For those of you embarking this trolley along the route, the premise of the exercise can be found HERE.
OVERVIEW
No organisational or structural changes for the 1928 season.
OFFSEASON / PRESEASON
Two new modded NeLers added, giving us 66 active:
- P Jim Willis (20); Black Sox SABR BIO
- P / C Ted Radcliffe (25); Black Barons SABR BIO
OOTP has historically struggled getting the balance right for “Double Duty”, so I am super keen to see how this mod handles him.
New rookies include Wally Berger (Braves); Ed Walsh (White Sox); Billy Herman and Lon Warneke (Cubs); Whit Wyatt (Tigers); Ben Chapman and Frankie Crosetti (Yankees); and Chuck Klein (Phillies).
My Dodgers get Bobo Newsom.
The Jays take Dixie Walker first overall in this year’s Rookie Draft.
Orchestrated moves: Heinie Manush, Beauty McGowan, Rip Collins, Jack Ogden, and Lefty Stewart to the Browns; Ken Williams and Hal Rhyne to the Red Sox; Hughie Critz and Ray Kolp to the Reds; Edd Roush to the Giants; Art Nehf and Hal Carlson to the Cubs; George Sisler and Socks Seybold to the Braves; Jimmie Wilson to the Cardinals; Bernie Friberg and Cy Williams to the Phillies; Sam Jones to the Senators; Tom Zachary to the Yankees.
Other game-generated moves include Jim Brillheart to the Braves; Russ Wrightstone to the Black Sox; Charlie Blackwell to the Red Sox; Freddy Leach to the White Sox; Max Carey to the Cubs; Bibb Falk and Clyde Barnhart to the Monarchs; Arnold “Jigger” Statz to the Bears; Al Mamaux and George Carr to the Blackbirds; Pat Collins to the Yankees; Rube Bressler to the Giants; Bill Drake to the Pirates; Wally Schangs to the Cardinals; Urban Shocker and Cristobal Torriente to the Senators.
Pete Hill becomes the first of the modded NeLers to make it into the HoF, with 84.1% of the vote, on his first attempt.
Smoky Joe Wood just misses out on joining him, with Tommy Leach and Mordecai Brown not far off either.
Heavy Johnson declares as a FA but then re-signs with the Monarchs on a deal that will keep him at the club until 1932, while Bill Drake signs a four-year deal with the Buccos.
OPENING DAY PREVIEW
The top-ranked position player is Yankees OF Babe Ruth.
The top-ranked pitcher is Satchel Paige of Birmingham.
Age-20 Yankees C Bill Dickey is the top position player prospect; age-20 Whit Wyatt of the Tigers the top pitching prospect.
The top-ranked farm system belongs to the Tigers.
BNN sees the races looking like this:
- AL East: 111-51 Yankees 24 clear of the Black Sox, with the 48-114 Jays in the cellar
- AL North: 106-56 Athletics 22 clear of the Tigers, with the 76-86 Buckeyes in the cellar
- AL South: 96-66 Senators 13 clear of the Monarchs, with the 66-96 Bears in the cellar
- NL East: 106-56 Giants 3 clear of the Grays, with the 70-92 Phillies in the cellar
- NL North: 94-68 ABCs 14 clear of the Pirates, with the 68-94 Reds in the cellar
- NL South: 83-79 Cardinals and Black Barons 20 clear of the Braves, with the 59-103 Blackbirds in the cellar
The cream continues to rise, and the ahistorical clubs continue to flounder. I do, however, believe a fix for this is on the way—stay tuned!
REGULAR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
04/14: Newt Joseph belts three homers and knocks in seven for the Redbirds in a wild 20-10 home win against New Orleans.
04/26: After his 27-game consecutive hit streak ends, Heavy Johnson’s AVG sits at a lofty .482.
05/14: Just four days after Bullet Rogan wins #200, Joe Williams becomes just the third player after Cy Young and Walter Johnson to win 400. Walter, who currently sits on 422 Wins, has announced this will be his final season, so Joe could end up ahead of him in second place. Joe’s line at this point is 400-281 with an ERA of 3.08 (126 ERA+, 81 FIP-).
05/17: Ken Williams reaches 300 HR for his career.
05/28: The perverse Liberal in me loves the fact that Ben Chapman is spending his rookie season with the Black Yankees…
06/11: Pirates outfielder Paul Waner hits safely in 32 straight.
06/16: Unmodded Steel Arm Tyler gives us our first no-hitter of the season.
06/18: Martin Dihigo powers the ABCs past the Reds 10-2 with a 3-HR game.
06/19: Tris Speaker notches his 3500th Hit in this timeline.
07/30: The Yanks offload prospect Frankie Crosetti before he’s even played a game in the bigs—he’s off to Memphis, while Max Carey is on the move again, traded to the Phillies for Fresco Thompson.
08/15: Babe Ruth continues to blaze the home run trail by becoming the first player to reach 500 for his career in this timeline, with age-40 Cy Williams his nearest chaser on 429.
