Alternate Universe Majors Holds "Draft" For Inaugural 1871 Season
 

March 2, 1871 - Wealthy scions in eight American cities today began an experiment in professional base ball with a "draft" of players. The 115 eligible players will be divided among the eight teams and will compete for the World's Championship of base ball. The National Association, the umbrella organization under which this experiment will be conducted, will consist of two leagues of four teams each: the NA1 will include the Boston Red Caps, the Fort Wayne Kekiongas, the New York Mutuals and the Washington Olympics. Meanwhile, the Chicago White Stockings, the Cleveland Forest Citys, the Philadelphia Athletics and the Troy Haymakers will compete in the NA2.

While association organizers have high hopes for this experiment, many observers believe it is doomed to fail. "When players of base ball are in it strictly for the money and not for the love of the game, as it was back when I played the game, the teams will never have the consistent veteran leadership it shall take to emerge victorious," grumbled Josephus Morgan, a leading base ball player of the pre-Civil War era.

Only time will tell whether this endeavor will prove successful. Meanwhile, we have engaged the services of Mr. Morgan to analyze the players each team drafts for this inaugural 1871 season.

Round One of the 1871 Draft

1 - N.Y. Mutuals select P Al Spalding
2 - Philadelphia selects P Bobby Mathews
3 - Fort Wayne selects P George Zettlein
4 - Chicago selects P "Uncle Al" Pratt
5 - Washington selects 2B Ross Barnes
6 - Boston selects 1B Cap Anson
7 - Cleveland selects P Cherokee Fisher
8 - Troy selects P Dick McBride

Josephus Morgan's take on the first round: "The selection of Mr. Spalding with the first pick was an obvious choice. Spalding will bring many intangibles to the Mutuals ball team. Philadelphia is clearly looking to the future with their pick, as Mathews is merely 19 years old and is not likely to have the veteran presence needed to compete this season. George Zettlein, the choice of the Kekiongas, is a much better choice for this season. At age 26 he has the experience he will need to challenge the Mutuals. Chicago's Al Pratt is another young pitcher at age 22, who shows strong potential, and is closer to being ready to lead a team to victory. Washington, as the first team to eschew a pitcher and select a position player, clearly made the right choice in Mr. Barnes. Barnes will be the class of the league at second base - he rather reminds me of myself as a player. Boston, on the other hand, seems to have given up on the season. They selected no pitcher, and not the best position player available, but an 18-year-old lad with little to no clubhouse presence in Cap Anson. It could be a bumpy ride this year in Beantown. Cleveland and Troy each selected the best pitcher available to them to round out the first round, but it shan't be enough to help them unless they get some excellent hitting - McBride is better than Fisher, but neither is a match for Spalding or Zettlein."

Round Two of the 1871 Draft

9 - Troy selects SS George Wright
10 - Cleveland selects P Bill Stearns
11 - Boston selects P Rynie Wolters
12 - Washington selects P Asa Brainard
13 - Chicago selects 3B Deacon White
14 - Fort Wayne selects 3B Ed Pinkham
15 - Philadelphia selects P Joe McDermott
16 - N.Y. Mutuals select LF Andy Leonard

Josephus Morgan on the second round: "George Wright is a good prospect for the Haymakers, but might not be ready for the big time yet. With his lack of veteran poise, he might have been a better third round pick, although I expect him to be a clutch middle infielder for years to come. Bill Stearns, a lad of only 17, is a good pick for the future, but who will the Forest Citys look to for hitting this season? Boston selects the best pitcher available in Rynie Wolters, and Washington does the same with Asa Brainard. Chicago selects another young player with an excellent future in Deacon White. Ed Pinkham is a pretty good young infielder for Fort Wayne, although I'm not convinced he's the best player available for them. Philadelphia follows one inexplicable pick with another, as they select longshot pitching prospect Joe McDermott. The Mutuals finish out the first round by selecting talented outfielder Andy Leonard, a solid pick with a bright future."

