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

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Josh Davis – Starting Pitcher – Cleveland Cobras – 95.4% (First Ballot)


Josh Davis was born in Ewa Beach, Hawaii in 1884, long before Hawaii was a state or had been officially taken over by the United States. Davis came stateside to pursue baseball, playing collegiately at Indiana University. The 5’11’’, 200 pound left made a big impression with the Hoosiers and caught the eye of many teams, getting drafted fourth overall in the 1904 draft by the Cleveland Cobras.


Davis had three pitches and was a master at coaxing groundballs with a sinker that topped out in the upper 90s. Along with a filthy changeup and solid curveball, Davis immediately was successful, posting a 2.86 ERA as a rookie in 1905. He would lead the National Association in WAR and strikeouts the next three seasons, winning Pitcher of the Year in 1907 and 1908. He’d win it again in 1910 and 1911 with the Cobras, posting a career-best 1.98 ERA in 1910. In 1911, he was the first Triple Crown winning pitcher with the NA’s best mark in wins (19), ERA (2.43), and strikeouts (256)


Despite his personal success, Cleveland did not make the playoffs during his entire tenure. Although they posted a couple winning seasons, they never cracked the 90-win mark. When his contract expired at the end of 1911, Davis decided to leave the Cobras in search of playoff glory and of course, big money.


Houston had established themselves as the first dynasty by then and their success gave them money to spend, which they used in December 1911 on Davis in the tune of seven years, $33,900. He seamlessly transitioned to the American Association, winning AA Pitcher of the Year in 1913 and 1914 (and barely missed in in 1912 due to teammate Jeremy Frechette). Davis had two 10+ WAR seasons in 1913 and 1914 and posted a career high 305 strikeouts in 1914. In 1912, he got his lone World Series ring.


1915 started well enough, throwing his only no-hitter in April against Las Vegas. But in May, disaster struck the then 31-year old lefty with an ulnar nerve entrapment in his elbow. The injury and a setback put him out for the year and led to Houston cutting ties. No Major League team wanted to take a chance on Davis, fearing the injury meant the end of his career. But he was determined to continue on and found a buyer, the Santiago Sailfish of CABA. He signed a five-year, $21,600 deal and moved to the Dominican.


The Sailfish were rewarded for their signing as Davis posted a 6.5 WAR season and Santiago claimed the CABA championship in 1916. However, more injuries would plague Davis after that, including radial nerve compression in the elbow in July 1918. Unfortunately, this one wasn’t one he could bounce back from and Davis retired at age 35.


His final MLB numbers are impressive: six Pitcher of the Year Awards, 196-109, 2.53 ERA over 2862 innings, 2763 strikeouts, and 90.1 WAR. Combining his CABA numbers, Davis had 225 wins, 3201 strikeouts, and a 98.6 WAR. Even with injury ending his MLB run at age 31, Davis certainly earned his place among the all-time great arms.


Adam “Ripper” Boehm – Outfielder - Houston Hornets – 92.3% (First Ballot)


Adam Boehm was one of baseball’s first star players and would later be known for his incredible longevity. Born May 16, 1870 in Newark, OH; Boehm ended up a 5’8’’, 205 pound left handed outfielder. He’d become known as an all-time great contact hitter with solid power, an elite eye, and nice quickness. In his 20s, he bounced around barnstorming in the Midwest and his “sparkplug” personality earned him respect and the nickname “Ripper.”


Oddly enough, his entire 20s came in the pre-MLB era, leading to his early day stats not counting towards leaderboards. But his efforts led to being picked fifth in the inaugural MLB Draft by the Ottawa Elks.

Boehm played centerfield primarily in his six seasons in Ottawa, earning two Silver Sluggers and five All-Star game invites. Approaching age 37 towards 1907 though, the Elks decided it was time to move on, trading Boehm to Dallas for three prospects. With the Dalmatians and now in left field, Boehm had a career-best and American Association leading 128 runs scored. But he hadn’t gotten a taste of postseason play yet and didn’t think he’d find it in Dallas.


