Tales from the MABL

Excerpt from the New York National
May 1, 1950

BACK ON TOP
City Athletic Rides New Talent to Top of the Table

Much was said entering the year about Harry Jordin and Scotty Beamon, the Moles’ key offseason acquisitions. Both hailing from Dixie, the pair’s talent was obvious to the baseball world, as even reporters were hailing the ascendance of the next great New York ace. However, many casual fans were worried about the duo’s emergence from the south and if they were worth the price tag lauded onto them. While Randy Midkiff had shown flashes of brilliance the year prior, the Southern Negro League star was still third in the rotation behind Cincinnati’s Hernandez and Townsley, and the combination league had yet to see a significant SNL star put up solid numbers at the plate.

After a month, however, the doubt is all but silent. New York City Athletic is back atop the Eastern standings thanks primarily to their new acquisitions, standing alone at 13-8. After an up-and-down series against Harbor, the team’s domination began with a sweep of the Jays at Wester Park, where Jordin pitched a 1-run masterclass to end the series in resounding fashion. Over the next few weeks, the new Boroughers star accumulated a 3-0 record with a 1.66 ERA, starting the year strong and helping to catapult the Borughers over the Jays. Beamon also did his part, earning Rookie of the Month honors with a .439 average and 6 home runs, capping his hitting barrage in their 18-1 victory over the Giants with a first-inning two-run bomb. David Sandoval, Dlibert McPherson, and Manuel Gonzalez also went yard to dismantle the Manhattan staff, but the game’s shining star was Tom Padgett.

Padgett’s emergence as an elite pitcher is no surprise to those who follow the game across the pond, but the Englishman has course-corrected after a rocky start to the season. Despite ending April with a 4.24 ERA, his talent and potential lend themselves well to the increasing perception of the game abroad, both in its talent and depth. MABL commissioner Nathaniel Hayes has been eyeing a European tour in the offseason to raise the MABL’s status as a premier sporting outfit, and as many of the combination league’s players are veterans of the war, there’s an expressed excitement about the possibility.

Needless to say, a far-off adventure in foreign lands is all well and good for our squad’s top players, but the Moles will have to maintain their strength at home to live up to fan expectations.

Tales from the MABL

Excerpt from the Chicago Register
June 5th, 1950

DISASTER
Packers trade the future for… what?

For those unaware, the Yards is in a bit of a rut. The team is 10-32, setting themselves apart as the worst team in any major league, and just recently traded away their previous season’s best player in Hank Culberson. In return, the Packers received Vic Higareda, Boston’s second round draft selection, and most importantly, $140,000 cash. While many would assume that this money would be used to save for a new stadium on the south side, the more important point needs to be made: to what end?

Last year, Culberson’s stats jumped off the page when sitting next to nearly every other rookie in the West. His selection was an unequivocal success, one of few since Dave Perrin took over as the club’s owner. Now that talent will be in Boston, where the .500 Bees are currently looking to build off a successful season from the year prior. Meanwhile, the Yards are hoarding cash like Royal France. Chicago’s greatest feat since joining the MABL was last year’s incredible run to the Western Open semifinals, advancing past a St. Louis club that now sports the best record in the West. 

Their reward was money that fans expected Perrin to use on a stadium, but these plans have still been unannounced. While some assume that the additional funds are yet to be found, it’s clear that the owner’s intentions are to make the taxpayers foot the bill. Perrin could be mistaken for a crook for even thinking he could ask for such a payout, especially given what he’s offered in return. Attendance was never an issue before ownership began pulling the purse strings, while the club has cultivated a fanbase for the underdogs of Chicago. This is not how they want to be represented, nor will voters believe that Perrin has the team’s best interest in mind if a bond deal ever ends up on the ballot.

The Packers’ first month of play was by far the worst in the team’s history. Stock Yards opened the year 1-20. Yes, one and twenty. They have only been saved from further embarrassment by, you guessed it, Hank Culberson. The team is currently sitting at 10-32 and on pace to finish as poor as last season, all while previous Western bottom feeders begin their rapid rise thanks to young talent. The trading of a second-year star for cash certainly won’t win you games nor fans. The club’s 87-year history has never seen such historic lows as under Perrin, so it might be time to start using the cash infusions for players instead of a stadium always “a few years away”.

The MABL has about a billion different stories to track at the moment, feel free to jump to your team for mid-season analysis.