So far, through two rounds Mr. Morgan has the draft graded as follows:

N.Y. Mutuals: B+
Philadelphia: D-
Fort Wayne: B-
Chicago: A
Washington: B
Boston: C+
Cleveland: C
Troy: B

Round Three

Team - Pick - Josephus Morgan comment

17 - N.Y. Mutuals - 3B Levi Meyerle - "A steal in the third round, he puts the Mutuals in the favorites' seat for this year."
18 - Philadelphia - 1B Cal McVey - "Well, at least when the Athletics bothered to pick a hitter, they got a good one."
19 - Fort Wayne - 1B Jim Carleton - "Who? Does Fort Wayne even have any scouts?"
20 - Chicago - SS Dickie Flowers - "The White Stockings will be a great team in three years."
21 - Washington - CF Lip Pike - "The Olympics get Barnes and Pike? If only they had some pitching..."
22 - Boston - LF George Hall - "A solid pick. Hall and Anson are a good core to build around."
23 - Cleveland - LF Fred Cone - "Hope you like the cellar...."
24 - Troy - RF Gat Stires - "Cone and Stires gone and Steve King still on the board?"

Round Four

25 - Troy - 3B Fred Waterman - "Could be a sleeper pick. The best infielder you've never heard of."
26 - Cleveland - SS John Bass - "Another terrible pick for Cleveland. There are at least two better shortstops available."
27 - Boston - SS Davy Force - "This is one of them."
28 - Washington - LF Tom York - "A good young player for Washington, who will contribute some now."
29 - Chicago - 3B Ezra Sutton - "The best player taken this round, but now Chicago has two third basemen."
30 - Fort Wayne - RF Dick Higham - "Fort Wayne finally makes a solid pick."
31 - Philadelphia - 1B Clipper Flynn - "So, the Athletics now have two pitchers and two first basemen. A very strange drafting strategy."
32 - N.Y. Mutuals - CF Tom Foley - "He will be a solid outfielder for the Mutuals."

Real intriguing concept, Eckstein. Love the Joe Morgan comments, though I'm sure he'll regret the one on Cap Anson. 'Course, he'll probably just offer that you "listen to what (he) say(s) and not put somebody else's words in (his) mouth." Silly Joe...:rolleyes:

Craig

Thanks. I've done this 19th century thing before, but I had a catastrophic hard drive crash a while back and lost everything. This time, I'm going to try to do it right from the start.... I may never get past the mid-1880s, but at least I'm enjoying it.

Round Five

33 - N.Y. Mutuals - LF Ralph Ham - "Not a terrible pick, but the Mutuals have Andy Leonard in left and there are better hitters than Ham out there."
34 - Philadelphia - 1B Joe Start - "Another great-hitting first baseman. That's three for the Athletics, who need some veteran leadership at the other positions."
35 - Fort Wayne - SS Tom Carey - "Another young shortstop who's better than John Bass."
36 - Chicago - 2B Jimmy Wood - "A great pickup. Wood has the clubhouse presence the White Stockings will need."
37 - Washington - C Scott Hastings - "Washington adds a steady hand to guide Asa Brainard from behind the plate."
38 - Boston - CF George Bird - "A good young outfielder."
39 - Cleveland - 3B Harry Schafer - "Should be one of his team's few bright spots."
40 - Troy - LF John Hatfield - "A versatile player who can play both infield and outfield."

Round Six

41 - Troy - LF John McMullin - "A solid young outfielder with some potential, but there are some guys with real clubhouse presence still out there in the draft pool."
42 - Cleveland - 1B Everett Mills - "Not a bad pick."
43 - Boston - CF Dave Eggler - "A very good pick."
44 - Washington - 2B Tommy Beals - "A very bad pick. Beals isn't ready for prime time and plays behind Ross Barnes."
45 - Chicago - 1B Jim Foran - "Chicago now a has a great infield, but needs some outfielders."
46 - Fort Wayne - LF John Glenn - "A steal for the Kekiongas this late in the draft."
47 - Philadelphia - 1B Charlie Gould - "Four of Philly's first six picks have been on first basemen. How many do they need?"
48 - N.Y. Mutuals - 2B Joe Quest - "A project, but one that could pay off, and a strong defensive second baseman."

