are shaking out at the end of July 1903.

[Dukie98]

The red-hot Bronchos went 17-8 in August -- including a 13-2 streak to close the month. Starting the month narrowly behind Baltimore, they ended August seemingly in the drivers' seat, with a 5 1/2 game lead over the Orioles and a 6 1/2 game lead over the Americans. Still, a postseason berth was far from assured, as Nap Lajoie strained his oblique on August 22 and was expected to miss a month. Backup second baseman Peaches Graham raised more questions than answers, scuffling along at a 4-for-29 pace following Lajoie's injury with middling defense.

For the second straight year, the Bronchos' offense down the stretch was led by Bill Bradley. Bradley hit .343 for the month, with fourteen extra-base hits and a team-leading 19 RBI's. Shortstop Wid Conroy returned to his early season form, leading the way with 16 runs, seven stolen bases, and a .337 average for the month.

On the mound, Dummy Taylor continued his late-season resurgence. Buried for dead in June, Taylor rallied to be named AL Pitcher of the Month for the second straight month. Taylor went 5-2 with a 1.41 ERA for the month. Barney Pelty and Addie Joss each won four games. Midway through the month, Pelty threw a two-hit shutout against the Tigers -- only to be upstaged the next day by Taylor, who threw a one-hitter.

Even if Cleveland could survive Lajoie's injury and hold on for the pennant, the 88-30 Pirates appeared well-positioned to claim their second consecutive championship.

[Dukie98]

Here's how the team looked at the end of August:

[Dukie98]

The Cleveland Bronchos cruised into the postseason, going 12-10 in September despite being without the services of Nap Lajoie for nearly the entire month. What appeared to be a tight pennant race in mid-August ended up being a comfortable victory for the Bronchos, who ended the season at 84-56 -- six games ahead of Boston and seven ahead of a slumping Baltimore.

MVP candidate Bill Bradley ended the season with a bang, hitting .375 with 20 RBI's in 23 games in September, and he fell two RBI short of leading the league for the second straight year. First baseman Bob Wood continued his strong second half, hitting .358 with 8 doubles, and centerfielder Harry Bay rallied to hit .333 for the month, scoring 21 runs in 21 games. While the Broncos worried about the loss of Lajoie, backup Peaches Graham was solid, hitting .278 and driving in 10 runs in 20 games before Lajoie returned during the final week.

On the mound, Dummy Taylor continued his second half resurgence with another strong month, finishing the year with a 21-11 record and a 2.62 ERA. Rookie Barney Pelty finished the year with a 20-16 record, and Addie Joss compiled a sparkling 17-6 record with a league-leading 2.34 ERA.

The Bronchos face their sternest test of the year when they face the defending champion Pittsburgh Pirates in a best-of-nine World Series. The Pirates had a sparkling 101-39 record -- including a combined 75 wins from their top three pitchers, Jesse Tannehill, Sam Leever, and Jack Chesbro. The Pirates led the NL both in runs scored and fewest runs allowed, and they had the second-best defense in the NL.