Simulated replay. This post describes a season played out with sports simulation software. Scores, standings and winners are the simulation's results, not the real historical record.
The calendar has turned from 1906 to 1907, and all 16 Major League Baseball franchises are preparing for the start of a new season. Before we can go forward, we must look back one last time at the happenings of this winter. Those include a major milestone being reached for the first time, as well as the next crop of rookies joining their new teams. The full story is below.Offseason News
For a second straight offseason, there was little noise around many of the major league clubs. However, as a follow-up to a story we started talking about last year, Ed Delahanty did regain his starting job with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1906, and on June 9th of last season, he became the first player in baseball history to record 3,000 hits for his career. While other players will reach that milestone at some point, there can only be one first player to 3,000 hits, and Ed Delahanty was that player. Congratulations to him, as well as the Phillies, who had enough sense to put Ed back into the starting lineup so that he could reach that impressive mark.
Ed Delahanty of the Phillies, the first member of the 3,000 hit club.
As for the career leader in pitching wins, Cy Young has now broken out to what looks like an insurmountable lead over Kid Nichols. As a member of the Brooklyn Superbas, Young finished the 1906 season with an 18-18 record, putting him at 422 wins. Meanwhile, Nichols languished in the New York Giants' bullpen and didn't win a single game all season long. Young is still slated to pitch as part of Brooklyn's rotation this coming season, so it appears as if the career wins mark is his for the foreseeable future.
1906 Major League Draft
For the second straight season, the Boston Americans finished with the worst record in all of baseball, and were selecting first in the amateur draft. Unlike last season, when Eddie Collins was the clear choice for Boston, there were two potential first overall selections this year. The first was Walter Johnson, an outstanding looking pitching prospect from Kansas. The second was Tris Speaker, a slick hitting outfielder out of Texas that was seen as more of a project than Johnson, but was still easily the best position player in the draft this year.
With both players being weighed by Boston ownership, the Americans decided to take Tris Speaker with the first overall pick. Fans of the Americans were not happy with the choice, as they saw Johnson as the better overall prospect right now, and were beginning to get tired of Boston's plan of "building for the future." All Boston fans saw were back to back last place finishes in the American League. The St. Louis Browns had the second pick, and gladly selected Walter Johnson. The not yet 20 year old Johnson is expected to start the 1907 season in the pitching rotation for the Browns, while the Americans would be wise to let Tris Speaker spend some time with their minor league club in Buffalo before he joins the Americans.
Tris Speaker, first overall pick in the 1906 Major League Draft.
The full results of the first round of the draft are below:
Will 1907 finally be the year that an American League team breaks through and wins the World Series? Will a National League club not named the Pirates or Cardinals represent their league in October? What will happen with the Boston Americans and their choice to not take Walter Johnson with the first pick in the draft? For baseball fans around the country, these questions will all soon be answered.