Rounds Seven and Eight

49 - N.Y. Mutuals - 3B Bob "Death to Flying Things" Ferguson
50 - Philadelphia - 3B Steve Bellan
51 - Fort Wayne - LF Pony Sager
52 - Chicago - RF George Bechtel
53 - Washington - CF Harry Deane
54 - Boston - SS Jimmy Hallinan
55 - Cleveland - RF-2B Bob "Magnet" Addy
56 - Troy - C Doug Allison

Josephus Morgan: "A lot of solid, unspectacular players taken this round. The potential steal was Troy's Doug Allison. He and McBride could combine to form a potent battery in upstate New York."

57 - Troy - C Paddy Quinn
58 - Cleveland - SS John Radcliff
59 - Boston - 2B Bill Craver
60 - Washington - 1B Wes Fisler
61 - Chicago - 2B Charlie Sweasy
62 - Fort Wayne - 2B Mike McGeary
63 - Philadelphia - RF Elmer White
64 - N.Y. Mutuals - RF Count Sensenderfer

Morgan: "McGeary and Sensenderfer look like the best picks this round, while Paddy Quinn is the most inexplicable. Troy just selected a star catcher in Allison."

Rounds Nine and Ten

65 - N.Y. Mutuals - SS Chick Fulmer
66 - Philadelphia - LF Steve King
67 - Fort Wayne - RF George Heubel
68 - Chicago - 2B E.P. Beavens
69 - Washington - RF Art Allison
70 - Boston - 3B Frank Selman
71 - Cleveland - LF Charlie Pabor
72 - Troy - C Fergy Malone

Morgan: "The best pick in this round was easily Steve King. How this proven winner slipped to the ninth round is beyond me, as he will likely be among the leaders of the NA2 this season. Chick Fulmer is another good pick, as the Mutuals get a talented versatile infielder who does all the little things well. Troy again makes the worst selection of the round, as Malone is not a bad player, but why are they taking a third-string catcher when they have pressing needs?"

73 - Troy - RF Joe Simmons
74 - Cleveland - 3B Warren White
75 - Boston - LF Fred Treacey
76 - Washington - LF Ned Cuthbert
77 - Chicago - 2B Sam Jackson
78 - Fort Wayne - 1B Denny Mack
79 - Philadelphia - 2B Caleb Johnson
80 - N.Y. Mutuals - RF Bill Kelly

Morgan: "Fred Treacey is a steal on the level of Steve King. What were the other teams thinking? Some teams added solid pieces to their puzzles this round, as Troy, Washington and Fort Wayne all got solid players. Others wasted this pick on players who aren't likely to ever amount to anything - Cleveland, Chicago and New York, I'm talking to you."

Mostly I breeze into this forum, and read bits and pieces, but don't follow a dynasty. This is one I will be checking on alot. I've actually read more abt Pre-NA base ball than 1871-1876 base ball. Got to know your roots.

Seth - what books can you recommend on this era? I haven't read any good ones.....

Rounds 11-15

81 - N.Y. Mutuals - 1B Tom Pratt
82 - Philadelphia - SS Ed Duffy
83 - Fort Wayne - C Charlie Mills
84 - Chicago - CF Mart King
85 - Washington - 3B Joe Battin
86 - Boston - 3B Charlie Smith
87 - Cleveland - LF Harry Berthrong
88 - Troy - LF Al Barker

89 - Troy - C Charlie Hodes
90 - Cleveland - CF Bob Armstrong
91 - Boston - RF Tom Berry
92 - Washington - 1B Bub McAtee
93 - Chicago - C Bill Lennon
94 - Fort Wayne - 3B Henry Burroughs
95 - Philadelphia - RF Al Reach
96 - N.Y. Mutuals - 3B Mike Brannock

