Results from my Baseball History League

[Carlton]

Well, ok, since Joe Start is your avatar...why is he your favorite?

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

Originally Posted by Carlton

Well, ok, since Joe Start is your avatar...why is he your favorite?

Actually, I've been changing my avatar to match the most recent post about my league. In the past two weeks or so, I've also had Ezra Sutton, George Zettlein and Ross Barnes as avatars. Since I just put up my career hit leader list, and Start is at the top of it, he's my avatar for now.

Right now, I'm going through the offseason and draft for 1875. One thing that might happen this year is that I may be forced to release some of the bench players from Boston, New York and Philadelphia so they can sign with some of the many new teams this year. I have several teams that I don't think will make it to nine players otherwise. If I do end up having to do this, I expect it will be a one-time situation, as my player pool increases each year and by the next big expansion (1882) there will probably be enough free agents to stock the new teams. I'll hopefully have this process complete today and can publish an 1875 preseason report.

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

1875 Preview:

BOSTON RED STOCKINGS: The three-time defending champions again look like the class of the league this season. Although they were tested last season by the Mutuals and Athletics, they proved the better team in the long run. Don’t be surprised if the same result occurs this season, as the team returns intact to defend its title again. Boston’s old adversaries in New York and Philadelphia will again likely be the team’s biggest challenges.

1B – Charlie Gould (1-54-.348-13 for 15 SB)
2B – Ross Barnes (2-77-.386-8 for 12 SB)
SS – George Wright (1-54-.366-7 for 12 SB)
3B – Harry “Silk Stockings” Schafer (0-39-.308-17 for 22 SB)
LF – “Orator Jim” O’Rourke (0-57-.366-13 for 18 SB)
CF – Frank McCarton (1-56-.258-1 for 1 SB)
RF – Eddie Booth (1-47-.281-0 for 0 SB)/Joe Simmons (5 for 10 as a reserve)
C – Cal McVey (3-58-.339-6 for 9 SB)

P – Frank Buttery (14-6, 2.96, lifetime 27-11)
P – Cherokee Fisher (16-8, 2.52, lifetime 49-33)
P – Al Spalding (8-5, 2.76, lifetime 62-45)

BROOKLYN ATLANTICS: Although their strategy of hoarding marginal players and waiting for them to break out has not yet borne fruit, it certainly isn’t for lack of trying. As of April 1, the Atlantics have 58 players under contract, more than 20 more than any other team and several times more than most teams. This could be a make-or-break year for the club, as their strategy is in its fourth year and needs to turn into something soon.

1B – Jim Foran (4-34-.331-0 for 0 SB)
2B – Jim Hall (0-21-.256-1 for 1 SB)
SS – Frank Selman (0-18-.330-0 for 0 SB)
3B – Ed Pinkham (2-39-.327-7 for 10 SB)
LF – Al Thake (1-23-.366-0 for 0 SB)
CF – Paul Hines (0-26-.344-1 for 1 SB with Baltimore)
RF – Candy Nelson (1-37-.359-5 for 8 SB)
C – John Clapp (1-22-.256-1 for 3 SB)/Tom Barlow (3-28-.297-2 for 3 SB)

P – “Uncle Al” Pratt (12-7, 2.34 with Baltimore, lifetime 48-43)
P – Jim Britt (10-12, 3.87, lifetime 36-59)
P – Cy Bentley (4-5, 4.30, lifetime 16-27)

CHICAGO WHITE STOCKINGS: Not surprisingly, 1874 was a difficult season for the new team. Their lineup had no real superstars and their pitching was shabby at best. This season, with a year more experience and some even newer teams to beat up on, the White Stockings should be somewhat improved, although Boston needn’t look over its shoulder yet.

1B – Jim Carleton (lifetime .238 hitter, hasn’t played regularly since 1872)/Bub McAtee (2-31-.299-3 for 10 SB)
2B – “Black Jack” Burdock (1-8-.299-1 for 1 SB with Baltimore)
SS – Pony Sager (0-44-.310-16 for 24 SB)
3B – George Fields (0-13-.231-0 for 0 SB)
LF – Harry Berthrong (1-28-.252-16 for 21 SB)
CF – Count Sensenderfer (1-26-.297-13 for 23 SB)
RF – Elmer White (1-27-.285-0 for 0 SB)
C – NFN Gilroy (0-19-.216-0 for 0 SB)

P – Dan Collins (rookie)

HARTFORD DARK BLUES: Their situation is very similar to that of Chicago. Overall, it appears that Hartford’s lineup is slightly stronger, and thus they are in a slightly better position to do well this season. However, a .500 season from either of last year’s new teams would be a major accomplishment.

