Time Warp Baseball

[Matt from TN]

Time Warp Baseball will be a fictional reincarnation of Major League Baseball history. This league, which will begin in 1901, will feature the same teams from MLB history, but with fictional players. Every time a team relocated in history, it will do the same in the TWB. The same will be true of the first 154-game schedule in 1904, the 162-game schedule in 1961, the first All-Star Game in 1933, the introduction of the DH in 1973 and more. Teams will play in the real historic stadiums, and they will build new stadiums just as they did in real history. Stadiums will have the same park effects and seating capacity as they did in real-life. When free agency arrives in the late 1970s, I will even try to simulate the correct market sizes.

Once we reach 1946, the beginning of the "Golden Years" era, I will look for owners and turn this into an online league with a 45-year history already built in.

EDIT: We are now an online league & our website is linked here.

The twist? You can add your own ancestors to this NEW history of baseball IN THIS THREAD. In this way, your fathers and grandfathers (and someday, even you) can be part of baseball legend. As you submit your ancestor, I will make them the top rookie at that position in the year he turned 18.

Who will be the next Babe Ruth or Walter Johnson, Jimmy Foxx or Dizzy Dean, Joltin' Joe DiMaggio or Bob Feller? Will it be your grandfather, your father or even you? Will you be in the major leagues one day as the son or grandson of a Hall of Famer? Can you take that kind of pressure?

The 1901 season is starting now. There's still plenty of time to add your ancestors to the list. Anyone born as far back at the 1890's can still get in!


EDIT: You can view the league reports here!!

[Matt from TN]

At the beginning of the 20th Century, baseball in America has organized into two leagues - the National and American. Each league has eight teams of professional ball players. Here are a list of the teams:

American League

Baltimore Orioles
Boston Americans
Chicago White Stockings
Cleveland Blues
Detroit Tigers
Milwaukee Brewers
Philadelphia Athletics
Washington Senators

National League

Boston Beaneaters
Brooklyn Superbas
Chicago Orphans
Cincinnati Reds
New York Giants
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals


These leagues would be independant of each other, and after playing a 140-game schedule, they would each crown a league champion.


Ancestors Added:

Whiskey Allen - catcher, scprideandms



Whiskey, who turns 18 in May, looks to be one of the finest young ball players in either league. He was signed by the Cleveland Blues and is expected to be in the starting lineup. This kid has the potential to become one of the league's greats.

[Matt from TN]

May 1, 1901

The Cincinnati Reds proved they may be the top team in the National League. They began the season 12-3, and have the best record of any baseball team (19-7) after the first complete month of the season. The Reds are led by 27-year-old rightfielder James Ellis, who leads the league with a .378 batting average.


Rob Jackson, a 26-year-old pitcher for the New York Giants, leads both leagues with 6 wins. He is 6-1 with a 1.25 ERA. He has pitched a complete game in all seven starts he has made.


The Detroit Tigers (16-10) jumped out to an early lead in the American League, but the Chicago White Stockings (15-11) are a close second.

Batters of the Month:

AL - Derrick Voisin, CF, Detroit Tigers - This 21-year-old had a great month hitting .365 with 19 RBI for the second-place Tigers.

NL - James Ellis, RF, Cincinnati Reds - As mentioned above, Ellis had a fine month hitting .378 with 12 RBI and 10 triples.

Pitchers of the Month:

AL - Stuart Cutts, Philadelphia Athletics - This 26-year-old went 5-2 with a 1.94 ERA and a shutout.

NL - Rob Jackson, New York Giants - 6-1, 1.25 ERA, 2 shutouts.


American League Standings

Detroit 16 10 .615 -
Chicago (A) 15 11 .577 1.0
Baltimore 13 12 .520 2.5
Boston (A) 13 12 .520 2.5
Milwaukee 13 12 .520 2.5
Philadelphia (A) 13 12 .520 2.5
Washington 10 15 .400 5.5
Cleveland 9 18 .333 7.5

National League Standings

Cincinnati 19 7 .731 -
Philadelphia (N) 15 11 .577 4.0
New York 14 12 .538 5.0
Brooklyn 13 12 .520 5.5
Boston (N) 12 14 .462 7.0
Chicago (N) 11 15 .423 8.0
St. Louis 10 15 .400 8.5
Pittsburgh 9 17 .346 10.0


Ancestors:

Whiskey Allen, C, Cleveland - .374, 8 RBI, 13 Runs, 10-0 SB

[scprideandms]

How's Whiskey doin????