97 - N.Y. Mutuals - RF Dave Birdsall
98 - Philadelphia - 2B Frank Fleet
99 - Fort Wayne - 3B Wally Goldsmith
100 - Chicago - 1B Ned Connor
101 - Washington - RF Pete Donnelly
102 - Boston - 2B Gene Kimball
103 - Cleveland - LF Dan Patterson
104 - Troy - LF Frank Barrows

105 - Troy - C Bill Barrett
106 - Cleveland - 3B Henry Kohler
107 - Boston - 1B Charlie Bierman
108 - Washington - SS Dave Abercrombie
109 - Chicago - RF Nealy Phelps
110 - Fort Wayne - LF Ed Mincher
111 - Philadelphia - CF Harry Wright
112 - N.Y. Mutuals - RF George Ewell

113 - N.Y. Mutuals - 3B Frank Norton
114 - Philadelphia - SS Dickey Pearce
115 - Fort Wayne - RF Nate Berkenstock

Josephus Morgan: "The team that really helped themselves in the late rounds is Philadelphia. Al Reach and Harry Wright will team with Steve King to give the Athletics some real veteran punch in the outfield. It will be interesting to see whether these proven leaders can gel with their young pitcher Bobby Mathews."

The projected starters for the NA1:

Boston Red Caps

1B Cap Anson, age 18
2B Bill Craver, age 26
SS Davy Force, age 21
3B Charlie Smith, age 30
LF Fred Treacey, age 24
CF Dave Eggler, age 19
RF Tom Berry, age 28
C Frank Selman, age 20
P Rynie Wolters, age 28

Fort Wayne Kekiongas

1B Denny Mack, age 20
2B Mike McGeary, age 20
SS Tom Carey, age 22
3B Ed Pinkham, age 22
LF John Glenn, age 22
CF George Heubel, age 22
RF Dick Higham, age 20
C Charlie Mills, age 20
P George Zettlein, age 26

New York Mutuals

1B Tom Pratt, age 27
2B Bob "Death to Flying Things" Ferguson, age 26
SS Chick Fulmer, age 20
3B Levi Meyerle, age 25
LF Andy Leonard, age 24
CF Tom Foley, age 24
RF Count Sensenderfer, age 23
C Dave Birdsall, age 32
P Al Spalding, age 20

Washington Olympics

1B Bub McAtee, age 26
2B Ross Barnes, age 20
SS Dave Abercrombie, age 30
3B Joe Battin, age 19
LF Tom York, age 19
CF Lip Pike, age 25
RF Art Allison, age 22
C Scott Hastings, age 23
P Asa Brainard, age 30

And.... the projected starters for the NA2:

Chicago White Stockings

1B Deacon White, age 23
2B Jimmy Wood, age 26
SS Dickie Flowers, age 21
3B Ezra Sutton, age 20
LF Jim Foran, age 23
CF Mart King, age 21
RF George Bechtel, age 23
C Bill Lennon, age 23
P Al Pratt, age 22

Cleveland Forest Citys

1B Everett Mills, age 26
2B John Bass, age 21
SS John Radcliff, age 22
3B Harry "Silk Stockings" Schafer, age 24
LF Charlie Pabor, age 24
CF Bob Armstrong, age 21
RF Bob "Magner" Addy, age 26
C Henry Kohler, age 18
P Cherokee Fisher, age 25
P Bill Stearns, age 18

Philadelphia Athletics

1B Cal McVey, age 20
2B Frank Fleet, age 23
SS Dickie Pearce, age 35
3B Steve Bellan, age 21
LF Steve King, age 29
CF Harry Wright, age 36
RF Al Reach, age 30
C Elmer White, age 20
P Bobby Mathews, age 19
P Joe McDermott, age 20

Troy Haymakers

1B Joe Simmons, age 25
2B John Hatfield, age 23
SS George Wright, age 24
3B Fred Waterman, age 25
LF John McMullin, age 23
CF Charlie Hodes, age 23
RF Gat Stires, age 21
C Fergy Malone, age 29
P Dick McBride, age 26

Projected order of finish of the two leagues:

National Association I

New York Mutuals
Fort Wayne Kekiongas
Boston Red Caps
Washington Olympics

National Association II

Chicago White Stockings
Troy Haymakers
Philadelphia Athletics
Cleveland Forest Citys

Up next..... the season begins.