1B – Steve Brady (0-21-.234-0 for 0 SB)/Jack Manning (1 career at-bat)
2B – Bob “Magnet” Addy (1-24-.303-3 for 6 SB)
SS – John Bass (1-35-.349-0 for 0 SB)
3B – Fred Waterman (2-25-.335-13 for 18 SB with Baltimore)
LF – Pete Donnelly (0-6-.277-0 for 0 SB with Baltimore)
CF – Lip Pike (0-25-.300-28 for 32 SB)
RF – Orator Shaffer (1-32-.295-0 for 1 SB)
C – Billy Barnie (0-27-.198-0 for 0 SB)

P – NFN McDoolan (rookie)

KEOKUK WESTERNS: Professional baseball comes to the plains of southern Iowa, as the Keokuk club joins the National Association. The Westerns are still woefully short of players as of April 1, and will need to add a few just to have enough to fill out their roster. This does not bode well for their won-loss record, as this team will be happy just to stay competitive in games. Their “established stars” are the Cuban utility infielder Steve Bellan, and the light-hitting John Hatfield.

1B – John Carbine (rookie)
2B – John Hatfield (0-14-.233-7 for 10 SB with Baltimore)
SS – to be determined
3B – Steve Bellan (lifetime .260 hitter, 0 for 3 with Baltimore in 1874)
LF – Charley Jones (rookie)
CF – to be determined
RF – Billy Riley (rookie)
C – to be determined

P – Mike Golden (rookie)

NEW HAVEN ELM CITYS: New Haven, Connecticut can now boast a major league base ball club to go along with Yale University as the pride of the Elm City. This club is in a somewhat better situation than some of the other new teams, as they at least have enough young players to fill out their squad. However, they will not strike fear into the hearts of too many teams this year – expect them to be near the bottom of the standings.

1B – Andy Allison (.176 in minors in 1874, hit .231 with Washington in 1873)
2B – Jimmy Wood (3-31-.256-15 for 16 in SB)
SS – Sam Wright (rookie)
3B – Stud Bancker (rookie)
LF – NFN Evans (rookie)
CF – Joe McDermott (career .333 hitter as reserve player with Baltimore)
RF – John McKelvey (rookie)
C – Rit Harrison (rookie)

P – Tricky Nichols (rookie)
P – Henry Luff (rookie)

NEW YORK MUTUALS: The Mutuals came up just short in their bid for the pennant last season, and this year they are gearing up for another challenge. While the heart of their lineup (Hall, Start, Anson) is the best in base ball, they probably don’t have the top-to-bottom firepower to keep up with the Red Stockings. Also, they are extremely vulnerable to a slump by one of their stars – as happened with Anson in 1873.

1B – Joe Start (2-57-.391-3 for 5 SB)
2B – Bill Boyd (1-38-.322-5 for 7 SB)
SS – Dickie Flowers (1-37-.298-21 for 35 SB)
3B – Cap Anson (1-48-.380-11 for 16 SB)
LF – Jimmy Hallinan (career .271 hitter as backup with Fort Wayne, Boston, Baltimore Marylands and New York)/George Hall (0-62-.379-1 for 1 SB)
CF – Hall/Tom Foley (0 for 3 in 1874, lifetime .270 hitter)
RF – Dick Higham (0-57-.303-4 for 7 SB)
C – Charlie Hodes (1-39-.261-3 for 3 SB)/Nat Hicks (5 for 29 lifetime)

P – Asa Brainard (20-10, 2.92, lifetime 33-31)
P – Rynie Wolters (14-8, 3.09, lifetime 54-52)
P – Candy Cummings (6-5, 2.76, lifetime 19-27)

PHILADELPHIA ATHLETICS: This team is nearly as skilled as Boston or New York, but just doesn’t quite have the same level of firepower. They have basically the same team as last season, but could potentially be a bit tougher this year if a couple of key players can bounce back from 1874 slumps.