He did stay in Texas, signing a three-year, $12,720 deal with Houston, who had been the AA champ and World Series runner-up in 1905 and 1906. There, at age 38, he began what became his signature run in eight seasons with the Hornet dynasty. In 1908, he won his lone career MVP with 137 runs scored, a 1.105 OPS, and a 9.8 WAR. He was batter of the month in three straight months and was first round and World Series MVP as Houston claimed their first MLB ring.


Boehm wouldn’t post league-leading numbers quite the same again, but he was a reliable starter in left and part of four MLB champion teams. He signed a three-year extension in 1912 and started up until age 45; one of a very small group ever to make it that long. Eventually age caught up to him in 1915 and he retired following that season.


Had his 20s come only a few years later, there’s no doubt that Boehm would be at the top of many all-time leaderboards. Even so, he was the first player ever to reach 1000 and 1500 runs scored and the second to reach 2500 career hits. His final line was 2542 hits, 1579 runs, 399 home runs, 1435 RBI, 1302 walks drawn, a .301/.397/.503 slash and 89.3 WAR. Pretty remarkable for a guy whose official MLB career began at age 31.


Adam Tucker –Left Fielder – Baltimore Orioles – 79.2% (First Ballot)

Adam Tucker was born January 20, 1876 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. A 6’0’’, 200 pound lefty, Tucker was known as a team leader and excellent contact hitter. While many outfielders bounce around over their career, Tucker was very firmly a left fielder, playing 2125 of 2133 career games in left.


He began playing on various teams in the pre-MLB days throughout Florida, earning the attention of the Jacksonville Gators once MLB started up. At age 25, he was picked in the inaugural MLB Draft in the 3^rd round, 117^th overall, by Jacksonsville. In four years with the Gators, Tucker twice earned Silver Slugger and led the American Association in RBI in 1903 with 129. That year, Jacksonville won the AA championship with Tucker knocking in 14 and hitting five homers in 11 postseason games.


Tucker decided to test free agency after the 1904 season and signed a very rich deal with Baltimore; the team he’d become best known for playing with. He signed an eight-year, $32,280 deal with the Orioles and would play seven of those years. In 1906, he led the National Association in hitting overall with the triple slash .380/.433/.614, finishing second in MVP voting. He was a four-time All-Star and twice a Silver Slugger winner with Baltimore, but couldn’t lift the Orioles to a postseason appearance.


In 1910, Tucker finished with a league best 8.2 WAR, matching his career high from 1906. But he’d drop off a bit the next year and before the 1912 at age 36, he was traded to Detroit for three prospects. After a respectable year with the Tigers, he signed a two-year deal with Calgary. He played one with the Cheetahs, then was traded to Miami for the 1914 campaign. With the Mallards, he became the first player to 2500 career hits.


At age 39 in 1915, Tucker signed with Seattle but only played 14 games due to numerous injuries. That would mark the end of his MLB career, but he’d play two more professional seasons after in CABA with Honduras and Santiago.


Tucker finished his MLB career with 2549 hits, 1270 runs, 407 home runs, 1319 RBI, a .323 batting average, .380 OBP, 156 OPS+, and 84.0 career WAR. He wasn’t the flashiest or more dominant player, but a reliable leader and starter for 14 years makes Tucker a solid Hall of Fame selection.

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In the first season under the East Asia Baseball sanctioning, Tokyo and Nagoya were the Japan League’s first division champions. In the North, the Tides had the fewest runs allowed at 454, finishing first at 96-66. It was a competitive group with Saitama four back, Sapporo six back, and Kawasaki both above .500. The Nightowls took the South at 92-70 with Osaka (86-76) the only team above .500 in the division.


The Orange Sox had pitcher Zeshin Saito, who was the inaugural Pitcher of the Year and MVP. The 25-year old lefty had a Japan-best 11.7 WAR and 342 strikeouts with a 1.63 ERA.


In the Korea League, the North division was oddly distributed with three teams above 100 wins, one at 35, and one at only 19. Pyongyang won it at 118-44, beating out Hamhung (109-53) and Seongna (104-58). The South had more balance with Daegu first at 104-58, beating Changwon (97-65) and Gwangju (96-66).