08/17: This year’s battle for the AL East is an absolute beaut, with this game – in which Bob Meusel hits for the cycle and drives in five – a microcosm thereof, one from off the very top shelf:
08/20: Bad news for the Giants, who’ll be without young superstar Mel Ott for the rest of the season courtesy of a hamstring strain.
08/24: Roy Parnell collects the cycle as the Monarchs pip the Senators 5-4.
09/04: At 6-18 / 5.29 on the season, I suspect Jakie May’s no-hitter against the Giants might be one of very few enjoyable moments for him from the 1928 season.
09/14: The Athletics’ playoff run won’t involve 2B Max Bishop, who is ruled out for the rest of the season after straining his hip.
09/26: Pete Alexander reaches the 300-Win milestone with a 5-2 decision against the Black Barons.
REGULAR SEASON RECAP
Straightforward wins to Philly and Indy in the two North divisions, while the Giants and Black Barons also register fairly comfortable wins in the other two NL groups. That’s the first division title for Birmingham, to go with their Wild Card entry a few years back, and marks the Giants’ first post-season appearance since 1924.
The AL East and South races hold all the late attention this year, and we’ll pick each up with just one game separating each pair entering the final four-game series.
AL
For those final four games, the Black Sox – who lead by a game – travel to Boston, while the Yankees head across the Hudson to Newark. Both are guaranteed at least the Wild Card.
The Senators hold the slight advantage in the AL South, but face the much harder task with a homestand against the Browns, while the Monarchs travel south to Memphis to take on the Bears.
GAME 1: Only the Senators lose, putting them and the Monarchs back on equal terms.
GAME 2: Baltimore slips up with a 6-2 loss to leave them and the Yanks tied, while the Senators drop another one as KC hits the front.
GAME 3: The Yankees take the lead as the Black Sox lose again, while the Sens and Monarchs will go into the final day dead level after Washington wins 2-0 and KC loses 7-5.
GAME 4: The Yanks and Black Sox both lose walkoffs, sending New York through as the division champion and Baltimore as the Wild Card. Wins to both the Senators and Monarchs necessitate a tiebreaker for all the marbles.
That game is a suitably tense affair as all the runs are scored in the 1st and the Monarchs hold on for dear life to claim their first AL South title and end the championship reign of the Senators:
NL
My Dodgers keep themselves in the mix throughout, but ultimately a two-game home sweep loss to the Grays cruels our chances of running them down and they go on to take the Wild Card handily.
Jim Bottomley, who had looked likely to set a new single-season HR mark, runs out of puff over the final weeks to finish with 53.
Which means that, other than Nelson Dean’s 39 home runs conceded, there are now new records set this year.
NeLER NOTES
For this first time along this timeline, all five of the NeL clubs make the playoffs.
Mule Suttles has been putting together a nifty little career for himself, but has remained somewhat under the radar to this point. Not any more, as he hits .362 with 41 HR and 129 RBI to win the AL Triple Crown.
To show just how strong this group is, that performance barely gets him on the podium for WAR ahead of Turkey Stearnes. Rap Dixon outpoints him with 48 HR and 135 RBI, leading the group with nearly 12 WAR, while Willie Wells hits over .300 with 37 HR while delivering more than 20 ZR to finish with 11 WAR on the dot.
No fewer than seven pitchers among the group win 20 or more games this year, with Andy Cooper and Harry Salmon just missing out. Willie Foster, Luis Tiant, and Satchel Paige are the best of them by rWAR, and all the awards voting this year will be incredibly competitive.
Martin Dihigo contributes 9.2 WAR with the bat, but struggles on the mound a bit, adding just 1.2 rWAR to the total with an 11-11 / 4.66 performance. Bullet Rogan, at age 35, actually outscores him marginally with roughly 5.5 WAR from each discipline.
Once again, a number of the non-modded pitchers do well, with Steel Arm Tyler’s 6.0 r WAR heading the group. Cliff “Cherry” Bell has another nice season as well with 18 Wins.
Three modded NeLers take their leave of us at the end of 1928, each of whom should at least make a decent run at HoF enshrinement when the time comes.
HURLEY MCNAIR: Couldn’t quite get to 3000 Hits, which given his lack of power might be his biggest stumbling-block come ballot time, along with a dearth of playoff action or black / gray ink. All the same, had a fine career over his tenure here, even if it was a bit of a miss on the lower side against his source data.
BEN TAYLOR: Old Reliable was traditionally problematic for OOTP, being a fairly one-dimensional 1B type usually leaving him poorly rated and unloved in the raw version. So it’s nice to see him in full bloom in this timeline, where he knocked up more than 3000 Hits and won five Soft Gloves. That should earn him his share of votes, and his 1917 Championship ring (earned with the ABCs) will also help his cause. Still, were I a betting man I’d think he’ll come up just short in HoF consideration. Was actually more productive in WAR terms in his five seasons with us than for the ABCs across twice as many years.
CRISTOBAL TORRIENTE: No such concerns for “Carlos”, who was Ben’s teammate in that 1917 title and should get in fairly early in his voting cycle. In fact, 2500+ Hits and 300+ HR, nearly 100 WAR, 10 All-Star appearances might even give him a shot first-ballot.