1B – Everett Mills (2-41-.316-2 for 2 SB)
2B – Al Reach (2-37-.271-1 for 1 SB)/Wes “Icicle” Fisler (lifetime .248 hitter)
SS – John Radcliff (0-23-.276-10 for 16 SB)
3B – Ezra Sutton (0-27-.306-9 for 13 SB)
LF – Steve King (1-41-.309-7 for 9 SB)/“Big Jim” Clinton (8 for 19 as a reserve)
CF – George Bird (1-39-.308-0 for 0 SB)
RF – George Heubel (0-33-.336-0 for 2 SB)
C – Scott Hastings (1-26-.305-4 for 6 SB)

P – Dick McBride (9-3, 2.58, lifetime 44-36)
P – Phonney Martin (13-14, 2.97, lifetime 37-24)
P – George Zettlein (13-13, 3.17 with Baltimore, lifetime 81-66)

PHILADELPHIA CENTENNIALS: A third-rate club even in their own city, the Centennials will be lucky to win a third of their games. They have no experienced hitters other than Deacon White, and at press time it was still uncertain who was going to end up being the team’s pitcher.

1B – John Abadie (rookie)
2B – Ed Somerville (rookie)
SS – Fred Warner (rookie)
3B – George Trenwith (rookie)
LF – Charlie Mason (rookie)
CF – Mart King (lifetime .205 hitter)
RF – Deacon White (0-36-.292-2 for 2 SB)
C – Tim McGinley (rookie)

P – to be determined

PHILADELPHIA WHITES: A good team with some good players, they should be light-years ahead of the newer teams, but probably don’t have the firepower to compete with the “big three” of Boston, New York, and the Athletics.

1B – Clipper Flynn (0-26-.296-1 for 2 SB)
2B – Bill Craver (2-40-.295-16 for 19 SB)
SS – Davy Force (1-25-.336-8 for 13 SB)
3B – Mike McGeary (1-31-.366-15 for 16 SB)
LF – Andy Leonard (2-50-.375-12 for 15 SB)
CF – Ned Cuthbert (1-34-.268-3 for 4 SB)
RF – John Glenn (1-45-.322-1 for 4 SB)
C – Bill Lennon (1-7-.323-0 for 0 SB)

P – John “Lefty” McMullen (15-13, 3.37, lifetime 45-50)
P – Bill Stearns (7-9, 4.13, lifetime 37-45)
P – Joe Borden (rookie)

ST. LOUIS RED STOCKINGS: Another new team that doesn’t have a prayer of winning many games. This club has its pitching situation squared away, and actually looks like its hitting is better than some of the other new teams, so they might surprise and win, say, 40% of their games.

1B – Charlie Hautz (rookie)
2B – Tom Carey (0-18-.301-2 for 3 SB with Baltimore)
SS – Denny Mack (0-13-.222-4 for 5 SB with Baltimore)
3B – Joe Ellick (rookie)
LF – Art Croft (rookie)
CF – Billy Redmon (rookie)
RF – Tom Oran (rookie)
C – Packy Dillon (rookie)

P – Joe Blong (rookie)
P – Pidgey Morgan (rookie)

ST. LOUIS BROWN STOCKINGS: Like their crosstown rivals, these guys are a new team in the Association and should struggle this year. They too have a more stable pitching situation than a hitting one (including hot prospect George Bradley), as some positions are still not definitively filled. This team seems more stable financially than some of the new offerings so look for them to be around for a while.

1B – Charlie Waitt (rookie)
2B – to be determined
SS – to be determined
3B – Bill Hague (rookie)
LF – Harry Deane (batted .182 as a Baltimore reserve, career .246 hitter)
CF – Bob Armstrong (5 hits in 20 at-bats over four-year career)
RF – George Seward (rookie)
C – to be determined

P – George Bradley (rookie)
P – John Greason (career record 0-1)

WASHINGTON NATIONALS: Yet another weak team without any real established stars that will be happy to win any games at all against the stronger Association members.