League MVP went to Yongin’s Jae-Hee-Sin, whacking 59 home runs and 175 RBI. The RBI mark would stay the league record for more than a decade with three of EAB’s 150+ RBI seasons of the 20^th century in 1921. Ko Agano of Daegu was Pitcher of the Year and Seiki Okuyama of Seongnam set a long-standing record of 28 wins.


The JLCS went to Tokyo in five games over Nagoya and Pyongyang bested Daegu in six in the KLCS. The first EAB Championship went seven games and was claimed by the Pythons. Left fielder Toma Dobashi won series MVP with the 29-year old getting 16 hits, four homers, and 12 RBI in the postseason.


Other notes: Two perfect games were thrown in EAB in 1921. Japan PotY Zeshin Saito tossed one with 15 strikeouts versus Fukuoka and Hamhung’s Jae-Won Park had 14 Ks against Ulsan. Hamhung’s Sang-Hyun Kang posted a 42-game hit streak. He’d be the only guy to have a streak of 40+ until 1992.

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Guadalajara won their third straight Mexican League South Division title, as the defending CABA champ led Mexico in runs scored and allowed for a 103-59 record. Aneurys Perez was league MVP for the Hellhounds, leading the way in runs, homers, RBI, walks, OBP, slugging, OPS, and WAR. Chihuahua won back-to-back North Division titles, also finishing 103-59. Mexico City’s Lian Llanes won Pitcher of the year with his league-best 1.39 ERA.


The Caribbean League final would be a rematch as well with Santiago taking first in a strong Island Division at 108-54, beating 96-win Haiti and Jamaica. Honduras took the Continental Division at 97-65. Sailfish ace Ulices Montero won his fourth straight PotY and fifth overall with 424 strikeouts, a 0.76 WHIP, 1.86 ERA, and 12.5 WAR. Despite a losing record, Havana’s Mackendy Civil was MVP with the league lead in the triple slash for a 10.8 WAR.


Santiago wouldn’t led Honduras upset them this time, sweeping the LCS for the franchise’s second league title. Guadalajara defeated Chihuahua in six games for back-to-back Mexican titles and claimed back-to-back CABA crowns in a seven-game classic over the Sailfish. Pitcher Honorato Gutierrez was series MVP with four playoff starts for a 1.06 ERA, 34 innings, and 28 strikeouts.


Other notes: Kenyon Jorgensen of Juarez threw CABA’s fifth perfect game, striking out 11 against Puebla on 8/2. Three pitchers reached the 3000 career strikeout mark; Alejandro Cordova, Nick Bermea, and Ulices Montero.

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For the second straight season, San Francisco had the best record in MLB. The Gold Rush had an MLB best 105-57 with 917 runs scored. In his third season with San Fran, 32-year old outfielder Jonathan Gibbs won his third career MVP with a 48 home run, 150 RBI season. It was his first MVP since the 1914 season with Columbus and he set career highs. Portland took second in the Western League at 92-70 for their seventh playoff berth in eight years. The Pacifics wouldn’t return to the postseason again until the late 50s.


Atlanta won the Southern League title for the first team in team history with an 101-61 mark. Defending World Series champ Houston was second at 97-65 to return the playoffs. At age 31, Hornets pitcher Newton Persaud won his third Pitcher of the Year, leading the American Association in strikeouts for the fourth straight year and WAR for the fifth.


In a rematch of last year’s AACS, San Francisco edged Houston in five games to advance. The Aces easily swept Portland in the first round, but would fall in five games to the Gold Rush for SF’s first-ever Association title.


The Eastern League had two teams at the top earning their first-ever playoff appearance. Baltimore won the title at 101-61 and Buffalo, who missed out last year despite winning 102 games, took the second spot at 100-62. Defending National Association champ Hartford placed third at 93-69, thwarting a repeat bid. The Orioles had the league MVP in second baseman Norris Thuston, who at only age 22 had a 10.48 WAR season, at the time the third best season from a position player.


