Origins and Foundations (19th Century)

NOTE AT THE TOP: THIS IS A MIRROR VERSION (EXACT COPY) OF MY Early Baseball – 19th Century PAGE AT RETROPLAY.NET (MY OTHER BASEBALL-HISTORY-FOCUSED WEBSITE. TIP: IF ONE’S INACCESSIBLE, TRY THE OTHER. THE MENUS ON EVERY PAGE ARE THERE TO EASILY CONDUCT YOU THROUGH BOTH SITES

5/3/2023: HAVING DONE A LOT OF OFFLINE WORK THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS (“REPLAYING” SEASONS FROM 1946 THROUGH 1960 AND FIRMING UP ALL 1871-1960 DATA), SEVERAL MACRO-FILES CAN NOW BE UPLOADED TO THE VARIOUS BASEBALL150.COM AND RETROPLAY.NET PAGES. THAT’S THE PRESENT BUSINESS FOR THIS PAGE: UPDATING THE FILES RELATED TO ERA 1 OF THE OVERALL PROJECT, SPANNING THE FIRST 30 YEARS OF MLB (ACTUAL) HISTORY AND OBL RETRO-SPECULATIVE “HISTORY.” ERA 1 COVERS, IN OTHER WORDS, ALL 19TH CENTURY SEASONS. YOU CAN JUMP RIGHT TO THE LATEST UPLOADS HERE. OTHER CONTENT ON THIS PAGE MIGHT BE REVISED, BUT THE PRIORITY WAS TO GET THE LARGE SUMMARY FILES UP TO THE SITE(S) FIRST; WE’LL SEE ABOUT THE OTHER STUFF WHEN TIME PERMITS (HOPEFULLY, IN THE NEAR FUTURE, TOO). [SOME NOTES HAVE BEEN POSTED IN CONTEXT BELOW WITHIN BRACKETS, AS SEEN HERE, RE: PROCESSING PLANS]

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[PAGE LAST UPDATED 1/13/2023: 2 QUICK EDITS IN TABLE: STEVE KING (1871), SILVER KING (1888)]

1/7/23 UPDATE: POSTED TABLE OF O.B.L. ALL-LEAGUE SELECTIONS (ONLY 1 PER POSITION) FOR 1871-1900 HERE

1/6/23 PAGE UPDATE: CORRECTED MACRO-FILES UPLOADED, AS WELL AS SOME NEW GRAPHICS

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1/3/23 TEXT UPDATE: FOR THE FIRST SEVERAL WEEKS OF 2023, SITE-WIDE PAGE UPDATES WILL BE TRICKLING IN WITH FINALIZED, “SET-IN-STONE” DATA. SOME PORTIONS OF PREVIOUS TEXT BLOCKS WILL HAVE TO BE REWORKED, AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE PARAGRAPHS BELOW

[text block below left intact for self-flagellation more than anything else; warts and all, you know…]

3/24/2022 UPDATE (A “TINKERING” FOUND TO BE NECESSARY: SOMEONE FAILED TO INCLUDE “BID” MCPHEE ON THE 19TH-CENTURY HONOR ROLL. THIS IS A REGRETTABLE ERROR, AND REST ASSURED THAT THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE IS HANGING HIS HEAD IN SHAME. WHICH IS MAKING IT HARD TO TYPE. SORRY, RELATIVES AND FANS OF MCPHEE. PLEASE FIND THE CORRECTED GRAPHIC BELOW)

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Because “base ball” — that’s how it was spelled in the early days, with the space between — was largely a different kind of game when compared to “modern baseball,” the 19th-Century era is being set apart here at RetroPlay.net with its own page. Please find posted on this page everything that relates to what was later called, “Major League Baseball” in its formative years from 1871 through 1900; this is the RetroPlay system’s “Era I.” The first 30 of MLB’s first 150 years (1871 through 2020) will be covered specifically right here, though some content will also be included (copied) as part of the overall, five-era picture on pages dealing with all-time rankings and virtual awards.

Several months ago, we supplied a substantial “down payment” of sorts: the first batch of pertinent data (and free-download opportunities). These are the “meat and potatoes” files on which the RetroPlay system is built.

The first item is a RetroPlay system/Open Baseball League player directory of all qualified 19th-Century “major-leaguers” (qualified by a minimum of 10 plate appearances or 9 innings pitched in any single historical season between 1871 and 1900 inclusive). Abbreviations used and form-key for these files, by column:

PLAYER=Last name and first/nickname; BP=BirthPlace; REG=Regional affiliation; CW=Career WAR; POS=(primary) Position(s); POS (2)=(other) Position(s); AVG FULL SEASON WAR=Career WAR calculated to reflect average full-season (per-162-games played) rate; RPR=RetroPlay Rating (CW x (per-162-games) = RPR); RC=Regional Code; PC=Positional Code (by official scorecard position-numbering, in order of frequency; RED print (in the grids/30-year spreadsheets) indicates an extra-national player — “foreign-born” — given a place to play with New England or New York in this system.