1B – NFN Terry (rookie)
2B – Larry Ressler (rookie)
SS – John Dailey (rookie)
3B – Jim Gilmore (rookie)
LF – to be determined
CF – “Long Jim” Holdsworth (career .190 hitter)
RF – Robert Stevens (rookie)
C – Andrew Thompson (rookie)

P – Bill Parks (rookie)
P – Charles Witherow (rookie)

OPENING DAY ODDS TO WIN CHAMPIONSHIP:

Boston 3 to 2
New York 5 to 2
Phil. Athletics 5 to 2
Phil. Whites 12 to 1
Brooklyn 15 to 1
Hartford 35 to 1
Chicago 35 to 1
New Haven 125 to 1
St.L. Red Stockings 250 to 1
Washington 250 to 1
St.L. Brown Stockings 500 to 1
Phil. Centennials 500 to 1
Keokuk 500 to 1

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

Through 1874, the career home run leaders:

(1) 8 - Jimmy Wood, Chicago White Stockings-Baltimore Canaries
(2) 7 - Jim Foran, Fort Wayne Kekiongas-Brooklyn Atlantics
(3) 6 - Cal McVey, Boston Red Stockings
(3) 6 - Tom Barlow, Brooklyn Atlantics
(5) 5 - Joe Start, New York Mutuals
(5) 5 - Bill Craver, Troy Haymakers-Washington Blue Legs-Philadelphia Whites
(5) 5 - Fred Treacey, Chicago White Stockings-Boston Red Stockings-New York Mutuals
(8) 4 - George Wright, Boston Red Stockings
(8) 4 - Ross Barnes, Boston Red Stockings
(8) 4 - Fred Waterman, Washington Olympics-Baltimore Canaries
(8) 4 - Deacon White, Cleveland Forest Citys-Baltimore Canaries
(8) 4 - Andy Leonard, Washinton Olympics-Philadelphia Whites
(8) 4 - Bob "Death to Flying Things" Ferguson, New York Mutuals-Philadelphia Whites
(8) 4 - Eddie Booth, Middletown Mansfields-Boston Red Stockings
(8) 4 - Paul Hines, Washington Nationals-Baltimore Canaries
(16) 13 tied with 3 home runs each

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

And the career leaders in runs scored:

(1) 174 - George Wright, Boston Red Stockings
(2) 173 - Cal McVey, Boston Red Stockings
(3) 168 - Charlie Gould, Boston Red Stockings
(4) 161 - Ross Barnes, Boston Red Stockings
(5) 158 - Adrian "Cap" Anson, Rockford Forest Citys-New York Mutuals
(6) 154 - Joe Start, New York Mutuals
(7) 146 - Dick Higham, New York Mutuals
(8) 143 - John Radcliff, Philadelphia Athletics
(9) 138 - Jimmy Wood, Chicago White Stockings-Baltimore Canaries
(10) 134 - George Hall, Washington Olympics-New York Mutuals
(11) 125 - Jim Foran, Fort Wayne Kekiongas-Brooklyn Atlantics
(11) 125 - Fred Waterman, Washington Olympics-Baltimore Canaries
(11) 125 - "Orator Jim" O'Rourke, Middletown Mansfields-Boston Red Stockings
(11) 125 - Lip Pike, Troy Haymakers-Washington Blue Legs-Hartford Dark Blues
(15) 120 - Ed Pinkham, Chicago White Stockings-Brooklyn Atlantics
(15) 120 - Andy Leonard, Washington Olympics-Philadelphia Whites
(17) 117 - Ezra Sutton, Cleveland Forest Citys-Philadelphia Athletics
(17) 117 - Pony Sager, Rockford Forest Citys-Brooklyn Eckfords-Washington Blue Legs-Chicago White Stockings
(17) 117 - Bill Craver, Troy Haymakers-Washington Blue Legs-Philadelphia Whites
(20) 115 - Dickie Flowers, Troy Haymakers-Baltimore Marylands-New York Mutuals

So, um... in case I didn't mention it, Boston scores a lot more runs than most of the teams. At any rate, this calls for an avatar change to George Wright of the Boston Red Stockings, who incidentally is one of the earliest Hall of Famers in real life, along with his older brother Harry, who is primarily in as a pioneer although he too was a player (in my league he retired after the 1873 season).

