Baseball: The World's Game (OOTP 22 Fictional World)

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The idea of a Major League Baseball Hall of Fame came to fruition fairly quickly, but it wouldn’t be until 1919 that a player would be enshrined. The rules were induction were receiving 66% of the vote with a maximum of 10 years on the ballot if you received 5% or greater. You were eligible five years after retiring from the league.


The early voting was an interesting discussion as many of the earliest players started their officially recorded MLB careers in their late 20s or 30s. The disorganized and chaotic nature of professional baseball prior to MLB’s 1901 inaugural season meant some early players got punished by their lack of accumulated stats; accomplishments from the 19^th century were largely ignored or dismissed. But in 1919, the first player to receive the honor was starting pitcher Franklin Carro.


Franklin Carro: Starting Pitcher, New York Yankees (76.3%, first ballot)


Franklin “Stumpy” Carro was born on October 19, 1874 in McPherson, Kansas, which was only founded two years prior. At 5’6’’, 160 pounds, the lefty earned the name “Stumpy” for his short and stocky frame. While not physically intimidating, Carro was a hard worker who learned how to get ground balls and strikeouts with great efficiency. His pitches topped out in the lower 90 mph range, but his sinker, forkball, slider, and changeup was elite stuff and served him well as he took up the fledgling game in his 20s, despite having at times shaky control.


At the time Major League Baseball was founded, Carro was already 26-years old, but had become known among the baseball world as a great pitcher. So much so that in the inaugural draft, he was the 19^th overall pick of the Houston Hornets.


Carro pitched his first three MLB seasons with the Hornets, leading the American Association in strikeouts in 1902. The following year, his 21-6 record, 2.91 ERA, and 291 strikeouts earned him the Pitcher of the Year award. In a game that year against Phoenix, he hit a then-MLB record with 19 strikeouts in a game.


Late in 1903, Carro signed a one-year contract extension for $1,860 with the Hornets, but the team was worried they wouldn’t be able to keep him long-term. In January 1904, Houston traded Carro to Milwaukee for three ultimately unsuccessful prospects.


With the Mustangs, Carro had perhaps his best career season. He led the National Association and had a career-best 1.92 ERA and 308 strikeouts at age 29. Milwaukee led the NA at 103-59 won their only World Series title of the 20^th century. Carro won his second PotY and joined a small list of winners in both the NA and AA.


It proved a valuable one-year rental for the Mustangs, but Carro wouldn’t stick around. On December 2, 1904, he signed one of the richest contracts to date with the New York Yankees of seven years, $25,160. He played all seven years of the deal and became known as an all-time great Yankee.


The contract paid off right away as in 1905, Carro led the NA in strikeouts (296) and WAR (9.8) en route to a third Pitcher of the Year. He pitched 40 innings with a 2.68 ERA in the 1905 postseason as the Yankees won their first World Series, defeating his first team Houston in seven games.


He remained a strong starter for the Yankees after that, but started to see age and injuries catch up. In Austin 1907, Carro suffered a torn flexor tendon in his throwing elbow and then a torn rotator cuff in May 1909, leading to partial seasons. He pitched full seasons in 1910 and 1911 and even led the NA in WAR (7.4) in 1911 at age 36. But after that season, the Yankees elected to part ways with Carro.


He signed a two-year, $8,160 deal with San Diego and while still a quality pitcher, was no longer an ace by 1912. After a year with the Seals, he was traded for prospects to the Cleveland Cobras. He only made eight starts with the Cobras but one was special, his lone no-hitter against Minneapolis on April 16.


At age 38, he had more elbow issues and again suffered a torn flexor tendon, effectively ending his run with Cleveland. In late 1914, the Yankees signed him to a minor league deal, but he never took the field. One month later, he officially announced his retirement from professional baseball.


Carro notably was the first MLB player to reach the 2000 and 2500 strikeout threshold, finishing with 2740. His final record as 177-118 with a 2.79 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 79.2 career WAR over 2866 innings. For Stumpy, an excellent career and a fine player to end up as the first MLB Hall of Famer.

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Guadalajara emerged as the dominant force in the 1919 Mexican League regular season at 113-49, leading in both runs and fewest allowed (660-421). They easily pulled away from Puebla in the South Division, despite the Pumas having league MVP Alex Hinojosa and Pitcher of the Year Matt Determan. It would be Hinojosa’s fifth and final MVP. Hellhounds outfielder Victor Valenzuela was the batting champion and would soon replace Hinojosa as the perennial top MVP contender.