[Matt from TN]

there... I added an "ancestor" section to the report

Whiskey's leading off for the Blues vs RHP's... and batting 3rd vs LHP's

[Matt from TN]

June 1, 1901

Two AL teams made large strides in May. The Milwaukee Brewers went 17-11 during the month to push them into second place in the league. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Blues, who were last in the AL after April, were the hottest team in baseball during May. They went 18-9, improving their record to 27-27. Meanwhile, the White Stockings struggled to a 13-15 record this month, dropping them to 4.5 games behind Detroit.

In the NL, hot Cincinati cooled off to the tune of an 11-16 record in May. Thanks to their hot start and the struggles of other teams, the Reds have still managed second place, but they find themselves tied with the Giants. The Philadelphia Phillies have been consistent, going 15-11 in April and 16-11 in May, earning themselves sole possession of first.

Batters of the Month:

AL - Derrick Voisin, CF, Detroit Tigers - Now with back-to-back BOTM awards, Voisin led the league-leading Tigers with a .324 average and 20 RBI in May.

NL - Nicholas Lawton, LF, Brooklyn Superbas - .353, 12 RBI. He is the only Superbas' batter hitting over .300.

Pitchers of the Month:

AL - Raymond Gindler, Milwaukee Brewers - This 25-year-old is poised to become one of the league's finest pitchers. He went 5-1 with a 1.53 ERA and 2 shutouts in May.

NL - Chet Kautman, Philadelphia Phillies - 4-0, 0.50 ERA, 3 shutouts


American League Standings

Detroit 32 21 .604 -
Milwaukee 30 23 .566 2.0
Baltimore 27 25 .519 4.5
Chicago (A) 28 26 .519 4.5
Cleveland 27 27 .500 5.5
Philadelphia (A) 26 27 .491 6.0
Boston (A) 22 32 .407 10.5
Washington 21 32 .396 11.0

National League Standings

Philadelphia (N) 31 22 .585 -
Cincinnati 30 23 .566 1.0
New York 30 23 .566 1.0
Brooklyn 27 26 .509 4.0
Chicago (N) 24 29 .453 7.0
Pittsburgh 24 29 .453 7.0
Boston (N) 23 29 .442 7.5
St. Louis 22 30 .423 8.5


Ancestors:

Whiskey Allen, C, Cleveland - .354, 12 RBI, 21 Runs, 12-1 SB... Missed 16 days this month with a pulled groin... His at-bats currently do not qualify him for the AL or team lead in batting average... He would otherwise be leading the Blues in that category... He leads the team with his 12 steals...

[scprideandms]

if they made those whiskey bottles easier to open I wouldn't have pulled my groin (it was either that or that topless dancer!!!)

[Matt from TN]

July 1, 1901

Washington second baseman Fran Reinboldt has the highest batting average in either league at .373. Reinboldt, 30, has also player near-flawless defense at second, committing only 2 errors on the season, which amounts to a .994 fielding percentage.

Baltimore's "Johnny Cakes" Sutton is the only startng pitcher with an ERA under 2.00. He is currently 14-6 with a 1.86 ERA.

The Philadelphia Athletics have made their move. They went 17-10 in June and are now only 1.5 games behind AL-leading Detroit.

Cincinnati continues to fall further off the NL lead, going 11-16 in June.

Batters of the Month:

AL - Joseph Maguire, SS, Philadelphia Athletics - Maguire may be one of the best hitting shortstops in the league. He began the season slowly, but he hit .393 with 23 RBI and 21 runs scored. He hit two home runs, accounting for a few "cheap" RBI.

NL - Tim Baily, CF, Chicago Orphans - Tim hit .368 with 20 RBI and 16 runs scored, but his outrageous 5 home runs this month caused many opponents to accuse him of unfair play. He has hit 7 balls out of the park this season.

Pitchers of the Month:

AL - "Johnny Cakes" Sutton, Baltimore Orioles - As mentioned above, Sutton is the only pitcher in either league with an ERA under 2.00. He was 6-1 with a 1.02 ERA in June. He has 4 shutouts on the season.