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

As of today, I've played up through the end of April 1875. Since schedules of the 1870s generally ran from mid-April to around Halloween, there haven't been too many games played (in fact, the western teams haven't even started play yet). Still, here are the standings so far:

Boston Red Stockings 4-0
Brooklyn Atlantics 3-0
Philadelphia Whites 3-0
New York Mutuals 1-0
Philadelphia Athletics 1-1
Chicago White Stockings 0-0
Keokuk Westerns 0-0
St. Louis Brown Stockings 0-0
St. Louis Red Stockings 0-0
Hartford Dark Blues 0-2
Washington Nationals 0-2
New Haven Elm Citys 0-3
Philadelphia Centennials 0-4

Nothing really surprising yet. So far, Boston's hitting has (as per usual) been the class of the league, including shortstop George Wright with a league-leading eight hits. Thus, he'll remain the avatar for at least a bit longer.

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

Time for an update. How about.... my leaders in pitching wins through 1874?

(1) 81 - George Zettlein, Chicago White Stockings, Baltimore Canaries
(2) 62 - Al Spalding, Boston Red Stockings
(3) 54 - Rynie Wolters, New York Mutuals
(4) 49 - Cherokee Fisher, Rockford Forest Citys-Troy Haymakers-Boston Red Stockings
(5) 48 - Al Pratt, Cleveland Forest Citys-Baltimore Canaries
(6) 45 - John "Lefty" McMullin, Troy Haymakers-Washington Blue Legs-Philadelphia Whites
(7) 44 - Dick McBride, Philadelphia Athletics
(8) 37 - Bill Stearns, Washington Olympics-Philadelphia Whites
(8) 37 - Phonney Martin, Troy Haymakers-Philadelphia Athletics
(10) 36 - Jim Britt, Brooklyn Atlantics
(11) 33 - Asa Brainard, Washington Olympics-Baltimore Marylands-New York Mutuals
(12) 30 - Bobby Mathews, Fort Wayne Kekiongas-Brooklyn Eckfords-Philadelphia Athletics
(13) 27 - Frank Buttery, Middletown Mansfields-Boston Red Stockings
(14) 19 - Candy Cummings, New York Mutuals
(15) 18 - Bill Kelly, Chicago White Stockings
(15) 18 - George Bechtel, Philadelphia Athletics
(17) 16 - Cy Bentley, Middletown Mansfields-Brooklyn Atlantics
(18) 13 - Hugh Campbell, Elizabeth Resolutes-Boston Red Stockings
(18) 13 - Frank Fleet, New York Mutuals
(20) 7 - 2 players tied

This, of course, necessitates another avatar shift. So, the new avatar will be George Zettlein of the White Stockings and Canaries. I'll probably do an update soon on one team's record-setting start in the Baseball History League.

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

On May 10, 1875, the Boston Red Stockings lost to the New York Mutuals 6-2, thanks to a fine pitching performance by Candy Cummings of the Mutuals. This wouldn't ordinarily be news, but for the fact that the Red Stockings had won a startling nine consecutive games to start the season. During their run, Boston outscored opponents 75-26, and thoroughly dominated most of their adversaries.

Thus far, the star for Boston has been right fielder Eddie Booth, who is hitting .425 and has knocked in 12 runs already. Here are the final scores of the nine-game run to start the season (home teams are asterisked):

4/19: Boston* 3, New Haven 2 (10 innings)
4/21: Boston 6, New Haven* 5
4/26: Boston 8, Washington* 5
4/29: Boston 8, Washington* 0
5/1: Boston 20, Washington* 1
5/3: Boston 10, New York* 7 (10 innings)
5/4: Boston* 6, Phil. Centennials 4
5/5: Boston* 9, Phil. Centennials 0
5/8: Boston* 5, New York 2

Since I don't have a picture for Eddie Booth, the new avatar will instead be center fielder Joe Simmons, who won the Boston starting job this year from Frank McCarton and has batted .386 with nine runs driven in.

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

Thus far, the 1875 season has seen significantly less hitting than 1874. Thisis odd because of the following list:

6+ Hits in a Game:

Sep. 28, 1872: Dick Higham, New York Mutuals, 6 for 6
Oct. 5, 1872: George Bechtel, Philadelphia Athletics, 6 for 8 (extra innings)
May 1, 1875: Eddie Booth, Boston Red Stockings, 6 for 6
May 12, 1875, Cal McVey, Boston Red Stockings, 6 for 6

In honor of this amazing achievement, I give you.... Cal McVey of the Boston Red Stockings as the new avatar.