Download the 2-wide Excel-compatible file (top link) or the PDF (below that): [THIS 2-WIDE MACRO-FILE WILL HAVE TO BE REWORKED TO CATCH UP WITH CHANGES IN SOME DATA, IF IT’S EVER TO BE POSTED AGAIN; IT’S BEEN PULLED FOR NOW; THE GOOD NEWS? WE NOW HAVE (2-WIDE, ALSO) ALPHABETICAL + REGIONAL AND CAREER WAR + RETROPLAY RATING (RPR) “SCROLLS” (EXCEL-TYPE FIRST, PDF SECOND, IN BOTH CASES). MORE INFO IS PACKED INTO THESE THAN WHAT HAD BEEN POSTED.]

UPDATED SIDE-BY-SIDE ALPHABETICAL + REGIONAL FILE “SCROLL” FILE (1. EXCEL, 2. PDF)

UPDATED SIDE-BY-SIDE CAREER WAR + RetroPlay Rating (RPR) “SCROLL” FILE (1. EXCEL, 2. PDF)

The next macro-file is the “O-1” file referred to in each version of the directory posted above. This is the first of ten 30-year spreadsheets that lay out the statistical story, column-by-column; 30 columns of data across each landscape-oriented page. Each of those ten “grids” is packed with name/birthplace/position information and three types of WAR values: year-by-year in the cells and both career WAR and per-162-games rates on either margin (left/right, wherever it fits best on the player’s horizontal row). You might be of the opinion that this presentation is “too busy” or unduly cluttered — and I might agree, depending on the day and my mindset at the time — but the idea was to get the majority of data needed/sought by season-re-players (like myself) onto a single page. (Games played data is missing from this format, but that info can be easily found in any number of online and print resources).

All in all, it seems to me that the capability to read up-and-down in the columns to see just who would’ve been teammates in any given year (by sharing a birthplace), or to scan across in the row to get a snapshot view of a player’s career arc (trends, debut year, best year, last year, etc.) will be increasingly valued with regular, intuitive use. I think you’ll be glad all of that “stuff” has been included for the sake of easier season-simulation personnel decisions, but you can always edit out anything you see as “clutter” on your downloaded version of the Excel-compatible spreadsheet, right? Remember: RED print (in the grids/30-year spreadsheets) indicates an extra-national player — “foreign-born” — given a place to play with New England or New York (or Texas and others, later) in this system.

In any case, here are, in order, the Excel-compatible and PDF downloadable versions of the OBL-1 (O-1) grid (this supersedes even the “corrected version, 2023”); one last general advisory/disclaimer: some minor discrepancies might still exist between the way a player’s name is rendered in the above side-by-side files and how it’s given in the grid(s), as well as career WAR/per-162 WAR (may be off by a tenth or two, so of little/no significance when pulling together teams in any particular season). That said, here we go:

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FRANCHISES INVOLVED IN THE 19TH CENTURY (1871-1900)

4 Teams only, 1871 through ’82 (New England Alliance, New York, Pennsylvania, American Independents)

5th Team added in 1883 (Mid-Atlantic and South [MAS])

8 Teams in 1884 (first 5, though NEA became NEL and NY became NYE, and NYC split off NY) + both the Midwest Independents (MWI) and Western Pioneers made debuts; Canada-Europe made its first appearance (1890 would be its only other season)

6 Teams in 1885 (less NYC and CEU); 7 in 1886, with debuts from Ohio Valley (OHV) and Midwest (MW), but loss of MWI in the process; back to 6 in ’87, as WST failed to field a team, but loaned 3 notable players to MW

7 teams, with return of WST in 1888 and ’89

8 Teams in 1890 (CEU added back in)

7 Teams, 1891 through 1900 (NEL-NYE-PA-MAS-OHV-MW-WST)

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CRITERIA: ONE PLAYER (BEST W.A.R.) FOR EACH POSITION, WITH TIEBREAKERS CONSIDERED IN SOME CASES (DEFENSIVE WAR, GAMES PLAYED AT POSITION); FLEXIBILITY IN THE OUTFIELDERS: CF MOST STRICTLY DEFINED, THEN RF, LF LOOSEST/CATCH-ALL OUTFIELDER).

HINT: For widescreen view online of the following table, please use the slider below it as needed

O.B.L. ALL-LEAGUE TEAMS FOR ERA I (1871-1900)