Tijuana had a down year by their lofty standards, but still comfortably won the North Division at 95-67. The Toros’ playoff experience paid off against the fledgling Guadalajara squad as Tijuana won the LCS in six games. It would be their sixth Mexican League title in seven years.


Santo Domingo picked up a third straight Caribbean Island Division title with an 100-62 mark, fending off 93-win efforts from Haiti and Santiago. The Dolphins had three players in the top five for runs scored, home runs, and RBI; led by league MVP Alba Jiménez and former MVP Diomar Glas. Sailfish ace Ulices Montero won his third PotY in four years with 439 strikeouts, the second highest tally in CABA history and second highest season for WAR at 13.8.


In the Continental Division, Honduras posted their first-ever winning season en route to the title at 95-67. The Horsemen would upset the flashier and more acclaimed Dolphins, cruising to a 4-1 LCS win. Honduras would be no match for Tijuana in the CABA Championship, which the Toros took in five.


Through the first decade of CABA, Tijuana had emerged as the powerhouse with six finals appearances and four CABA titles. But 1919 would be the end of the dynasty run and apart from a one-off in the early 1920s, the end of Tijuana’s time as a top-tier team. 1919 was the last year for manager Santiago Francisco, who would be the only CABA manager with four titles until Spiro Santim picked up eight over the 50s, 60s, and 70s.

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After back-to-back 97 win seasons with no playoff appearance, Montreal exploded for the best record in the 1919 MLB season at 107-55. The Maples had the rare feat of boasting the MVP and Pitcher of the Year in the same season. 36-year old left fielder Karmendra Jainarine signed as a free agent after four years with Memphis and posted a career best 9.8 WAR for Montreal. 31-year old pitcher Lautaro Romero had a career year as well, leading the National Association with a 2.28 ERA and 21-4 mark


The Eastern League had a ton of competition for the Maples as Hartford’s 100-62 mark netted them second for back-to-back seasons. Philadelphia’s bid for a World Series three-peat was thwarted as they finished third at 98-64, two up on fourth place Brooklyn at 96-66.


Cincinnati had the sixth most wins in the National Association, but the most in the Midwest League at 88-74 for their first league title. Louisville earned back-to-back berths at 85-77, one up on Columbus, two on Detroit, and three on Milwaukee.


Despite the numbers greatly favoring the Eastern League, the Midwest League prevailed in the first round of the playoffs. The Reds outlasted the Huskies in five games and the Lynx stunned the Maples with a road sweep. In an Ohio River showdown, Cincinnati defeated Louisville in six games for the Reds first Association title.


Portland picked up the top spot in the American Association at 106-56, leading MLB with 947 and a .298 team batting average. It was the fourth straight playoff berth by the Pacifics and the second straight for San Francisco, who took the second place spot at 101-61. Defending AA champ Dallas secured a third straight berth with the Southern League title at 99-63. Atlanta picked up their second ever playoff spot, taking second at 97-65 and outlasting Jacksonville by two games and Houston by six. Aces leadoff man Patrick Null picked up the league MVP as the 25-year old outfielder had the batting title at .373 and 233 hits.


Pitcher of the Year went to Newton Persaud for the second time. It was his first with Houston, as he signed with the Hornets for seven years and $49,140 in the offseason after nine years with the struggling New Orleans franchise. Persaud’s 11.51 WAR was the second best season in MLB history for a pitcher to that point, only behind Jeremy Frechette’s 11.53 in 1905. Persaud was also one win away from nabbing the Triple Crown.


Top seeds prevailed in the AA first round with Dallas surviving San Francisco in five games and Portland besting Atlanta in six. In an AACS rematch, the Dalmatians again prevailed, securing back-to-back American Association crowns with a sweep. Dallas would again be denied the World Series title though, as the surprising Cincinnati Reds capped off their playoff run with the franchise’s first title in six games. Outfielder Randy Adamo was World Series MVP, picking up 24 hits, six home runs, 13 runs, and 19 RBI over 17 playoff games.


Other notes: Tyler Peterson became the first reliever to win Reliever of the Year three times. Peterson started the year with the Reds, but was traded to Columbus early in the year for prospects.


First baseman Elijah Cashman won Rookie of the Year for St. Louis with a 6.9 WAR season. The 45^th overall draft pick by Dallas in 1917, the Cardinals got him in a trade the next year and he picked up AAA MVP in 1918. Over the next two decades, Cashman would make a case as the greatest hitter in MLB history.