Tuesday, April 2, 1871

Philadelphia - The first season of professional base ball began yesterday, with eight teams vying for the World's Championship in America's pastoral game. Games were played in New York, Boston, Troy and here in Philadelphia as the 30-game season got underway.

The first game to start was here in Philadelphia, and the second batter of the game, Chicago's outfielder George Bechtel, promptly became the first "major league" base ball player to record a hit with a dandy of a single to left-center field. Two innings later, the Athletics' Cuban sensation Steve Bellan became the first player to score a run as he knocked a triple base hit and scored on a "sacrifice fly" by pitcher Bobby Mathews. Mathews ultimately became the first pitcher to record a victory, as he led the Athletics to a 5-4 triumph, giving them the inside track on the NA2 lead. The hitting star of the game was Steve King, who went 3 for 3 for Philadelphia.

Sunday, April 7, 1871

Game of the Week - Fort Wayne Kekiongas (4-2) at Boston Red Caps (3-3)

Starting Lineups

Fort Wayne

SS Mike McGeary (0-3-.308)
3B Ed Pinkham (0-1-.043)
LF John Glenn (0-3-.333)
CF George Heubel (0-3-.304)
RF Dick Higham (0-7-.208)
1B Denny Mack (0-6-.440)
SS Tom Carey (0-6-.409)
C Charlie Mills (0-5-.208)
P George Zettlein (0-4-.333) (4-2, 3.83)

Boston

CF Dave Eggler (0-1-.192)
SS Davy Force (0-3-.385)
LF Fred Treacey (0-6-.458)
1B Cap Anson (0-2-.125)
2B Bill Craver (0-3-.429)
3B Charlie Smith (0-6-.280)
RF Tom Berry (0-1-.182)
C Frank Selman (0-2-.130)
P Rynie Wolters (0-2-.235) (3-3, 2.67)

The Kekiongas wasted no time going after Rynie Wolters, as four first-inning singles led to a run in the top of the first. However, both pitchers settled down after this and no further runners reached second for the first three innings. In the top of the fourth, Fort Wayne added to their lead as Dick Higham reached on an error, Denny Mack doubled, then Tom Carey had a 2-RBI base hit to make it 3-0.

Meanwhile, Boston finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth with a two-out triple by Fred Treacey that was followed by a double by young Cap Anson to make it 3-1. The Red Caps added another run in the fifth as Charlie Smith scored on a Frank Selman sacrifice fly.

Things came unglued for Boston in the top of the seventh, as errors by Charlie Smith, Fred Treacey and Frank Selman allowed Fort Wayne to score three runs on just one hit to turn a 3-2 nailbiter into a 6-2 game. That was how it ended, as Boston never again managed to threaten George Zettlein and the Kekiongas.

Monday, April 8, 1871

Standings Report

National Association I

Fort Wayne Kekiongas 5-2
Boston Red Caps 3-4
New York Mutuals 3-4
Washington Olympics 3-4

National Association II

Chicago White Stockings 4-3
Philadelphia Athletics 4-3
Cleveland Forest Citys 3-4
Troy Haymakers 3-4

The current league leaders are: Ross Barnes of the Olympics is tops in hitting with a .567 average, while Deacon White of Chicago leads the NA2 at .500. Perhaps the most impressive all-around performance thus far has been given by White's teammate Ezra Sutton, who is second in the NA2 with a .469 average, and has also hit a "home run" and batted in twelve runs.