YEARPC1B2B3BSSOF1/CFOF2/RFOF3/ANY
1871ZettleinMcVeyStartJ. WoodMeyerleBarnesEgglerPikeSteve King
1872SpaldingMcGearyD. MackBarnesForceG. WrightEgglerBechtelG. Hall
1873MathewsD. WhiteE. MillsBarnesForceG. WrightEgglerPikePabor
1874MathewsCraverJ. O’RourkeBarnesPearceG. WrightPikeMcVeyD. White
1875SpaldingD. WhiteE. SuttonBarnesForceG. WrightPikeMcVeyHines
1876J. DevlinD. AllisonMcVeyBarnesAnsonJ. PetersHinesG. HallJ. O’Rourke
1877J. DevlinJ. ClappStartGerhardtAnsonJ. PetersJ. O’RourkeD. WhiteC. Jones
1878T. BondD. WhiteStartGerhardtFergusonJ. PetersHinesShaferC. Jones
1879T. BondD. WhiteStartMcGearyWilliamsonG. WrightHinesC. JonesJn. O’Rourke
1880J. McCormickJ. ClappAnsonDunlapG. BradleyA. IrwinG. GoreShaferHines
1881J. WhitneyBennettAnsonDunlapWilliamsonT. BurnsG. GoreKg. KellyYork
1882W. WhiteBennettAnsonDunlapWilliamsonGlasscockG. GoreBrouthersConnor
1883T. KeefeBennettBrouthersFarrellRichardsonGlasscockG. GoreShaferB. Ewing
1884RadbournB. EwingBrouthersDunlapE. SuttonGlasscockHinesDave OrrJ. O’Rourke
1885ClarksonBennettConnorDunlapWilliamsonE. SuttonG. GoreKg. KellyDave Orr
1886T. RamseyKg. KellyBrouthersRichardsonLathamGlasscockG. GoreDave OrrH. Larkin
1887ClarksonJ. RoweConnorSam WiseD. LyonsJn. WardBrowningThompsonO. Burns
1888Silver KingB. EwingConnorPfefferB. NashMcKeanJ. RyanTiernanH. Stovey
1889ClarksonF. CarrollAnsonMcKeanB. NashGlasscockJ. RyanTiernanH. Stovey
1890Kid NicholsB. EwingConnorChildsG. PinkneyGlasscockBrowningSwartwoodH. Collins
1891ClarksonD. FarrellConnorMcPheeLathamH. LongHamiltonTiernanH. Duffy
1892Cy YoungB. EwingBrouthersChildsB. NashDahlenHollidayThompsonHamilton
1893Kid NicholsD. FarrellBeckleyChildsG. DavisMcGrawDelahantyThompsonE. Smith
1894RusieL. CrossDelahantyMcGrawG. DavisJenningsHamiltonH. DuffyJ. Kelley
1895Cy YoungMcGuireCartwrightMcGrawG. DavisJenningsHamiltonThompsonDelahanty
1896Cy YoungClementsDelahantyChildsJoyceJenningsHamiltonTiernanJ. Kelley
1897Kid NicholsWarnerDelahantyLajoieJ. CollinsJenningsHamiltonKeelerF. Clarke
1898Kid NicholsMcFarlandMcGannMcGrawJ. CollinsJenningsHamiltonFlickDelahanty
1899Vic WillisMcFarlandTenneyT. DalyMcGrawWallaceThomasBurkettDelahanty
1900Cy YoungMcFarlandBeckleyMcGrawJ. CollinsDahlenFlickWagnerBurkett

POSSIBLY HANDIER PDF VERSION:

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Anyone who is familiar with the history of professional “base ball” in America will probably agree with the general observation that the 19th-Century game was a whole different animal from today’s game. If we want to be as broad-minded as possible and concentrate on the elements that have survived for 150 years — a ball and a deliverer of pitches; a bat and a swatter of pitches; four bases to circle, and fielders to cope with batted balls and moving base-runners, for example — then, yes, it’s the same ball game. But when you consider that other, very basic elements have been affected by dozens of major changes, and that most of the changing — of rules, pitching distances, game-scheduling practices, team sizes, and even on-field positioning — occurred within the 19th Century, it becomes apparent in a hurry that we’re talking about a different context and different circumstances. Yet, … there will always be those who can be identified as the stand-out best in a given context, and the aim here is to name the players to whom the numbers point (i.e., WAR values and RetroPlay Ratings) as a cut above the rest. It’s quite possible that I’m breaking the “laws” of methodology and “sabermetric science” by applying modern performance measurements where they don’t belong/fit, but I lack both the mathematical ability and the drive to get all of that precisely right, so… let the chips fall where they may, I say. Here’s my Early Baseball/19th Century “wing” of my virtual Hall Of Fame. Keep in mind: Only those with 5 or more seasons played between 1871 and 1900 inclusive were considered, and only those stats that were accumulated between those two endpoints were used. The idea is basically this: if voting was done in early 1901, and it was based solely on career, on-field accomplishments through 1900 — regardless of what followed — which players would make the honor roll? Here is my answer to the question, a 45-member Gallery of Greats:

In order to make further amends to the great Bid McPhee (who’d I’d previously overlooked/failed to include here), it should be noted that the other “inductees” were included in order of their RPR (RetroPlay Rating), so to be fair, McPhee should follow Keeler and be ahead of Richardson on the roll. Just FYI, tying up loose ends in my persnickety way.

That’s our whole business for this page on March 24, 2022 [and 1/5/23, as well]. Be sure to roam around RetroPlay Park — every nook and cranny — as the place is spruced up and the names and numbers keep going up on display. [This text is obviously older, but it still has enough relevance to stay posted, IMO]

3/25/2022 UPDATE: Added my new-best-friend logo above; yes, I’m kinda pleased with it.

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Page last updated May 3, 2023