Houston’s Willie Hodo and Omaha’s Casey Esnault would both in April become the first MLB pitchers to reach 250 career wins. Baltimore’s Jim Klattenburger became the first pitcher to hit 400 career saves. Jonathon Gillette of Houston was the fifth to reach 1500 runs scored and Dallas’ Christophe Martin the sixth to hit 1500 RBI.

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Nobody reached the 66% threshold in the 1920 MLB Hall of Fame voting class, leaving Franklin Carro as the lone member for a year. 1907 American Association Pitcher of the Year Tom Guillaume was the highest vote getter at 53.1%, followed by 1902 and 1903 MVP George Cull at 49.7% and 1904 MVP Mario Salazar at 48.2%.


Worth noting was Jeremy Diedrich, down at the bottom at 7.5% after his ninth year. Next year, he’d be the first player to make it to 10 years on the ballot and also not get in. But he’s an interesting “what if,” who won Pitcher of the Year in 1901 for Calgary and then again in 1902 for Toronto. Starting in MLB at age 26, his first five years recorded 30.4 WAR, about as strong of a start as you can get. But a partially torn UCL in early 1906 ended his career at age 31

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Guadalajara for the second straight year had the best record in CABA at 107-55. The Hellhounds led the Mexican League in runs scored and fewest allowed, getting the league MVP from 24-year old outfielder Victor Valenzuela with 11.8 WAR, 200 hits, and 99 runs. He earned the rare feat of winning MVP, Gold Glove, and Silver Slugger.


Meanwhile in the North Division, Tijuana fell off with a fourth place 83-79 mark. Chihuahua for the first time at 92-70, one better than Hermosillo at 91-71. Last place Juarez saw Nick Bermea get his fourth Pitcher of the Year. In the LCS, Guadalajara swept the Warriors for their first Mexican League title.


Defending Caribbean champ Honduras won the Continental Division for the second straight year, finishing 90-72. The big numbers again came from the Island Division as Santiago outlasted Jamaica. The Sailfish took first at 106-56, two better than the 104-58 Jazz. Haiti was 94-68 and last year’s division winner Santo Domingo dropped to 82-80.


Santiago ace Ulices Montero won his fourth Pitcher of the Year and also became the first pitcher to get the MVP. In his age 28 season, Montero had a Triple Crown year at 24-5, a career best 1.37 ERA, and 424 strikeouts. He also set CABA records for WHIP (0.66) and opponent OBP (.184).


Despite leading the Caribbean League in runs and runs allowed, the Sailfish would fall in five games to the Horsemen, sending Honduras to back-to-back Caribbean titles. But the Horsemen were no match for Guadalajara as the Hellhounds won their first CABA championship in a sweep. First baseman Aneurys Perez was series MVP, hitting a 335 OPS+ in the postseason.

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The Eastern League was incredibly top heavy in 1920 with only three teams below .500 and five with 95 or more wins. The same top two prevailed but swapped spots with Hartford first at 106-56 and Montreal next at 104-58. Buffalo had their best-ever franchise season at 102-60, but it still wasn’t enough for a berth. Philadelphia, the World Series champ in 1917 and 1918, missed out for the second straight year despite finishing with 97 wins.


Columbus picked up the Midwest League title at 104-58 with a the MVP in Kayden Lindsay, a third-year outfielder who won the batting title and led the National Association in WAR. Defending World Series champ Cincinnati took the second place spot and playoff berth at 96-66. Pitcher of the Year went to Buffalo’s Derek Edwards as the 22-year old lefty and second overall pick in 1918 had the best ERA in MLB at 2.15.


The Huskies beat the Reds in a five game classic to prevent a repeat and the Chargers downed the Maples in four games. The NACS would go the distance with Hartford winning in seven for their second Association title.


In the American Association, the Western League was the top heavy one with four teams at 98 wins or more. San Francisco led the way at 108-54 and were one of a select few teams to score 1000+ runs. Portland took the second place spot at 101-61, one better than Phoenix and three over Denver. Pacifics slugger Walter Seda won his third career MVP with a career best 222 hits and 126 runs scored.


In the Southern League, Houston took first at 100-62 for their playoff berth since 1914. Dallas, winner of the AA title in the last two seasons, extended their playoff streak to four years with a second place mark at 99-63. Jacksonville (94-68), Charlotte (93-69), and Atlanta (92-70) were in the fight.


Pitcher of the Year went to Gators veteran Easton Dematties, who at age 30 had a career year and league best ERA at 2.45. Canaries 1B/DH Christopher Ross socked 58 home runs, tying the all-time record set by Aitor Cerda seven years earlier.