In the Midwest League, Kansas City had their first playoff berth in about a decade by taking first at 100-62. Last year’s ML champ Columbus easily took second at 95-67. Washington 30-year old pitcher Jeremiah Jaiboon won his second PotY with a MLB best 2.12 ERA.


The Cougars survived a five-game series with the Blue Sox to advance, while the Orioles swept the Chargers. In the NACS, Baltimore defeated Kansas City in six games to send the Orioles to the World Series along with fellow first-timer San Francisco. The Gold Rush prevailed in five in the Fall Classic. 22-year old outfielder Jo De Groot won World Series MVP, picking up 12 runs, 24 hits, and 14 RBI in 15 playoff games.


Other notes: Portland’s Kyle Bartz became the first player in MLB history to reach 3000 career hits. Bartz would retire after the 1923 season with a total of 3383 hits. He’d become the eighth to reach 1500 career runs scored later in 1921. Houston’s Jonathon Gillette became the third to whack 500 career home runs.

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After four Hall of Fame inductees in 1921, no players reached the 66% threshold for the 1922 class. Phoenix pitcher Tom Guillaume got the closest he has yet at 61%, much better than the 27.8% the prior year. Shortstop Dave Douglas made his debut just above 60% and early days MVP George Cull hit his highest percentage at 58% in his sixth try.

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Defending Japanese champion Tokyo improved from 96 wins to 104 in their second season in East Asia Baseball. Unfortunately for them, Sapporo was three games better for the North Division title at 107-55. The Swordfish led Japan in runs scored and allowed with pitcher Ju-An Kim earning both Pitcher of the Year and League MVP with the league-best 1.62 ERA. The South Division was a bit weaker with 89-73 Hiroshima taking the top spot by one game over 88-74 Osaka. In the JLCS, Sapporo would prevail in six games.


The North was also top heavy in the Korea League as Hamhung outraced defending champ Pyongyang for the top spot. The Heat led the way at 107-55, five games better than the 102-60 Pythons. Daegu dominated in the South Division at 98-64, 15-games ahead of next best Changwon. The top awards went to players on below .500 teams as Seoul’s Ju-Won Song won MVP, whacking 138 RBI (31 more than second place). Suwon’s Jung-Won Park led the league in ERA for the PotY.


In the KLCS, Hamhung defeated Daegu in six games. In the second East Asia Baseball Championship, the Heat bested the Swordfish in six. Outfielder Sozen Murata won series MVP in the EAB final and the KLCS for the Heat, getting 19 hits, 11 runs, four HR, and eight RBI in 12 games.


Other Notes: Tokyo’s Tae-U Jun threw EAB’s third perfect game on 4/25 against Kobe. Then on 9/18, Kyoto’s Shinji Higa tossed the fourth perfecto.

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Defending CABA champ Guadalajara won a fourth straight South Division title in 1922, taking the crown comfortably at 101-61. The Hellhounds had the Pitcher of the Year in Carlos Cartagena, with the 27-year old eating what would be a long-standing record of 309.1 innings while posting a solid 2.27 ERA.


The North Division was more competitive with Hermosillo (96), Tijuana (95), and Mexicali (89) all posting solid years. However, Chihuahua prevailed at 102-60 for a third straight division title.


Interestingly, the pitcher with the best WAR in Mexico was the Reliever of the Year for the Warriors. B.J. “The Warden” Medina picked up his second award in his return to Mexico after a few years in MLB, posting 50 saves and a 1.07 ERA with 218 strikeouts over 101.1 innings. He finished second in PotY voting, the closest a reliever had gotten to the award. Outfielder Alba Jimenez, who signed with Tijuana in the offseason from Santo Domingo, won his second career MVP, easily leading the Mexican League with 47 home runs.


For the third straight year, the MLCS was between Guadalajara and Chihuahua. For the first time, the Warriors prevailed, winning the series in five games for their first Mexican title.