Despite leading by as much as five games in June, New York City sits tied atop the Eastern Standings with a Jays team that just won’t quit. For the Moles, their success is mostly thanks to an offense without a weak spot in the lineup. Scotty Beamon has provided City Athletic with one of the best rookie seasons in recent memory, batting .397 with 13 home runs. This isn’t even the most dominant hitting performance on his own team, however, as both Dlibert McPherson and 1949 EPL MVP Shawn Manning are both batting above .400. Harry Jordin and Tom Padgett have made themselves into bonafide superstars overnight, each collecting an all-star nod in their first MABL season. If New York can simply maintain pace, they’ll be sitting close with the Jays, but if they can kick the back of their rotation into gear, they could enter another stratosphere.

That isn’t to say that Brooklyn feels like they’re in this race; in fact, they’re far from their dominant selves. They’re still competitive thanks to their stellar outfield, now having combined for 12 all-star appearances, but their pitching staff has seen a bit of regression from their incredible end of last season. It has been largely carried by Pacific Jim Hughes, who gets the nod to start the All-Star Game thanks to his 9-4 record and 3.54 ERA. Danny Ibarra and Noah Knight has recaptured a rhythm after early-season struggles, but the back of their rotation is a mess. Jonah Lucas has seen a dramatic drop in production, as has Roy Woodward, and both are expected to move to the bullpen while rookie Bob Sedgwick and Tyler Balasko take over in the starting rotation. Quentin gets another all-star nod thanks to 11 home runs, but DeAngelo and Zach Riley replacement Jon Breton simply aren’t up to the levels of the league’s elite.

Speaking of elite, Boston is making a push this season. Despite a subpar performance from Lucas Bennett as the #2 pitcher in the rotation, Gavin Wooden has blossomed into a true ace. They sit five games back thanks to a lineup headlined by Jesus Pineda and Hank Culberson, but they’ve been in intensive talks with the Lakers about Joe Wells. If they can find a way to grab him, the defensive-minded Dan Bell might reconsider his approach for the first time in a decade.

Capital City might have the best rotation in the East this season, and it’s not extremely close. Aussie Hayden Clemmet and Texan two-way Wes Turner are the most formidable 1-2 punch in any starting rotation to the right of the Ohio River, leading the Blossoms to a league-best 3.83 team ERA. Gracia Mercado has also remained the most reliable reliever in baseball, leaving it up to a new-look offense to turn the corner. That offense is carried at the moment by Henry Hillendale, possibly the most egregious all-star snub of the new league. The rookie has 17 home runs at the break, making up for the rest of his teammates combining to hit just 21.

Despite Blaise Perez and Mike Turner repeating their all-star performances from the year prior, Harbor sits at just 26-27. This isn't for lack of offensive improvement, either, as Dimitri Stubbs will become the third Hack in the all-star lineup with an absurd .523 on-base percentage. Rather, the culprit is a pitching staff that continues to regress. Both Greg Read and Danny Stewart have lost a step since entering the MABL, but the wheels have finally fallen off for both of them. Stewart went from a 3.74 ERA in 1949 to his current mark north of six in the blink of an eye, and with no one in the pipeline ready to go, Harbor has given up more runs than anyone in baseball not from the South Side of Chicago.

Speaking of wasted offensive talent, Pittsburgh is no longer the worst team in the East! The Eagles are coming into their own after a long rebuild has seen them near the bottom of the table for the past three seasons, but this is the year of Rocky Thomas Jr. While he’s surrounded by young players getting their footing, Thomas has broken every graph imaginable with a towering .468 batting average this season. If the men in front of him, namely rookies Bob Rockwell and Scott Workman could find their way on-base just a few more times, the Pittsburgh star could be racking up all-time RBI numbers. However, their pitching has cost them plenty of games. Mitchell Inman is doing the most he can as the team’s ace, but the tread on his tires is getting worn out after 8 no-decisions in 14 starts.

Ted Newsome can’t find a way to sleep at night. Despite shelling out massive contracts to aging stars and pouring money into development, the Giants’ only bright spots are Jared Putnam and Bo Rosendale. And bright they are, as Putnam’s league-leading 20 home runs are a chase that New York’s papers seem more interested in than the pennant. Tom Clark and Rosendale each sit with 11 and 13 bombs, respectfully, but no one outside of those three is batting over .300. Joe Berg missed his first all-star game after a solid first half, but none of the young pitchers who showed flashes have seen any improvement with the elder statesman in the locker room.