NL - Chet Kautman, Philadelphia Phillies - Kautman has now won two POTM awards in a row. In June, he was 6-1 with a 2.22 ERA. The 34-year-old Kautman has been one of the top NL pitchers all season.


American League Standings

Detroit 44 35 .557 -
Milwaukee 44 37 .543 1.0
Philadelphia (A) 43 37 .538 1.5
Baltimore 42 38 .525 2.5
Cleveland 40 41 .494 5.0
Chicago (A) 39 41 .488 5.5
Boston (A) 35 46 .432 10.0
Washington 35 47 .427 10.5

National League Standings

Philadelphia (N) 46 34 .575 -
New York 43 37 .538 3.0
Brooklyn 41 39 .512 5.0
Cincinnati 41 39 .512 5.0
Pittsburgh 39 40 .494 6.5
Boston (N) 37 42 .468 8.5
Chicago (N) 37 42 .468 8.5
St. Louis 34 45 .430 11.5



Ancestors:

Whiskey Allen, C, Cleveland Blues - Allen hit .363 in June, but he only got 1 RBI... On the season, he is hitting .357 with 13 RBI and 37 runs scored... He is 20-3 in stolen base attempts.

[scprideandms]

Come on the rest of you crappy Clevelanders, .363 and 1 RBI, no of you idiots can get on ahead of me

P.S. Matt, I responded to other post about creating "fictional" historical players, I think ctorg (look in his sig) did a db just like that, if it's not what you want I could whip one up fairly quickly

[Matt from TN]

August 1, 1901

The story of the month was the city of Philadelphia. First, the NL's Phillies put together an astounding 17-game winning streak. The streak lasted from June 24th to July 10th. The cross-state Pittsburgh Pirates snapped the streak with a 6-0 victory on July 11. The Phillies now have a commanding 10-game lead over both Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.

Across town, the Philadelphia Athletics continued their hot play and took over first place in the AL for a time. They finished the month with a 5-game losing streak, however, and they are currently back in 3rd place at 2 games behind the new division leader, Baltimore.

Speaking of the Orioles, they went 19-11 in July to take control of first place in the AL. Detroit went 12-17 and have fallen to 4th.

Batters of the Month:

AL - Blake Smeeton, 1B, Boston Americans - Smeeton was the league's top offensive performer in July. He hit an amazing .416 for the month with 19 RBI and 20 runs scored.

NL - "Dark Horse" Allen, CF, Philadelphia Phillies - Allen has been a key component in the Phillies underrated offense this season. He hit .402 in July with 10 RBI and 24 runs scored.

Pitchers of the Month:

AL - "Johnny Cakes" Sutton, Baltimore Orioles - Sutton's great pitching is the main reason the Orioles have surged to first place in the league. He was 5-0 with a 1.67 ERA in July.

NL - Tony Hamline, Philadelphia Phillies - This is the third consecutive Phillie to win the POTM award this season. This is the first for Hamline, who went 5-1 with a 1.76 ERA.


American League Standings

Baltimore 61 49 .555 -
Milwaukee 59 50 .541 1.5
Philadelphia (A) 59 51 .536 2.0
Detroit 56 52 .519 4.0
Chicago (A) 53 56 .486 7.5
Boston (A) 51 58 .468 9.5
Washington 51 60 .459 10.5
Cleveland 48 62 .436 13.0

National League Standings

Philadelphia (N) 67 44 .604 -
Cincinnati 56 53 .514 10.0
Pittsburgh 56 53 .514 10.0
St. Louis 54 54 .500 11.5
Chicago (N) 53 55 .491 12.5
Brooklyn 51 59 .464 15.5
New York 51 59 .464 15.5
Boston (N) 49 60 .450 17.0


Ancestors:

Whiskey Allen, C, Cleveland Blues - Allen hit .302 with 6 RBI and 14 runs scored this month... His 296 at-bats still are too-few to be counted among team or league leaders... Otherwise, he would be leading the team with his .341 average... He does lead the Blues with 51 runs scored and 28 steals (3rd in the AL).

[Matt from TN]

September 1, 1901

Milwaukee was the team to beat in the AL during August. The Brewers went 18-11 this month and went on to win the first AL pennant. In the NL, Philadelphia never slowed down, and the Phillies easily won the AL pennant. They finished 11 games ahead of the Chicago Orphans.

