Federal League Player of the Week

"Cannonball Dick" Redding

The Federal League's Player of the Week is "Cannonball Dick" Redding.  After an initial loss to the Philadelphia Liberty in which he yielded four runs, Redding has been dominant, winning three starts in four decisions, and allowing only 3 runs in 31 innings.  He'll be a key part of Boston's efforts to win the pennant in league that looks to enjoy a much closer pennant race at this point.

In real life, Redding played for a plethora of Negro League teams, mostly for the Brooklyn Royal Giants.  Like many Negro League stars, he also played other positions - the outfield and first base - in addition to pitching.  "Cannonball Dick" has overpowering speed, and used it to claim 30 no hitters during his professional career.

Redding enjoyed a tremendous rookie year with the Lincoln Giants, at one point reeling off 17 straight wins.  Redding's trademark was stamina - throwing both ends of a double header two or three days in a row.  His prime years were during the 1910s, and he lost some of his best years to WW1.

Continental League Player of the Week

Dan Brouthers

Dan Brouthers is this week's Continental League player of the week.  He didn't get a start until April 16th, but has been seeing a lot of playing time as the Model T's first baseman since then.

Brouthers was one of the first slugging stars of the National League in the 19th century, playing for such teams as the Troy Trojans, Buffalo Bisons, and Detroit Wolverines.  As the Vice President of the Brotherhood of Professional Base Ball Players, he was one of the "big name" stars that defected to John Montgomery Ward's Players League for the 1890 season and played the 1891 season in the American Association prior to returning to the NL in 1892, where he remained. 

Brouthers stood 6'2" and weighed 207 pounds, which was big for the era, earning the nickname "Big Dan."

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Old Timers Committee in 1945.

Federal League Player of the Week

Mule Suttles

Perhaps best analogized to a Ryan Howard type, George "Mule" Suttles hit for good average and tremendous power, while also striking out frequently as a result of his free swinging style.  With his 50 ounce bat, he was known for his tremendous home runs, one estimated at 600 feet.


He was, unsurprisingly, not terribly swift and mobile, and his fielding range was not distinguished, but he was able to handle the balls he did get to well.  Hit bat, however, powered his team, the St. Louis Stars, to championships in 1928, 1930 and 1931.  After the Negro National League folded at the end of the 1931 season, Suttles went on to play in Chicago and Detroit among other venues, including Cuba for winter ball.  After a hitting coach in Chicago helped him to adjust his free swinging style to cut down on strikeouts, Suttles helped Chicago claim a championship 1933.  Suttles still managed a home run in every 13.5 at bats, while maintaining a .315 batting average.


The Giants themselves fell victim of the Great Depression, and once more Suttles was on the move, this time to the Newark Eagles.  With his .356 batting average and home run every 12.5 at bats, he was part of what was known as the "million dollar infield."  Throughout the last half of the 1930s, Suttles continued to pile up gaudy stats.


Suttles also barnstormed (played exhibition games on organized tours for extra money in the off season) as did many ball players of the era, both black and white.  When a white team's pitcher faced Suttles, he asked Leo Durocher for advice.  "Just pitch and pray," was all one of baseball's great managers could offer.  Eventually, Suttles became a manager in the Negro Leagues.  He died in 1968 at the age of 67.


Suttles was inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.


Sources:


http://coe.ksu.edu/nlbemuseum/history/players/suttles.html


http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060729&content_id=1581874&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

Continental League Player of the Week

Big Bill Foster

"Big Bill" or "Willie" Foster was a great lefty in the Negro Leagues, perhaps the best ever.  He was the half-brother of Rube Foster, the pitcher who became the driving force behind the creation of the Negro Leagues.  Foster's strength lay in his ability to throw a wide variety of pitches from the same motion. 

Foster pitched for the Chicago American Giants, one of the Negro League's greatest teams in the late 20s and early 30s, as well as many other teams.   Perhaps his greatest pitching performance came against a team of Major League stars in which he yieled no hits or runs in 8 innings, racking up nine strikeouts.  In a poignant comment, Charlie Gehringer told Foster that "If I could paint you white, I could get $150,000 for you right now."  Another person intimately familiar with major league pitchers, umpire Jocko Conlan, opined that "Foster was comparable to Herb Pennock, only faster and had beautiful control, adding that he was really something to watch."

In 1960, Foster became dean of men and the baseball coach at his alma mater, Alcorn State, where he coached until just before his death in 1978.

Foster was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Sources:

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/mlb_negro_leagues_profile.jsp?player=willie_foster

http://www.coe.ksu.edu/nlbemuseum/history/players/fosterw.html