The newspapers’ reactions were mixed when they quoted the Philadelphia Brewers staff before the season. The closer the staff was to the players, the less likely it was to reach the postseason, unlike the ownership, who announced they were eyeing for a playoff spot.
Ultimately, it was a close run that the Boston Banshees deservedly won in the season’s last games. The Banshees repeated their 1906 season when they ended up second with a 70-50. This time, though, they qualified for the postseason – their second appearance after 1899.
A struggling pitching staff
Along with Winfield Clark and Reinhold Rogers, Troy Duerden and Stephen Millington were to form the rotation. Then, a herniated disc ruined Millington’s comeback as a regular starter. To ensure Philadelphia’s pitching prospect Henry Averill would get more time in AAA, Brewers general manager Martin Pitsch acquired the services of Rollie Watson, a former long-time pitcher for the Chicago Doves’ AAA affiliate. After four games, 32 innings, and 21 earned runs, Watson returned to free agency, and Averill got the call.
Averill had a sensational rookie season: 15-8, 2.26 ERA, and appeared in several leaderboard categories. He had his best period in May and June and was a major contributor to the Brewers’ success in this timeframe. He had a 9-2 record and a 1.87 ERA in these two months.
While Henry Averill had the best record, Troy Duerden had the most wins. Along with his 18 wins came 13 losses and an unfortunate 3.31 ERA. Duerden started well: 11-2 and a 2.55 ERA in April and May, but he might be remembered more for his devastating performance at the end of the season. He lost five of his last six games, including a ten-run beating that lasted only 2.2 innings against the Whales on August 6th.
Nineteen-twelve was the first losing season for Reinhold Rogers in a Brewers uniform. He justified his position in the rotation but, at the same time, justified being the number four starter of the rotation. Bujak even shoved Rogers to the pen in the last week of the season—a questionable move, as Duerden was the more significant liability. Still, Rogers had one reason to celebrate: on July 6th, he won his 100th career game.
Winfield Clark had a fantastic 1911, winning 19 games. Since the Brewers switched to a four-man rotation, only Lambert Holmes won more games (1906, 20 wins). Clark finished the season with a 17-12 record and a 3.07 ERA. Although Averill did steal the show, Clark fascinated the crowds in the Brewers’ strong phase. After a rough start (2-3, 4.11 ERA in the first five games), he pitched a 3-hit shutout against the Rifles. In four of his next six games, he only allowed one run each. Some games he lost were unlucky, but some games he won were lucky, too. The best example was his final game when he allowed 17 hits and six earned runs.
The Brewers used only one reliever. Arthur Haddow pitched 41.2 innings in 21 games and allowed ten runs. The 30-year-old will look back at a decent season but will be annoyed by the four losses and the unusually high amount of walks and hits. In 1908, opposing hitters also had 43 hits and drew 19 walks (in 1912, Haddow walked 18 batters), but Haddow pitched 21 more innings.
Overall, the Brewers allowed too many runs and couldn’t support the potent offense. A total of 490 runs against placed the ballclub 13th in the whole LBL.
The bats
The league saw a resurgence of the Brewers’ offense in 1911, and Philadelphia repeated it in 1912. With 521 runs, they scored almost as many as in 1911 (516 R). But it wasn’t the same players this year. Philadelphia saw quite some change this season.
Catchers
Charles Ayscue led the pack for many years, but Henry Shackleford moved up as backup when the club released Frank Stilgoe. The original plan was to field Henry Shackleford and Chester Walker in 1912 or 1913, but Shackleford’s poor performance in 1911 led to a change of plans. Walker replaced Shackleford but also moved up past Ayscue. A bold move that paid off. In his rookie season, Walker started 98 games, hit one homerun, and brought in 44 runs. His batting average was at .310, with a .372 on-base percentage.
Infielders
Milan Featherstone set a sensational mark with 87 RBI in the previous season but didn’t come close to that performance in 1912. Only 40 runs were brought in, a batting average of .255, and an on-base percentage of .312, which wasn’t what the Brewers or Featherstone expected. He had a poor average of .228 in April and May but brought in 25 runs. Things seemed to normalize in the following two months as he improved his batting, but in the last week of the season, to counter the slumping offense, McKenzie started on first base while Daniel Johnson got called up from AAA.
Troy Bujak selected Salvator Pallister to be the new second baseman and demoted Arthur Anderson to the bench. The rookie impressed with a .271 BA and 57 RBI. One of his two home homeruns cleared the loaded bases. Pallister’s defense isn’t elite, but it was enough to support the pitchers.
Third base saw a rekindled competition between Cletus Stanbridge and Paul Butler. Stanbridge’s offense slowed, and his glove could have been more efficient. He started roughly twenty games less than in the previous two seasons, and those games went to Butler.
The Brewers’ defense depends on the shortstop. Caesar Scott stabilized the defense for five years and was a solid batter. In October 1907, Martin Pitsch sent centerfielder Enrique Johnson to Cleveland for Scott and a first-round pick. At that time, Caesar Scott was 35 years old, and at 40 in 1912, age was becoming a factor. His error count slightly increased, and he became less agile.
Outfielders
Because the Philadelphia Brewers always tried to send groundball pitchers to the Boeselager Stadium mound, the outfield is usually manned with big hitters. Harry Anderson, Ray Faulkner, and Leo McKenzie terrorized the Eastern League pitchers for most of the season.
Harry Anderson was promoted after Arnold Hill failed to overcome his slump in the early season. Drafted in the first round in 1911, Anderson briefly stayed in Allenton before joining Langhorn for the last few games of the season. After just 21 games in AAA in 1912, in which he was .317/.371 with two home runs and seven RBI, he replaced Hill. In his rookie season, he started in 86 of 91 games and hit .294/.395 with four home runs and 54 RBI.
While Philadelphia talked much about Leo McKenzie, Henry Averill, and Harry Anderson, Ray Faulkner remained the ballclub’s steady and silent workhorse. Faulkner defended centerfield effectively, showed a solid bat (.288/.351, 3 HR), and even set a new personal record with 64 RBI.
At 41 years old, Leo McKenzie is past his prime. In fact, since he missed the entire 1906 season, McKenzie’s batting average hasn’t been the same. But a .294 BA, an LBL-leading .439 OBP, and an EL-high 77 SB in just 86 games are still a threat.
Review
Was the season a success? It’s difficult to answer the question because the Philadelphia front office’s season goals were unclear. For the ownership, it was a defeat because the season ended after 120 games. The Boeselager brothers disagreed with Pitsch and Bujak’s decisions early in the season. The manager and general manager preferred to carefully bring their talents to the majors in 1913.
But Millington’s injury, Rollie Watson’s release, and the slump of many players, such as Hill and Featherstone, required an influx of talent. In the eyes of the coaching staff, the season was a minor success. Although the team didn’t reach the postseason, they threw some punches and fought hard. The Brewers Academy brought up players such as Walker, Pallister, Harry Anderson, and Johnson.
How will 1913 look like? The club will have to look for trades. The most crucial tasks will be to find a replacement for Caesar Scott, stack up starting pitching, and keep the outfielders happy.
No player in the organization comes close to Scott’s defensive talents. Will Daniel Johnson accept a demotion to the bench if McKenzie returns to right field? Will Howard Roebuck and Gunnar Young accept the bench? And what will happen if another starting pitcher is out for a longer time?
The offseason will be exciting to follow.