The first round of the AA playoffs saw the Hornets sweep the Pacifics and the Gold Rush sweep the Dalmatians. The American Association Championship Series went seven games and Houston outlasted the San Fran offense, giving the Hornets a seventh association title in the AA’s first 20 years.


In the World Series, Houston secured a fifth MLB title, defeating Hartford in six games. It wouldn’t be until the mid 1940s that another franchise could claim five titles to their name. Outfielder Richie Ferenchak was an unlikely World Series MVP, picking up 23 hits and 12 runs over 16 postseason games.


Other notes; Willie Hodo of Toronto became the second pitcher to reach 3500 career strikeouts.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

By the 1920s, Major League Baseball was a major success and the Central American Baseball Association was on its way. Baseball had become the game of choice in much of the Western Hemisphere. But early in the 20^th century, the game had spread into the Eastern Hemisphere.


Baseball was introduced across the Pacific to Japan by Americans before the turn of the century and began to slowly grow there. Soon after, the game came to the Korean peninsula. The cultural and financial success of MLB and CABA was something prominent figures in East Asia felt they could replicate.


Teams popped up in Japan and the then-occupied Korean peninsula. In 1921, they were organized by the sanctioning body known as East Asia Baseball. There was a separate Japanese League and Korean League which largely kept affairs separate and their nationals in their league. The Designated Hitter was used in Korea, but not Japan. Both leagues had two seven-team divisions with the champs playing in a best-of-seven League Championship Series. From there, the Japanese champ and Korean champ battle for the East Asian Championship in a best-of-seven.

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The 1921 MLB Hall of Fame class enshrined four players with three of them receiving more than 92% of the votes. Pitchers Jeremy Frechette and Josh Davis, along with outfielders Adam Boehm and Adam Tucker, hold up as a very strong class even looking more than 100 years later. Three of the four played a big role in the early Houston Hornets dynasties.


Jeremy Frechette – Starting Pitcher – Houston Hornets – 96.1% (First Ballot)

The ace pitcher of the Houston Hornets dynasty, Jeremy Frechette was born on July 7, 1880 in Fayetteville Arkansas. At 5’7’’, 170 pounds, the right-handed pitcher wasn’t physically imposing. But his fastball would top out in the upper 90 mph range, along with a filthy sinker, strong slider, and eventually excellent control.


Frechette played collegiately at Stanford, where he was used as a closer. Despite being known as a Houston legend, he was actually drafted in 1901 by New Orleans in the 5^th round as the 200^th overall pick. As a rookie in 1902, he had a few lackluster relief appearances before being traded in July with a few prospects to Houston for a rental of second baseman Taylor Robbins.


In 1903, he started to show promise as a starter, splitting his time between the bullpen and starting. The next year, he emerged as one of the most reliable inning eaters in the game, leading the American Association with 295 innings and a very solid 8.2 WAR.


In 1905, he set a record still untouched more than a century later with 29 wins. Along with a league-best 2.45 ERA and 11.5 WAR, Frechette earned his first of five Pitcher of the Year Awards. He also posted a 1.60 ERA in 39.1 playoff innings, leading the Hornets to their first American Association title and World Series appearance.


As great as he was in the regular season, he’d become one of the best postseason pitchers of all-time. During his tenure, Houston made the World Series six times and won it four; and made it to the AACS nine times. His postseason line: 16-7, 2.92 ERA, 34 starts, 256 innings, 223 strikeouts. It wasn’t until the postseason expanded years later that anyone even approached his totals, still holding the WAR mark (7.74) more than a century later and sitting second in strikeouts, innings, and third in wins.


Frechette posted nine consecutive 20+ win seasons from 1904 to 1912, led the AA in strikeouts from 1907-1909, and led in WAR five times with three seasons above 10 WAR. The Hornets won the World Series in 1908, 10, 11, and 12. In 1912, Frechette was the first pitcher to reach 200 career wins and in 1914, the third to hit 2500 career strikeouts. He won Pitcher of the Year in 1905, 08, 09, 11, and 12.


At age 33 in 1914, Frechette surprisingly fell off quickly and was released in July 1915, retiring that winter. The end of his run also marked the end of that Houston dynasty, posting their first losing season in 1915 since 1902. He finishes with a 233-104 record, 3.32 career ERA of 3080.1 innings, 2522 strikeouts, a 1.21 WHIP, 128 ERA+, and 92.5 WAR. Five PotYs and a playoff legend make Jeremy Frechette an inner-circle Hall of Famer of the early era.