FINAL MLB STANDINGS
AL STAT LEADERS
NL STAT LEADERS
PLAYOFFS
Almost impossible to imagine that the current title leaderboard reads Baltimore 1, Indianapolis 1, New York Yankees 0. Will they finally break the drought here? A healthy Ruth greatly improves their chances. Their first opponents are the Monarchs.
The Black Sox take on the Athletics, while in the NL it’s Giants v Black Barons and Indy-Homestead. A veritable feast for all tastes!
DS
The Yanks come out firing with a 13-2 laugher at home and take a strong hold on the series with a 7-2 decision the next day. A 5-4 Game 3 win in KC sends them through to the LCS.
Baltimore proves a rude guest in Game 1 when they stake themselves to an early 6-0 lead and hang on to win 6-3, then take G2 with a 6-2 final. Philly stays alive with a 12-2 win in which Sam Gray takes a no-no into the 6th, but makes its exit as the Black Sox advance with a gritty 5-3 victory, setting up a showdown with their AL East rivals.
We get a thriller to start the ABCs-Grays contest, with Indy walking it off 6-5 on a 12th-inning RBI single by Charlie Smith, but the Grays respond as a 3-run 1st holds up the entire way, with Bullet Rogan going deep and pitching a 7-hit shutout. Postalita is prominent again as the ABCs take a 9-3 win in G3, but we look set for a Game 5 as Homestead takes a 3-0 lead into the top 9th. A 7-spot by the ABCs renders that unnecessary.
Extras are also needed in both Giants-Birmingham games at Polo Grounds, which the hosts win 4-3 in 11 and then 10-7 in 12 on a walkoff 3-run homer by Stonewall Jackson. Steel Arm Tyler keeps the BBs in the contest, allowing just one hit over 7 scoreless in an 8-0 G3 win, and they force a a decider with a 9-5 win on the back of a fantastic performance by John Beckwith. Birmingham causes a big upset a couple days later, ensuring we’ll have at least one of the NeL clubs present at the final stage with a gutsy 4-3 road win behind Satchel Paige.
LCS
No Game 1 slip-up this year for the Yanks, who put in a very polished performance with a 5-0 win with Herb Pennock twirling a 3-hitter and Lou Gehrig going yard twice, but they do drop Game 2 despite a fine outing from George Pipgras, with the Black Sox evening the series with a 2-1 win in 10.
This Yanks outfit looks all business, and they put the Black Sox in a deep hole with a clinical 8-0 win in Game 3, followed by a gritty 3-2 victory the day after as Ruth and Gehrig both homer.
Mule Suttles homers twice as a 7-3 Baltimore win sends the series back to NYC, but MVP Lou Gehrig’s heroics – hitting .417 with 6 HR and 10 RBI – lead the Yankees to the Big Dance with a 7-3 win.
A confident start sees the home side ABCs take the opener 7-1 as Luis Tiant goes the distance, then just get home with a 2-1 win in 10 the next day.
The Birmingham bats finally come alive in Game 3, but it’s to no avail as the ABCs go 3-0 up with a tight 6-5 win at Rickwood Field, and a wild 9-7 win the following day as Martin Dihigo pops a pair of jacks completes the sweep and sends Indy back to the WS.
WORLD SERIES
Both clubs are pretty much at full strength for what should be a cracking contest.
Neither side would be happy with their performance in Game 1, which the visiting Yankees eventually take 12-10 despite nearly blowing a big lead, but they settle things down the next day as the Yanks take a 2-0 series lead with a much more conventional 5-2 win.
The Yanks then grind out a tough 3-2 win at home in Game 3 but tighten ever so slightly to miss the chance of a sweep as the ABCs score late in a 3-0 final.
It’s the Pinstripers’ year, however, as they break the shackles late to lock down that prized maiden title with a 10-2 victory.
Babe Ruth is named MVP, and the running score now sits at 14 titles apiece for the AL and NL.
1928 RECAP
A big awards season for the NeL fraternity.
Mule Suttles and Turkey Stearnes finish 1-2 in the AL MVP vote, with Rap Dixon taking the NL award.
Willie Foster unanimously wins the AL CYA, while Satchel Paige edges out the unlucky Luis Tiant in the NL.
Jim Willis takes out a hotly contested AL RoY.
My Dodgers grab a couple gongs as well, with Del Bissonette a unanimous RoY and Jumbo Elliott named the NL’s best reliever. Elam Vangilder wins that award in the AL.
Among the strongest retirement classes we’ve seen, with Walter Johnson and Ty Cobb virtual locks for their first ballot. FYI, Walter finishes with 417 Wins and Ty with 4260 Hits—a stellar performance from the OOTP engine!
That might rule out any of the other in this group from going straight in. All the same, Zack Wheat (3170 Hits and 300 HR) is a certainty and I do think Cristo and Ben T. will eventually make it as well.
NeL-obsessed member from Sydney, Australia who spends an inordinate amount of my free time running simulations of various natures on Out of the Park Baseball.