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

Time for an update. I'm not quite through the end of May yet, so I don't want to post a league update. Instead, here's the career leaders in stolen bases through the end of the 1874 season:

(1) - 82 (in 89 attempts), Lip Pike, Troy Haymakers-Washington Blue Legs-Hartford Dark Blues
(2) - 54 (in 67 attempts), Jimmy Wood, Chicago White Stockings-Baltimore Canaries
(3) - 49 (in 72 attempts), Pony Sager, Rockford Forest Citys-Brooklyn Eckfords-Washington Blue Legs-Chicago White Stockings
(4) - 46 (in 70 attempts), Fred Waterman, Washington Olympics-Baltimore Canaries
(5) - 43 (in 68 attempts), Dickie Flowers, Troy Haymakers-Baltimore Marylands-New York Mutuals
(6) - 38 (in 52 attempts), Andy Leonard, Washington Olympics-Philadelphia Whites
(6) - 38 (in 53 attempts), Ed Pinkham, Chicago White Stockings-Brooklyn Atlantics
(8) - 35 (in 39 attempts), Charlie Smith, New York Mutuals-Philadelphia Athletics-Brooklyn Atlantics
(9) - 32 (in 40 attempts), Harry Schafer, Boston Red Stockings
(9) - 32 (in 42 attempts), Adrian "Cap" Anson, Rockford Forest Citys-New York Mutuals
(11) - 31 (in 40 attempts), Mike McGeary, Troy Haymakers-Baltimore Marylands-Philadelphia Whites
(11) - 31 (in 41 attempts), Ezra Sutton, Cleveland Forest Citys-Philadelphia Athletics
(13) - 30 (in 41 attempts), "Orator Jim" O'Rourke, Middletown Mansfields-Boston Red Stockings
(14) - 29 (in 35 attempts), John Hatfield, New York Mutuals-Elizabeth Resolutes-Baltimore Canaries
(14) - 29 (in 42 attempts), John Radcliff, Philadelphia Athletics
(16) - 28 (in 35 attempts), Dave Birdsall, Boston Red Stockings
(17) - 26 - 4 players tied

This also means an avatar change is in order. I give you Lip Pike, the fastest player of the 1870s, who once raced a horse around the bases and won.

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

I'm at the end of May 1875, so I thought I'd give a little standing update in case anyone's interested:

Boston Red Stockings 19-5
Philadelphia Athletics 16-4
New York Mutuals 12-5
St. Louis Brown Stockings 6-4
Chicago White Stockings 7-5
Brooklyn Atlantics 8-6
Philadelphia Whites 11-9
Keokuk Westerns 5-6
St. Louis Red Stockings 3-6
New Haven Elm Citys 5-11
Hartford Dark Blues 7-15
Washington Nationals 4-13
Philadelphia Centennials 0-14

Thus far, the league's best hitter has been something of a surprise. Although New York's Dick Higham has always been a good player, he's never been considered the league's best, and yet he currently leads everyone with a .427 batting average. Naturally, this calls for an avatar switch....

[Vris]

I'm interested, Eck.

I like how you change your avatars with each update. Nice touch.

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

Well, it's going to be a bit before I'm through with June, so I thought I'd update with the leading single-season batting averages to date. For a variety of reasons, this skews heavily toward 1874, as you'll see. The qualifying number of plate appearances is currently 202.

(1) - .391, Joe Start, 1874 New York Mutuals (111 for 284)
(2) - .386, Ross Barnes, 1874 Boston Red Stockings (115 for 298)
(3) - .380, Adrian "Cap" Anson, 1874 New York Mutuals (111 for 292)
(4) - .379, George Hall, 1874 New York Mutuals (108 for 285)
(5) - .375, Andy Leonard, 1874 Philadelphia Whites (90 for 240)
(6) - .367, Deacon White, 1873 Baltimore Canaries (90 for 245)
(7) - .3662, George Wright, 1874 Boston Red Stockings (115 for 314)
(8) - .3659, Mike McGeary, 1874 Philadelphia Whites (90 for 246)
(9) - .3658, "Orator Jim" O'Rourke, 1874 Boston Red Stockings (109 for 298)
(10) - .365, Ross Barnes, 1872 Boston Red Stockings (70 for 188)
(11) - .363, Joe Start, 1872 New York Mutuals (86 for 237)
(12) - .362, "Orator Jim" O'Rourke, 1873 Boston Red Stockings (93 for 257)
(13) - .359, Candy Nelson, 1874 Brooklyn Atlantics (78 for 217)
(14) - .358, Joe Start, 1873 New York Mutuals (83 for 232)
(15) - .354, John Radcliff, 1873 Philadelphia Athletics (81 for 229)
(16) - .351, George Wright, 1873 Boston Red Stockings (88 for 251)
(17) - .350, George Zettlein, 1872 Baltimore Canaries (70 for 200)
(18) - .349, George Hall, 1873 New York Mutuals (76 for 218)
(19) - .348, Charlie Gould, 1874 Boston Red Stockings (114 for 328)
(20) - .347, Adrian "Cap" Anson, 1872 New York Mutuals (83 for 239)