Batters of the Month:

AL - Scott Patel, LF, Baltimore Orioles - The 24-year-old Patel had the best month of his young career. He hit .368 with 12 RBI and 18 runs scored, but it was too little as Baltimore fell short in the pennant race.

NL - "Dark Horse" Allen, CF, Philadelphia Phillies - Allen won back-to-back BOTM awards. In August, he hit .384 with 18 RBI, 23 runs scored and 4 home runs. He was a major reason why the Phillies won the NL pennant.

Pitchers of the Month:

AL - "Whopper" Alberson, Detroit Tigers - The Tigers faded late in the season, but Alberson didn't. He pitched better as the season wore on. He went 5-1 in August with a 1.53 ERA.

NL - Matt Bowden, New York Giants - Bowden went 6-1 with a 1.86 ERA.


American League Standings

Milwaukee 78 61 .561 - Won AL Pennant
Baltimore 75 64 .540 3.0
Detroit 72 67 .518 6.0
Philadelphia (A) 72 67 .518 6.0
Chicago (A) 66 73 .475 12.0
Washington 66 73 .475 12.0
Boston (A) 64 75 .460 14.0
Cleveland 63 76 .453 15.0

National League Standings

Philadelphia (N) 82 57 .590 - Won NL Pennant
Chicago (N) 71 68 .511 11.0
Brooklyn 68 71 .489 14.0
Cincinnati 68 71 .489 14.0
New York 68 71 .489 14.0
Boston (N) 67 72 .482 15.0
Pittsburgh 67 72 .482 15.0
St. Louis 65 74 .468 17.0


Ancestors:

Whiskey Allen, C, Cleveland Blues - Allen managed enough at-bats to qualify in the batting title race, where he finished 2nd in the AL. He led the last-place Blues with a .339 average, 69 runs scored, 35 steals and a .858 OPS.


I will post award winners and leaderboards in the next post.

[scprideandms]

Whiskey's talent is being wasted in Cleveland!!!!

[Matt from TN]

1901 Postseason

AL Champs - Milwaukee Brewers

NL Champs - Philadelphia Phillies


Batters of the Year:

AL - Bob Ancona, CF, Milwaukee Brewers - .295, 3 HR, 70 RBI, 83 R, 56 BB, 50 K, 24-11 SB, .926 OPS

NL - "Dark Horse" Allen, CF, Philadelphia Phillies - .364, 7 HR, 69 RBI, 95 R, 76 BB, 38 K, 1-0 SB, 1.028 OPS


Pitchers of the Year:

AL - Raymond Gindler, Milwaukee Brewers - 24-10, 1.96 ERA, 34 GS, 60 BB, 153 K, 0.74 WHIP

NL - John Celaya, Boston Beaneaters - 21-12, 2.62 ERA, 33 GS, 74 BB, 120 K, 1.17 WHIP


Rookies of the Year:

AL - "Whopper" Alberson, SP, Detroit Tigers - 19-9, 3.02 ERA, 35 GS, 82 BB, 139 K, 1.13 WHIP

NL - Bryan Rayes, SP, Cincinnati Reds - 12-10, 2.95 ERA, 30 GS, 48 BB, 108 K, 1.05 WHIP

[Matt from TN]

1902

The defending AL champion Brewers moved to St. Louis over the winter and renamed themselves the Browns. Fans in Milwaukee were aghast at the move, but the team's owner insisted the move was for improved playing conditions for his team. The Browns moved into new Sportsman's Park, with a shorter 430-foot center field wall. Pitchers complaned about the 520-foot distance to the center field wall in Milwaukee's Lloyd Street Grounds that, as they claimed, caused an enormous amount of triples. Lloyd Street Grounds also featured a short 290-foot distance to the right field foul pole, which allowed far too many easy home runs. Sportsman's Park's right field fould pole was backed up to a more reasonable 335 feet.

The wiley Chicago Orphans, who arose from early season ashes to finish in 2nd Place last season, renamed themselves the Cubs. They felt that the previous name presented an image that was too downtrodden, and they wanted to present a more positive aura for the team and its fans.