Centennial sits in a new fresh hell. New president Phil Adams is pleading patience with the board, but the Cens have gone off the rails. Ted Walsh looks like he could turn into a productive center fielder, but the 18 year old is still the second starter in the rotation with a 6.75 ERA. Luis Soto continues to be abysmal, hitting a 2-8 mark in 14 starts, while not even Cory Koster can find his way back to the all-star game. Their only saving grace is rookie all-star Harvey Abrahamson, who has performed extremely well in his first MABL stint.

Against all odds, the team with the fourth most runs scored and 2nd least runs against has found themselves atop the West. After jockeying for the top spot with Cincinnati through May, the Travellers have found themselves here thanks to a MABL-leading 68 home runs. Those bombs are from throughout the lineup, as rookie TJ Cook has 11, longtime right fielder Justin Fraser sits at 13, and Jay Wolf has become a power-hitting god. His 22 home runs put him nearly on Rock Adams’ pace from the prior season, but it’s a pitching staff with one of the best individual performances that has powered this team to first. Tim Mayer is on an absolute tear, and if it weren’t for the voting public giving the nod to H-Town, he would be taking the mound to open the 1950 All-Star game. 

Cincinnati’s budding dynasty has seemed to hit a roadblock this season, but it has yet to manifest much in the win column. While other players are catching up to the Unicorn on the mound, the two-way wonder is leading all of baseball with a remarkable .476 average. Carlos Reyes is on track to surpass his numbers from last season, but a rapidly improving bottom of the table has taken away his all-star nod for 1950. Previous additions to the squad are diverging in production, with both Jon Brownlow and Ben Matney flattening out after monster campaigns, while second-year star Chris Barnard is tearing the cover off of the baseball.  They’re not out until they’re out, and a reeling pitching staff outside of Townsley will have time to right the ship with their young star still in the lineup.

Chicago’s expectation as the second best team in the West continues to saddle the club. The Republics have a remarkable four pitchers in the all-star game, and all of their starting rotation would have easily cracked the Eastern rotation. Tom Crowe has been a shutdown closer all season, and it seems much needed since the bats haven’t been up to snuff. Ryan Griffin remains one the best pure hitters in the game today, but it’s only thanks to Cliff Hansen’s 63 stolen bases that he has himself a positional teammate in the game. Outside of those two, only Eric Libby and Billy Lyon have an average over .300, and the power stroke that’s become necessary in the west eludes them.

Detroit has no such problem, however. Their three positional all-stars have been fantastic all season, while Chris Erwin and Jeff Oxford have tried to make room for the emergent Jerry Apple. The rest of the bats have been clicking, too, as the team ranks first in nearly every offensive category. However, a competent pitching staff continues to elude them. Edwin Trevino is a perfect 10-0 to start the season but hasn’t gotten help from the back end of his rotation, nor the worst bullpen in the West. If they want to compete, it’s up to their bats to make it happen.

Milwaukee might not have a name, but they certainly have stars. Martin Sproul is relentless in his drive, reaching his third all-star game in as many MABL seasons, while their offense is loaded with Roger Doblado, Moises Provencio, Brent Rodgers (.384, 10 HR), and Sebastian Michaels (.284, 10 HR). The latter two are out of the all-star game simply because the team hasn’t found a way to win. Despite coming in with high expectations yet again, Milwaukee fell off in May and might not be able to rebound, as the fiery Sproul might be a yeller, but certainly not a leader.

The Lakers’ season is mired by their offensive ineptitude. Bobby Montogmery and Oscar Fuentes are some of the most talented pitchers on earth, but the squad hasn’t had any offensive production outside of a soon-to-depart Joe Wells. Lance Byrd’s .287 average ranks second on a team without two double-digit home run hitters, virtually stifling a team with so much pitching talent.

Louisville and Stock Yards will be lumped together because I don’t know if I can stand to talk about them. After Stock Yards traded Hank Culberson, fully signifying their intent to rebuild, their first major hit was Dusty Linder, whose .371/.415/.571 slash line with 8 home runs is arguably better than Louisville’s all-star shortstop Tyler Gibson. The Indians rookie is fourth on his team in batting average and tied for 3rd with 5 home runs, but his nod to the all-star game encapsulates the apathy Stock Yards has begun to generate amongst their once-loyal fanbase.

1950 All-Star Game:

Although Cleveland’s Cole’s Park was the site for the game, the East was the designated home team for the game and took home the victory. Ultimately, it was Blaise Perez’s outstanding performance that put the East on top for good in a 15-14 barnburner.

Last edited by H-Town1141 (1/14/2025 7:18 pm)