As the top overall hitter on this list and the only guy to make it on here three times, Joe Start is going back up as the avatar for a while.

[Dagrims]

Originally Posted by Eckstein 4 Prez

Philadelphia Centennials 0-14

This is my new favorite team. I will follow them diligently. Do they have any talent at all?

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

Originally Posted by Dagrims

This is my new favorite team. I will follow them diligently. Do they have any talent at all?

Don't hold your breath. They've already played their last game and will be folding after the season.

And their one good player is Deacon White, who was signed after his previous team (Baltimore Canaries) folded last season. In fact, Philly will be the third team White has folded - he's going to be one of the prizes of the free agent market next season, although I guess whoever gets him should worry about their future. Actually, they should probably worry in any event. Of the 13 teams active this season, only two of them will still be playing in 1878 - The Boston Red Stockings (who are actually the predecessors of the Atlanta Braves), and the Chicago White Stockings (who are the Cubs).

In the early to mid 1880s, most of the other "original eight" NL franchises that are still around today begin play.

[Dagrims]

Originally Posted by Eckstein 4 Prez

Don't hold your breath. They've already played their last game and will be folding after the season.

Good. One less dynasty to have to worry about.

I'm going to pretend that the Centennials turn into the Phillies and root for them.

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

You can feel free to tune out until 1883, then. That's when the Phillies start up.

[goroyals]

Hey Eck, good read so far. I enjoy 19th century stuff, and your leagues always have great detail. A question: When you add the AA, will you stage a World Series between the two leagues?

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

Originally Posted by goroyals

Hey Eck, good read so far. I enjoy 19th century stuff, and your leagues always have great detail. A question: When you add the AA, will you stage a World Series between the two leagues?

Funny you should ask. I was thinking about this the other day when hanging out with M, and she made the mistake of asking why I looked distracted. Then I made the even bigger mistake of telling her. Hoo boy, there's no better way to look like a total geek than to tell your girlfriend, "well, honey, I was thinking about whether to stage an ahistorical playoff series in my historical baseball league when it gets to 1882 in a couple of months."

I actually haven't made up my mind yet. For the most part, I've stuck strictly to history... but then again, I'm doing an All-Star game already, and plan to open the Hall of Fame early, so maybe I will start the playoffs in 1882.

[Eckstein 4 Prez]

It's now July 1st, 1875 in my league so I thought I'd post an update:

Boston Red Stockings 31-9
Philadelphia Athletics 26-6
New York Mutuals 19-8
Philadelphia Whites 21-10
Chicago White Stockings 11-12
St. Louis Red Stockings 7-10
Keokuk Westerns 5-8
Brooklyn Atlantics 9-13
St. Louis Brown Stockings 9-13
Washington Nationals 8-17
New Haven Elm Citys 7-19
Hartford Dark Blues 10-24
Philadelphia Centennials 0-14

Thus far, it's been a really close race between Boston and Philadelphia for the top spot, as each team held it for about half of June. As far as individual efforts go, Ross Barnes of Boston leads the major leagues in runs scored and is tied for the RBI lead with John Bass of Hartford, who has driven in 32 runs despite playing for the wretched Dark Blues. John Radcliff of Philadelphia has also been a star, but the league leader in both hitting (.405) and OPS (.904) has been George Hall of the New York Mutuals.

I would change to his avatar, but my internet connection with my desktop computer is currently down and I've decided it's not worth the effort to move everything over to my laptop just to upload it. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to change avs soon.