Although it was their fourth straight 90+ win season, 1922 would be the first playoff berth for the Haiti Herons, winning the Caribbean Island division at 99-63. They held off Havana (93-69), Jamaica (92-70), and defending champ Santiago (91-71), getting a Pitcher of the Year from Makenson Augustin.


In the Continental Division, Honduras edged Guatemala for the top spot with the Horsemen at 89-73 and Ghosts at 87-75. Guatemala shortstop Neno Campos won the league MVP with the batting title and 10.8 WAR.


It was the fourth straight playoff berth for Honduras and for the third time in that stretch, they prevailed in the CLCS despite boasting the less impressive record. Honduras beat Haiti 4-2 to take the Caribbean League title. Yet again, they’d be denied their first CABA title, falling in a seven-game classic to Chihuahua. Second baseman Hamilton Salazar was series MVP with a .386 average in the postseason.


Other Notes: Kenyon Jorgensen of Juarez had CABA’s fifth perfect game, striking out 11 against Puebla on 8/2. Santiago ace Ulices Montero became the first pitcher to 3500 career strikeouts and Santo Domingo’s Alejandro Cordova the first to 200 wins. Jamaica’s Chris Barnett and SD’s Diomar Glas were the first to reach 1000 career RBI.

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San Francisco once again won the Western League in 1922, giving the Gold Rush five straight playoff berths and four league titles in that stretch. SF had the most runs scored at 907 and finished 100-62. Las Vegas took the second place spot at 91-71 for their first ever playoff berth. This left San Diego, Nashville, New Orleans, and Oklahoma City as the only AA franchises without one playoff appearance in the first 22 years of Major League Baseball.


The Knights came close to getting their first spot, but 98 wins put Nashville third in the Southern League. Houston won the SL with the best AA record at 103-59, followed by Atlanta second at 100-62. The Aces had the league MVP in first baseman Israel Bishop as the lefty from Grenada led the AA in runs (123), hits (220), RBI (128) and average (.351). Hornets ace Newton Persaud won his fourth Pitcher of the Year, leading the AA in WAR for the sixth straight season.


In the first round of the playoffs, Houston swept Los Vegas and Atlanta upset San Francisco in four games. The Aces would fall in the AACS for the second straight year as the Hornets won in five, sending them to their second World Series in three years and eighth WS appearance overall.


In the National Association, Buffalo was the top team with a 100-62 mark atop the Eastern League. Seven teams were within six games of second place with Philadelphia taking second at 92-70, one up on Hartford, two on Baltimore, three on Boston, four on New York, five on Toronto, and six on Washington.


The Midwest League was even tighter with four teams within one game of each other for the top spot. Cleveland and Kansas City both finished 90-72 with Cincinnati and Columbus one back at 89-73. As both clinched a playoff spot, the Cobras and Cougars didn’t have to play a one-game playoff, with Cleveland getting the tiebreaker for the ML title. It was a huge turnaround for the Cobras, who hadn’t won more than 61 games in a season in their last three years.


Pitcher of the Year went to Nick Bermea. After four PotYs in CABA with Juarez, the Columbus, Georgia native returned to America by signing with Philadelphia and tossing a NA best 2.55 ERA at age 32. St. Louis slugger Elijah Cashman had his first career MVP at age 25 with a 1.060 OPS. His 46 home runs was third in the NA. Next year, he’d begin a streak of eight years as the Association leader in dingers.


It would be an all-Midwest Association final after Cleveland defeated Philadelphia in four and Kansas City topped Buffalo in four in the first round. The Cobras bested the Cougars in six, ending KC’s run for the second straight year in the NACS and giving Cleveland their first World Series appearance. Their first title would have to come another year as Houston won the World Series in six games; the Hornets’ sixth overall MLB crown and second in three years. First baseman Emanuel McCain won WS MVP with 20 hits, 12 runs, and 11 RBI over his postseason.


Other Notes: Denver and former Omaha Shortstop Lee Chase won his 10^th Gold Glove. Christopher Ross became the fourth hitter to 500 career home runs. Denver pitcher Regal Lewis became the third pitcher to 3500 career strikeouts.