The Philadelphia Brewers bounced back from a subpar 1901 season and surprised the league by winning the division easily. Then, in the League Cup, the Brooklyn Whales ended the Brewers’ dream of another title since 1898.
Martin Pitsch, Philadelphia Brewers GM, and Kirby Hocking, the organization’s player oracle, met to discuss the upcoming season in August 1902 with the Boeselager brothers. But, as always, Sir Downing showed little interest in the baseball operation.
The talks had strategic value. Aside from a $90,000 cap, the outlook on the summer meetings was predictable: Avoid long-term deals unless it is an MVP candidate.
Although the Brewers showed interest in Golden Reeves and Tillman Maddaford, they soon backed out due to the high salary demands. It seemed that Pitsch settled with Lambert Holmes as the third starting pitcher.
CF Enrique Johnson
But the leadership saw some room for improvement elsewhere. Junius Bembridge was an essential factor in stabilizing the defense, but he was a liability against left-handed pitchers. In 102 plate appearances against right-handed pitchers, he racked up 24 hits, 14 walks, and 14 walks. However, in the other 64 other plate appearances, he only had ten hits, five walks, and 7 RBI. Finally, Kirby Hocking found a 25 years old switch hitter from Kansas who is also a respectable centerfielder. Enrique Johnson might not have the defense quality like Reeves, but he only costs Philadelphia $3,000 compared to the $201,000 spread over four years.
RF John Walshaw
A second signing gave the outfield even more depth. John Walshaw, a 23-year-old from New Orleans, might soon be Rusty Hall’s challenger. Unlike Hall, Walshaw can handle lefties and righties equally well and is an aggressive baserunner.
Potential Starters
C – Frank Stilgoe
1B – Lionel Lyon
2B – Alfred Gilling
3B – Moriarty Stapleton
SS – George Singleton
LF – Leo McKenzie
CF – Enrique Johnson
RF – Rusty Hall
The most notable change will be Enrique Johnson starting for Junius Bembridge. In addition, Ronnie Arrington might give John Walshaw some time on the field, especially when batting against lefties. The question is, who will sit out?
Walshaw is an experienced right fielder but can also play left field. Neither Hall nor McKenzie won’t like this option. Together they have played 1,487 games for Philadelphia. But Leo McKenzie’s batting average dropped from .357 in 1901 to .298 in 1902. Also, the BA decreased for the fourth year in a row.
One more option that the Brewers fans might see this season is McKenzie or Hall on first base. The management doesn’t like Lionel Lyon’s work ethic and might bench him more often this season if his attitude doesn’t change. Last season, Arrington planned to move Stapleton to first and Albert Walker to third on this occasion. If Walker can replace Lyon’s bat is questionable, though. That’s why Hall or McKenzie will most likely move to first base. Anyone who can replace them in the outfield will be a better fielder but probably not a better hitter.
Potential Pitching Staff
SP – Danny Edgerton
SP – Stephen Millington
SP – Lambert Holmes
RP – Leonard Kindall
RP – Seamus Maynard
Lambert Holmes will return to the rotation after an exhausting but successful season for Danny Edgerton and Stephen Millington as a starter duo. Again, the summer meeting was the reason. With overwhelming support, the GMs agreed to expand the season length. While the teams will still play 98 games in 1903, the number will increase in the upcoming seasons. To be prepared for this and to avoid injuries, the Brewers were first looking for a new starter but had to fall back on Lambert Holmes, who worked hard for his reclaimed role in the offseason. If the preseason predictions turn out correctly, he might become one of the EL’s top pitchers with a 21-9 record and a 2.34 ERA.
Season Outlook
When The Philadelphia Herald asked Martin Pitsch about the season goals, he had two answers.
“I think that every team’s goal should be the Legacy Cup. Realistically, we will aim for the Liberty Division title before being stopped by the Whales. We must acknowledge that Brooklyn has built a team that can and will most likely dominate the league over the next few seasons.” He also added, “But once the playoffs begin, all it takes are three wins to advance to the Legacy Cup. What happens then, I don’t know…”