As Josephus Morgan put it in the new "ESPN telegraph" service, which allows fans to ask questions of the venerable commentator: "As I said back when the draft was held, Ezra Sutton is a real steal for Chicago. Although they didn't really have a position for him at the time, clutch players find a way into the ball game in order to have an impact. I predicted Chicago would find their way to the top of the NA2, as indeed they have. I expect this team's quality play to continue throughout the season."

Awsome read so far. I'd like to try a very early period dynasty like this myself, but just can't seem to find the time.

Sunday, April 14, 1871

Game of the Week - Chicago White Stockings (7-6) at Cleveland Forest Citys (6-7)

Starting Lineups

Chicago

SS Dickie Flowers (0-2-.333)
RF George Bechtel (0-11-.339)
2B Jimmy Wood (0-12-.429)
3B Ezra Sutton (1-18-.386)
1B Nealy Phelps (0-1-.333)
LF Sam Jackson (0 for 1)
CF Mart King (0-8-.255)
C Bill Lennon (0-5-.115)
P Al Pratt (0-4-.286) (7-6, 3.69)

Cleveland

3B Harry Schafer (0-5-.175)
1B Everett Mills (0-5-.339)
LF Charlie Pabor (0-6-.352)
RF Bob Addy (0-15-.291)
C Henry Kohler (0-5-.135)
2B Dan Patterson (0-1-.429)
SS Warren White (0-1-.143)
CF Bob Armstrong (0-5-.233)
P Bill Stearns (0-1-.286) (1-3, 3.86)

The first run of the game was scored by Chicago in the top of the second after key errors by Harry "Silk Stockings" Schafer and Bob Armstrong. However, the White Stockings promptly gave the run back with errors of their own in the bottom of the inning, as both Dickie Flowers and Bill Lennon committed throwing errors.

The White Stockings scored the game's first earned runs in the top of the third, as a leadoff triple by Dickie Flowers led a barrage of four consecutive hits that left Chicago on top 3-1. However, Cleveland was again able to answer, as a Harry Schafer double in the bottom of the fifth led to a 2-RBI single by Everett Mills which tied the game at 3. Then, Cleveland took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the sixth on a Warren White base hit that made the game 4-3.

However, the Forest Citys got in trouble almost immediately in the top of the seventh. Chicago was able to load the bases with one out and star hitter Ezra Sutton coming up to the plate. Sutton disappointed the home crowd as he knocked a fastball into center field just beyond the reach of Dan Patterson, scoring two runs and giving the White Stockings a 5-4 lead. However, Patterson quickly redeemed himself at the plate - with two on and two out in the bottom of the seventh, he drilled a double off the left field wall to regain the lead for Cleveland by a 6-5 margin. Then, in the bottom of the eighth Harry Schafer had another RBI hit to make it 7-5. Chicago was down to their final three outs.

The first hitter was Deacon White, who had entered the game in the seventh as a pinch-runner for George Bechtel. White hit a tough grounder to third, but "Silk Stockings" was able to make the play and get White at first. Next up was Jimmy Wood, who hit a long, deep fly ball to left-center field, but again to no avail as Charlie Pabor, "The Old Woman in the Red Cap," ran it down for the second out. Finally, Ezra Sutton, already 2 for 4 on the day, came to the plate for Chicago. Sutton hit the easiest out of the inning, a looping fly ball right at Bob Armstrong in center field, who promptly lost it in the sun. When the dust settled, Sutton was safe at second base and Chicago had new life. Utility player Nealy Phelps was the next batter, and he singled to left, scoring Sutton and making it a 7-6 game. The White Stockings brought up .339 hitter Jim Foran to pinch-hit for Sam Jackson. Foran swung hard at the 1-1 pitch, and drilled a line drive to right field. It seemed certain to be the game-tying double, but Bob "Magnet" Addy swooped in from out of nowhere to make the game-saving catch for Cleveland and send the league-leading White Stockings to a 7-6 defeat.

Pretty awesome stuff. If you want to read a book with some of these players in it, it's sort of fiction but sort of based in reality with real players... If I Never Get Back by Darryl Brock