The Cincinnati Reds moved into the Palace of the Fans, which sports a canyonesque right field. The center field wall is 445 feet from home plate, and the distance to the fight field foul pole is 450 feet.

Ancestors Added:

None for 1902.

[scprideandms]

Whiskey was robbed for ROY!!!!

[Matt from TN]

Originally posted by scprideandms
Whiskey was robbed for ROY!!!!

I agree... and I was waiting to see what you'd say

Guess you can't argue w/ the voters, but at least he won't have to worry about the ROTY curse that so many players suffer from...

[scprideandms]

Final stats for Whiskey?

[Matt from TN]

Originally posted by Matt from TN
Whiskey Allen, C, Cleveland Blues - Allen managed enough at-bats to qualify in the batting title race, where he finished 2nd in the AL. He led the last-place Blues with a .339 average, 69 runs scored, 35 steals and a .856 OPS.

I posted them w/ the 1901 end-of-year post (not the postseason one)... but here are full stats:

.339 AVG, 106 G, 378 AB, 128 H, 6 2B, 20 3B, 0 HR, 28 RBI, 69 Runs, 30 K, 36 BB, 35 SB, 11 CS, .396 OBP, .460 SLG, .856 OPS, .987 FLD%, 2 PB
EDIT: He threw out 19 of 91 runners for a 20.9%


BTW, I'm having trouble getting the Cato history to work, but once I do, I'll make it available

[Matt from TN]

for the time being, check out his player stats HERE!

[Matt from TN]

May 1, 1902

After moving to a new city and new stadium, the St. Louis Browns (formerly the Milwaukee Brewers) began the defense of their 1901 AL pennant with a bang. The Browns jumped out to an impressive 20-8 start, which is easily the best record in either league. Their pitching staff is leading the way, and their prime contributor so far has been Raymond Gindler, the 1901 POTY. Gindler is 6-1 on the season with a 1.51 ERA - the best ERA in either league. While their offense is lacking in some areas, the Browns do have two of the top hitters so far this season. Catcher Bill Marks has stunned fans with a .395 average, and leftfielder "Dragon" McKim is hitting .378. They are 2nd and 3rd in the AL respectively. No other AL team has a winning record, so the Browns have cruised to an early 6-game lead after just one month.

In the NL, the Boston Beaneaters have jumped out to an early lead with a 17-11 record in April. However, four teams amazingly have 16-12 records, so this looks to be a very tight division. With that many winning clubs, there must be some losses out there, and the St. Louis Cardinals (10-18) and Pittsburgh Pirates (9-19) have swallowed the most.



Batters of the Month:

AL - "Dragon" McKim, LF, St. Louis Browns - Along with his .378 average, McKim was second in the AL with a .963 OPS, and he leads the league with 19 RBI.

NL - Daryl Johnson, 1B, Chicago Cubs - He hit .372 with 17 RBI.

Pitchers of the Month:

AL - Raymond Gindler, St. Louis Browns - He is leading the best pitching staff in baseball. In April, he was 6-1 with a 1.51 ERA and 0.85 WHIP.

NL - Rob Jackson, New York Giants - He was a surprise awardee. He was only 1-1 in April, but he did have a solid 1.09 ERA.


American League Standings

St. Louis (A) 20 8 .714 -
Chicago (A) 14 14 .500 6.0
Detroit 14 14 .500 6.0
Philadelphia (A) 14 14 .500 6.0
Baltimore 13 15 .464 7.0
Washington 13 15 .464 7.0
Boston (A) 12 16 .429 8.0
Cleveland 12 16 .429 8.0

National League Standings

Boston (N) 17 11 .607 -
Chicago (N) 16 12 .571 1.0
Cincinnati 16 12 .571 1.0
New York 16 12 .571 1.0
Philadelphia (N) 16 12 .571 1.0
Brooklyn 12 16 .429 5.0
St. Louis (N) 10 18 .357 7.0
Pittsburgh 9 19 .321 8.0




Ancestors:

Whiskey Allen, C, Cleveland - He had an impressive 6-hit performance on April 3rd against Baltimore... So far this season, he's hitting .348 with 7 RBI and 19 runs scored, but he's only 4-for-9 in stolen base attempts. Defensively, he has improved since last season by throwing out over 41% of base stealers.